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Housing advocates suing city of LA over rezoning requirements
A house for sale in Los Angeles.
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Brandon Bell
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Getty Images
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A pair of housing advocacy groups filed a lawsuit Thursday accusing Los Angeles city leaders of not doing enough to zone for new housing.
The lawsuit accuses the city of going back on its state-mandated plan to rezone land for more than a quarter-million new units, including 130,000 affordable housing units for lower-income residents. The deadline for that rezoning effort was Wednesday.
The lawsuit, announced Friday, was jointly filed in L.A. County Superior Court by Californians for Homeownership and Yes In My Back Yard, or YIMBY.
L.A.’s housing shortage is a main driver behind higher rents and people experiencing homelessness. The suit accuses the city of failing to fulfill its commitment to boost housing by abandoning its rezoning plans.
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LAHSA also has failed multiple external audits in recent years, which have found the agency has neglected to properly track spending meant to shelter and house people. -
The city reported a 3.7% increase in Long Beach’s homeless population in spite of its investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in shelter beds and programs. -
Recent rulings have struck down requirements in L.A. and Pasadena for landlords to pay thousands of dollars to tenants who couldn’t afford large rent hikes.
Sonja Trauss, executive director of YIMBY Law, told LAist that a lack of housing in California and L.A. feeds homelessness, crowding, and pushes people out of the state altogether.
“And on top of that, L.A. has these fire victims now,” Trauss said. “So it's not just that they weren't keeping up with the new housing need. I mean, housing has been destroyed.”
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Trauss said her organization wants to put pressure on local government officials to build more housing and keep the issue on the table, especially since the 2022 plan wouldn’t have moved forward without some political support.
Matthew Gelfand, a lawyer for Californians for Homeownership, told LAist the city did a good job with that housing plan, including meaningful engagement with residents.
“ Unfortunately, in the time since, for reasons that I don't fully understand, the city has decided not to follow through on those promises,” he said.
The L.A. City Planning Department said in a statement it does not comment on pending litigation, but that the city has complied with all housing law requirements.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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