The sponsors of Measure S claim that this two-year construction moratorium is altruistic, to halt greed and improve life in Los Angeles. They claim that this draconian measure will increase housing affordability and decrease traffic. The exact opposite is true.
It is not progressive to minimize housing supply and drive up rents for everyone. It is not progressive to reduce the ability of young adults to purchase their first home. There is no truth to claims by Measure S sponsors that reducing residential construction will lead to more affordable apartments and homes.
It is not responsible to halt construction of housing near transit and industrial and commercial business areas where jobs are located. You only increase congestion and emissions as people are forced to live further and further from where they work.
It is not sensible to put in place a law that would prevent the building of permanent supportive housing to address our homeless crisis; housing that voters overwhelmingly supported in November. Nearly all the building sites identified by the city for permanent supportive housing would be outlawed by Measure S because they need a general plan amendment.
The progressive and responsible plan that is supported by the broad coalition that opposes Measure S involves the immediate updating of our General Plan and Community Plans. The goal is to make sure that these documents reflect the views of current L.A. residents and utilize modern state-of-the-art planning principles. The city has laid out a timeline and a process for these updates, which will bring every community across Los Angeles to the table to discuss and debate their visions.
Let’s be clear, Measure S isn’t just targeted at residential development, it places a moratorium on every construction project in the city that would need a variance, zone change or general plan amendment. This includes hospitals, schools, offices, parks and modern updates with seismic retrofits. Measure S sponsors want to stop new construction in Los Angeles dead in its tracks. They don’t care about the jobs lost or the $70 million annually in decreased revenue that would normally support our police and fire departments, schools and parks.
Measure S does not represent who we are as a city. In November, voters overwhelmingly supported a Los Angeles that is transit-oriented, park and environmentally friendly, and cares for our homeless. Measure S is the opposite.