The Long Track Back
LA City Council Pushes Back Against SB 79: What’s at Stake for Housing Near Transit
The LA City Council narrowly voted to oppose SB 79, a state bill that would allow mid-rise housing near Metro stations and major bus corridors, highlighting the ongoing clash between local control and state-led solutions to Los Angeles’ housing crisis.
Last Updated on September 5, 2025 by Daily News Staff
Los Angeles, California, USA downtown cityscape at City Hall.
Los Angeles is once again at the center of California’s ongoing housing debate. On August 20, 2025, the LA City Council voted 8–5 to oppose Senate Bill 79 (SB 79), a statewide housing reform bill authored by Senator Scott Wiener. The legislation aims to allow taller housing—up to six or nine stories—near rail stations and major bus corridors, bypassing local zoning restrictions.
The close vote highlights a deep divide within Los Angeles politics: Should the city embrace state-led housing reform to tackle the crisis, or double down on its own local strategies?
What SB 79 Proposes
SB 79 is the latest in a series of bills seeking to override restrictive local zoning in the name of solving California’s housing shortage. Similar to Wiener’s earlier effort, SB 50, the new bill would:
Permit mid-rise housing within ½ mile of rail stations and along major bus rapid transit (BRT) corridors. Require affordability set-asides (20% in some cases). Eliminate single-family zoning near transit hubs to promote denser, transit-oriented development.
For advocates, the bill is common sense: build more homes where people already ride transit. For opponents, it’s another example of Sacramento stripping away local control.
Why the LA City Council Opposed SB 79
The council’s majority, led by members like Traci Park and John Lee, argued that:
Local Control Matters – Neighborhoods and city planners should decide how LA grows, not the state legislature. Infrastructure Costs – City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto warned that more density could strain utilities, services, and transit—costs that could fall on taxpayers. Existing Plans Are Enough – Opponents pointed to LA’s updated housing strategy and Citywide Housing Incentive Program, arguing the city is already on track without state interference.
Mayor Karen Bass endorsed the council’s opposition—though with a twist. She said she could support SB 79 if Los Angeles were exempted, since its housing plan is already state-approved.
The Case for SB 79
On the other side, five councilmembers—including Nithya Raman, Eunisses Hernandez, and Marqueece Harris-Dawson—voted against opposing SB 79. They argued LA’s housing shortage is too severe to rely solely on local action.
“Our actions have not met the moment,” Raman said. “We need bold solutions, even if that means giving up some control.”
Housing advocates outside City Hall agree. Groups like California YIMBY and Streets for All say SB 79 is crucial to unlock housing where it’s most needed—near Metro lines and job centers. They warn that LA’s stance signals a retreat to exclusionary zoning, despite one of the worst affordability crises in the nation.
Where SB 79 Would Hit Home
If SB 79 becomes law, the changes would be most visible along Metro rail lines and bus corridors:
Expo / E Line (Santa Monica to DTLA) – Santa Monica, Culver City, USC, Exposition Park Wilshire Corridor (B & D Lines) – Koreatown, Mid-Wilshire, Miracle Mile, Beverly Hills, Westwood (future extension) Crenshaw / K Line – Inglewood, Baldwin Hills, Leimert Park South LA (A Line) – Watts, Florence, Willowbrook, Downtown LA Valley (G Line BRT) – North Hollywood, Van Nuys, Reseda, Canoga Park
That means South LA and East LA could see new development pressures—raising displacement concerns—while affluent areas like Santa Monica, Westwood, and Beverly Hills could face state-mandated density they’ve long resisted.
Why It Matters for LA’s Future
Housing Goals: LA is supposed to plan for ~450,000 new homes by 2029 but is falling far short. Climate Goals: More housing near transit could reduce car dependence and cut emissions. 2028 Olympics: With billions invested in LA Metro, international attention will be on whether LA embraces transit-oriented growth or clings to sprawl.
In many ways, the SB 79 debate isn’t just about housing—it’s about whether California is willing to override local zoning in its largest city to meet statewide goals.
What’s Next
SB 79 has already passed the State Senate and is now moving through the Assembly. Its fate could hinge on whether cities like Los Angeles win exemptions. If it passes without carveouts, LA may be forced to accept taller housing near virtually every Metro station and major transit corridor.
Either way, the fight underscores LA’s crossroads: Will it choose bold, statewide solutions to its housing crisis, or continue to guard local control—even if it means building fewer homes?
✍️ Bottom Line:
The LA City Council’s opposition to SB 79 is a powerful political statement, but it may not stop the bill. Whether LA gets exempted—or whether SB 79 becomes the new housing law of the land—will shape how the city grows for decades to come.
Related Links
Los Angeles Times: Denser housing near transit stops opposed by LA City Council
California YIMBY: Statement on LA City Council vote on SB 79
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The Knowledge
Brightline West Nears Final Environmental Clearance Milestone
Brightline West’s final environmental assessment is 99% complete, clearing a major hurdle for the high-speed rail line connecting Southern California and Las Vegas.
Last Updated on March 1, 2026 by Daily News Staff
The long-awaited high-speed rail connection between Southern California and Las Vegas just hit a major milestone.
According to recent reports, the final environmental assessment for Brightline West is now 99% complete — signaling that one of the most critical regulatory hurdles for the project is nearly finished.
For a project that has been discussed for over a decade, this is significant progress.
What “99% Complete” Really Means
Before major infrastructure projects like high-speed rail can move into full construction, they must go through extensive federal environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
For Brightline West, this includes:
- Environmental impact evaluations
- Wildlife and habitat assessments
- Air quality studies
- Noise and vibration analysis
- Cultural and tribal consultations
- Traffic and community impact reviews
Reaching 99% completion means the overwhelming majority of those studies, revisions, and agency approvals are essentially done. In practical terms, the project is nearly clear of its final federal environmental review requirements.
That’s a huge step toward full-scale construction.
The Route: Southern California to Las Vegas
Brightline West will run approximately 218 miles largely within the median of Interstate 15, connecting:
- Las Vegas
- Apple Valley
- Hesperia
- Rancho Cucamonga (with connections to Metrolink toward Los Angeles)
Trains are designed to reach speeds up to 200 mph, cutting travel time between Southern California and Las Vegas to roughly 2 hours.
Instead of battling I-15 weekend traffic, travelers could board a train in Rancho Cucamonga and arrive on the Las Vegas Strip in about the time it currently takes just to get through the Cajon Pass on a busy Friday.
Construction Status
The project officially broke ground in 2024, and early work has included:
- Geotechnical testing
- Land surveying
- Utility relocation
- Pre-construction corridor preparation
While heavy civil construction has not yet fully ramped up across the entire route, completing environmental clearance removes one of the last major barriers before large-scale building accelerates.
Timeline Update
The original goal was to open before the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. That timeline has shifted.
Current projections place passenger service around late 2029, depending on construction pace and financing milestones.
Why This Milestone Matters
High-speed rail projects in the United States often stall due to environmental review delays, funding gaps, or regulatory challenges.
Getting to 99% completion on final environmental assessment means:
- Federal review is nearly wrapped
- Legal vulnerability is reduced
- Major construction can proceed with more certainty
- Investor confidence improves
For Southern California and Nevada, it represents real forward momentum.
The Bigger Picture
Brightline West is privately developed, separate from California’s state high-speed rail system. If completed as planned, it would become one of the first true high-speed rail lines operating in the western United States.
The I-15 corridor between Los Angeles and Las Vegas is one of the most heavily traveled leisure routes in the country. A successful rail alternative could significantly reshape travel patterns between the two regions.
Final Take
The headline may sound small — “99% complete” — but in infrastructure terms, it’s a major breakthrough.
With environmental review nearly finished, Brightline West is closer than ever to turning renderings into reality.
Now the question shifts from if the train gets built… to how fast construction can move from here.
Further Reading & Outside Coverage
- Brightline West Official Project Website
- Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
- Las Vegas Review-Journal – Brightline West Coverage
- Los Angeles Times – Transportation & Infrastructure
- Progressive Railroading – Industry Updates
- Trains Magazine – Rail Industry News
- U.S. Department of Transportation
Dive into “The Knowledge,” where curiosity meets clarity. This playlist, in collaboration with STMDailyNews.com, is designed for viewers who value historical accuracy and insightful learning. Our short videos, ranging from 30 seconds to a minute and a half, make complex subjects easy to grasp in no time. Covering everything from historical events to contemporary processes and entertainment, “The Knowledge” bridges the past with the present. In a world where information is abundant yet often misused, our series aims to guide you through the noise, preserving vital knowledge and truths that shape our lives today. Perfect for curious minds eager to discover the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of everything around us. Subscribe and join in as we explore the facts that matter. https://stmdailynews.com/the-knowledge/
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Urbanism
The Building That Proved Los Angeles Could Go Vertical
Los Angeles once banned skyscrapers, yet City Hall broke the height limit and proved high-rise buildings could be engineered safely in an earthquake zone.
Last Updated on February 19, 2026 by Daily News Staff
How City Hall Quietly Undermined LA’s Own Height Limits
The Knowledge Series | STM Daily News
For more than half a century, Los Angeles enforced one of the strictest building height limits in the United States. Beginning in 1905, most buildings were capped at 150 feet, shaping a city that grew outward rather than upward.
The goal was clear: avoid the congestion, shadows, and fire dangers associated with dense Eastern cities. Los Angeles sold itself as open, sunlit, and horizontal — a place where growth spread across land, not into the sky.
And yet, in 1928, Los Angeles City Hall rose to 454 feet, towering over the city like a contradiction in concrete.
It wasn’t built to spark a commercial skyscraper boom.
But it ended up proving that Los Angeles could safely build one.
A Rule Designed to Prevent a Manhattan-Style City
The original height restriction was rooted in early 20th-century fears:
- Limited firefighting capabilities
- Concerns over blocked sunlight and airflow
- Anxiety about congestion and overcrowding
- A strong desire not to resemble New York or Chicago
Los Angeles wanted prosperity — just not vertical density.
The height cap reinforced a development model where:
- Office districts stayed low-rise
- Growth moved outward
- Automobiles became essential
- Downtown never consolidated into a dense core
This philosophy held firm even as other American cities raced upward.
Why City Hall Was Never Meant to Change the Rules
City Hall was intentionally exempt from the height limit because the law applied primarily to private commercial buildings, not civic monuments.
But city leaders were explicit about one thing:
City Hall was not a precedent.
It was designed to:
- Serve as a symbolic seat of government
- Stand alone as a civic landmark
- Represent stability, authority, and modern governance
- Avoid competing with private office buildings
In effect, Los Angeles wanted a skyline icon — without a skyline.
Innovation Hidden in Plain Sight
What made City Hall truly significant wasn’t just its height — it was how it was built.
At a time when seismic science was still developing, City Hall incorporated advanced structural ideas for its era:
- A steel-frame skeleton designed for flexibility
- Reinforced concrete shear walls for lateral strength
- A tapered tower to reduce wind and seismic stress
- Thick structural cores that distributed force instead of resisting it rigidly
These choices weren’t about aesthetics — they were about survival.
The Earthquake That Changed the Conversation
In 1933, the Long Beach earthquake struck Southern California, causing widespread damage and reshaping building codes statewide.
Los Angeles City Hall survived with minimal structural damage.
This moment quietly reshaped the debate:
- A tall building had endured a major earthquake
- Structural engineering had proven effective
- Height alone was no longer the enemy — poor design was
City Hall didn’t just survive — it validated a new approach to vertical construction in seismic regions.
Proof Without Permission
Despite this success, Los Angeles did not rush to repeal its height limits.
Cultural resistance to density remained strong, and developers continued to build outward rather than upward. But the technical argument had already been settled.
City Hall stood as living proof that:
- High-rise buildings could be engineered safely in Los Angeles
- Earthquakes were a challenge, not a barrier
- Fire, structural, and seismic risks could be managed
The height restriction was no longer about safety — it was about philosophy.
The Ironic Legacy
When Los Angeles finally lifted its height limit in 1957, the city did not suddenly erupt into skyscrapers. The habit of building outward was already deeply entrenched.
The result:
- A skyline that arrived decades late
- Uneven density across the region
- Multiple business centers instead of one core
- Housing and transit challenges baked into the city’s growth pattern
City Hall never triggered a skyscraper boom — but it quietly made one possible.
Why This Still Matters
Today, Los Angeles continues to wrestle with:
- Housing shortages
- Transit-oriented development debates
- Height and zoning battles near rail corridors
- Resistance to density in a growing city
These debates didn’t begin recently.
They trace back to a single contradiction: a city that banned tall buildings — while proving they could be built safely all along.
Los Angeles City Hall wasn’t just a monument.
It was a test case — and it passed.
Further Reading & Sources
- Los Angeles Department of City Planning – History of Urban Planning in LA
- Los Angeles Conservancy – History & Architecture of LA City Hall
- Water and Power Associates – Early Los Angeles Buildings & Height Limits
- USGS – How Buildings Are Designed to Withstand Earthquakes
- Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety – Building Code History
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The Long Track Back
Why Downtown Los Angeles Feels Small Compared to Other Cities
Downtown Los Angeles often feels “small” compared to other U.S. cities, but that’s only part of the story. With some of the tallest buildings west of the Mississippi and skyline clusters spread across the region, LA’s downtown reflects the city’s unique polycentric identity—one that, if combined, could form a true mega downtown.
Last Updated on February 18, 2026 by Daily News Staff
Panorama of Los Angeles from Mount Hollywood – California, United States
When people think of major American cities, they often imagine a bustling, concentrated downtown core filled with skyscrapers. New York has Manhattan, Chicago has the Loop, San Francisco has its Financial District. Los Angeles, by contrast, often leaves visitors surprised: “Is this really downtown?”
The answer is yes—and no.
Downtown LA in Context
Compared to other major cities, Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is relatively small as a central business district. For much of the 20th century, strict height restrictions capped most buildings under 150 feet, while cities like Chicago and New York were erecting early skyscrapers. LA’s skyline didn’t really begin to climb until the late 1960s.
But history alone doesn’t explain why DTLA feels different. The real story lies in how Los Angeles grew: not as one unified city center, but as a collection of many hubs.
Downtown Los Angeles
A Polycentric City
Los Angeles is famously decentralized. Hollywood developed around the film industry. Century City rose on former studio land as a business hub. Burbank became a studio and aerospace center. Long Beach grew around the port. The Wilshire Corridor filled with office towers and condos.
Unlike other cities where downtown is the place for work, culture, and finance, Los Angeles spread its energy outward. Freeways and car culture made it easy for businesses and residents to operate outside of downtown. The result is a polycentric metropolis, with multiple “downtowns” rather than one dominant core.
A Resident’s Perspective
As someone who lived in Los Angeles for 28 years, I see DTLA differently. While some outsiders describe it as “small,” the reality is that Downtown Los Angeles is still significant. It has some of the tallest buildings west of the Mississippi River, including the Wilshire Grand Center and the U.S. Bank Tower. Over the last two decades, adaptive reuse projects have transformed old office buildings into lofts, while developments like LA Live, Crypto.com Arena, and the Broad Museum have revitalized the area.
In other words, DTLA is large enough—it just plays a different role than downtowns in other American cities.
View of Westwood, Century City, Beverly Hills, and the Wilshire Corridor.
The “Mega Downtown” That Isn’t
A friend once put it to me with a bit of imagination: “If you could magically pick up all of LA’s skyline clusters—Downtown, Century City, Hollywood, the Wilshire Corridor—and drop them together in one spot, you’d have a mega downtown.”
He’s right. Los Angeles doesn’t lack tall buildings or urban energy—it just spreads them out over a vast area, reflecting the city’s unique history, geography, and culture.
A Downtown That Fits Its City
So, is Downtown LA “small”? Compared to Manhattan or Chicago’s Loop, yes. But judged on its own terms, DTLA is a vibrant hub within a much larger, decentralized metropolis. It’s a downtown that reflects Los Angeles itself: sprawling, diverse, and impossible to fit neatly into the mold of other American cities.
🔗 Related Links
Dive into “The Knowledge,” where curiosity meets clarity. This playlist, in collaboration with STMDailyNews.com, is designed for viewers who value historical accuracy and insightful learning. Our short videos, ranging from 30 seconds to a minute and a half, make complex subjects easy to grasp in no time. Covering everything from historical events to contemporary processes and entertainment, “The Knowledge” bridges the past with the present. In a world where information is abundant yet often misused, our series aims to guide you through the noise, preserving vital knowledge and truths that shape our lives today. Perfect for curious minds eager to discover the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of everything around us. Subscribe and join in as we explore the facts that matter. https://stmdailynews.com/the-knowledge/
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