Bad news -- and maybe a little good news. SB 79 -- the housing bill we have been fighting for months -- was amended in the Assembly and found enough votes for passage. Senator Scott Weiner and the California YIMBYs have won this round. We thank our Assemblymember Jose Solache' for speaking and voting against the bill, referencing input from his constituents. Long Beach Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal voted YES.
As you can see from the screen shot of the vote tally, many members simply chose not to vote at all, but the bill only required a majority of votes cast to pass.
Members who voted for the bill -- a bipartisan mix -- referred to amendments that might have shrunk the 1/2 mile radius to 1/4 mile of a transit center and also relented on allowing some local input. However, the devil is in the details and Scott Weiner has been known to go back after a bill has passed with something he does not like and pass another bill to change it back to the original form. He's a very slippery operator.
We have one more chance to stop this bill from moving forward in the State Senate. Our Senator Lena Gonzalez not only voted FOR the bill in its first form, sending it the Assembly, she also criticized this petition and the City of Lakewood directly in remarks on the floor of the Senate, claiming it would have no impact on our city. She is missing the point altogether. ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL! We have seen the effect of this kind of legislation in Lakewood with hundreds of multi-unit ADUs popping up like mushrooms with no ability on the part of our local officials to regulate the number of units in a neighborhood or require onsite parking. Why should we trust SB 79 when we have seen what previous Weiner/YIMBY bills have done here?
Yes, there is a need for more and cheaper housing in California. But the state legislature itself has created many of the roadblocks to that. Increasing density in areas near job centers and commuter rail lines does make sense. But don't cut out local input and destroy modest single-family residential neighborhoods far from jobs and rail lines because it's near a busy bus stop.
Click on this link to send a personal message to Senator Lena Gonzalez to vote NO on SB 79.
Here are some points to raise if you care to include them.
*Diminishes local control over housing.
*De minimis affordability requirements: As little as 7% of units set aside as affordable, with 93% market rate or luxury. This will do nothing to solve our state’s affordability crisis; indeed, it would make it worse.
*No regard for infrastructure requirements. Cities would be left holding the bag for the water, power, sewage, fire and police, and other necessary upgrades to service hundreds or thousands of new units.
*No regard for evacuations or emergency ingress in mass disasters. Cities also would be left on their own to attempt to upgrade often already inadequate evacuation routes.
Approved housing elements thrown into disarray. SB 79 would be layered on top of existing housing elements.
Click on this link to send messages to all the state senators to vote no on SB 79.
Let's keep fighting, and please join Our Neighborhood Voices to stay informed about their initiative to permanently stop Sacramento from taking away local control over land use and housing decisions.
Thank you for your support!
Joy Janes