January 8, 2026
Sena
tor Maria Elena Durazo
Chair of Senate Local Government Committee
1021 O Street, Suite 7530
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: S
enate Bill 677 (Wiener) Transit-oriented Development – Notice of Opposition Dear
Chair Durazo,
The C
ity of Glendale continues to strongly oppose Senate Bill 79, as well as the amendments to Senate Bill 677, which seeks technical adjustments and clarifications to SB 79 all of which do not serve our communities. SB 79 and SB 677 bypass working with the local community context altogether and seek to impose a one-size-fits-all mandate. Glendale is supportive of denser housing and transportation projects as exampled by our successfully upzoned the Tropico neighborhood around the Glendale Transportation Center, and as accomplished through intentional planning, robust community involvement, and local authority and oversight, to ensure projects are right-sized and appropriate for our community. SB 79 disregards this process altogether.
St
aff across our region, including the Cities of Glendale, Burbank and Pasadena, have been meeting regularly and coordinating efforts to understand the new legislation and its implications for our communities, particularly in light of the significant Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project being planned for our region (Noho to Pasadena). We share the concerns of our neighboring cities regarding the application of SB 79 densities around Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) stops that are not yet constructed or operational. Our staff continues to review and assess potential and evolving implications of SB 79 to our community, including the recent SB 677 changes that upgrade the Glendale Transit Center a Tier I TOD stop.
Gl
endale respectfully urges the Legislature to provide additional time on the implementation of SB 79 and consideration of a potential local alternative plan. The Department of Housing and Community Development guidelines are not scheduled for release until SB 79’s effective date, giving jurisdictions no opportunity to consider legislation concurrently with the guidelines. In Glendale and our neighboring communities, this implementation timeline is even more alarming because the Noho to Pasadena BRT line is not estimated to be completed until summer 2028 (https://www.metro.net/projects/noho-pasadena- corridor/). Glendale suggests aligning the timeline with our next Housing Element cycle, to be implemented in 2029, but a suggested alternative could be to allow us an additional 12 months at a minimum (to June 2027).
We t
hank you in advance for your consideration of our requests for additional clarifications and a feasible timeline for implementation. Please direct any questions regarding the City's Exhibit 5
position on this bill to Domenica Megerdichian, Assistant to the City Manager, at (818) 550- 4314 or [email protected].
Sincerely,
Ara Najarian, Mayor
cc: Senator Sasha Renee Perez
Assemblymember Nick Schultz
Assemblymember Jessica Caloza
Jennifer Quan, League of California Cities