David Wagner
covers housing in Southern California, a place where the lack of affordable housing contributes to homelessness.
Published September 24, 2024 4:53 PM
A large single-family home is shown under construction in Brentwood this February
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Adam Mustafa
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iStock
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Topline:
Despite being widely described as L.A.’s “mansion tax,” recent data show most of the revenue from voter-approved Measure ULA is coming from buildings that are not mansions.
The details: A report last month from the city’s Office of Finance estimated that since the tax took effect in April 2023, about 46% of revenue has come from the sale of pricey single-family homes. About 54% has come from the sale of other types of real estate, such as offices, retail and apartment buildings.
Why it matters: Critics say the tax has broad effects on the local real estate market — including the development of new apartments — not just on millionaires and billionaires buying and selling lavish estates in the Hollywood Hills. Proponents defend the “mansion tax” moniker, saying single-family home sales make up a large chunk of the revenue going toward new affordable housing and homelessness prevention efforts.
Read on… to learn how much money Measure ULA has raised so far, and how that funding compares with original projections.
Measure ULA was pitched to Los Angeles voters two years ago under a much more catchy moniker — the "mansion tax." More than a year since it took effect, most of the money raised so far is not coming from pricey single-family homes.
The measure voters passed in 2022 funds housing and homelessness efforts in the city through a new tax on real estate selling for more than $5 million.
From the start, despite being widely described as a “mansion tax,” the measure has applied to most real estate transactions that meet the $5 million threshold. That includes apartment buildings, offices and retail centers. Recent data show most of the measure’s revenue so far is coming from buildings that are not mansions.
A report last month from the L.A. Office of Finance estimated that since the tax took effect in April 2023, about 46% of revenue has come from the sale of pricey single-family homes. About 54% has come from the sale of other types of real estate, such as offices, retail and apartment buildings.
Is “mansion tax” a misnomer?
Critics say the tax has broad effects beyond real estate deals involving millionaires and billionaires buying and selling lavish estates in the Hollywood Hills.
“Calling it a mansion tax is a misnomer, given the true economics involved,” said Eric Sussman, an adjunct professor in accounting and real estate at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.
“When you already have a sort of slowdown in the economy and in real estate transactions, layering on taxes is just probably the last thing that you want to do,” Sussman said. “It's going to further exacerbate the slowdown and result in fewer transactions.”
Proponents say the tax is doing what it promised
Proponents defend the “mansion tax” moniker, arguing a large chunk of revenue does come from mansions, and it’s a pithy way to underscore the goal of requiring wealthy households to pay more to address the region’s housing and homelessness crisis.
“Mansion sales far and away are the single largest portion of the revenues that Measure ULA directs towards making housing affordable and protecting Angelenos from eviction,” said Joe Donlin, director of United to House L.A., the coalition that backed the measure.
Commercial and multi-family properties are the second and third largest money-raisers.
“The nickname captures the importance of putting the overheated market for the wealthiest Angelenos in service of those who are experiencing homelessness or living on its edge,” Donlin said.
Where’s the money going?
City finance officials say the tax has now raised more than $375 million. That’s far lower than the original revenue projections of up to $1.1 billion annually.
The money is being allocated to new rent relief efforts to compensate landlords with tenants behind on payments, an expansion of eviction defense programs, stronger enforcement of the city’s anti-harassment rules and the production of new affordable housing.
Robert Garrova
explores the weird and secret bits of SoCal that would excite even the most jaded Angelenos. He also covers mental health.
Published December 6, 2025 4:32 AM
Camp Josepho's Malibu Lodge as it looked before the Palisades Fire
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Christopher J. Campbell
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Topline:
As the one year anniversary of the Palisades fire approaches, a group of volunteers and Scouts with Scouting America are headed back to the beloved Camp Josepho for the first time since it was lost in the blaze.
An historic site: The 110-acre site nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains has welcomed thousands of Scouts since the 1940s.
What happened: A change in the direction of the wind during the Palisades Fire meant it would never look the same again. Pretty much everything was lost in the blaze, save for a concrete pool house.
How you can help: Organizers said they are looking for support from the community as they breathe new life into the camp. You can visit their website to learn how you can help.
Read on... to learn about the unique history of the camp.
As the one year anniversary of the Palisades fire approaches, a group of volunteers and Scouts with Scouting America are headed back to a beloved camp for the first time since it was lost in the blaze.
An historic site
The 110-acre site nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains known as Camp Josepho has welcomed thousands of Scouts since the 1940s. But a change in the direction of the wind during the Palisades Fire meant it would never look the same again. Pretty much everything was lost in the blaze, save for a concrete pool house.
“It’s a bit of a gut check, it almost doesn’t feel real, 85 years of camp... was just decimated that fast and that suddenly,” Nathan Erlandson, chief operating officer of Scouting America’s Western Los Angeles County Council, told LAist.
An undated photo of Camp Josepho
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Courtesy Dr. John S. Dahlem
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Listed as a Los Angeles Historical Cultural Monument, the land was gifted to the organization by the Josepho family. Ganna Josepho was a silent film star. Her husband, Anatol Josepho is credited with inventing the photo booth, which was coined the ‘Photomaton.’
Anatol Josepho
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Courtesy Dr. John S. Dahlem
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For decades, Scouts young and old have made the pilgrimage back to the place.
“Some of the older generation, a lot of them are no longer with us, they absolutely loved their experiences down there. It was just such a beautiful location,” said Lee Harrison, Scout executive for Western Los Angeles County Council. He’s been involved with his local council since he was 15, nearly four decades ago.
Harrison remembered Camp Josepho before the fire, when it was complete with the towering Malibu Lodge, which was built with redwood by aircraft manufacturer Donald Douglas and resembled a hangar.
Harrison used to love throwing his sleeping bag down in front of the lodge’s towering stone fireplace.
“It is irreplaceable and had a tremendous amount of history in it. And that’s the saddest part is that you would walk into that cavernous space, you could look at all the names that were written on the walls... And all of that’s gone,” he said.
Many famous and notable people visited Camp Josepho over the years, at least one of them uninvited.
Camp Josepho post Palisades Fire
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Aaron Kupferman
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There was the time Adam Sandler buzzed onto the historic grounds.
“He drove his gold cart down into the camp one day, and the site manager who was there had no idea who he was and chased him out of the camp. And he [Sandler] said ‘I’ll never come back here again,’” Harrison recalled.
This weekend, Scouts and members of the community will start to bring the place back to life, weeding out non-native plants and invasive species that have sprung to life around the ruins.
What's left of a pool at Camp Josepho
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Aaron Kupferman
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Harrison said the hope is to build the camp back with a lighter footprint, blending it more with the surrounding nature.
“People were -- and are -- very passionate about this place. And I think primarily because we’re able to bring lots of kids who don’t necessarily get access to the outdoors... in a very easy and quick way,” he said.
Harris and Erlandson said they are looking for support from the community as they breathe new life into the camp. You can visit their website to learn how you can help.
Fiona Ng
is LAist's deputy managing editor and leads a team of reporters who explore food, culture, history, events and more.
Published December 6, 2025 4:31 AM
Mulholland Highway directional sign in 1937.
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Herman J. Schultheis
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Courtesy Herman J. Schultheis Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
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Topline:
An iconic stretch of Mulholland Highway has reopened with little fanfare, seven years after the Woolsey Fire shut it down.
Why it matters: Nicknamed "The Snake," this 2.4-mile stretch is notorious for its hairpin turns that bring out a constant stream of motorists to test their skills.
Read on ... to learn the history of the thoroughfare — and why the hush with the reopening of The Snake.
It's the ultimate road for the ultimate driving machine, known for its coiling, hairpin turns that have lent a 2.4-mile stretch of Mulholland Highway the sobriquet of "The Snake."
On Tuesday, this famous squiggle etched through the Santa Monica Mountains finally reopened, seven years after it was shut down by the Woolsey Fire.
Here’s the catch: People who live in the area and enthusiasts who frequent the route wish you didn’t know. More about that later. But first, let’s take a short drive down memory lane.
Connecting L.A.
Groundbreaking ceremony for Mulholland Drive in 1923, called Mulholland Highway at the time.
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Keystone Photo Service
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Courtesy Security Pacific National Bank Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
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Aerial view of Mulholland Drive taken in 1924, looking east over the Hollywood Hills from a point just east of Girard.
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Robert E. Spence
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Courtesy Security Pacific National Bank Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
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The Mulholland corridor, all 50-some miles of it, has long lured motorists chasing speed against a scrolling backdrop of the city. In fact, when the thoroughfare carrying the name of the man who brought water to modernLos Angeles first opened in 1924, the prediction was that it'd become "one of the best known scenic roads in the United States."
The project, backed by landowners who wanted to bring development to the Hollywood Hills, was conceived to link the burgeoning city to the mountains and the sea.
The road has inspired art, film — and since its earliest days, movie stars. Before World War II, it was Gary Cooper and John Carradinetaking their Duesenbergs there for a spin. In the 1950s, James Dean used its turns and switchbacks as a training course of sorts.
"All I've been doing is driving around Mulholland Drive," said the actor, according to lore, after placing second overall in the Palm Spring Road Races.
A winding Mulholland Drive in Hollywood Hills in 1933.
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Courtesy Security Pacific National Bank Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
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View of the Hollywoodland sign from Mulholland
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Herman J Schultheis
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Herman J Schultheis Collection / Los Angeles Photographers Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
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A decade later, it was Steve McQueen, taking The Snake on his Jaguar or Triumph, before making a pit stop at the Rock Store, the nearby biker hangout.
The bad stretch
As legends of the road grew, so too did the crowd, including thrill-seekers — locally and from all corners of the world — looking to strut their stuff.
For years, aYouTube channel documented theserides and wipeouts, with cameras set up at the unofficial end of The Snake, dubbed Edwards Corner.
Officer G. H. Yeaton gives Norman Norlander directions atop Mulholland Drive at Beverly Glen as children wave placards urging traffic safety in 1937.
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Gordon Dean
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Courtesy Valley Times Collection, Los Angeles Public Library
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Those videos stopped in 2018 after the Woolsey Fire and mudslides a year later caused major damage to The Snake.
Keeping it low key
Now, those 2.4 miles finally have reopened. But instead of fanfare, it’s been met with controversy and a hope that outsiders don’t notice.
On the one side, you have homeowners and residents who have long been turned off by the noise and the open exhaust pipes — not to mention the crashes — from a constant stream of motorists.
Skyline view of downtown Los Angeles from Mulholland Drive
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Jeff Thurlow
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COVID-19 Community Archive, Los Angeles Public Library
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On the other, you have the riding clubs and Mulholland regulars wary of the same thing: that overuse will bring the callous riders, complaints and crashes of the before times.
“Sadly, irresponsible riders will have it closed again before you know it,” a poster in a Facebook thread said of The Snake’s reopening.
The question was even addressed by L.A. County Public Works officials in an FAQ issued this year, where they said the roadway did not meet the criteria for a permanent closure and that closing it permanently would cut off a key access point for residents.
LAist reached out to a number of riders for the story, to no avail. Same with our request to the CHP division that oversees The Snake.
So there you have it. The famed route is now open. Just don’t expect any welcoming waves if you venture through.
Actor Patrick Heusinger in "Paranormal Activity" at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
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Kyle Flubacker
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Courtesy Center Theatre Group
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Topline:
Inspired by the found-footage style of the "Paranormal Activity" film franchise, the stage production takes place in a two-story house so the audience feels like they’re watching someone in their home.
How it got so scary: Director FelixBarrett told LAist that he and Tony Award-winning illusionist Chris Fisher worked on the illusions first. Later, they built around them so the effects are integrated into the set. “We knew that we wanted the illusions, the sort of haunting, to be so baked into the core of the piece,” Barrett said.
What to expect: The audience is pretty vocal due to all the jump scares and special effects, so the vibe is closer to a scary movie than a traditional play.
The audience: Barrett says his team’s approach appears to be attracting new and younger theatergoers. “I think we're getting a huge amount of audience who wouldn't normally go to a theater to see a play,” Barrett said. “My favorite thing is people saying, 'Oh, my gosh, I'm gonna go and see more plays,' because we've got them hooked from this one.”
How to see it: Paranormal Activity, A New Story Live on Stage is at the Ahmanson Theatre through Sunday.
For more ... listen to our interview with Barrett above.
A Trump administration official today signaled a potential rollback of the racial and ethnic categories approved for the 2030 census and other future federal government forms.
Why it matters: Supporters of those categories fear that any last-minute modifications to the U.S. government's standards for data about race and ethnicity could hurt the accuracy of census data and other future statistics used for redrawing voting districts, enforcing civil rights protections and guiding policymaking.
What are those changes?: Among other changes, new checkboxes for "Middle Eastern or North African" and "Hispanic or Latino" under a reformatted question that asks survey participants: "What is your race and/or ethnicity?" The revisions also require the federal government to stop automatically categorizing people who identify with Middle Eastern or North African groups as white.
A Trump administration official on Friday signaled a potential rollback of the racial and ethnic categories approved for the 2030 census and other future federal government forms.
Supporters of those categories fear that any last-minute modifications to the U.S. government's standards for data about race and ethnicity could hurt the accuracy of census data and other future statistics used for redrawing voting districts, enforcing civil rights protections and guiding policymaking.
Those standards were last revised in 2024 during the Biden administration, after Census Bureau research and public discussion.
A White House agency at the time approved, among other changes, new checkboxes for "Middle Eastern or North African" and "Hispanic or Latino" under a reformatted question that asks survey participants: "What is your race and/or ethnicity?" The revisions also require the federal government to stop automatically categorizing people who identify with Middle Eastern or North African groups as white.
But at a Friday meeting of the Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics in Washington, D.C., the chief statistician within the White House's Office of Management and Budget revealed that the Trump administration has started a new review of those standards and how the 2024 revisions were approved.
"We're still at the very beginning of a review. And this, again, is not prejudging any particular outcome. I think we just wanted to be able to take a look at the process and decide where we wanted to end up on a number of these questions," said Mark Calabria. "I've certainly heard a wide range of views within the administration. So it's just premature to say where we'll end up."
OMB's press office did not immediately respond to NPR's request for comment.
In September, OMB said those Biden-era revisions "continue to be in effect" when it announced a six-month extension to the 2029 deadline for federal agencies to follow the new standards when collecting data on race and ethnicity.
Calabria said the delay gave agencies more time to implement the changes "while we review."
The first Trump administration stalled the process for revising the racial and ethnic data standards in time for the 2020 census.
The "Project 2025" policy agenda released by The Heritage Foundation, the conservative, D.C.-based think tank, called for a Republican administration to "thoroughly review any changes" to census race and ethnicity questions because of "concerns among conservatives that the data under Biden Administration proposals could be skewed to bolster progressive political agendas."
Advocates of the changes, however, see the new categories and other revisions as long-needed updates to better reflect people's identities.
"At stake is a more accurate and deeper understanding of the communities that comprise our country," says Meeta Anand, senior director of census and data equity at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. "I am not concerned if it's reviewed in an honest attempt to understand what the process was. I am concerned if it's for a predetermined outcome that would be to ignore the entire process that was done in a very transparent manner."
