[This column was reported for Political Breakdown, a bimonthly newsletter offering analysis and context on Bay Area and California political news. Click here to subscribe .]

Scott Wiener has represented San Francisco in the state Senate since 2017. In those eight years, the 55-year-old Democrat has become one of the most prolific and effective lawmakers, particularly on housing issues.

Earlier this month, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Wiener’s landmark SB 79 , which allows greater housing density — up to nine stories — along public transit corridors and major bus stops statewide, even in neighborhoods where local zoning restricts development to single-family homes.

“I fight hard and I can be stubborn about it, but I’m being stubborn because people need housing and the system is broken,”

See Full Page