San Diegans rally against Senate Bill 79

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- Demonstrators across California, including in San Diego, are protesting Senate Bill 79, legislation that would allow developers to build large-scale apartment complexes near major transit stops.

Opponents say the bill, authored by state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, would give developers more access to single-family neighborhoods while doing little to address affordability. The measure, which narrowly passed the Senate earlier this year, is scheduled for a vote in the Assembly next month.

In San Diego’s Linda Vista neighborhood, homeowner Lorri Freitas said she fears the bill will change the character of her community.

“It’s a really lovely single-family neighborhood, very walkable, everybody walks their dogs. People know each other,” Freitas said. “But there are more and more of these [units] popping up and there is no parking. These are congested streets.”

Freitas said new housing projects are being built right above her home, which she believes will take away privacy while offering little benefit to longtime residents. “People are outraged. They are very upset about this. They get no say — it’s like density bombs are being dropped in their backyard.”

The protests, including a rally this week in Clairemont organized by the group "Neighbors for a Better California," have drawn residents who argue the bill prioritizes developers over communities. Critics say the legislation would allow apartment buildings up to seven or eight stories tall near major transit stops, while offering only a small number of affordable units.

“No longer should we just ‘build, baby, build’ exclusively in the form of luxury skyscrapers that drive prices even higher,” said Charlie Nieto of the Pacific Beach Town Council. “That creates plenty of units, to be sure, but not the kind that San Diegans like myself can actually ever call home.”

Senator Wiener has defended the proposal, saying it would put housing near public transit to improve affordability, reduce pollution and cut commute times.

But Geoff Heuter, chair of Neighbors for a Better San Diego, said the approach is flawed. “Transit-oriented is you put something 500 feet away, 800 feet away. You don’t put it a half-mile as the crow flies over a canyon or a freeway and say that’s transit-oriented development.”

Freitas remains skeptical. “I think it’s all about greed. They are in it to make a profit. They say they’re making housing more affordable, but it’s not really affordable,” she said.