What Housing Policies Should Angelenos Be Advocating For, Post-Measure S?
Measure S won't fix the affordable housing crisis. When the vote is over, win or lose, what can we do that will actually move the needle?
los angeles
56 posts.
Election Update: So Far, People Voting Are Older, Whiter, Wealthier, and More Conservative Than Average LA Resident
About 40% of registered voters in LA receive vote-by-mail ballots, but the people actually returning them are heavily skewed.
Los Angeles Voters, Here Are All the Reasons You Should Be Voting NO on Measure S on March 7th
Bear with me; there are a lot of them.
1,300 More Affordable Homes—Mostly in Downtown LA—That Won't Be Built if Measure S Passes
In just the past three weeks, 1,300 homes for low-income residents and the formerly homeless were proposed in Los Angeles. Measure S would block them all.
Ballot Initiative Voter Guide: City and County of Los Angeles, March 7th, 2017
There's a local election coming up for the City and County of Los Angeles on March 7th, 2017. Here's how you should vote on the 5 ballot measures.
List of Housing Projects That Would Be Banned by Measure S — 19,000 Units And Counting...
At least 19,000 desperately-needed homes, including thousands of affordable units, could not be built if Measure S passes in the March 7th Los Angeles election.
Top 7 Reasons to Oppose Measure S, the Los Angeles "Neighborhood Integrity Initiative"
Measure S is an ego trip masquerading as a social justice crusade. It's the Donald Trump of ballot initiatives, and these are 7 of the most important reasons that Los Angeles can't allow it to pass.
We Should Demand More Housing and Greater Flexibility From the DTLA 2040 Community Plan Update
The city has put together an early draft of its proposal for the DTLA 2040 Community Plan update. It doesn't go far enough, and I think we can do better.
Analysis and Recommendations For the Proposed DTLA 2040 Community Plan Update
Read here for additional details on my DTLA 2040 Community Plan update counter-proposal and argument for more housing downtown.
Los Angeles Builds 10 New Multifamily Homes For Every One It Tears Down
Between 2010 and 2015, Los Angeles built ten new multifamily homes for every one it tore down. But we can do better than that.
Initial Thoughts on Proposed Downtown LA "Parking Podium" Reforms
The City Planning department has some ideas for how to improve parking policy and reduce the prevalence of parking podiums in downtown LA. Here are my thoughts.
2016 Ballot Initiative Voter Guide Cheat-Sheet
A cheat-sheet voting guide for 17 California ballot initiatives, and several more in Los Angeles County, the City of LA, and Santa Monica.
Ballot Initiative Voter Guide: California, LA County, and the Cities of Los Angeles and Santa Monica
Analysis and recommendations for all 17 California ballot initiatives, along with some local ones in LA County, the City of Los Angeles, and Santa Monica.
Rent Stability, Part 1: The Limits of Rent Stabilization In Los Angeles
Stabilized rents are not synonymous with affordable rents.
Rent Stability, Part 2: How "Rolling" Rent Stabilization Might Preserve Affordability in LA
Right now rent stabilization applies to multifamily housing built before 1979. Instead, we should consider a "rolling" threshold that includes all buildings over 30 years old.
Look Backward, Not Forward! Downzone Single-Family Neighborhoods!
We've made it illegal to build almost anything but single-family homes and car-oriented strip malls, but why stop there? Begone, suburbs; bring back the orchards.
Population Forecasts and Housing Allocations Don't Work; We Should Replace Them With Vacancy Targets
Forecasts rarely pan out, yet they're a foundation of the planning process. Instead, we should plan around something we can measure in real time: vacancy rates.
Another Benefit of a Non-Profit Housing Acquisition Program: Tenant Mobility
Along with its many other benefits, a non-profit acquisition-based affordable housing program could also increase tenant mobility.
How a Non-Profit Housing Acquisition Program Could Protect Displaced Residents
A non-profit housing acquisition program could start small, focusing first on residents displaced by Ellis Act evictions, and grow from there after proving its efficacy.
Renter Opposition to New Housing Isn't About Keeping LA Affordable, It's About Self-Preservation (And That's Okay)
Apartment tenants at risk of displacement have good reason to oppose new development. Instead of demonizing them, we should be helping them.
What Will It Take to Get Pro-Housing and Anti-Displacement Advocates on the Same Side?
We share the same goals, but our focuses differ. Can we reconcile our differences and come together?
For the Future of Los Angeles—More Happy Hours, Please!
To all the bureaucrats, advocates, wonks, writers, and politicos working on urban planning issues in Los Angeles, I implore you: Drink more beers together. Wine or cocktails is also acceptable.
Long-Term Planning For the "Great Parks" of the Future
By planning decades into the future, built-out cities can create Central Park-style open spaces at minimum cost and with limited displacement.
No, Developers Are Not Tearing Down Los Angeles to Build Half-Empty Luxury Apartment Buildings
Opposing new development because it requires demolition of some rent-controlled units is shortsighted, and overlooks the many real affordability solutions available to us.
Private Development, Public/Non-Profit Ownership: Recipe For Long-Term Housing Affordability
Using affordable housing funds to acquire existing buildings is less expensive and more sustainable than using them to subsidize new units, and would be accompanied by numerous other benefits to the housing market and low-income residents.
Maybe We Should Re-Frame the California Density Bonus as a "Market-Rate Penalty"
A little bit of behavioral economics might help us get more affordable housing out of the state's density bonus law.
What Does Governor Brown's Proposed Housing Bill Mean For Affordability in California?
Governor Jerry Brown has a new plan to streamline the approval process for multifamily developments that include affordable housing. Here's what the bill actually says.
Keep Los Angeles Affordable by Repealing Proposition U
Proposition U froze our commercial corridors in time and contributed to our affordability crisis. Repealing it may be the best thing we can do to heal the wounds of the past.
Wait, Who's Greedy? Many LA Homes Going Up In Value More Than Average Angeleno's Annual Income
Are greedy developers responsible for Los Angeles' affordable housing crisis? Or greedy, misguided homeowners?
It's the Vacancy Rate, Stupid: Why New Development Has Little to Do With Rising Rents
If housing development is the cause of skyrocketing rents, why are no-growth communities like Venice and Brentwood increasing in value just as quickly as hot markets like downtown and Hollywood?
Top 7 Reasons to Oppose Measure S, the "Los Angeles Neighborhood Integrity Initiative"
The Neighborhood Integrity Initiative is an ego trip masquerading as a social justice crusade. It's the Donald Trump of ballot initiatives, and these are 7 of the most important reasons that Los Angeles can't allow it to pass.
How to Pay For the Los Angeles Homeless Strategy
Eliminating homelessness is an expensive proposition, but we can pay for the great majority of it by simply redirecting money that's already being spent inefficiently on treating homeless individuals on the street.
California High Speed Rail Could Earn the State Over $40 Billion in Profit
The official fiscal analysis of California's High Speed Rail program has looked just a few decades into the future to assess its impact, but HSR is a 100-year investment. What do costs and revenues look like in that distant future?
