UN4LA News - July 2024
A monthly newsletter published by United Neighborhoods for Los Angeles.
UN4LA's mission is to bring communities together to plan for a sustainable future. Growth must be shaped by community engagement, not developer dollars.
MAYOR BASS ISSUES REVISED VERSION OF EXECUTIVE DIRECTIVE 1
Shortly after she took office, LA Mayor Karen Bass issued Executive Directive 1 (ED1), which was intended to streamline approval of affordable housing projects. While ED1 was praised by some, it also drew intense criticism from others, and on July 1 Bass issued a revised version which responds to a number of concerns. The new version does not allow streamlined approval for:
Projects located on parcels subject to the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) containing 12 or more total units that are occupied or were occupied in the five-year period preceding the application.
Projects located in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone portion of the Hillside Area Map;
Projects that include parcels which contain identified historic resources;
Follow the link below to view the latest revision of ED1.
Mayor Bass Executive Directive No. 1 (3rd Revised)
SWEEPING REFORMS PROPOSED FOR L.A. COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Voters could have a chance to approve substantial reforms to LA County's government. Supervisors Janice Hahn and Lindsay Horvath have proposed a ballot measure that, if approved, would expand the Board of Supervisors from five members to nine, make LA County's Chief Executive Officer an elected position, and create an independent ethics commission. If Hahn and Horvath can get a third vote to support their reform measure, it would appear on the November ballot.
Proposed Ballot Measure Would Nearly Double LA County's Board of Supervisors
SB 7: ANOTHER POWER GRAB BY SACRAMENTO
Once again, Sacramento lawmakers are using the sleazy "gut-and-amend" tactic to take more power from local jurisdictions. SB 7 started out as a bill to change the requirements for the annual report that cities must submit to the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). But on June 10, a radical rewrite appeared, deleting much of the original text and adding extensive new language. The current version would prohibit a city or county from filing an objection to the Regional Housing Needs Assessment, basically giving the State HCD the power to determine local housing needs by edict.
After being totally rewritten, it was hustled through the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee on June 18, and will come up for a vote by the Local Government committee on June 26. It appears that Sacramento wants to take total control of local housing policy, dictating what cities and counties must build without the HCD even having to explain their rationale or their methodology.
SB 7: Regional Housing Need: Determination
AB 1287 NOW ALLOWS ADDITIONAL "STACKABLE" DENSITY BONUSSES
Approved last year, AB 1287 now allows a density bonus of up to 100%, effectively doubling a parcel's allowed density, by permitting the use of “stackable” density bonus entitlements. The law also increases the number of available incentives for all project types, allowing up to five incentives for 100% affordable housing projects, and four incentives for mixed income projects. LA City Planning has issued a memo that will serve as interim guidance on this new law.
COSTCO PROPOSES MIXED-USE PROJECT WITH AFFORDABLE UNITS IN SOUTH L.A.
Costco is partnering with Thrive Living to build a mixed-use project on a vacant five-acre lot in South LA. The project would involve construction of a new Costco store on the ground level and 800 apartments on upper levels. Over 20% of the units would be designated as affordable housing. According to Thrive Living, the project will also include indoor/outdoor fitness areas, an outdoor area for community movie nights, community gardens where residents can grow their own food, and spaces dedicated to community classes, tutoring and mentorship.
South LA Could Have Its First Costco Store with Housing Units Overhead
DO L.A. CITY COUNCILMEMBERS EVEN KNOW WHAT THEY'RE VOTING ON?
Did you know that LA City Council members don't need to be in their seat in the council chambers to vote on an item? In fact, they don't even need to be in the room. And once they've appeared in the chambers for a council meeting, if they don't actually register their vote on an item, their vote is counted as a "yes". In other words, once they've made an appearance in the council chambers, councilmembers can be in another room or another part of City Hall and still vote "yes" on an item, even if they have no idea what they're voting on.
There are some people who feel like the public is being cheated. Click on the link below to read more.
At LA City Hall, Some Say Council Members Should Stay in Their Seats
ILLEGAL DUMPING IS STILL A HUGE PROBLEM
Illegal dumping has been a problem in LA for years, and things don't seem to be getting better. In 2022, the LA Department of Sanitation (LASAN) collected over 3,000 tons of waste that had been dumped illegally. Downtown, Watts and the Valley are especially hard hit, and efforts to crack down on violators have not produced significant results.
After a Brief Drop, Illegal Dumping Complaints Climb Again
