Westside Urban Forum Discusses California Housing Policy

It was an early morning on Oct. 17, 2024 when the Westside Urban Forum met for the annual overview of housing legislation at the Helms Design Center. The audience was made up of policy makers, architects, urban designers and non-profit leaders, all connected and concerned with the state of housing policy in the state of California. 

The moderator, Margaret Akerblom,  a partner at the firm of  Allen Matkins, asked some pointed questions to a panel made up of Jackson Loop, Policy Director at Southern California Association of NonProfit Housing (SCANPH); Seamus Garrity, Director of Lighthouse Public Affairs; and Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (51st District.)

This year, the legislature considered dozens of bills with major impacts on planning and development statewide and, especially, in urban areas like Los Angeles. 

Culver City was once again noted as a policy leader, with Zbur calling AB 2712 as a bill that benefitted the housing industry. Zbur, who co-authored the legislation, touted the elimination of parking minimums in transit districts as being part of a policy change liberating development from costly and non-functional standards.

Culver City eliminated parking minimums in October of 2022.

The challenge for Loop, and for SCANPH, was addressing the good and the bad in “builder’s remedy “- the state mandated building for cities that did not file their housing plan by the deadline. “While the need for housing is that critical, we’re looking to legislate better ways to address. Still, when it gets to be a back-and- forth with cities and lawmakers, that adds a lot of additional time into the problem, which does not help.” 

Garrity of Lighthouse Public Affairs, a policy firm based in San Francisco, took a wide view of how the past year had unfolded for housing legislation, and pointed to the city of Long Beach as also setting some good examples. “Both the mayor and vice mayor have a lot of policy experience, and it’s benefitting their practices.” 

Judith Martin-Straw

Photo – L to R  – Akerblom, Loop, Garrity and Zbur

 

 

 

The Actors' Gang