LA Podcast - May We Have Your Convention Please

Alissa, Mike, and David discuss a contentious vote about expanding LA’s neglected convention center. The ULA transfer tax is making $387 million available for affordable housing right as a backroom deal to undermine ULA implodes in the state legislature. Plus, how LA’s tourism unions rallied with an epic signature revocation campaign to save the Olympic Wage.

Listen below, on Apple Podcasts, via Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

SHOW NOTES

Weekly actions from #BoycottDisneyABC after the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live, because comedy isn’t the only thing under attack

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has changed guidelines for federal funds for permanent supportive housing: not only can providers not engage in harm reduction, but money can only go for projects in cities or states that prohibit public camping and cooperate with immigration enforcement 

LA is now looking into how to create its own homelessness agency, and LA’s City Council will need to approve the court-ordered oversight of former LA city controller Ron Galperin and lawyer Daniel Garrie to monitor data and reporting

Measure ULA is about to release a super NOFA (notice of funding availability) for affordable housing projects with $387 million in available funding

The United to House LA coalition also recently released a report by Occidental academics disputing the claims in a recent UCLA Lewis Center report critical of ULA’s structure

Be sure to listen to this week’s What’s Next, Los Angeles? out Wednesday where Mike speaks to United to House LA’s Joe Donlin and Amped Kitchen’s Mott Smith about dueling reports

LAist: “State lawmakers unveil bill that would put new limits on LA’s hotly debated ‘mansion tax’”

…which almost immediately got withdrawn

In other housing news, the transit-oriented development bill SB 79 cleared the state legislature and is heading to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk, where he is expected to sign it despite LA Mayor Karen Bass’s request for a veto

After we recorded the show, LA’s City Council approved the convention center expansion 11-2, despite the budget committee’s vote recommending against it

“This expansion is unrealistic, unaffordable, and fiscally irresponsible. It puts our city at severe risk.” It’s extremely worth watching Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky’s remarks; Alissa published them in their entirety at Torched

A Central City Association report has ideas to turn downtown commercial vacancies into housing - more public subsidies for private redevelopment, anyone?

Alissa wrote about the campaign to save the Olympic Wage

This week’s episode is produced by Olive Greenspan. The reporting and analysis you hear in the show is put together by our rotating cast of producers and co-hosts every week. All opinions expressed on the show are solely those of co-hosts and may not represent the views of LA Forward

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