By Mike Joe
SANTA MONICA, Calif. The Santa Monica SB 79 Expo Bundy vote came Tuesday as the City Council, Sept. 16, 2026, gave first-reading approval, on a 5-1 vote, to an ordinance that would raise density on 89 single-family parcels near the Expo/Bundy light-rail station. The goal is narrow and urgent: push the city’s last unprotected transit zone over a state threshold so it can temporarily sit outside Senate Bill 79.
Councilmember Lana Negrete cast the only no vote. Councilmember Jesse Zwick was recused. A second reading is still required before the ordinance takes effect.
What the ordinance would change
The parcels sit roughly between the I-10 Freeway, Dorchester Avenue, Exposition Boulevard, and Centinela Avenue. Under the draft ordinance, allowed density would rise from one unit per parcel to 40 dwelling units per acre. Floor area ratio would rise from 0.5 to 1.25, but only for projects that meet the higher density. The existing 28-foot height limit would stay in place.
SB 79, the Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act, took effect statewide July 1, 2026. It guarantees higher density, height, and floor area for qualifying housing within a half-mile of major transit stops. In July, Santa Monica adopted an exclusion ordinance that temporarily shields six of its seven transit-oriented development zones until about a year after the next housing element, expected around 2030.
Expo/Bundy did not qualify. The zone straddles the Los Angeles border, and Santa Monica controls too few high-capacity parcels on its side. State rules require at least 33% of sites to allow half the density SB 79 guarantees. Before this vote, only about 74 of 381 parcels, roughly 19%, met that bar. Staff estimated the 89-parcel upzone would lift the share to about 42.7%, enough to secure exclusion.
Planners stressed the local increase is still far below what SB 79 itself would allow nearby: up to 2.5 FAR, 55 feet, and 80 units per acre in parts of the half-mile zone. If Expo/Bundy stays unprotected, denials of qualifying projects in high-resource areas become rebuttably presumed unlawful starting Jan. 1, 2027, with penalties cited at $10,000 per unit.
Displacement debate and next steps
Council earlier set aside a plan to upzone 66 multifamily R2/R3 parcels because of renter displacement risk. Staff said the R1 path carried lower risk. Business-license data flagged only two of the 89 parcels as rentals, though five are registered under rent control.
Councilmember Dan Hall moved the staff recommendation and argued converting single-family lots into small townhome clusters is different from pushing renters out of multifamily buildings. Mayor Caroline Torosis backed closing the SB 79 door quickly while directing staff to study a community dual ordinance idea, possible child-care parcel exemptions, and a citywide anti-displacement measure for rent-controlled homes. Negrete wanted more time and a return to the R2/R3 approach; that substitute failed. City Attorney Heidi von Tongeln told council a formal state answer on cross-city capacity math before second reading was unlikely. Councilmember Ellis Raskin voted yes on first reading but said the item could still change.
Why this matters
SB 79 turns local zoning fights into statewide housing power fights. Santa Monica’s first reading matters because Expo/Bundy is the city’s remaining hole in a temporary exclusion strategy, and the Jan. 1, 2027 presumption window is close. Homeowners near Bundy face a density reset even with height capped at 28 feet. Renters citywide are watching whether anti-displacement study language becomes real policy before final adoption.
Readers can compare this with Costa Mesa’s Fairview framework for 2,300 homes, Seattle’s temporary MHA fee relief debate, Salt Lake City’s expanding housing options, and the SANDAG SB 79 Oceanside and Solana Beach lawsuit track.
How Never Late News reported this
Never Late News relied on Santa Monica Daily Press reporting published Sept. 17, 2026, plus the city’s public SB 79 TOD explainer. Key figures come from that coverage. Primary source: Santa Monica Daily Press, Expo/Bundy upzoning. We did not attend the hearing.
Corrections and reader feedback
If the second reading changes the parcel count, density, or vote, or if any figure here is wrong, contact Never Late News through the site contact form. We will correct the record and note material updates.