The issues of housing and transportation are interconnected. We need to…
- Lower the cost of housing by building more housing.
- Build every kind of housing: single-family, multi-family, affordable and the missing middle.
- Build on active transportation corridors and commercial corridors, not by destroying existing neighborhoods.
- Build up our transportation system so Angelenos can live, work, shop and study without sitting in gridlocked traffic.
Family home ownership built the middle class of this country by allowing working people of modest means to own their own homes, and pass on their assets to the next generation. For too long, many families were locked out of that opportunity. We need to expand that opportunity to more families, not limit it to a few.
In the wake of a disaster like the January 2025 firestorm, corporate investors are quick to buy houses at prices far below market value and then rent them out, further driving up rents and putting the dream of home ownership out of reach for more families. I’ve proposed a ballot initiative to slow this corporate land grab here in L.A., but the State needs to act as well. The Council has adopted my resolution supporting action by the State of California to restrict corporate ownership of single-family homes.
For homeowners and renters, the cost of housing is the greatest burden we carry. We cannot bring those costs down without building more homes: single family homes, multi-family homes, homes for all income levels. One of the most interesting proposal for developing more affordable housing in Los Angeles is the "Small Lots, Big Impacts" initiative Council adopted in 2025. This pilot program invites architects and developers to submit design proposals for a select number of small vacant lots the City owns in areas already zoned for multi-family housing. The City current owns more than 1,000 such parcels. If these and the more than 24,500 small vacant lots in private hands were developed efficiently, they could produce another 127,000 units of comfortable, affordable homes, without excessively burdening any one neighborhood with increased density.
Unfortunately, the State of California has tried to force an increase in our housing supply by imposing one-size-fits-all solutions such as SB79 that override city governments' discretion over zoning. Insofar as the law allows, I will still try to focus development in my district in areas that are built to handle more density, such as commercial streets and public transportation routes.
If we're serious about housing affordability we have to continue investing in public transportation so people can live and work around our city without long commutes in soul-crushing traffic.. That's why we're proceeding with projects like the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail project, the North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit route and the Sepulveda Transit Corridor, an underground heavy rail system connecting the San Fernando Valley and Westside through Sepulveda Pass.
Housing and transportation go hand in hand. Without public transportation, an expanded housing supply will not be sustainable.