If you live in L.A., you probably know about Measure S. It’s
the proposition that limits development in the city for two years. Obviously,
as a Realtor, I stand to gain everything from this measure going down in
flames. There will be lots of new
properties to sell – yay! However, perhaps surprisingly, I support passage of
Measure S.
Before I get into why I support this, here is a quote from a
column in yesterday’s L.A. Times from none other than Richard Riordan. Mr.
Riordan was the L.A. Mayor for two terms.
He says, “The current political environment is rife with corruption and
backroom deals servicing land speculatiors and luxury housing developers over
the needs of citizens. If passed,
Measure S. will give the decision-making process back to the people. It will make City Hall work for us, not for
the developers, special interests and lobbyists.” Remember, Mr. Riordan has
already served his term with the city, seen this up close, and has no dog in this hunt.
Tracy Jeanne Rosenthal is a member of the L.A. Tenants Union
and she wrote a column for yesterday’s L.A. Times opinion page as well. Here’s
a quote from Ms. Rosenthal: “The housing market doesn’t produce homes; it
produces opportunities for investment.
The goals of maximizing profit and making the city livable are at odds.”
I support Measure S for the following reasons. In my work, I have seen L.A.'s development up close in many neighborhoods.
First, “affordable housing” is anything but. Builders aren’t building it. Instead, they are building either McMansions
in expensive private neighborhoods or luxury apartments close to transit stops.
Developers are not in business out of the goodness of their hearts. As Ms. Rosenthal indicates, developers need
to make a profit. And they make it by
putting maximum-saleable square footage in the most expensive neighborhoods possible. If the city truly wants affordable housing,
it will need to subsidize it in the neighborhoods where people need it. At the
risk of stating the obvious, the so-called “housing crisis” is not helped by
luxury units or McMansions.
Second, I think high-density proponents need to rethink
their support for density, and their opposition to Measure S. Again, small units in
high rises in expensive neighborhoods are a developer’s dream, but not
necessarily anybody else’s. There are several other ways to achieve more
density in existing L.A. neighborhoods.
Look at the P.U.D.s in Van Nuys, for example. These are single family
houses that are next to each other but have limited yard space. And allowing more granny flats or guest
houses in single family neighborhoods with ample lots increases density and
helps solve needs of multi-generational families.
Let’s not even get started on traffic.
Finally, developers are running amok. See my blog post from
November about my client’s wall being knocked down without their permission. By
developers. The clients complained to the city inspector who issued the permit;
he never called back. Let’s keep
developers and city officials accountable for their actions.
Whew! That’s it. If you have read this far, thank you. And please don’t forget to vote on March 7.
