Dear Editor, Mayor and Council Members,
On average, 207 people are rehoused daily in LA county, while at the same time 227 people are pushed into homelessness. Cf Jan. 23, 2022:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/indelible-mark-shame-l-pivots-clearing-homeless-camps-covid-surge-hous-rcna13114. As you probably know, data such as the 4-page fact sheet with 43 references from the National Law Center clearly indicate that poverty is a major source.
See. https://homelesslaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Homeless_Stats_Fact_Sheet.pdf .
Has Culver City realistically addressed this need for abundant housing for the lowest RHNA levels in its current iteration of the HE submitted 1/28/22? If so, where can we find this realistic plan? How will it make the units affordable? And do so with a mix of income & diversity?
What has been proposed seems to pay lip-service to this critical human need. Just as you fought for well-deserved hero pay, how about focusing on how to partner with our County and the State to rapidly create housing that is both eco-friendly and will make living in Culver City affordable for all, especially the most needy?
We have a plethora of vacant space above our small retail on Transit-Oriented Corridors.
As I stated in an earlier letter, It can very practically address all that HCD intends and provide the following benefits:
Mixed-use and mixed incomes housing for diverse ethnicities at all the RHNA levels to dwell as neighbors in the same communities.
Equity and reparations, so that all residents are afforded the opportunity to buy, rent, or rent-to-own.
Directly utilize our transit corridors and public transportation, reducing VMTs.
Provides union jobs with local hire and job production for formerly incarcerated youth.
Creates mobility lanes and removes street parking by moving it to parking lots on bridges that straddle the air space between the side streets, thus space for outdoor dining without losing parking.
From a climate impact perspective, it is critical that we, Culver CIty, make it a requirement that any & all new buildings be eco-friendly with net-zero energy waste, plus providing for additional carbon sequestration with additional tree canopies and rainwater capture; adding to, rather than taking away permeable green space.
Why?
Given the loss of needed natural resources from escalating climate disruptions factoring into a step by step annihilation of life as we’ve known it – given this reality that is causing climate anxiety, despair, rage, and hopelessness amongst all too many people, I plead with you, our elected officials to recognize that proposing VMTs to address this cataclysmic problem is but one small step. It does not offer adequate housing or climate mitigation.
As we focus on the Housing Element, if we are to mitigate escalating & irreversible climate damages, then sustainable practices on every level must be implemented in every aspect of our building processes ASAP! Otherwise, we will be on the same trajectory to doom as taking 207 people off the streets, while allowing 227 folks to fall in. Shall we be leaders? Or losers?
Please let me know how I can be of assistance to help Culver City meet its RHNA quotas with realistic, eco-regenerative building practices that provide true affordability.
Dr Suzanne De Benedittis, PhD
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