Testify against SB 1120 and SB 902 on Tuesday Aug. 18, by calling in to the state Assembly Appropriations Committee to tell legislators that these put homes in their district on the chopping block!

(We explain how you call in to testify Tuesday morning. CLICK HERE!)

SB 1120 and SB 902, the two worst of Seven Bad Bills still alive in the California legislature, were approved Aug. 11 in tense 5-to-3 votes by the state Assembly Local Government Committee.

These two density-and-gentrification bills now head to Assembly Appropriations.

The Assembly Local Government Committee vote was a blow to all who fought state Sen. Scott Wiener’s claim that introducing dense market-rate housing into already overbuilt areas like in SoCal, is good for the poor. We disagree.

We must stop SB 902 and SB 1120 in the Assembly in August. We’ll keep you posted via email blasts, on how to help stop the bills. Current assignment: Call to testify on Tuesday, as noted above!

Many of you attended the Saturday Aug. 15, South LA Town Hall Against SB 1120 and Other Bad Bills.

The incredibly successful, diverse and huge South L.A. town hall followed efforts by Black working-class and middle-class South L.A. communities who testified against SB 1120 and SB 902 via video in Sacramento on Aug. 11. Unfortunately, under the rules of testifying in Sacramento, many were cut off while speaking.

SB 1120 would allow any home to be replaced by four expensive homes without a yard or garage.

Meanwhile, SB 902 would allow city councils to “upzone” single-family and low-density streets to allow 10-unit luxury buildings.

Notice how Wiener’s bills never get around to helping the poor?

Jamming 10-unit luxury projects almost anywhere, and ending zoning for single-family neighborhoods, are Scott Wiener’s longtime pursuits.

Both ideas enjoyed starring roles in Wiener’s hated SB 827 and SB 50. Those bills were killed due to public outcry in 2018, 2019 (and SB 50 was killed yet again in early 2020).

The good news is that all of your efforts did pay off in one huge win against Wiener in recent days:

Wiener was forced to strip from SB 902 his sly wording that allowed any city council to override citizen-initiated, voter-approved laws protecting open space, shorelines and treasured lands. (Turns out developers are drooling to pave them over, just like Wiener.)

Scott Wiener tried to severely weaken California’s 108-year-old right to the initiative.

Livable California and its volunteer lawyers untangled Wiener’s sly wording.

Yet we were unable to get any news media coverage about this anti-environmental, anti-constitutional bill, SB 902.

Here’s how Wiener worded SB 902, which virtually nobody noticed:

“A local government may pass an ordinance, notwithstanding any local restrictions on adopting zoning ordinances enacted by the jurisdiction, including restrictions enacted by a local voter initiative, that limit the legislative body’s ability to adopt zoning ordinances, to zone any parcel for up to 10 units of residential density per parcel.”

Saving the open spaces from Scott Wiener is good.

But his two bills still bring harm to 7.4 to 8 million California homeowners, whether poor, middle-income or rich.