Activists Push to Make LA Developers Build Affordable Housing or Pay

LOS ANGELES, CA - The City Clerk's Office today announced that an affordable housing initiative was cleared to gather signatures to qualify for inclusion on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Proponents of the initiative -- Affordable Housing and Labor Standards for General Plan Amendment and Zoning Changes -- will need to collect signatures from at least 61,487 registered voters, which represents 15 percent of the votes cast in the last mayoral election.

The proposed measure calls for changes that require developers seeking zoning amendments to include affordable housing or pay fees into the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Such developers would also need to follow certain labor practices such as "using licensed contractors, paying prevailing wages and hiring workers from local and disadvantaged areas and state-approved apprenticeship programs."

Other provisions include requiring the city to look at the amount of affordable housing in community plan areas, ensure projects funded with the Affordable Housing Trust Fund follow the aforementioned labor practices, and create an affordable housing incentive program for projects near transit hubs.

City News Service; Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Patrick Pelletier