increase housing
Legalize Single-Stair Buildings
Allowing single-stair apartment buildings (common in Europe) makes smaller infill projects feasible on tight lots, especially in neighborhoods dominated by R1/R2 parcels. This dramatically increases unit yield and design flexibility while lowering per-unit construction costs. (For up to 6- 8 story buildings)
By-Right Approval for Code-Compliant Projects
Projects that meet zoning, affordability, and objective design standards should be approved ministerially without discretionary review or CEQA delays. This removes years of uncertainty and litigation risk, unlocking faster production and lower financing costs.
Eliminate Parking Minimums Citywide
Parking requirements can add upwards of $80K per unit and reduce how many homes can be built on a lot. Removing them - especially near transit - lets us build more units at lower cost.
Upzone Commercial Corridors + “Missing Middle” Neighborhoods
Allow 4–8 story multifamily housing on arterials and small apartments (duplexes, fourplexes, bungalow courts) in formerly single-family zones. 13-30 story towers on large commercial lots near transit. This spreads growth across the city instead of concentrating it in a few neighborhoods, increasing supply where people actually want to live.
LADWP Reform: Predictable, Fast Utility Connections
Unpredictable timelines for power, water, and transformer placement can delay projects by 6–18 months. Creating a guaranteed service timeline, single inspector per project, pre-approved transformer standards, and a “will-serve” fast track would remove a major hidden bottleneck.
Standardized/Pre-Approved Building Plans (“Pattern Book”)
Publish a library of pre-approved multifamily and ADU plans that comply with zoning, fire, and building codes. Developers using these templates could skip plan check, reducing soft costs and accelerating construction timelines.
Expand and Streamline Adaptive Reuse Citywide
Make it easy to convert underused office, retail, and commercial buildings into housing by relaxing zoning, parking, and certain building code requirements. Adaptive reuse is often faster and cheaper than ground-up construction and can quickly add units in high-demand areas.
Reform Impact Fees and Link Them to Unit Size/Type
Flat per-unit fees disproportionately penalize small, lower-rent units like studios and 1-bedrooms. Scaling fees based on square footage or rent level incentivizes building the types of housing that actually lower average rents.
Legalize and Support Social Housing Models
Enable city-backed or nonprofit developers to build mixed-income housing at scale using public land, low-cost financing, and long-term affordability covenants. This creates permanently affordable supply that competes with the private market and stabilizes rents over time.
Fix CEQA Abuse for Infill Housing
Limit CEQA challenges for projects in already urbanized areas that meet zoning and environmental standards. This reduces the ability of small groups to delay or kill housing through lawsuits, cutting both time and cost of development.
Universal Right to Counsel + Fast Mediation
Guarantee legal representation for tenants facing eviction, paired with a mandatory early mediation process to resolve cases before they hit court. This keeps people housed and reduces costly, time-consuming eviction cycles for both tenants and property owners.
Emergency Rental Stabilization Fund
Create a standing fund to cover short-term rent gaps during job loss, illness, or economic downturns. It prevents displacement upstream and ensures landlords keep receiving income without resorting to eviction. This could go a long way to slowing the top of the homelessness funnel.