April 27, 2025

Hon. Maria Elena Durazo, Chair
Senate Local Government Committee
1021 O Street, Suite 7530
Sacramento, CA 95814

Dear Chair Durazo,
Thank you for your continued service in advocating for affordable housing across California. My name is Elizabeth Van Denburgh, and I serve as chair of the Wilshire Montana Neighborhood Coalition ( Wilmont - wilmont.org ), a city-sanctioned neighborhood group in Santa Monica.

Wilmont is a multi-family neighborhood (zoned R2 and R3), bounded by Ocean Avenue to the west, Montana Avenue to the north, 21st Street to the east, and Wilshire Boulevard to the south. More than 80% of our residents are renters, and approximately 70% of those renters live in rent-controlled units. These buildings are mostly 2–3 stories and owned by local individuals or families—not corporations.

We are writing to express our strong opposition to SB 79, which, especially when paired with the State Density Bonus (SDB), poses an existential threat to the affordability, character, and diversity of our community.

Zoning Comparison: Current vs. SB 79 + State Density Bonus
Zoning Type
Max Height
Max Units/Acre
FAR
Avg. Unit Size (est.)
Required Affordability

R2 (Current)
25–30 ft
~17–20
1.0
850–1,000 sq ft
30% (Prop R); 15% AHPP

R3 (Current)
30–35 ft
~25–30
1.5
800–1,000 sq ft
30% (Prop R); 15% AHPP

SB 79
45–55 ft
~60–80
2.5–3.0
500–700 sq ft
0%

SB 79 + State Density Bonus
75+ ft
100+
3.5+
450–650 sq ft
10–15% (low-income only)

The chart above reveals a troubling trade-off: SB 79 alone contains no affordability requirement. When paired with the SDB, it delivers only 10–15% low-income units—well below Santa Monica’s longstanding 30% standard.  Furthermore, these bonuses often fail to replace demolished rent-controlled and other affordable units, resulting in a net loss of affordable housing.


Displacement and Gentrification Threat


SB 79 would apply to 100% of Wilmont, as our neighborhood lies within half a mile of major transit stops, including Metro Rapid and Big Blue Bus lines along Wilshire Boulevard. However, service reductions have weakened transit connectivity —such as the elimination of direct BBB Express service to Downtown LA—calling into question the bill’s assumption of robust transit access.  In the map below, the blue overlay shows the half-mile lot coverage from major transit stops (every 20 minutes) from Wilshire Boulevard.  The orange rectangle is the Wilmont neighborhood, an R2 and R3 neighborhood in Santa Monica.

Is it worth demolishing hundreds of small-scale, rent-controlled buildings to find out if this density will increase transit ridership? History tells us this type of speculative redevelopment has devastating consequences—much like the destruction of the Belmar Triangle, Santa Monica’s historic Black neighborhood, in the 1950s.


Community Impact


Under SB 79, developers can demolish low-rise, rent-controlled apartments to construct 7- to 8- story luxury units, by passing local zoning, height, parking, and setback limits. This will:

• Displace long-term, elderly, disabled, and low-income residents
• Reduce the net supply of affordable housing
• Erase community character built over generations
• Prioritize developer profits over community preservation

Santa Monica’s Preserving Our Diversity (POD) program supports low-income seniors in rent-controlled housing. But SB 79 makes these units ripe for demolition, threatening to displace these senior residents.


What’s at Stake in Wilmont

• Over 1,300 rent-controlled units in Wilmont are at risk
• These units represent more than 40% of rented households in the neighborhood
• Many residents are seniors, disabled, or long-time tenants in modest, affordable apartments

Instead of incentivizing demolition, the State should be reinforcing local preservation programs like POD and Right to Return ordinances. The true path to affordability lies in protecting existing affordable housing—not incentivizing speculative redevelopment.


A Developer Windfall, Not Housing Justice


SB 79 + SDB delivers significant upzoning (a public subsidy) to developers with little in return. This is a one-sided giveaway that:

• Encourages speculative real estate purchases
• Rewards demolition over preservation
• Undermines democratically approved Housing Elements
• Ignores community-driven affordability standards i.e., Santa Monica’s Proposition R passed in 1990

A recent Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco study (https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5181312) found that housing prices are driven more by the income of new residents than by supply, casting doubt on the foundational premise of SB 79: that upzoning alone addresses affordability. Market-rate density in high-demand areas accelerates displacement.


Our Request


Please vote NO on SB 79. Instead, we urge you to:

• Support preservation-based solutions like the POD program
• Propose amendments that require 1:1 replacement of rent-controlled units
• Advocate for affordability percentages aligned with Proposition R (30%)
• Reinforce certified local Housing Elements, not override them

Wilmont is a thriving and inclusive community of renters, seniors, families, and small property owners. We ask the Legislature to protect what works—diverse, affordable, community-rooted housing—and reject what threatens to displace it.


Many Thanks,


Elizabeth Van Denburgh, Chair
Wilshire Montana Neighborhood Coalition (Wilmont),  Santa Monica, CA

Dear Wilmont members, residents and friends,Join us on the city hall steps (1685 Main Street) to participate in a rally from 4:30 - 5:30 to SAVE FAIRVIEW LIBRARY! 

The city wants to sell the Fairview Library in Sunset Park.  Wilmont along with our sister neighborhood group Friends of Sunset Park, Santa Monica Public Library Board and Friends of the Santa Monica Public Library will be attending the rally (and making posters) to save Fairview Library from being sold. 

Why would we sell this public property which has given so much to the Sunset community and will continue to give no matter what our future holds?  This community asset is about who we are and where we are going - TOGETHER.  Please join us if you haven't been to a good protest lately.  Friends of Sunset Park definitely know how to throw a rally.  Bring your kids to learn and make protest posters.  City Council could vote to close Fairview Library as soon as June 24th of this year.  ACT NOW!!!

"The only thing you absolutely have to know is the location of the library."
                                                 - Albert Einstein
Elizabeth Van Denburgh
Chair
Montana Wilshire Neighborhood Coalition (Wilmont)
Board of Directors        ​