| In the 1980s and '90s, California was in the thrall of the "slow growth" movement. Goaded particularly by increasing traffic, communities fought hard against the construction of office buildings, shopping centers and big apartment complexes. |
| Homeowners hurled "high-rise" like a curse. Ballot measures stifled construction in many cities. In 1986, voters in Los Angeles voted 2 to 1 to approve the landmark Proposition U, which cut in half the size of new buildings proposed for most of the city's commercial and industrial zones. |
| The slow-growth trend began to ebb not long into the new millennium. It finally flipped dramatically last week, when the state Legislature approved a bill that would clear a path for high-rise residential buildings near many bus and rail stops. |
| SB 79 will be sent in October to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is expected to sign the measure, which will override local zoning — permitting construction of up to nine stories, in some cases — for builders who propose housing projects within half a mile of transit stations. |
| The bill by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) verges on extraordinary, not only because of the size of the buildings it would allow but because it takes county and city elected officials mostly out of the equation on many construction projects. |
| Wiener contends that local officials have not done enough to address the state's monumental housing shortage and, at the extreme, are forcing the poorest Californians into homelessness. |
| The San Francisco liberal tried but failed to win approval for a version of the law in three prior years. Wiener promised that the latest iteration will put more people in apartments near bus and rail lines, keeping them off jammed freeways. |
| "Today's vote is a dramatic step forward to undo these decades of harm, reduce our most severe costs, and slash traffic congestion and air pollution in our state," the lawmaker said in a statement. |
| Wiener's bill won final approval from the Legislature on Friday after a string of amendments were added that presumably made it more palatable to rural and suburban lawmakers. One change means that the upzoning near transit hubs will apply in only eight of the state's 58 counties — Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Santa Clara, Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo and Sacramento. |
| Still, a coalition of community and homeowner groups in those counties, United Neighbors, said the law will force apartments into neighborhoods of single-family homes and makes no provision for parks and other amenities that help communities thrive. |
| The Los Angeles City Council narrowly moved to oppose the bill and Mayor Karen Bass agreed, saying cities like L.A., with state-approved plans called "housing elements," should be exempt from the law. |
| For homeowner groups, once an unassailable power in California politics, the advance of SB 79 has been a rude awakening. They depict the law as a blunt instrument that fails to acknowledge the work many communities already have done to draw up housing plans. |
| Jeff Kalban, an architect and Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn. activist, predicted that large swaths of Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys, Valley Village and other communities will shift from single-family homes to large apartment complexes. An L.A. city housing plan that took years to win approval early this year, envisioning "a more beautiful and vibrant community, is gone, all gone," said Kalban, designer of multiple schools and other well-known spaces. |
| Looking out from his fourth-floor office in Sherman Oaks, Kalban said he could see "the California dream, the American dream," adding: "And it's all being obliterated because Scott Wiener does not like single-family neighborhoods." |
| The "not in my back yard" (NIMBY) forces of 30 and 40 years ago have been joined in the debate over the state's future by California YIMBY, a group that says "yes" to housing development. The group predicted that Californians skeptical of the new law will get on board, once they see the results, with most new buildings well under the new nine-story limit. |
| "We're just as likely to see what's called 'moderate density' housing — fourplexes, six-plexes, four-floor walk-up flats — that were legal in most of California until the 1980s or so, when cities banned them," California YIMBY spokesperson Matthew Lewis said. "Many Californians already have those buildings in our neighborhoods from the 1960s and '70s. SB 79 means we'll see a few more." |
The week's biggest stories |
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| The UCLA campus in Westwood. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) |
Trump vs. the University of California |
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Hollywood business shakeups |
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Robert Redford remembered |
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Harassment and retaliation allegations at the Orange County district attorney's office |
- A lawsuit by a former prosecutor alleges she was sexually harassed and retaliated against while working for the Orange County district attorney's office.
- The Orange County district attorney's office said it launched an investigation into the allegations of sexual harassment with an outside agency.
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Charlie Kirk killing |
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What else is going on |
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Commentary and opinions |
- Proposition 50 would gerrymander the state and decimate Republican representation in Congress. Columnist Mark Z. Barabak asks: What do Democrats running for governor say to California's millions of GOP voters?
- Charlie Kirk gave young men something to believe in. Newsom wants to do the same, argues columnist Anita Chabria.
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This morning's must reads |
| | | Primm once offered a quirky gambling scene, with deals on food and entertainment. Now the pit stop for Southern Californians heading to Vegas is struggling to survive. | | | |
Other must reads |
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| Keep up with California | Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times. | | | | | |
For your downtime |
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| The Who's Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend at the Hollywood Bowl in 2019. (Cortesía Álex Mónico) |
Going out |
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Staying in |
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And finally ... your photo of the day |
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| Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts perform at the Hollywood Bowl. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) |
| Today's great photo is from contributing photographer Michael Owen Baker of Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts performing at the Hollywood Bowl. |
Have a great day, from the Essential California team |
| Jim Rainey, staff reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, Sunday writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters |
| How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com. |
