Council OKs, but bill still is a threat
IF PASSED, the amended bill would allow more density near transit stops, such as Windsor and Beverly boulevards.
Last month the Los Angeles City Council voted 8-5 against Senate Bill 79, a state measure that would allow multistory buildings to be built near transit sites.
Opponents of the measure, which include several homeowner associations, argue the bill takes away local control and threatens neighborhoods.
After the vote, residents reached out to Mayor Karen Bass requesting that she sign a resolution adopted by the council, “unless amended to exempt jurisdictions with a certified Housing Element.”
In a letter, Maria Pavlou of United Neighbors and Cindy Chvatal-Keane of Hancock Park Homeowners Association wrote, “We ask you to stand up for your diverse L.A. communities and for local control in light of the fact that our L.A. Housing Element is state certified and adds all the housing density required by the state while not destroying communities.”
While the council’s action will not defeat the measure, lawmakers hope the resolution will strengthen the city’s will in Sacramento.
After receiving 1,300 emails, the mayor signed the resolution the next day, Aug. 20.
“Together we did it! The city can now lobby the state,” Pavlou and Chvatal-Keane wrote in an email following the mayor’s signature.
SB 79, introduced by Sen. Scott Wiener, has passed the Senate and is before the Assembly Appropriations Committee, which was scheduled to vote in late August (after the Chronicle went to press) to determine if the bill goes before the Assembly floor for a vote. If passed, the bill will go to Gov. Gavin Newsom, possibly in October.
Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez was among those who opposed the resolution and was in favor of SB 79 in an effort to add more housing to help with the city’s homelessness issue.
Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky said she also wanted more housing density, but that SB 79 is not “smart or responsible” and overrides planning tools recently implemented in the city’s housing element. She voted in the favor of the resolution.
Category: News
