SB 79 passed!

After 8 years, we did it! SB 79, the biggest upzoning bill in state history, just passed the Legislature. Brief 🧵, with some important thank yous. 1/x

[BILL ALERT] SB 79, which broadly legalizes more homes near high quality transit stops, has passed the Senate floor! The bill is now on the Governor’s desk. Learn more: cayimby.org/legislation/...

[BILL ALERT] AB 253, which will speed up the approval process for new homes by allowing home builders to hire a licensed and certified third-party reviewer, has passed the Assembly floor and is on the governor’s desk! Learn more here: cayimby.org/legislation/...

SB 79 is up in the Senate!

SB 79, our bill to legalize townhomes and midrise apartments near the highest-quality transit, is up for its final vote in the Senate TODAY. Calling your state Senator and asking them to support the bill will make a real difference; and it only takes a minute with our tool. Let's get this done!

California YIMBY sends our fond congratulations to Senator Monique Limón on her election as Pro Tem beginning in November. We look forward to working with Senator Limón to make California an affordable place to live, work, and raise a family.

Thank you to Assemblymembers Quirk Silva, @patterdude.bsky.social, Hoover, @buffywicks.bsky.social, @votealexlee.bsky.social, Tangipa, @matthaneysf.bsky.social, Carrillo, and Avila Farias for speaking in support of SB 79 on the floor!

[BILL ALERT] SB 79, which broadly legalizes more homes near high quality transit stops, has passed the Assembly floor! The bill now goes to the Senate for concurrence, then the Governor’s desk. cayimby.org/legislation/...

SB 79 is up in the Assembly!

[BILL ALERT] AB 253, which will speed up the approval process for new homes by allowing home builders to hire a licensed and certified third-party reviewer, has passed the Senate floor! It now goes back to the Assembly for concurrence.

[BILL ALERT] AB 1308, which establishes a statewide 10 day shot clock for inspecting small residential projects, has passed the Assembly and is now on the Governor’s desk! cayimby.org/legislation/...

It's crunchtime, folks! SB 79, our bill to legalize apartments in transit rich areas of California, is about to go up for a vote! Call, text, and email! @cayimby.bsky.social cayimby.org/call-sb-79/

“If policy affects the entire state, then it is the state — not the city — that should have the final say.”

I've got an op-ed in @calmatters.org today about SB 79 and "local control." If a city's policy decisions hurt people outside its borders, then it's the state--not the city--who should be given the final say.

Thomas Irwin urges the state legislature to pass SB 79: “it would be utterly ridiculous to continue to give deference to the elected officials of Los Angeles. California lawmakers should ignore the city’s complaints and prioritize the best interests of Los Angeles residents.”

SB 79, our transit oriented development bill, will be coming up for a vote in the legislature sometime in the next 72 hours. Calling your state legislator and asking them to support the bill makes a real difference and WILL help it pass. Use our simple tool to find their contact info:

[BILL ALERT] AB 1308, which establishes a statewide 10 day shot clock for inspecting small residential projects, has passed the Senate floor! It now returns to the Assembly for concurrence vote. cayimby.org/legislation/...

@asmchrisward.bsky.social supports SB79, but I still called so his office has a +1 in their records. Y’all should make the call to your Assemblymember. It doesn’t even take up that much time!

We’re coming down to the wire here. Keep calling!

Item 119 today, coming up! If you haven’t called your assemblymember, do so now! Urge a “yes” vote on SB 79!

"If Los Angeles wants to end homelessness and make life affordable again, it must allow homes near the transit that residents have already paid for. The best way to end homelessness is also the simplest: build homes for our neighbors."

[BILL ALERT] AB 1061, which will make it easier to build new homes—including duplexes—in single-family neighborhoods by allowing the California HOME Act (SB 9, 2021) to be used in historic districts, has passed the Assembly floor and is on the Governor’s desk! Huge thanks to Asm Quirk Silva!

12.5 hours to the big Emergency Rally To Save Bay Area Transit! Amazing seeing all the work people have been putting into to get the word out since the alarm went out just a day or two ago. See you all tomorrow morning. actionnetwork.org/events/emerg...

The San Francisco Chronicle makes the case for SB 79: "The bill would make it easier to boost California’s population in areas with the best infrastructure to support new residents, reinvigorate struggling public transit systems and help workers avoid soul-crushing commutes in gas-guzzling cars."

Just another day at the (virtual) office, in which we and State Sen. Scott Wiener reached a major deal with key unions to help ease the path to passage of SB 79, a crucial bill to make it easier to afford to live near CA's key transit stops:

[BILL ALERT] AB 413, which will require HCD to translate key state housing guidelines and handbooks into the non-English languages commonly spoken in California, has passed the Senate floor and is on the Governor’s desk! Learn more: cayimby.org/legislation/...

“Housing stability is business stability. Employees with shorter commutes stay longer, know the customers, and create the personal connections that set small businesses apart from corporate chains. More homes near transit mean more vibrant neighborhoods where businesses and workers grow together.”

“This bill here represents not just a deal on the specific language of SB 79, but it’s also a commitment from me and Chris to work together in the coming years to pass legislation to create more homebuilding opportunities in California.” - @hanlon.bsky.social

We have a labor deal on SB 79. cayimby.org/news-events/...

🚨 LA needs more affordable housing NOW! More than 75,000 Angelenos are unhoused, and nearly 60% of renters are paying too much of their income on rent. 📢 Take action TODAY: 📧 Email + 📞 Call your Assemblymember & Senator — links in our bio + toolkit!

[BILL ALERT] AB 1154, which will align standards for all ADUs under 500 square feet, making it easier for homeowners to access the benefits and flexibility that small ADUs create, has passed the Assembly floor and is on the Governor’s desk! Learn more: cayimby.org/legislation/...

[BILL ALERT] AB 1061, which will make it easier to build new homes—including duplexes—in single-family neighborhoods by allowing the California HOME Act (SB 9, 2021) to be used in historic districts, has passed the Senate floor! Learn more: cayimby.org/legislation/...

[BILL ALERT] SB 9 (2025), which clarifies and strengthens HCD’s enforcement authority over local ADU ordinances, has passed the Senate floor and now goes to the Governor’s desk! Learn more: cayimby.org/legislation/...

We need more homes near public transit in California! It will lower costs for families, make riding transit easier, make our transit systems stronger, and reduce traffic and greenhouse gas emissions. It’s common sense! Tell your Senator and Assemblymember to vote yes on SB 79!

[BILL ALERT] AB 1154, which will align most standards for ADUs under 500 square feet, making it easier for homeowners to finance and build small ADUs, has passed the Senate 39-0. It now goes to the Assembly for concurrence, then the Governor’s desk! Learn more: cayimby.org/legislation/...

This one is an absolute banger imo "Central Valley state legislators must support SB 79, to fix the broken system that allows wealthy coastal cities to pass off their responsibility– and forces our Central Valley communities to be overrun with traffic, pollution, and sprawling developments."

[BILL ALERT] AB 253, which will speed up the approval process for new homes by allowing home builders to hire a licensed and certified third-party reviewer, has passed the Senate Appropriations committee and heads to the Senate floor! Learn more here: cayimby.org/legislation/...

"California works best when regions support each other’s strengths. Silicon Valley builds technology, and we feed the nation. SB 79 offers a path back to that balance. That’s the California our kids deserve to inherit."

Modesto CM Chris Ricci endorses SB 79 as a solution to Central Valley sprawl and super-commuting: "When one region’s housing failures force over 100,000 people into extreme commutes, that’s no longer a local problem—it’s a statewide crisis that demands statewide solutions."

[BILL ALERT] SB 79, which broadly legalizes more homes near high quality transit stops, has passed the Assembly appropriations committee! The bill now goes to the Assembly floor, then back to the Senate for concurrence. Learn more: cayimby.org/legislation/...

[BILL ALERT] AB 413, which will require HCD to translate key state housing guidelines and handbooks into the non-English languages commonly spoken in California, has passed the Senate Appropriations Committee! Next up, a floor vote and the Governor's desk! Learn more: cayimby.org/legislation/...

These calls *actually matter* and they very much can change state legislators’ votes.

🎙️ "When you prevent housing diversity, you're not preserving community - you're ensuring only wealthy people can move in." Powerful insight from @ShanePhillips on last week's Dreaming Big Working Hard podcast. #AD80 #Housing

I was on @podsaveamerica.crooked.com this week talking about housing near public transit, California’s housing crisis in general & our legislation to allow more housing near transit (SB 79). Go check it out

Good stuff from Max here about how "local control" often works in practice. Especially in LA, where councilmembers have an unusual amount of power over land use decisions. We covered this in a @cayimby.bsky.social report two years ago: cayimby.org/reports/los-...

[BILL ALERT] SB 9 (2025), which clarifies and strengthens HCD’s enforcement authority over local ADU ordinances, has passed the Assembly floor! From here, the bill goes back to the Senate for a concurrence vote, then to the Governor. Learn more: cayimby.org/legislation/...

Decades of unlimited local control over land use have left us with an historic housing shortage, unaffordable rents, homeownership out of reach for the middle class, and crisis-level homelessness. Enough is enough. It’s time for the state to step in and set some basic ground rules by passing SB 79.

Great video making the affordability case for more housing in Los Angeles.