Los Angeles is too expensive for too many. We have long felt the pinch of the affordable housing crisis. Rents and prices have increased, the ability of average people to afford good housing has diminished.  Every sector of society has felt the pinch: teachers and students, people working in the private sector, in government and for non profits, young families and retirees. 

As prices have gone up, some of us have been forced to move out of the city– some people have even been forced onto the streets. This is wrong. Those who work in, contribute to and support Los Angeles should be able to live in Los Angeles.

Over the years we’ve been losing affordable housing units and not replacing them. Much of the recent housing development has been for higher end or luxury dwellings. This leaves too many Angelenos out in the cold. We must change this. 

In order to ensure the development of affordable housing we need an affordable housing policy to make sure Los Angeles is a livable city for all its residents.  Right now, the city of Los Angeles is deliberating its affordable housing ordinance.  Critical decisions are about to be made.  The results of these decisions could have an enormous influence on the ability of ordinary people in our city to live in decent, safe, affordable housing.  It is vital that the city get it right.

We need to impact the deliberation process right now to make sure that the city adopts a strong affordable housing policy that can address this crisis and give us all a chance for a decent home. We need to make sure that the city adopts an affordable housing policy that:

i) Results in new affordable homes across the city,
ii) Protects rent-controlled apartments from being destroyed or converted,
iii) Ensures that as many new apartments and homes as possible in any development be priced within reach of ordinary people, and
iv) Produces new affordable homes within reach of people with a range of incomes from homeless to $60,000/year.

Please take action now.

Please send a letter to the members of the Housing and the Planning committees and Mayor Villaraigosa urging that they address this crisis by showing the leadership to adopt a strong affordable housing ordinance. The city council is due to take up this issue on July 15th so we need you to TAKE ACTION by WEDNESDAY JULY 15 at 10:00am.

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I am writing to urge you to support a strong Mixed-Income Housing Ordinance for Los Angeles.

In the last five years, nearly all the new apartments and condos built in LA were intended for the high end of the market - way beyond the reach of all but a select few. When the next building boom comes, we need to have the policies in place to guide development in a way that makes our communities better places to live for both the people who live there now and workers, retirees, students and families of the future.

Mixed-Income policies work. Over 170 cities and counties in California have mixed income policies, including Santa Monica, Pasadena, West Hollywood, and Irvine.

I support a robust mixed income policy that:

i) Results in new affordable homes across the city, ii) Protects rent controlled apartments from being destroyed or converted, iii) Ensures that as many new apartments and homes as possible in any development be priced within reach of ordinary people, iv) Produces new affordable homes within reach of people with a range of incomes from homeless to $60,000/year.

Now, when there are few projects on the drawing boards, is the perfect time to set some new ground rules. I urge you to work for the adoption of a strong Mixed-Income Housing Ordinance.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
July 09, 2009