\u201cAll Californians deserve an affordable place to live \u2014 close to jobs, schools, and opportunity. Housing near transit means shorter commutes, lower costs, and more time with family. When we invest in housing, we\u2019re investing in people \u2014 their chance to build a future, raise a family, and be part of a community,\u201d Newsom said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The sweeping bill \u2014 which takes effect July 1, 2026 \u2014 upzones areas across California, overriding local zoning laws to allow taller, denser projects near transit hubs such as subway stops, light rail stops and bus stops with dedicated lanes.<\/p>\n
Developers will be permitted to build up to nine-story residential buildings adjacent to subway stops, seven stories within a quarter-mile of them and six stories within a half-mile. The bill will also allow residential buildings that reach five to eight stories near light rail and dedicated bus lanes, depending on how close a piece of property is to a particular station or bus stop.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the second major housing reform Newsom has greenlighted this year. In June, he signed a landmark bill<\/a> that streamlines housing construction and cuts through the regulatory red tape brought by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).<\/p>\n Newsom\u2019s decision caps months of debate and weeks of pleas from residents, advocacy groups and cities imploring him to either sign or veto the bill.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a huge win for YIMBY groups and developers, who claim the quickest way to address California\u2019s housing crisis is to build housing \u2014 especially near transit stops to encourage public transportation and cut down on vehicle pollution.<\/p>\n \u201cWith his signature on SB 79, Governor Newsom cements his legacy as one of the most transformative pro-housing leaders in California history,\u201d California YIMBY Chief Executive Brian Hanlon said in a statement. \u201cNow we begin the work of making sure its provisions are fully and fairly implemented.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a blow for some cities, including Los Angeles, which claim that the bill brings a one-size-fits-all approach to a problem that needs local control. Mayor Karen Bass asked Newsom to veto the bill, and the L.A. City Council passed a motion opposing it.<\/p>\n Now, the chaotic scramble begins<\/a> as cities, developers and residents try to figure out who is affected by the bill \u2014 and who is exempted.<\/p>\n Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) introduced the legislation in January, emphasizing the need for immediate action to address the housing crisis. But as the bill wound its way through the Legislature, a host of amendments, exemptions and carve-outs were added in order to secure enough votes to pass through the Assembly and Senate.<\/p>\n What was left was a wordy, at-times confusing bill. Wiener\u2019s spokesperson Erik Mebust acknowledged that it\u2019s \u201cincredibly challenging to visualize.\u201d<\/p>\n First, the bill\u2019s scope was narrowed from all of California to only counties with at least 15 passenger rail stations, leaving only eight: Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Sacramento.<\/p>\n The biggest impact will probably be felt in Los Angeles, which has an estimated 150 transit stops covered by the bill, according to the city\u2019s preliminary assessment.<\/p>\n Transit hubs are being targeted for taller, denser\u00a0housing<\/p>\n Senate Bill 79 would override local zoning laws, allowing buildings of five to nine stories in areas close to many public transit stops in Los Angeles, according to the city\u2019s preliminary analysis. Still, some properties would be eligible for exemptions or a multi-year\u00a0delay.<\/p>\n Distance from transit hub<\/p>\n Los Angeles Dept. of City Planning<\/p>\n Sean Greene LOS ANGELES TIMES<\/p>\n Next, lawmakers added several deferral options, allowing cities to postpone implementation in selected areas until approximately 2030 \u2014 one year after they must submit their latest plan for spurring new housing construction and accommodating growth.<\/p>\n For the next five years, cities can exempt properties in high-risk fire areas, historic preservation zones and low-resource areas \u2014 an attempt to mitigate the bill\u2019s effect on gentrification in low-income neighborhoods.<\/p>\n Transit stops and fire\u00a0zones<\/p>\n Under Senate Bill 79, cities can seek a delay in upzoning for areas located in very high fire hazard severity zones. In northeast Los Angeles, these zones overlap with transit stops in multiple\u00a0places.<\/p>\n Distance from transit hub<\/p>\n Los Angeles Dept. of City Planning, California Dept. of Forestry and Fire Protection<\/p>\n Sean Greene LOS ANGELES TIMES<\/p>\n In addition, to eke out votes from lawmakers representing smaller cities, SB 79 zones shrank to a quarter-mile in cities with fewer than 35,000 residents, compared with a half-mile everywhere else.<\/p>\n Known as the \u201cBeverly Hills carve-out,\u201d the amendment shrinks the upzoning responsibility for certain small, affluent cities around Southern California including Beverly Hills and South Pasadena. As a result, the eligibility map gets weird.<\/p>\n For example, the law will only affect a quarter-mile area surrounding South Pasadena\u2019s Metro A Line station, but a half-mile in its adjacent communities \u2014 Pasadena and L.A.\u2019s Highland Park neighborhood. In L.A.\u2019s Beverly Grove neighborhood, the law covers properties within a half-mile of the Metro D Line subway, but in Beverly Hills right next door, it affects only areas within a quarter-mile.<\/p>\n Before Newsom signed it into law, Los Angeles City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky called it unfair.<\/p>\n \u201cBeverly Hills gets off the hook, and Los Angeles is left holding the bag,\u201d she said in a statement.<\/p>\n Other oddities abound. For example, a city can exempt a particular property that is half a mile from a transit station as the crow flies but has physical barriers \u2014 railroad tracks, freeways \u2014 that make it more than a mile away on foot.<\/p>\n Several online maps attempted to show which areas would be upzoned under SB 79, but no one has produced a parcel-specific overview. Los Angeles planning officials recently published a draft map<\/a> showing the places that they believe would be upzoned under SB 79. But they cautioned that the online tool is for \u201cexploratory purposes only\u201d \u2014 and that a binding eligibility map will eventually be published by the Southern California Assn. of Governments.<\/p>\n![\"Map](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/overview-desktop.6c2fe4e6.png\"\/)
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