The Brief

The city of Los Angeles permitted more than 17,200 housing units last year, according to a new annual progress report issued by city planning officials. That’s about 30% of what the city needs to produce every year in order to reach the housing goals handed down by state regulators.

Under state law, L.A. is required to plan for more than 456,000 new homes between 2021 and 2029. About 185,000 of those homes must be affordable to residents earning incomes that qualify as “low” or “very low.”

The goals reflect the reality that L.A. housing costs are increasingly untenable for many residents. A majority of L.A. renters put more than 30% of their income toward housing costs, a level considered unaffordable by federal government standards.

But across the board — for low-income as well as market-rate housing — L.A. is nowhere near keeping pace toward reaching its goals. Proponents for increased housing production said the latest numbers were disappointing, but not surprising.

“Housing advocates citywide have seen this coming for the last several years,” said Azeen Khanmalek, executive director of Abundant Housing L.A. “We have not seen fundamental change in the way we regulate housing and land use in the city of Los Angeles.”

Clara Karger, a spokesperson for L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, said the city is facing broad economic pressures that limit new housing growth. But she said the mayor has implemented programs, such as Executive Directive 1, to speed up city approvals of new low-income housing projects.

"The mayor has taken executive action to accelerate the building of affordable housing, dropping project application wait times for these projects by 75% and expediting the approval of more than 30,000 units,” Karger said in an email to LAist.

Progress report was delayed by fires 

To comply with state housing law, cities must submit annual progress reports to California housing officials. L.A.’s latest progress report was originally due April 1, but the city was granted an extension because of January’s historically destructive fires.

The L.A. City Planning Department has now submitted the city’s numbers for 2024. And they’re far short of what’s needed to reach the city’s target. Of the 17,217 new homes permitted last year, about 3,000 were affordable to Angelenos who qualify as low-income.

Permitting levels in 2024 were slightly down from the 18,618 new homes the city permitted in 2023. Looking farther back, the city permitted 23,422 new homes in 2022.

What’s driving the low numbers?

Part of the downward trend has to do with high interest rates, rising material and labor costs and other economic factors that are largely out of the city’s control. But housing advocates attribute much of the development slowdown to local policy decisions.

The city’s Measure ULA, often called the “mansion tax,” is levied on real estate sales of more than $5 million. The revenue goes toward tenant assistance programs and new affordable housing development. But housing advocates argue it’s discouraging new development.

“Why are we putting new taxes on multi-family apartments where people like me could potentially afford to live?” said Zennon Ulyate-Crow, a volunteer with YIMBY Los Angeles who said he recently moved back into his parents’ home after graduating college because of L.A.’s lack of affordable housing.

A recent study found that if the tax did not apply to newly constructed apartment buildings, the city would likely have more affordable housing units on balance.

“I support the idea of wanting to have a mansion tax, but let's make sure that's a tax on mansions — not a tax on multi-family, affordable homes,” Ulyate-Crow.

What could move the needle? 

Housing advocates said there is some cause for optimism about future development in the city.

Khanmalek with Abundant Housing L.A. said he’s encouraged by the city’s moves toward a self-certification program, which could allow builders of smaller housing projects to attest that their plans are construction-ready and cut down on permitting times. He also praised the City Council’s efforts to change building codes to allow single-stairway buildings that reserve more square footage for apartments.

“There are these little things that are really heartening,” Khanmalek said.

Advocates said pending state legislation could also open up more L.A. neighborhoods to apartment development. Senate Bill 79 seeks to allow denser housing projects near transit, which could make apartment development possible in parts of L.A. where it is now restricted.

Currently, about 72% of the city’s residential land is reserved for single-family homes.

MEXICO CITY — The Mexican army killed the leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, "El Mencho, " in an operation Sunday, a federal official said.

The official, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said it happened during a military operation in the western state of Jalisco.

It followed several hours of roadblocks with burning vehicles in Jalisco and other states. Such tactics are commonly used by the cartels to block military operations.

Videos circulating social media showed plumes of smoke billowing over the city of Puerto Vallarta, a major city in Jalisco, and sprinting through the airport of the state's capital in panic. On Sunday afternoon, Air Canada announced it was suspending flights to Puerto Vallarta "due to an ongoing security situation" and advised customers not to go to their airport.

The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest of El Mencho. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known as CJNG, is one of the most powerful and fasted growing criminal organizations in Mexico and was born in 2009.

In February, the Trump administration designated the cartel as a foreign terrorist organization.

It has been one of the most aggressive cartels in its attacks on the military—including helicopters—and a pioneer in launching explosives from drones and installing mines. In 2020, it carried out a spectacular assassination attempt with grenades and high-powered rifles in the heart of Mexico City against the then head of the capital's police force and now head of federal security.

The DEA considers this cartel to be as powerful as the Sinaloa cartel, one of Mexico's most infamous criminal groups, with a presence in all 50 U.S. states where it distributes tons of drugs. It is one of the main suppliers of cocaine to the U.S. market and, like the Sinaloa cartel, earns billions from the production of fentanyl and methamphetamines.

Since 2017, Oseguera Cervantes has been indicted several times in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

The most recent superseding indictment, filed on April 5, 2022, charges Oseguera Cervantes with conspiracy and distribution of controlled substances (methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl) for the purpose of illegal importation into the United States and use of firearms during and in connection with drug trafficking offenses. Oseguera Cervantes is also charged under the Drug Kingpin Enforcement Act for directing a continuing criminal enterprise.
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Hermon — Some shoppers heading into Fresco Market were lost in their phones, but when they momentarily looked up, they were greeted by a flap of brilliant green feathers and a cheery squawk. Phones were put away.

“Pepe! Hey Pepe! So good to see you!”

Perched on the shoulder of T.J. Gonzalez, Pepe the Parrot was in full greeter mode. Wide-eyed and seeming to almost smile as he surveyed the parking lot and his approaching public, Pepe did what he naturally does: make people happy.

A common sight at the Hermon market, near where they live, Gonzalez and Pepe can also be found at community centers, farmers’ markets and local events. They often take the Metro into downtown Los Angeles, Long Beach and other locations.

There’s no money asked, stressed Gonzalez, adding that Pepe simply adores the attention. “People want to see and talk with him more than me,” he joked as he cracked a nut and placed it in his mouth. On cue, the bird reached around Gonzalez’s mouth to retrieve it.

Michael Eagle-Hall of El Sereno is delighted to meet Pepe outside of the Fresco Market in Hermon.

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Brenda Rees

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The Eastsider

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A mail carrier for 37 years before he retired, Gonzalez found Pepe, a red-crowned Amazon (flocks are often seen in Northeast L.A.) in July 2021. The chick had fallen out of a nest and was flailing on a busy street in San Marino. “He was like roadkill,” said Gonzalez, who watched cars drive over (without striking) the bird.

Gonzalez retrieved the parrot and looked for help, but wildlife rehabbers said they’d euthanize the bird since it had a broken wing. Gonzalez instead brought him to a vet and christened him Pepe.

Since Pepe could not fly, Gonzalez started walking him around the neighborhood. He soon discovered how kids and adults enjoyed interacting with the parrot. Pepe is also a social media darling, with more than 8,600 followers on Instagram.

Pepe is more of a squawker than a talker, but Gonzalez has learned how to art-direct photos of people and the bird, instructing them on how to hold their hands and arms best. “We just want that smile because that’s all that Pepe wants from you,” said Gonzalez.

Crews have now recovered the bodies of all nine backcountry skiers who were killed in an avalanche in Northern California earlier this week. It marks an end to what authorities on Saturday described as an agonizing five-day search and recovery operation complicated by intense winter storms northwest of Lake Tahoe.

"While we wish we could have saved them all, we are grateful that we can bring them home," said Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon during a Saturday news conference.

Until Saturday, authorities had not confirmed the death of a ninth victim, a skier who had been missing and presumed dead. Officials say their body was found near the eight other victims that have now been recovered. Authorities said avalanche hazards and weather conditions were too dangerous most of the week to search for the remaining victim or recover the bodies.

Four of the bodies were recovered on Friday, and the rest of the bodies were recovered on Saturday, all in the Castle Peak area where the avalanche – one of the deadliest in California history — struck. Six people from the group of 15 skiers survived Tuesday's disaster, the last day of a three-day backcountry ski trip. One guide and five travelers were among the survivors.

Helicopters with the California National Guard as well as the California Highway Patrol were used to hoist the remaining bodies from the mountain, officials said at the press conference.

On Friday, officials were able to use specialized techniques with the help of Pacific Gas & Electric to reduce the avalanche risk.

The ski trip was organized by Blackbird Mountain Guides, an outdoor tour company based in Truckee, Calif. Moon confirmed the identities of the victims. Three guides were killed: Andrew Alissandratos, 34, from Verdi, Nev.; Michael Henry, 30, from Soda Springs, Calif.; and Nicole Choo, 42, of South Lake Tahoe, Calif. The other victims, who had signed up for the group trip, are: Carrie Atkin, 46, of Soda Springs; Lizabeth Clabaugh, 52, of Boise, Idaho; Danielle Keatley, 44, of Soda Springs and Larkspur, Calif.; Kate Morse, 45, of Soda Springs and Tiburon, Calif.; Caroline Sekar, 45, of Soda Springs and San Francisco; and Katherine Vitt, 43, of Greenbrae, Calif.

The Sierra Avalanche Center classified the avalanche between a D2 and D3 on the avalanche danger scale.

"A D2 would take down a person. A D3 would take down a house, so it was right in between those. It was described by them as a football field length of a path of the avalanche," Sheriff Moon said on Saturday.

Multiple agencies are investigating.

"We are investigating the incident to determine if there were any factors that would be considered criminal negligence," Ashley Quadros with the Nevada County Sheriff's Office said in an email to NPR on Sunday. "It is a standard investigation. It is too early to know if criminal charges will be applicable, as the investigation is preliminary and remains active and ongoing."

The area will be closed to visitors for several weeks.
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