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City Election: No on Measure S

By Editorial Board

March 1, 2017 8:23 p.m.

When roughly one in three renters in Los Angeles is forced to spend more than half their income on rent, a measure that will curb housing development and supply is hardly the solution.

Measure S places sweeping restrictions on construction with a two-year moratorium on any development projects that require a General Plan amendment or zone change. It also establishes a permanent ban for General Plan Amendments on properties smaller than 15 acres. In other words, it prevents high-rise buildings from being built in low-rise neighborhoods.

This would be a serious problem because LA already faces a severe housing shortage caused by decades of stagnant housing development.

The measure’s proponents fear that politicians make decisions influenced by developers, leading to excessive construction and worse traffic. While these are legitimate concerns, the measure’s extreme proposals will not benefit the city because they would severely restrict its ability to expand the city’s housing supply over wide swaths of the city.

Ultimately, Measure S will worsen the housing crisis by making it more difficult to convert unused buildings or land into residences, resulting in higher housing costs and rents. It would also hinder communities who rely on development to stimulate their local economies. LA has such an urgent need for more housing that even a two-year construction halt would be devastating. Measure S may claim to protect our neighborhoods, but in reality it will harm the city’s economic development and drive people out of homes they already can’t afford.


For a full breakdown of the Daily Bruin’s endorsements, click here.

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