YIMBYs rejoice! Leaders celebrate Governor Newsom’s landmark actions this year to boost housing and affordability

SACRAMENTO – Leaders throughout the state are celebrating Governor Gavin Newsom’s unprecedented action to address California’s longstanding barriers to building more housing. This year, Governor Newsom signed major housing streamlining initiatives into law to accelerate construction and reduce barriers to building more homes across California.

These efforts include historic reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and  SB 79 (Wiener), which fast-tracks housing near California’s largest transit systems.

Here’s what leaders throughout the state are saying:

Elected leaders

Congressman Robert Garcia: “Governor Newsom is the most pro-housing Governor in the country. His efforts to expand housing at transit hubs will make housing more affordable and home ownership more accessible for young families. His work to cut regulations, increase supply, and build afforable ADU’s is setting up our state for a housing boom.”

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria: “This legislation will help make way for more housing near public transit and ensure that cities with this infrastructure do their part to address California’s housing crisis.”

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee: “The City of Oakland has long embraced higher-density, transit-oriented development near our major transportation hubs, including West Oakland BART, MacArthur BART, and other key locations including our Fruitvale community. SB 79 advances this vision by enabling higher-density housing near transit, streamlining approvals, and establishing clear affordability requirements. By unlocking new housing opportunities in transit-rich, high-opportunity areas, this legislation helps ease cost pressures on families while strengthening California’s economic competitiveness. I am grateful for the Governor’s support of this critical measure and commend Senator Wiener for his leadership.”

Emeryville Mayor David Mourra: “Governor Newsom’s signature on SB 79 marks a profound turning point in California’s housing crisis. This is not a band-aid solution. SB 79 enables housing construction where it is needed most— near transit stops. In the Bay Area and throughout the state, this law ensures we will build the homes necessary to lower costs, boost transit ridership, and finally create the sustainable, equitable communities our residents deserve.”

Artesia Mayor Ali Sajjad Taj: “I want to thank the Governor for signing SB 79. By giving cities the flexibility to add housing where services and transit already exist, SB 79 will help us meet the needs of residents without overextending our infrastructure. It’s a balanced and thoughtful policy that moves us closer to real housing affordability in California, including right here in Artesia.”

West Hollywood Councilmember John Erickson: “SB79 is good housing policy that will focus on building more homes near transit and jobs. It’s common sense and it is vital to meeting our housing goals and tackling the housing affordability crisis rapidly growing and hurting everyday Californians. I was proud that West Hollywood supported this critical legislation.”

Monterey Park Councilmember Thomas Wong: “The housing affordability crisis is real and a key solution to tackling it is to build more housing. Thank you to Governor Newsom for signing SB79 and to the legislature for advancing bold measures that make it easier to build more housing where there are already resources available, including access to public transit.”

Claremont Councilmember Jed Leano: “I want to thank Governor Newsom for signing SB 79, unquestionably the most impactful housing law in California’s history. For years, we have debated whether Claremont will build enough housing for the next generation. That debate is over. We will. SB 79 will ensure that housing is available to people for whom Claremont is inaccessible: entry level professionals, middle class families with young children, seniors on fixed incomes, immigrants starting in America, and artists and entertainers adding to our rich cultural legacy. SB 79 includes robust affordability standards, flexibility for local alternative plans, and protections for existing affordable housing. The only thing bigger than 79’s impact is the breadth of the coalition supporting it. SB 79 isn’t just California’s most impactful housing law. It is also a masterclass in how to build a winning coalition to solve a major policy problem.”

Community leaders

Brian Hanlon, CEO of California YIMBY: “By signing SB 79, Governor Newsom took decisive action to fight our housing shortage and climate crisis. There is still more work to be done, but Governor Newsom just sent a clear message that California is ready to build a more affordable, sustainable, and prosperous future for everyone.”

Corey Smith, Executive Director of Housing Action Coalition: “Building more homes near transit is a common sense solution to help create a more affordable California. It’s another significant step California has taken this year to ensure the Golden State is a place everyone can call home.”

Jim Wunderman, President and CEO of the Bay Area Council: “The Bay Area Council thanks Governor Gavin Newsom for signing into law SB 79, which will allow more housing near transit and jobs. The Governor has been a consistent champion for housing throughout his time as Governor. Amid rising rents and already-too-high home prices, measures like this are critical to making housing more affordable, increasing ridership on transit, and giving people the option of living closer to where they work. By signing this measure, Governor Newsom will make housing in California more affordable and the Bay Area a more attractive place to live and start a business. The Council was proud to cosponsor SB 79 and we were honored to work with its author Senator Scott Wiener, an incredibly effective leader on affordable housing and transportation in the Legislature.”

Azeen Khanmalek, Executive Director of Abundant Housing LA: “SB 79 is a game changing and historic piece of legislation that will lower housing costs, help our climate, reduce traffic, and support transit. By signing it, Governor Newsom has cemented his legacy as our boldest and most pro-housing Governor in recent memory”

Adam Murray, CEO of Inner City Law Center: “At the core of California’s homelessness crisis is the simple reality that we do not have enough affordable housing, By signing SB 79, Governor Newsom has taken decisive action to open the door to more affordable homes where people need them most – near jobs, schools, and transit. This is a critical step forward that shows California is serious about finding solutions to homelessness.”

Jordan Grimes, Legislative Director, Greenbelt Alliance: “By making it possible to build new multifamily homes near our major public transit stations, we are beginning to shift away from decades of harmful development patterns and move toward building a more sustainable and affordable future,” explained. This critical change will help safeguard our natural and working lands while delivering lasting benefits for our climate, our environment, and our communities. We thank Governor Newsom and Senator Wiener for their steadfast leadership on this issue.”

Marc Vukcevich, Director of State Policy, Streets For All: “SB 79 marks a turning point in California’s transportation and land use policy. By signing this bill, Governor Gavin Newsom is advancing a smarter, healthier, and more equitable future for our state. Streets For All is honored to have sponsored SB 79, and we thank Senator Wiener and Governor Newsom for the vision and leadership in making California a place where affordability and transit are accessible for all.”

Michael Lane, State Policy Director at SPUR: “In order to maximize the value of California’s investments in our public transportation systems, it is imperative that we ensure zoning for appropriate residential densities near major urban transit stops to boost ridership, meet our climate goals and provide the housing we desperately need in these location-efficient areas. We also must facilitate joint development opportunities on transit agency-owned land, as commonly practiced in other nations, in order to strengthen our transit system operations over the long term and attract private investment for transit-oriented development. SB 79 boldly delivers on both counts.”