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Listen Listen
Building Your Block
A newsletter course from LAist that explains the obstacles around housing development in L.A. and what you can do to make things better.
We know there’s a housing shortage in L.A., and it’s created major challenges for the region. But try to understand how to fix the problem and it gets murky, fast. We need more housing, but where can we actually build it? Why does it seem like all the new buildings going up are luxury apartments? Why isn’t there enough affordable housing? And most importantly: What can you actually do to support the housing you want to see in L.A.?
These are just some of the questions that Building Your Block will tackle in this seven-issue newsletter course.
Think of it as your starter guide to the conversations L.A. is having about housing development, plus we’ll bring you some real talk on what you can do to advocate for the housing future you want.
What can I expect?
Over seven issues, we’ll cover everything from how zoning rules determine what gets built and where, to why there’s so little affordable housing.
We’ll cap it all off with a long list of ideas you can put into action to influence housing decisions in your backyard, your city and beyond.
How often will you email me?
This newsletter has seven issues in total. Once you sign up, you’ll get one new issue a day until it’s done.
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Judge rules L.A. illegally tried to change the rules for a program to streamline affordable housing in neighborhoods with single-family homes.
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Voters said no to expanded rent control, but tenants facing evictions will have more time to fight to keep their homes under a new law.
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Public employees often must disclose outside income and gifts to in state-mandated forms. Why aren’t top LA homelessness officials? Out of hundreds of employees, only the CEO currently files, according to an LAist review of records.
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Furry friends are not always welcome in L.A. apartments. Some elected leaders now want to overturn pet bans — but landlords say they exist for good reasons.
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Gov. Newsom launched a program that uses Medi-Cal to help homeless Californians access housing. Trump could end it in 2026.
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A growing number of people — many of them older and homeless — are freezing to death during winter.