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Measure H And The "Affordable Housing Crisis" Myth
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There is plenty of "affordable housing" in the City of Los Angeles. It is occupied by the millions of people who already live here.
Nearly four million people in our city somehow manage to write out a check each month for their rent or home loans. Housing has been so affordable for so long, moreover, that the city's population soared from 2.9 million residents in 1980, to over 3.8 million by 2003. Even when real estate prices peaked last year, nearly 14,000 houses and condos were sold. Plus, the city's rent control laws apply to 56,295 registered properties comprising approximately 550,000 units ...
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Despite the fact that millions of people can afford to live here, "affordable housing" advocates apparently contend that, as long as others want to move to L.A. but cannot afford to do so, there is, by definition, a "shortage" of "affordable housing."
To "solve" this supposed problem, they want to raise property taxes, give the money to apartment and condo developers, and "water down" zoning laws to allow bigger developments.
Voters should reject both the supposed "problem" and the proposed "solution."
There are six billion people in the world. They cannot all live here. Our city covers just 469 square miles. Somebody has to live elsewhere. This is not a tragedy or a problem crying out for a solution. It is life, it is scarcity, it is Econ 101.
There is not a shortage of affordable housing. There is an oversupply of wannabe Angelinos.
The citizens of the City of Los Angeles have no legal or moral duty to raise their taxes or lower their quality of life merely to make their city more "affordable" for outsiders who want to move here.
Nor does the public interest favor squeezing an even greater percentage of the world's six billion people into our 469 square miles. Traffic is bad enough. The DWP barely met the needs of its current customers -- so to speak -- during this summer's heat wave. Plus, our classrooms, emergency rooms, jails and courtrooms all have too many occupants as it is.
It is no accident that, of the 88 cities in Los Angeles County, some of the nicest places to live have the most expensive homes, and the lowest population density.
Compare the density of the City of L.A. -- 8065 people per square mile -- to the density of: Pasadena, 6496; Beverly Hills, 5824; San Marino, 3431; Palos Verdes Estates, 2779; Rolling Hills Estates, 2132; Calabasas, 1529; and Malibu, just 633 people per square mile.
The citizens of the City of Los Angeles are entitled, just like their well-heeled neighbors in pricier zip codes, to preserve the quality of life in their city. Having allowed population density to reach over 8000 people per square mile, Angelinos can rightfully say "enough already!"
Federal, state, county and city programs to provide "affordable housing," moreover, abound. Many of the programs allow recipients to have six-figure incomes, i.e., to earn more than $100,000 per year. Some programs provide grants. Others provide low- or no-interest loans, with no payments due until the home is sold or refinanced. Here are just a few examples:
The City of Los Angeles has (at least) four separate agencies operating a variety of overlapping "affordable housing" programs: the Housing Department, the Housing Authority, the Homeless Services Authority, and the Community Redevelopment Agency.
One of the four agencies "manages over 60 public housing developments and administers more than 40,000 Section 8 contracts" (i.e., rent subsidy contracts). One pays for "permanent housing" for the homeless, while another pays for "transitional housing" for the homeless. Two of the agencies have low-interest programs for first-time buyers. One gives away "free" paint.
The County of Los Angeles County has a similar collection, including for example: a "First Time Homebuyers" program; a "Residential Sound Insulation" program; 3600 units of public and "affordable" housing; and Section 8 rental subsidies for over 20,000 families.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has programs galore, including some just for public employees: the "Teacher Next Door" program; the "Firefighter Next Door" program; and the "Officer Next Door" program.
This list could go on and on. It should suffice, however, to show that Angelinos are already doing more than their fair share to provide "affordable housing" to the needy.
The city's taxpayers therefore can and should reject the proposal to raise their taxes and lower their quality of life merely so more people can move into our 469 square miles.
Walter Moore is a teacher, attorney and real estate broker.
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| Posted by: WalterMoore on Friday, October 27, 2006 - 11:16 PM
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