In response to a housing-shortage bill passed in the state Senate on Dec. 3, some homeowners in the San Fernando Valley are voicing opposition.

Members of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association are communicating with other representatives to create a unified response against SB-50, a bill that seeks to promote denser and more affordable housing in close proximity to public transportation, according to a Jan. 31 press release from California State Senator Scott Weiner.

Community members have been working on their joint project with San Fernando Valley Senator Bob Hertzberg, who had also opposed similar housing-shortage bill SB-827. The bill was killed in committee last year.

“[SB-50] will have the effect of destroying the character of single family neighborhoods,” SOHA President Richard Close said.

Close said he thinks that instead of introducing new apartment complexes into single family neighborhoods, the state should create more affordable housing complexes in neighborhoods that are already zoned for apartments.

The housing construction bill has garnered support from California League of Conservation Voters, the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California (NPH) and Habitat for Humanity due to its goal to reduce carbon emissions in the area by helping people live closer to public transportation.

“I am proud to have these three major progressive organizations support the More HOMES Act,” Weiner said in the press release. “SB-50 is about ensuring that everyone can afford housing and forcefully addressing climate change.”