Letter re: SB79

The DRRA sent the following letter to our representatives regarding the proposed SB79:

State Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas

Via link: Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas|Proudly Representing California

Senate District 28

State Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (Assemblymember.Bryan@assembly.ca.gov)

Re: We Cannot Afford State-Mandated Housing Density

Dear Senator Smallwood-Cuevas and Assemblymember Bryan:

First, a special thank you to Senator Smallwood-Cuevas for not voting for Senate

Bill 79 (Wiener) yesterday.

In recent years, dozens of new state laws have dramatically reshaped local

planning in California, eliminating parking requirements, reducing or eliminating

setback and open space requirements, reducing height restrictions and floor to

area ratios. Ostensibly these changes were made to promote construction of

more affordable housing, but in fact, these sweeping legislative changes have

undermined local control, bypassed established community planning processes

and imposed unintended and disproportionate burdens on neighborhoods that

already are struggling with insufficient infrastructure and essential public

services.

A Wake-Up Call: At Least $1.6 BILLION in Unfunded Costs

On May 23, 2025, Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein-Soto released a

landmark analysis revealing the staggering costs of unchecked high-density

growth. Her letter opposing Senate Bill 79 (Wiener) estimated that it would cost

$1.622 billion to provide adequate public infrastructure for just three high-density

projects in each of the City’s 99 Neighborhood Council Districts. Los Angeles

spans more than 450 square miles, and its existing systems -- water, sewer,

storm water, solid waste, power, roads, and sidewalks – were largely designed

for low-density zoning (1-4 units per parcel).

Unplanned Densification, Even WITHOUT Senate Bill 79

Del Rey is one of the 99 Neighborhood Council Districts, and during the last 12

months, Del Rey has seen at least 10 high density developments that already

have been greenlit or are being fast-tracked through the approval process.

Based on the City Attorney’s estimate, approximately $55 million of additional

infrastructure will be needed just for these 10 projects:

12120 Wagner Street (14 units);

12616 Culver Blvd. (122 units);

4360 McLaughlin Avenue (38 units);

4706-4712 Centinela (18 units in 2022, now proposed to be 73 units);

5403-5407 Inglewood Blvd. (46 units);

12461 Louise Avenue (60 units);

4112-4136 Del Rey Avenue (210 units);

These include three projects that straddle the boundary with Culver City:

13474-13476 Washington Blvd. and 13477-13481 Beach Avenue (69 units in

2024, now 79 units);

11304-11310 Culver Blvd. and 11312-11314 Culver Blvd. (89 units in Culver City;

54 units in Los Angeles);

12717 -12761 Washington Blvd. and 12750 Zanja (104 units in Culver City; 40

units in Los Angeles), although the design may change because this “Triangle

Development” is for sale.

The State Laws Fail to Provide the Public with Adequate Public Notice and

An Opportunity To Be Heard

Several of these projects qualify for administrative approval.

That means that only the immediate neighbors are notified, and there is no

opportunity for a hearing on how the community at large will be impacted.

There is little or no consideration of the underlying zoning.

The Palms Mar Vista Del Rey Community Plan, the Housing Element

enacted on February 12, 2025, and the Planning Department’s own

development standards are disregarded. In a community transected by

two freeways and three creeks, emergency evacuation concerns must be

addressed before a project is built.

Assuming public transit will suffice is a myth.

Supposedly, most of the high-density projects are within half a mile of a

“major transit stop,” but many residents are reluctant to use public transit

because it is considered unsafe and inefficient, with at least two transfers

needed for most designations.

Most parking requirements have been cut substantially.

The new state laws do not anticipate the needs of trash trucks, delivery

trucks, non-resident workers, visitors or people who need to transport

equipment or goods, young children or people with disabilities.

The state laws to promote housing construction supposedly will create more

affordable housing, but in actuality, the laws are unfunded mandates that Del

Rey cannot afford.