(Press conference prior to Council adoption of heavy rail option for Sepulveda Transit Corridor)
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.
PRESERVING FAMILY HOME OWNERSHIP
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. In my first weeks in office I proposed a ballot initiative to slow this corporate land grab here in L.A. The Council also adopted my resolution supporting action by the State of California to restrict corporate ownership of single-family homes. Since then, the U.S. Congress has acted, without the support of President Trump, and placed a ceiling on the number of homes a single corporate entity can own, but it is a very high ceiling and additional action will still be needed.
(Breaking ground on the North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit line)
SMALL LOTS, BIG IMPACTS
For both 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 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.
(Above: North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit Route).
(Below: East San Fernando Valley Light Rail route running from Sylmar to Van Nuys)
HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION GO HAND IN HAND
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. Right now our public transit system looks like a starfish. It needs to look like a web, with light rail lines running from the center, and more DASH buses connecting our neighborhoods.
In the State Assembly I secured repeal of antiquated legislation that specifically blocked construction of new rail lines in the San Fernando Valley. Now construction is underway for the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail, linking Valley communities north and south along Van Nuys Blvd. In the last year, Council also approved plans for an underground heavy rail option on the Sepulveda Transit corridor, which will enable thousands of students and commuters to travel from the Valley to the Westside, and vice versa, while bypassing the notoriously crowded 405 Freeway. We're also proceeding with the North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit route, an all-electric bus service traveling dedicated bus lanes connecting the San Fernando Valley to the San Gabriel Valley.
Housing and transportation go hand in hand. Without enlarging our public transportation options, an expanded housing supply will not be sustainable.