Things to read from the past week:
Buy a luxury building, then lower the rent: A housing fix for California’s middle class? "Rent levels vary by income, but in properties they have purchased, building-wide rent declines have averaged about 10% from what the previous owner charged, with greater decreases seen for the lowest income units, according to Jon Penkower, a managing director at CSCDA, and Jordan Moss, founder of Catalyst Housing Group, the main private company working with CalCHA." (LA Times)
New schedules start Sept. 12: expect additional bus and subway trips "Beginning Sunday, Sept. 12, we’re adjusting some routes and adding more bus trips to accommodate returning students and other riders. Some bus stops have also been removed to improve travel times." (The Source)
Finally, a gym of their own in Little Tokyo "For a Japanese community that sees little new immigration and whose youngest members are fourth- or fifth-generation Americans, the Budokan will be a gathering place in a historic neighborhood threatened by assimilation and gentrification." (LA Times)
Appeals court upholds City Of Los Angeles' eviction moratorium "The Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles sued the city on June 11, 2020, challenging the eviction ban, prohibitions on late fees and interest on unpaid rent and moratorium on annual rent increases." (Spectrum News 1)
After Years of Failure, California Lawmakers Pave the Way for More Housing "S.B. 9 was one of two high-profile housing bills to pass the Assembly this week, and both were the subject of a concerted opposition campaign by suburban cities and groups that push for local control and low-density living. The other bill, S.B. 10, written by State Senator Scott Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco, would allow local governments to rezone parcels up to 10 units with no environmental review, which would speed development by shrinking the rezoning process by several years." (New York Times)
A changing LA seen through census data "The racial and ethnic mix of Los Angeles County has shifted over the past ten years. One of the biggest changes: The Asian population has soared. Between 2010 and 2020, Los Angeles County added 153,119 Asian residents, accounting for the lion’s share of population growth in the region. At the same time, the number of Black residents in the county dropped by 62,510 and now totals around 791,000." (Crosstown LA)
'Street-side' seating for restaurants could become a permanent part of the Eastside cityscape "Currently, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation installs safety barriers that surround all approved on-street dining spaces, according to the LADOT Public Information Office. But program requirements for al fresco dining also allow restaurants to build out those areas in their own way. There’s nothing prohibiting the strings of lights, or the wooden walls below a certain height, the LADOT said." (The Eastsider)
