EAST COUNTY NEIGHBORHOODS COULD BE IMPACTED BY PROPOSED STATE LAW TO ALLOW SIGNIFICANTLY MORE MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING PROJECTS
By Paul Levikow
Image, left, via United Neighbors
August 26, 2025 (East County) – Large-scale, high-rise apartment complexes could soon be built within a half mile of a bus stop or trolley station near you, under a proposed state law that would take away local control of developments and turn single-family neighborhoods into high-density housing.
State Senate Bill 79, the Abundant & Affordable Homes Near Transit Act, was introduced by Sen. Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco) earlier this year and passed by the Senate in June by a vote of 21-13. Sen. Brian Jones (R-Santee) voted no. Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson, M.D. (D) voted yes. They both represent East County. The vote was not entirely down party lines; Catherine Blakespear, a North County Democratic from Encinitas, voted no.
The State Assembly is scheduled to hold its next hearing Friday in the Appropriations Committee and could release the bill for a full Assembly vote next week. Meantime, rallies opposing SB 79 were held around the state over the weekend, including local residents rallying in a Clairemont park.
“SB 79 takes away control from local communities,” Jones said in a statement. “It overrides city zoning rules and years of careful planning, forcing cities to approve big projects with no say from the people who actually live there. Local leaders know their communities best, not Sacramento bureaucrats.”
Neighbors for a Better California took part in the protest, claiming “it's one of the most aggressive housing bills we’ve seen.”
“If passed, it would strip cities of zoning authority, allowing developers to override local rules using stacked density bonuses, height waivers, and transit loopholes -- even for imaginary or unfunded transit stops,” a statement on the group’s website says. “SB 79 is not about solving homelessness or affordable housing -- it’s about eliminating local control and fast-tracking high-rises in established neighborhoods.”
The bill could also impact historic places, such as downtown La Mesa, which has a trolley station in the heart of the city’s historical district. Under SB 76, century-old buildings could be dwarfed by high-rise towers and the city council would have no power to stop such development.
While San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria is on record in favor of the bill, the Los Angeles City Council has voted to oppose it. East County neighborhoods would be especially vulnerable because the San Diego Trolley runs through Lemon Grove, La Mesa, El Cajon and Santee. The Metropolitan Transit Service provides several bus routes throughout East County.
A statement in support of SB 79 says it “tackles the root causes of California’s affordability crisis by allowing more homes to be built near major public transportation stops and on land owned by transit agencies -- bolstering transit use, slashing climate emissions, and supporting public transportation in the process. SB 79 allows more homes near transit in two major ways. First, SB 79 allows for up-zoning land for multi-family homes up to 75 feet within a half mile of specified major train stations and bus rapid transit stops.”
“California needs to build millions of new homes in sustainable locations to meet housing goals, slash climate emissions, and reduce the cost of living, but overly restrictive zoning codes make building such homes illegal,” the statement said.
A coalition of organizations serving lower income communities are opposed to the bill because it “overrides zoning near transit without ensuring affordability, disregards the clear connection between income and transit use, places public health and safety at risk, and silences the voices of low-income communities of color, communities that have long carried the burden of top-down zoning decisions.”
Neighbors for a Better San Diego posted an interactive map on its website that can assist readers in determining if their neighborhood could be affected by SB 79. A video can be found on the United Neighbors website that illustrates what changes would be allowed.