In reporting by David Wagner for LAist, TPR excerpts coverage of the Los Angeles City Council’s narrow vote to oppose Senate Bill 79, legislation by Sen. Scott Wiener that would override local land-use restrictions and allow denser housing near major transit stops. The contentious debate highlights ongoing tensions between state housing mandates and local control.
In light of the Legislature’s passage of Senate Bill 131 (SB 131) and Assembly Bill 130 (AB 130) as budget trailer bills—pushed by the Governor and adopted outside the normal legislative process—The Planning Report asked legal experts Douglas Carstens, Dan Silver, and Aleja Cretcher to assess the implications of SB 131 for environmental and community protections.