Next Tuesday, L.A. County voters will comb through a laundry list of state and local ballot measures deciding future policy for subjects ranging from marijuana legalization to the death penalty.
Abundant Housing LA, an advocacy group which pushes for increased housing production in Southern California, is focusing on three inititiatives at the county and municipal levels that will shape the ways in which Angelenos live and move. Their recommendations to voters are as follows:
CITY OF LOS ANGELES PROPOSITION HHH
Recommendation: Vote Yes
Prop HHH will issue up to $1.2B in bonds to develop safe, clean, affordable housing for the homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless. The city's homeless population has spiked by 12% since 2013, and there are currently 28,000 people living on the streets and in shelters in the city of LA. HHH will dramatically reduce our chronically homeless population by providing approximately 10,000 new permanent supportive housing units, and will also provide relief from short-term homelessness through investments in emergency shelter, transitional housing, portable showers and restrooms, and storage facilities.
CITY OF SANTA MONICA MEASURE LV
Recommendation: Vote No
Measure LV is an extreme anti-development initiative that will require a citywide election for every new building in Santa Monica that exceeds 32-36 feet in height. It even applies to remodeling or repairing existing buildings and to important public structures like schools, libraries and fire stations. We believe that Measure LV could stunt Santa Monica’s growth for decades, and that it would do nothing to alleviate Santa Monica's traffic congestion or its high cost of living.
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES MEASURE M: THE TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENT PLAN
Recommendation: Vote Yes
Measure M would levy a half-cent sales tax (at a cost of about $25 per household, per year) to make significant improvements to the county's transit and active transportation network. It would expand Metro rail, pay for bus and rail operations, and invest in pedestrian and bike infrastructure. No longer is Los Angeles a place in which owning a vehicle is a prerequisite for a full life, and Measure M will allow many more people to make the choice to drive less or go car-free. This measure will also help address our housing crisis by spurring additional development of affordable and market rate units near transit hubs, and allowing rent-burdened residents avoid the costs and stresses of car ownership.
To learn more about the projects that would be funded by Measure M, look here.
Fore more information, visit Abundant Housing LA.
