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Governor Newsom Signs SB 79
What It Means for San Diego’s Heritage
November/December 2025
 Courtesy CBS8+
First, thank you to everyone who called or wrote to your state leaders about this controversial bill that will take effect July 1, 2026. Your voices mattered. Because of widespread public opposition, including from preservationists, neighborhood advocates, and groups like the California Preservation Foundation (CPF) and Neighbors for a Better San Diego, SB 79 was amended significantly before passage.
Even with the changes, SB 79 remains deeply flawed, particularly for historic neighborhoods and the communities that rely on their heritage and historic resources for identity, affordability, and livability.
What SB 79 Does (and Doesn’t) Do
- Doesn’t promote housing near transit
Despite its title referring to “Homes Near Transit,” SB 79 actually forbids new development on properties with rent-controlled apartments (typically buildings with three or more units). This effectively pushes new construction away from transit corridors.
- Favors wealthy areas and developers
To gain the votes needed to pass, special exemptions were added for wealthy Bay Area counties—while middle-class and working-class Southern California neighborhoods will shoulder the impact.
- Encourages demolition of older single-family homes
Because multifamily projects won’t be allowed to replace rent-controlled buildings, the law incentivizes developers to target single-family lots, often far from transit and within long-established neighborhoods.
- Weakens local planning and community voice
By creating a state-mandated development zone, SB 79 overrides much of San Diego's existing planning authority, as well as that of other local jurisdicitons, and can fast-track large projects with less public oversight.
Implications for Historic Neighborhoods
While SB 79 includes an exclusion for locally designated historic districts and resources, the protection is temporary and limited. The exclusion only applies to jurisdictions that adopt a transit-oriented development (TOD) “alternative plan” via their housing element, a specific plan, ordinance, or zoning overlay. For sites with already locally designated historic resources, as of January 1, 2025, the exclusion lowers the housing density requirements by up to 50 percent.
- Historic areas are excluded only until 2029, and only if the city has recognized them in zoning or as a designated district.
- Only 10 percent of each TOD zone can be formally excluded for locally landmarked historic resources. This means cities may be forced to choose which places to save and which to sacrifice.
- Unrecognized or potential historic sites remain vulnerable, as the exclusion applies only to already officially designated resources as of January 1, 2025.
- Streamlined approvals under SB 79 reduce opportunities for public review and design oversight—the very processes that often prevent irreversible loss of historic resources, character, and cultural heritage.
Why It Matters
San Diego’s historic neighborhoods—many of which are naturally walkable, near transit, and rich in existing housing—already embody the kind of sustainable growth the state claims to want. Yet SB 79 puts these very communities at risk by treating them as empty land banks for speculative development.
The result could be an erosion of neighborhood identity, the displacement of long-time residents, and the slow erasure of cultural landmarks that tell San Diego’s story and create its distinctive character.
Preservation isn’t the obstacle to housing—it’s the framework for responsible growth. SB 79 ignores that truth.
What Happens Next
- SB 79 takes effect July 1, 2026
This gives cities time to update zoning and potentially adopt an Alternative Plan described above, to determine where new housing will go.
- San Diego’s response is critical
If the City implements its Preservation and Progress policy before December 31, 2025, without safeguards, the historic-district exclusion could be severely compromised.
- Public input will matter
The City’s Alternative Plan process will decide whether our historic districts, cultural landscapes, and neighborhood character are respected—or rolled over.
What You Can Do
- Stay informed. SOHO will continue to update you as the City processes implentation of SB 79 and the Preservation and Progress iniative, and alert you to scheduled public hearings.
- Be ready to speak up. Your voices at City meetings will be vital to maintaining the public’s right to protect San Diego’s history.
- Support preservation advocacy. The next two years will be pivotal. The future of many historic neighborhoods will depend on community engagement and vigilance.
The Fight's Not Over
SB 79 may have passed, but the fight for San Diego’s historic neighborhoods isn’t over. We have a narrow window to act—to ensure our city’s treasured buildings and districts are not collateral damage in a misguided statewide housing experiment.
Together, we can protect San Diego’s history while planning responsibly for its future. Thank you for being an advocate for historic preservation in all its richness and shared significance.
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