State Senator Scott D. Wiener. (Photo: Kevin Sanders for California Globe)
Sen. Wiener’s SB 79: Forcing Single-Family Neighborhoods to Accept Low Income High-Rise Apartments Next Door
Remember that Scott Wiener has announced a run for Congress for 2028
By Katy Grimes, July 7, 2025 10:28 am
SB 79 by Democrat State Senator Scott Wiener of San Francisco would force single-family neighborhoods to accept high-rise apartment buildings.
This favorite policy of Sen. Wiener goes back to 2019 when he authored the controversial housing/zoning bill SB 50, which would have stripped zoning and land-use requirements from any type of housing, meaning a four-flex or apartment building could be built next to your single-family home. But his awful bill was killed in a bipartisan killing.
Unable to accept the killing of his controversial housing/zoning bill SB 50, Sen. Wiener pivoted to a backdoor answer to reviving it: Wiener replaced the language in two other bills with most of his SB 50 via the gut and amend process.
The new bill was called the Housing Accountability Act, and allowed the stripping of nearly all zoning and land-use requirements from any type of housing, the removal of measures targeting housing affordability, and the inability to regulate disruptive business models such as short-term rentals, communal living, or corporate housing.
Sen. Wiener, who sees all policy through the grimy lens of San Francisco, is once again attempting to foist dense San Francisco housing on the entire state.
California needs more housing, but destroying established neighborhoods is not the way to do it. Politicians need to strip away their own building and permitting regulations in order to get affordable housing built.
With Wiener’s latest effort, SB 79, the caveat justifying building apartment housing on single-family streets is if a bus stop is within half a mile of the proposed apartment building.
In my old downtown neighborhood, there are bus stops along the main artery streets, all within 1/2 mile of every one of the 6,000 homes. So anyone could tear down a single-family home and build a 65 foot tall apartment building.
San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond alerted constituents and readers to this bad bill:
This isn’t planning. This isn’t problem-solving.
This is Sacramento bulldozing the American Dream.
The justification? A so-called housing crisis. But that crisis is of the state’s own making. Endless regulation, CEQA abuse, and taxes disguised as “mitigation fees” have made it nearly impossible to build affordable housing without political favors or loopholes. Now, instead of fixing their mistakes, the politicians want to take it out on local communities.
This is not smart growth — it’s forced density without local input and control. And it turns the very idea of property rights upside down.
Desmond added, “We need to stop SB 79 before it turns every neighborhood in California into a political experiment.”
Ditto.
In our 2019 article, Hydee Feldstein, a retired attorney in Los Angeles, active on land-use issues warned that Wiener’s legislation gets rid of:
- Residential zoning. Any “non-residential” use is permitted up to 1/3rd of the space of a project, including the running of a hotel, extended stay, corporate, boarding or rooming house, dorm or other business renting out a bed or other “residential” space.
- Low-density zoning of any kind, particularly single-family or two-family zoned residences.
- Architectural, design, historic and aesthetic standards. All areas now are open to Soviet-style grey cinderblock construction or Robert Moses-style overcrowded projects.
- All “objective” zoning criteria if a project “could be approved” on a variance or conditional use or any other discretionary request.
Senator Wiener also is making sure that this new apartment building next door to you in your residential neighborhood is open to people from all socio-economic levels and household income categories including: Acutely Low Income, Extremely Low Income, and Very Low Income. So if you sacrificed and saved money for years in order to be able to buy a home in a desired neighborhood, too bad for you that the value is going to go down. And adding insult to injury – you will be subsidizing your new neighbors.
Remember that Scott Wiener has announced a run for Congress for 2028.
A California native and Navy mom, Katy lives in Sacramento, CA.
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Most of what’s wrong with California originates with San Francisco politicians.
^^^
Let’s build these welfare high rises on each side of Newsom’s $9 million mansion.
Do you ever notice that all of the “affordable housing” projects are never for expanding middle and working class housing? Affordable for whom? It is always for people on welfare. The goal is to import as many needy Democrat voters on welfare from other states and other countries, and pack them in here.
I say no more Democrat “affordable housing”. If you can’t afford the housing here, move to another state, and take your taxpayer subsidized welfare demands with you.
“Affordable housing” is a meaningless phrase. It was invented by government scoundrels and is meant to trigger guilt in hard-working, tax-paying regular people. That way these politicians can buy votes as they trick voters into thinking they are doing something, anything about a so-called intractable problem that much more sensible measures would help to solve. The thing is, they are only making MORE problems. By design. The proof is in the pudding.
The stuff that will be (God forbid) wedged into the suburbs as a result of Wiener’s bill SB 79 won’t be “affordable” anyway. It will likely be luxury stuff built for people who can well afford it. Scott Wiener’s developer donors and union donors, whose sky-high building costs will suck the “affordability” out of everything they get their hands on, will see to that. Bonus points for bringing more Dem-Leftist voters into the tranquil suburbs, alongside increased problems of traffic, parking, sewer capacity, emergency services, and burdens on existing infrastructure, and more. Hate-filled money-grubbing Wiener would LOVE the extra thrill of turning suburban paradise into hell, especially if there is money in it. For him.
The primary purpose of this bill is to permit market rate housing. It contains no affordability requirements or mandates.
Agreed, either side of Newsoms 9.2 million single family home . He could be the pilot program.
It is already happening in many cities. San Diego has taken liberty with the ADU expansion law, I believe that was another Frankenstein creation by Wiener!
Check out this California Insider story, people have to live with 3 story ADU’s next door to them. It is unbelievable! The goal as Katy reported is to abolish single family neighborhoods.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBU5AAFWPyc
I hear you, Cali Girl, it is also happening in my neighborhood, in my town, and throughout my town, as we speak, Because of Mr. Wrecking Ball and Give Me the Dough Scott Wiener. Even my wacky local politicians objected to the ADUs, because even though liberal they have a secret fetish for maintaining the historical suburbs, but to no avail, all because of the centralized state nonsense which, let’s not forget, used to be locally determined.
But let’s not make it even worse. NO on SB 79. See below.
I hope the contractor in that video has fourplex ADUs surround his house.
Cali Girl, thanks for the YT link. I wonder if we complain about Wiener we will be charged with antisemitism.
Wiener is single-handedly destroying the quality of life for Californians with his insane legislation.
“[S.D. Supervisor Jim] Desmond added, ‘We need to stop SB 79 before it turns every neighborhood in California into a political experiment.'”
MEGA Dittos, Katy Grimes and Jim Desmond.
Scott Wiener is a very very bad person. He is not just an apologist for every perversion one can think of, he is a PHONY. As you know. I know without even looking up his blather on the topic of SB 79 he likely pontificated about the need for housing; blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. He knows better, of course, what would help with this problem, as Katy pointed out; strip-mining regulations would do the trick, at least in part. SB 79 is not about increasing housing stock or helping homeless vagrancy, or making the most of land use, or affordable housing, or any of it. It’s about cold hard cash from developer donors and unions to fill the cynical Wiener’s campaign coffers for his 2028 congressional run. Duh!
Question: Guess what would instantly improve if Scott Wiener weren’t in the CA Senate?
Answer: California.
You would be hard-pressed to find anyone in the suburbs who doesn’t fulfill the requirements for this looming homeowner blight. EVERYONE who owns a home lives within shouting distance of a bus or other public transportation these days. EVERYONE in California who scratched and clawed and worked and saved and sweated and bled to afford a single family home will be looking over their shoulder if this passes. No more local control, thanks to that a-hole Scott Wiener. Thanks a lot Sen Wiener! Enjoy your…. whatever the heck it is you enjoy —- I just know it’s not (necessarily) liquor!
Contact your senator ASAP and please insist he or she VOTE NO on SB 79 when the time comes. Spread the word to everyone you can to do the same. It is extremely IMPORTANT that we get activated on this potential wrecking ball, coming without fail to your neighborhood if it should pass, God forbid.
Find and contact your senator here:
https://www.senate.ca.gov/senators
CORRECTION CORRECTION: Darn it, I just checked the legislation and it has already passed the Senate. It is now in the ASSEMBLY, making its way through.
Thus we must contact our ASSEMBLY member and insist upon a NO VOTE ON SB 79 when it comes before our ASSEMBLY rep. You can find and contact your assembly person here:
https://www.assembly.ca.gov/assemblymembers
We MUST do everything we can to STOP in its tracks this potential suburban blight.
NO ON SB 79,
Not good news.
We need an earlier heads up on these toxic bills. I would like to see the California Globe have a section dedicated to bills which will degrade our quality of life, threaten our jobs, or reduce our freedoms.
Once again creepy Democrat Senator Scott Wiener climbs out of his crypt to foist idiotic legislation that no one in their right mind wants. If legislative Democrats pass his stupid legislation and Hair-gel Hitler Newsom signs it into law, then they should be the first ones to experience the diversity of having low income high-rise apartments built next to the mansions!
Ha ha, who’s for suing Marin County (where $9.1M homeowner Gruesome and Friends enjoy an exemption — until 2028 — from so-called “affordable housing” infill, put in place by Gruesom’s own sneaky hand when he was Lt Gov, which EVERY OTHER COUNTY is subject to), and demanding that Marin County start building some SERIOUS high-rise “low-cost” housing? Including Homeless Housing packed with scary meth-addled vagrants? That would put a major dent in Gruesome’s idyllic neighborhood and his own private isolated acreage, don’t you think?
Absolutely! Also recommended course of action would be to use Muir Beach (federal) to house “newcomers” and low income residents of California. This will bring “enrichment” to Bolinas also who took it upon themselves to hold up cars visiting unless they produced a vax card. Stinson Beach as well. Might sure you get these downtrodden citizens ALL THE WAY OUT THERE so they would have to roam all the hills to get back…which might interfere with some well to do liberal going for a ride on their $10K bike. Do they all still have Swedish Au-Pairs? That was all the fashion in the 90s and early 2000s. Any oil or minerals near Kentfield? I think we need it…you know…for the good of the working class. Nuclear Power plant as well in Sausalito. Not one of those small modular ones either. No Sir…I want the big old school water cooled ones…..for climate change and all that.
Love it.
Good idea! Sue the county in the name of fairness! EQUITY as the leftists love to shout!
Most of Marin county is quite bucolic, especially Kentfield! Anyone would love to live on spacious lots with the song birds all around.
These progressives are selfish, hateful people to impose these bills!
population overdensification has led to soooo many issues currently dogging California and many other overly abundant cities. Lack of housing, lack of water, millions of humans going about their daily existences creating too much pollution. Psychology for eons has identified what happens when the species are packed in too tightly, and the hostility and violence amongst themselves is a common outcome. And yet the self anointed smart kids in the room keep trying to pack more sardines into the can. the labor unions and all of their political might are slowly and before your very eyes destroying a majestic and beautiful state…….#voteRED2026 and save your wonderous state.
What we need to ask Wiener is if he’s planning to allow one of this affordable housing next to his neighborhood?????
As we all know democrats mantra is “ Not in my backyard “”””
Wienie Boy and his ilk hate families, they hate the working class, they hate anything decent people consider good. Despicable, contemptible, and vile, this worm does not belong on this planet or in this dimension.
Bend over here comes the Wiener
Hi Katy, have you looked into what’s known as ” Mass-Timer ? ” These low-income units will likely be cheaply built with wood framing rather than concrete. For starters:
2020. Berkeley CA Affordable housing construction fire
https://www.ktvu.com/news/fire-erupts-at-affordable-housing-complex-under-construction-in-berkeley
“HOW TO MITIGATE FIRE RISK ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING CONSTRUCTION SITES”
NO MENTION OF MASS-TIMBER CONSTRUCTION!
https://blog.haigroup.com/how-to-mitigate-fire-risk-on-affordable-housing-construction-sites
“From 2017 to 2021, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 4,440 fires in buildings under construction per year, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). These fires caused five fatalities, 59 injuries, and $370 million in property damage annually. About three-quarters of fires involved residential buildings.”
See also https://www.kqed.org/news/11988750/massive-fire-burns-affordable-housing-construction-near-redwood-city