April 23, 2025
The Honorable Scott Wiener
Senator, California State Senate
1021 O St, Suite 8620
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: SB 79 (Wiener) Transit-oriented Development -- Notice of Opposition Dear Senator Wiener,
The City of Glendale writes to express our strong opposition to your SB 79 (Wiener), which would disregard state-certified housing elements and bestow land use authority to transit agencies without any requirement that developers build housing, let alone affordable housing.
SB 79 doubles down on the recent trend of the state overriding its own mandated local housing elements. This latest overreaching effort forces cities to approve transit-oriented development projects near specified transit stops — up to seven stories high and a density of 120 homes per acre — without regard to the community's needs, environmental review, or public input.
The City of Glendale legislative platform provides for balanced, quality housing, which provides a mix of housing opportunities as a primary goal for our community, coupled with infrastructure and sustainable mobility—all through and informed and engaged community.
SB 79 defies cities’ general plans and provides transit agencies unlimited land use authority on property they own or have a permanent easement. Transit agencies would have the power to determine all aspects of the development including height, density, and design, without any regard to local zoning or planning.
The City of Glendale appreciates and respects your desire to pursue a housing production proposal. However, as currently drafted, SB 79 will not spur much-needed housing construction in a manner that supports local flexibility, decision-making, and community input. State-driven ministerial or by-right housing approval processes fail to recognize the extensive public engagement associated with developing and adopting zoning ordinances and housing elements. For these reasons, the City of Glendale strongly opposes SB 79. If you have any questions regarding the City's position on this bill, please contact Domenica Megerdichian at (818) 550- 4314 or [email protected].
Sincerely,
Ara Najarian, Mayor
City of Glendale, CA
cc: Senator Sasha Renee Perez
Assemblymember Nick Schultz
Assemblymember Jessica Caloza
Jennifer Quan, League of California Cities
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July 2, 2025
The Honorable Scott Wiener
Senator, California State Senate
1021 0 St1 Suite 8620
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: SB 79 IWiener) Transit-oriented Development
Notice of Opposition
Dear Senator Wiener,
The City of Glendale writes to express our strong opposition to your SB 79 (Wiener), which would disregard state-certified housing elements and bestow land use authority to transit agencies without any requirement that developers build affordable housing. Additionally, SB 79 continues to double down on the recent trend of the state overriding its own mandated local housing elements.
While we had initially opposed this bill and later removed our opposition in reflection of amendments to the bill that seemed to try to improve alignment with transit-oriented development, we recognize that with impending transit oriented projects being developed for our community, and the fact that SB 79 continues to defy cities’ local general plan and housing element processes, SB 79 does not serve our community. While the City of Glendale is supportive of housing and transportation projects, evidenced by our successful and ongoing investment in these efforts, we do so through intentional planning, community input and involvement, and local authority and oversight to ensure projects are right-sized and appropriate for our community.
The City has demonstrated its commitment to housing programming and development, including:
• Over a year-long process to create transit-oriented development standards for the Tropico TOD, that increased density and simplified development standards. • Housing Authority adoption of a robust Rental Rights Program to protect tenants, a successful Section 8 program, and a housing subsidy program that just recently ended after a three-year success.
• Over a year-long process to develop citywide standards for mixed-use and multi-family zones, which is aimed at simplifying requirements as well as ensuring maximum development potential can be achieved. These standards are set to be adopted next month. • The City has also been engaged in updating the Land Use Element over the course of the past year. This will include increases in density through the planned Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor, an extension of the Tropico TOD, and consideration of developing vacant city-owned properties.
Development standards will be created simultaneously, with adoption expected in early 2026. • We modified our Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) ordinance guidelines and requirements to produce four-times more than some of our peer cities.
• The City has acquired several properties in recent years, opening nearly 150 units of City- sponsored affordable housing this year alone, and will complete construction of the largest affordable housing development in the State, for an addition of 340 new and affordable units, in December of 2026.
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• Furthermore, the City has streamlined its review processes, resulting in dramatic drops in review timelines, ranging from 27 to 57 percent for discretionary reviews, and 10 to 57 percent for administrative reviews, in just the past year.
• Looking to the future, the City is developing Requests for Proposal (REPs) to encourage development on City parking lots, set to be released in August of 2025.
These efforts included extensive public engagement while also delivering quality housing programs and units, all while adopting a certified Housing Element as well. Community engagement included hearings at City Council, Planning Commission and Sustainability commission, neighborhood and tenant union town halls, online engagements and surveys, open houses as major City and community events — while still achieving the mission of producing high-quality housing.
The City of Glendale appreciates and respects your desire to pursue a housing production proposal.
However, local oversight of all aspects of the development including height, density, and design, as well as local zoning and planning are critical to this continued success in our community. State-driven ministerial or by-right housing approval processes fail to recognize the importance of public engagement associated with developing and adopting zoning ordinances and housing elements, and does not serve our community.
For these reasons, the City of Glendale opposes SB 79. If you have any questions regarding the City’s position on this bill, please contact Domenica Megerdichian at (818) 550-4314 or dmegerdichiangIendaleca.gov.
man, City Manager
dor Sasha Renee Perez
Assemblymember Nick Schultz
Assemblymember Jessica Caloza
Jennifer Quan, League of California Cities
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cc:
September 17, 2025
The Honorable Gavin Newsom
Governor, State of California
1021 O Street, Suite 9000
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: Senate Bill 79 - Request for Veto
Dear Governor Newsom,
The City of Glendale continues to strongly oppose Senate Bill 79, and writes to request your veto this bill, which disregards state-certified housing elements, and bestows land use authority to transit agencies, requiring housing development projects proposed near a transit-oriented development stop to be an allowed use on any site zoned for residential, mixed, commercial, or light industrial development if the project complies with various requirements.
Glendale stands firmly against SB 79’s policy framework, which outlines a state-mandated, by-right approval process for housing development. SB 79 continues to double down on the recent trend of the state overriding its own mandated local housing elements. As a result, we feel it is critical that cities are empowered to play a lead role in the decision-making process for housing development projects in their communities. Ensuring that cities have a seat at the table is a matter of good governance.
We urge you to veto SB 79, a one-size-fits-all bill that will not spur much-needed housing, but instead strip away local discretion, impose an unfunded mandate, and hand down rigid land-use rules that ignore on-the-ground realities. We thank you in advance for your consideration of our opposition to SB 79 and request for your veto.
Sincerely,
Ara Najarian, Mayor
Vartan Gharpetian, Councilmember Ardashes Kassakhian, Councilmember
Elen Asatryan, Councilmember Dan Brotman, Councilmember cc: Assembly Member Schultz
Assembly Member Caloza
Senator Perez
League of California Cities