Originally published January 12, 2021
Freshman L.A. City Councilman Kevin de León announced Tuesday a motion for Los Angeles to commit to doubling the housing inventory for homeless people to 50,000 units by 2025.
“We need an overarching, clear goal — an objective so that we can be accountable, so that we can have benchmarks that are measurable,” de León told our newsroom’s local news and culture show, Take Two, which airs on 89.3 KPCC.
Some of his proposed steps include:
- Determining whether the city can legally reclaim money promised to developers if their proposed projects run over-budget
- Streamlining the permitting process
- Creating an online portal for renters to get assistance if they are facing potential eviction once the county and state moratoriums end
De León’s district includes downtown’s Skid Row, which he describes as “ground zero” for the city’s and nation’s homelessness crisis.
He also believes his motion creates a “North Star” for lawmakers to follow — and for constituents to hold those lawmakers accountable.
LISTEN TO THE TAKE TWO INTERVIEW:
— LEO DURAN
This report is reprinted with permission from Southern California Public Radio. © 2021 Southern California Public Radio. All rights reserved.
