Housing Crisis: LA Mayor’s Bold Move to Cut Red Tape and Boost Affordability

Los Angeles Mayor Takes Action to Cut Red Tape for Housing Development

Mayor Karen Bass has introduced a new executive order to address the housing crisis in Los Angeles. The Executive Directive 7 aims to cut red tape and streamline the process of housing development, with a focus on affordable and mixed-income housing. This move comes as housing permits in L.A. have dropped by 5.3% in 2023.

Emphasis on Affordable and Mixed-Income Housing

The directive seeks to incentivize the construction of housing for people of all income levels. According to the city’s announcement, the focus is on affordable housing, mixed-income housing, addressing barriers to homeownership, and converting existing buildings into housing units.

Reducing Discretionary Review and Streamlining Permit Process

Executive Directive 7 will explore ways to reduce discretionary review, which will encourage the construction of housing for people of all income levels. It will also prioritize increasing the number of affordable housing units. The directive aims to cut through red tape by creatively converting existing buildings into housing through adaptive reuse and reducing the time it takes to permit mixed-income housing.

Addressing the Housing Crisis in Los Angeles

Mayor Bass expressed concern about the unaffordable cost of housing in Los Angeles, which has made it difficult for many Angelenos to live in the city. She stated, “We need to take action so that Angelenos can afford to live here and to buy their first homes here and to live near their jobs – and that means we need to build more housing.”

The mayor emphasized the need to build on the success of expediting affordable projects, and said, “I am taking action to make living in Los Angeles more affordable by signing this executive directive to incentivize more housing to be built for people of all income levels, with an emphasis on affordable housing and mixed income housing, to begin to address the barriers to home ownership and to help convert existing buildings into housing.”

Decline in Housing Permits in 2023

According to Hilgard Analytics, housing permits in L.A. have decreased by 5.3% in 2023. Shoshana Baum of Hilgard Analytics reported, “Throughout the City of Los Angeles, 11,437 residential units were permitted through the first three quarters of this year. This represents a fall of 5.3 percent, or 641 units in absolute terms through the same period last year. To reach the same level of permitting that the city had for the entirety of last year of 15,621 units, 4,184 units must be permitted by the end of the year.”

With Executive Directive 7, Mayor Karen Bass aims to tackle the housing crisis in Los Angeles by cutting red tape and promoting the development of affordable and mixed-income housing. This move is expected to help make living in the city more accessible to people of all income levels, contributing to a more inclusive and diverse community.

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