The Brief

Rent gobbles up more than 30% of income for most tenants in the city of Los Angeles, putting 59% of L.A. renters in the federal government’s “cost-burdened” category. In a few weeks, many of those tenants could see their rent rise again.

New rent caps are scheduled to take effect next month for apartments covered by L.A. rent control. Increases could be as high as 5% — unless the City Council acts quickly on a pending proposal that would lower rent caps to 2%.

It’s been more than one year since an independent rent control study was submitted to the city, recommending changes that would reduce annual rent hikes. But so far, no council votes have been scheduled.

Tenant advocates say they’re frustrated by the delays on updating a formula that is now more than 40 years old.

“Other things have been prioritized, with the wildfires ... and the budget crisis,” said Pablo Estupiñan, a coordinator with the Keep L.A. Housed coalition. “There's a lack of commitment from council offices on moving forward.”

The report was commissioned by the City Council in 2023. It was submitted to the city in May 2024 by the Economic Roundtable, a local nonprofit research group. LAist made the study public after obtaining it through a public records request.

The 193-page report highlighted provisions in L.A.’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance that have benefited landlords at the expense of tenants. Based on the report’s findings, the L.A. Housing Department issued recommendations that — if passed — would lower allowable rent increases to 2% starting July 1.

A politically charged debate 

A spokesperson for Councilmember Nithya Raman, chair of the council’s Housing Committee, said her office is working to schedule a vote this month on updating the rent control rules. But it’s unclear if the full council can pass an overhaul before council members begin their four-week summer recess on July 2.

Throughout this process, landlords have urged elected leaders to not further limit their ability to offset rising costs of property ownership.

The city "is creating a stifling environment,” said Fred Sutton, spokesperson for the California Apartment Association. “You had a four-year rent freeze. You had eviction moratoriums under COVID... The City Council is continuously sending signals to the entire world that it is not a safe place to do business.”

There were significant challenges for L.A. landlords during the pandemic, according to the Economic Roundtable report. Local restrictions on rent hikes and evictions for non-payment of rent came at a time when building maintenance, utility and insurance costs were rising faster than inflation.

Coupled with broad economic pressures, the city’s policies have convinced some landlords to leave the L.A. rental market. Bruce Painton told LAist that after owning a 33-unit rent-controlled apartment building for 11 years, he recently sold.

“Some months I had no income — it was all expenses,” Painton said of his experience during the pandemic. He said he now plans to buy real estate in Texas.

“They don't have all the fees and problems that we have in Los Angeles,” Painton said.

Will the City Council be able to vote on the new rent control rules before their summer recess begins?

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Makenna Sievertson

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LAist

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Balancing landlord and tenant interests 

The Economic Roundtable report found that many landlords were able to absorb the shock of the pandemic because of turnover rates in rent-controlled apartments. About 40% of units became vacant between 2020 and January 2023. Under the city’s rent control rules, landlords are allowed to raise rents to higher, market rates when new tenants move in.

On the other side of the equation, the report found a significant number of L.A. renters are living on a financial knife’s edge. About 1-in-10 L.A. tenants are spending more than 90% of their income on rent alone.

Council members have been hearing from tenants like Cristina Campos, who told LAist she can’t afford the city’s current annual increases. She and her husband have lived for 23 years in a rent-controlled South L.A. apartment, where they raised two children who are now in college.

Campos said she already struggles to pay rent, and other units in their neighborhood are now renting at cost far out of her family’s reach.

“I always say, I don't want to go live with my neighbors under the bridge,” Campos said, speaking in Spanish. “But I might have to leave the unit if they keep raising the rents so high.”

Cristina Campos has joined organizers with the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment to call for lower rent control caps in L.A.

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David Wagner

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LAist

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Other tenant protections have stalled

The L.A. City Council passed some of the longest-lasting tenant protections in the nation during the COVID-19 pandemic. But recently, votes affecting tenants and landlords have become more politically fraught inside City Hall.

A proposal to temporarily freeze rents and limit evictions after the Palisades and Eaton fires failed after weeks of heated debate in council chambers. Similar protections were instead enacted by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors.

Dan Flaming, co-author of the Economic Roundtable report, said rent control policies are technically complex and politically charged. The issue directly pits the interests of landlords against those of renters, he said.

“It's contentious,” Flaming said. “It’s challenging for the council to parse this and enact changes to the status quo.”

How rent control currently works in L.A.

Rent control in L.A. generally applies to apartments built before October 1978. Those older units make up about 70% of all apartments in the city.

With about 64% of L.A. households renting rather than owning their homes, the city’s rent control policies play a huge role in housing affordability for hundreds of thousands of families.

Existing tenants in rent-controlled units can only have their rent raised by a set percentage each year. The limits change every year, ranging from 3% to 8%, depending on how high inflation is running in the L.A. area.

Landlords who pay for a tenant’s gas and electricity can add another 1% for each utility they cover, bringing L.A.’s maximum allowable rent hike to 10%. That’s much higher than in most other Southern California cities with rent control policies.

By comparison, rent hikes are capped at 3% in Santa Monica and Santa Ana, and up to 5% for certain units in unincorporated L.A. County.

A "For Rent" sign hangs outside an apartment building in northeast Los Angeles.

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David Wagner

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LAist

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Where do council members stand?

LAist contacted all 15 City Council district offices to ask where council members stand on updates to L.A.'s rent control policies. Only three took a firm position.

Spokespeople for Councilmembers Hugo Soto-Martinez and Eunisses Hernandez said they support capping rent hikes at 3%, in line with demands from Keep L.A. Housed.

A spokesperson for Councilmember Bob Blumenfield said he supports the recommendations from the L.A. Housing Department, which call for a new range of 2% to 5%.

Councilmembers Imelda Padilla, John Lee, Ysabel Jurado and Tim McOsker did not take a clear stance on the issue. Neither did Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson or Housing Committee Chair Raman.

A spokesperson for Councilmember Curren Price noted that he recuses himself from votes on the city’s rent control policies because he is a landlord.

The offices of Councilmembers Adrin Nazarian, Katy Yaroslavsky, Monica Rodriguez, Heather Hutt and Traci Park did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Why this matters now

The lack of clarity from city leaders comes just weeks away from new rent caps taking effect, despite acknowledgements from L.A. housing officials that the formula used to determine those limits is out of step with other rent control policies across the state.

Increases of up to 3% are scheduled for July 1, with the utilities bump bringing the maximum rent hike to 5%. That’s slightly down from the 4% to 6% range last year, when inflation was higher.

The authors of the Economic Roundtable study identified L.A.’s 2% utilities surcharge as a policy heavily weighted in favor of landlords. Those extra annual rent increases are higher than the actual increased costs of providing gas and electric service each year, the study found. Over time, the increases can exceed landlords’ total cost of providing those utilities.

Building on the study’s findings, the L.A. Housing Department recommended doing away with the 2% utilities bump. Housing department officials also agreed with the study’s recommendation to base annual rent hikes on a different measure of inflation, one that measures rising consumer costs but excludes shelter from the equation.

The Keep L.A. Housed proposal would further lower annual rent increases. Under the L.A. Housing Department’s recommendations, landlords would get at least a 2% increase each year. But the tenant advocacy group wants to let the city’s allowable increases go as low as 0% in years with flat or negative inflation.

Keep L.A. Housed also wants to end the current 10% bump landlords are allowed to charge when tenants bring additional residents into their household. The Housing Department did not recommend eliminating the increase for additional occupants.

Tenant advocates and some city councilmembers rallied outside L.A. City Hall last year to call for lower increases in rent-controlled housing.

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David Wagner

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LAist

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Under proposals from both the L.A. Housing Department and Keep L.A. Housed, allowable rent increases would be 2% starting on July 1. If the council fails to act, rents will be allowed to rise between 3% and 5%.

Christina Boyar, an attorney with Public Counsel and a member of Keep L.A. Housed, said minor policy tweaks can greatly affect housing stability. Rent increases of an extra 1% or 2% each year compound over time, and can quickly outpace inflation and wage gains for many tenants.

“While it may seem like a small difference,” Boyar said, “that is hundreds of dollars for working families who are already struggling.”

Boyar pointed to a 2020 study from the U.S. Government Accountability Office that found a $100 increase in median rents is associated with a 9% increase in homelessness.

Republican Sonja Shaw conceded the race for California Superintendent of Public Instruction to Democrat Richard Barrera late Wednesday evening.

“Last night voters made their choice. I would be lying if I said my heart wasn’t heavy,” Shaw said in a statement shared on social media. “As a mother and a protector of children, I feel deeply saddened for the kids. They are the ones who deserve so much better.”

In her social media post, which included a photo of Shaw locking hands with her husband and two daughters, Shaw said her kids had motivated her to run for state superintendent. Shaw won election to the Chino Valley Unified school board in 2022, fueled by support from conservative parents.

“The problem is that for decades, the same people have had their hands on our education system while our children have continued to fall behind,” Shaw said. “I believe we had an opportunity to change that.”

The office of California superintendent of public instruction is nonpartisan, with no party affiliation listed on the ballot. In past races, it was not unusual for two Democrats to advance to the November election. But this year, endorsements, campaign funding and campaigning broke largely along partisan lines.

Shaw, a Republican and board president of Chino Valley Unified, emerged as the top vote getter in a crowded June primary that featured several Democratic state lawmakers. But she contended in her statement that her race didn’t have the “money or machinery” that her opponent did in the November election.

Shaw trailed Barrera by nearly 15 percentage points, according to the latest election results Thursday morning. Shaw’s campaign raised about $595,000 compared to Barrera’s $812,000. However, the California Teachers Association, the state’s largest teachers union and a heavy spender in state superintendent races, also spent $8.4 million to support Barrera, the board president of San Diego Unified.

That pales in comparison to the combined $50 million raised in the 2018 state superintendent race Tony Thurmond won against Marshall Tuck in 2018. The 2026 state superintendent race had the distinction of featuring two local school board members.

Shaw said she’s not sure what her next steps will be.

“I don’t know exactly what God has next, but I know He isn’t finished,” she said.

Shaw will not be returning to the Chino Valley Unified school board where she began her political career. Her husband, Chris Shaw, ran for her open seat and is trailing his challenger by 11 points, according to the San Bernardino County Register of Voters.

This story was originally published by EdSource.

The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills is set to officially open next month, but that hasn’t stopped some wildlife from already using it.

Cameras captured coyote footage twice — once last week and again on Thursday morning — making the mammal the first large animal species seen using the crossing.

“This is amazing — obviously, the wildlife are not waiting for our opening date,” said Beth Pratt, president of the Wildlife Crossing Fund. “The animals are already blessing this crossing and saying, ‘Yep, you got it right.’”

Construction of the expansive bridge began in 2022, aimed at giving wildlife safe passage between the Santa Monica Mountains and Simi Hills after years of research.

Pratt said it’s unclear whether the images of the coyote are of the same animal. The coyote in the most recent image from Thursday morning can be seen on the 101 structure holding a bone or a stick in its mouth.

“The coyote is validating that we got this designed right, and I think that there's something also about a coyote being first — kind of the L.A. mascot next to P-22,” Pratt said.

The National Park Service is installing more cameras along the crossing to document and study how animals use it. While images will be made publicly available, there will not be a livestream.

“We can't, for security reasons, because this is L.A., and if there's a mountain lion going across, somebody's gonna go try to pet it,” Pratt said.

Topline:

• How we got here: Roy held on to a strong lead over McKinney ever since polls closed and is currently ahead by more than twice as many votes. Roy will be a fresh face to the role after the incumbent city attorney, Hydee Feldstein Soto, was ousted in the June primary in a rare defeat of an elected city official. 

• What the candidates had to say: 
  
  • Roy said on social media Wednesday that election night was “a really good night for the people who believe that we should take care of one another, that we can stand up for our rights — even in what feels like an increasingly lawless world — and that we will achieve justice when we fight for it.”
  • McKinney posted on social media Thursday that he’s back in his old office at the Hall of Justice. “The run for City Attorney was an incredible journey, and I’m truly grateful for everyone who believed in me, supported me, and stood by my side,” McKinney wrote. "While I’m disappointed things didn’t turn out the way we hoped, I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything." He acknowledged Roy in a social media video earlier this week, describing her as a “hard worker” who put together a strong coalition of support. McKinney added that he would be “rooting for her.”
  • Neither campaign immediately responded to LAist’s requests for additional comment.
• What’s at stake: The city attorney runs an office of more than 550 lawyers representing L.A. in all legal matters, including filing lawsuits and defending against them. Roy, backed by powerful progressives like U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, has vowed to take on the Trump administration in court.
• Go deeper: Read more about the city attorney's role and what's on the table for Roy's first term.

Construction of the green metal fence around MacArthur Park will begin Monday, Nov. 16, with work scheduled to continue through fall 2027.

The city announced the start date Nov. 4, saying crews will install an 8-foot fence around the park’s perimeter. Nearby residents and businesses can expect some noise, dust and vibration during construction, although the city said mitigation measures will be in place.

Crews will work Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and the park will remain open while crews are working. 

The fence is the city’s latest attempt to tackle longstanding problems at MacArthur Park, including drug use, homelessness and crime.

The city first approved plans for the fence in October 2025, and the proposal has since drawn both support and criticism from residents and community groups.

Some say they hope the fence will make the park safer, while others question whether it will actually improve conditions there. Police and city officials say the fence will give them more control over the space and make it easier to enforce the law.

Ana Luz Vazquez, a street vendor near MacArthur Park, said her main concern about the fence is what will happen to the unhoused people who stay in the park throughout the day and whether the city plans to address that issue directly.

She is also concerned that construction during the day could affect her ability to work because of traffic, less parking availability and loud noise.

Vazquez said she would prefer construction to take place at night so it would have less of an impact on street vendors.

“If they’re working in the day then how are we supposed to come here and who is going to help us survive,” Vazquez said.

Construction will happen in two phases

Phase 1

• Alvarado St. from W. 6th St. to Wilshire Blvd.
• S. Park View St. from Wilshire Blvd. to W. 6th St.
• Wilshire Blvd. from Alvarado St. to S. Park View St.

Phase 2

• Alvarado St. from Wilshire Blvd. to W. 7th St.
• S. Park View St. from W. 7th St. to Wilshire Blvd.
• Wilshire Blvd. from S. Park View St. to Alvarado St.
• W. 7th St. from Alvarado St. to S. Park View St.

Existing trees will be protected and monitored during the work, according to the Department of Recreation and Parks. Traffic control measures will be in place during work hours, and crews will post temporary “No Parking” signs near active work areas in advance.

Services at the park are expected to remain the same throughout construction. The schedule could change because of weather or other unforeseen circumstances, according to the city.

The city has allocated $2.3 million for the project, but officials have not said whether that will cover the full cost.

After the fence is installed, the city plans a second phase focused on adding decorative elements. Officials have said residents will have an opportunity to provide input on the design.

Residents with questions or concerns about the project can contact Recreation and Parks at RAP.PublicInfo@lacity.org or 213-202-2700.

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