California Senate Bill 79
| California Senate Bill 79 | |
|---|---|
| California State Legislature | |
| Full name | An act to add Chapter 4.1.5 (commencing with Section 65912.155) to Division 1 of Title 7 of the Government Code, relating to land use. |
| Nickname | Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act |
| Introduced | January 15, 2025 |
| Assembly voted | September 11, 2025 (43-19-18) |
| Senate voted | June 3, 2025 (21–13–6) September 12, 2025 (21-8-11) |
| Signed into law | October 10, 2025 |
| Effective date | July 1, 2026 |
| Sponsor(s) | Wiener (S), Haney (A), Lee (A), Wicks (A) |
| Governor | Gavin Newsom |
| Code | Government Code |
| Section | 65912.155–65912.162 |
| Bill | California Senate Bill 79 |
| Associated bills | Planning and Zoning Law, California Housing Accountability Act |
| Website | Bill Information |
Status: Current legislation | |
California Senate Bill 79 (SB 79), titled the Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act, is a 2025 California law that legalizes the construction of multi-story multi-family housing within a half-mile of public transit stations by preempting local government control of land zoning in the intervening area.
SB 79 and preceding bills have been authored by state senator Scott Wiener and have been sponsored by California YIMBY, a pro-housing lobbying group, while they have been opposed by local governments, anti-gentrification activists, and suburban homeowners. The bills are written in support of transit-oriented development in response to an ongoing housing affordability crisis in California's largest urban areas.
Wiener first introduced the bill in January 2018 as Senate Bill 827 (SB 827), which would have applied to areas within one-half-mile (0.8 km) of frequent transit corridors, including rail stations and bus routes, as well as jobs centers. SB 827 failed to advance from the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee in April 2018, effectively killing it. In 2019 and 2020, Senator Wiener attempted to pass California Senate Bill 50 (SB 50), a revised successor to SB 827, multiple times both in committee and on the senate floor, culminating in an unsuccessful floor vote on January 31, 2020, which resulted in the bill's demise. A light-touch version, Senate Bill 902 (SB 902), passed the Senate in 2020 but died in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. SB 79 was introduced by Wiener in the 2025 session, where it passed in both houses.
The 2021 California HOME Act (drafted by Wiener) and 2022 AB 2097 (drafted by Laura Friedman), both signed into law by Newsom, accomplished some of the same aims as SB 827 and SB 50, by allowing lot splits of single-family houses up to four units per lot (regardless of single-family zoning) as well as banning parking minimums within a half-mile of transit stops, respectively.
On October 10, 2025, SB 79 was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom and is set to take effect on July 1, 2026.