About

About this site

Independent learning portal about California SB 79, focused on Palo Alto. Phase one is the explainer and FAQ. Phase two will be ongoing coverage as the law actually plays out.

Who runs this

A Palo Alto resident, YIMBY-leaning, who wanted to actually understand SB 79 and help neighbors do the same. Framing is sourced and fair; positions where I have one are stated directly.

What this site is, and isn't

• Is: an explainer of the law, a local-impact summary, an FAQ, and (in progress) ongoing coverage of how it lands.
• Isn't: legal advice, a lobbying organization, or an official source. For binding interpretations, consult the bill text or a land-use attorney.

How we figured out each station's group

Per the state housing department's official guidance (March 20, 2026), Caltrain counts as commuter rail. Each station qualifies in the top group if it gets at least 72 trains per weekday, counting both directions; otherwise it's in the second group.

We pulled Caltrain's published schedule and counted trains at each station: University Ave 104, California Ave 90, San Antonio 90. All three qualify in the top group. The full method and raw data are on the tier analysis page. The official map is coming from the Bay Area regional planning agency (ABAG/MTC) in mid-2026 and is presumed correct unless someone proves otherwise.

Sources

• Bill text — leginfo (Gov. Code §§65912.155–65912.162)
• HCD — SB 79 TOD page
• HCD MPO advisory (PDF, March 20, 2026)
• California YIMBY — SB 79 overview
• Sen. Wiener — Newsom signs SB 79
• Holland & Knight — legal analysis
• Allen Matkins — legal alert
• Palo Alto Daily Post — 7-story buildings near Caltrain
• Palo Alto Online — housing bill jolts downtown plans
• Palo Alto Online — downtown plan paused (Nov 2025)
• Palo Alto Online — rezoning to limit SB 79 impacts
• The full machine-readable list lives at assets/data/sources.json

License & reuse

Content is free to reuse with attribution. The site is plain HTML/CSS/JS — fork it for your own city.