Activism
This Wednesday, Stop Developer Giveways, Support a Just Hollywood
We need affordable housing in Hollywood, not more luxury hotels.
[Ed. Note: This piece was created by the Just Hollywood Coalition and Unite Here Local 11]
In the midst of a pandemic and an economic collapse that threatens a wave of evictions, Los Angeles City Planning has put forward a draft for Hollywood’s Community Plan Update that strengthens the forces of gentrification and displacement rather than gives us a path out of this crisis. On Wednesday, from 5–7 PM, Planning is holding a public hearing taking comment on the plan, giving us a chance to stand up and say no and fight for a Just Hollywood. The proposed plan increases allowable building size (floor area) by as much as 50–125% in the central part of Hollywood with no affordable housing requirements. For projects with as little as 10% affordable housing, it over doubles the allowable building size.
It does little to address displacement and the loss of rent stabilized apartments in Hollywood and in most of Hollywood does nothing to stop the replacement of apartments with hotels. And it has nothing required in terms of sustainable development, like encouraging higher energy efficiency standards in Hollywood or electrifying new buildings, transitioning away from natural gas. This is a plan for more luxury hotels and offices and market rate apartments, rather than the affordable housing we desperately need.
Even prior to the pandemic, Hollywood’s development boom was pushing out tenants while pulling in capital and doubling the number of hotel rooms. Driven out by increased rents, the Hollywood population dropped by 12,500 between 2000–2010. In the face of the development boom, the Latino population dropped by 17% between 2000–2010, believed to be the largest mass departure from an LA neighborhood in decades. It doesn’t need to be this way.
Several faith, labor, environmental, and tenant organizations (including Ground Game, Coalition for Economic Survival, Thai CDC, ACT-LA, UNITE HERE Local 11, LA Voice, and Food and Water Watch, and Ground Game) have come together to fight for a Just Hollywood and presented a plan endorsed by several area neighborhood councils, including Midcity West, Los Feliz, Hollywood United, Hollywood Studio District, and East Hollywood Neighborhood Council.
We can fight for policies that discourage rent controlled buildings from being demolished, stop the conversion of housing to hotels, require affordable housing in exchange for allowing for larger buildings rather than giveaways, and speed up the creation of 100% affordable social housing and lengthen affordable housing covenants so they don’t expire as suggested by Councilmember-Elect Nithya Raman’s platform.
We need your support.
Please join the public hearing this Wednesday at 5 PM (information available at the link and below) and tell the Planning Department, we don’t need more developer giveaways that will lead to more hotels, offices, and 100% luxury apartments — we need bonafide affordable housing and an end to displacement. And please click here to send a letter to the Planning Department and our City Councilmembers urging support for a Just Hollywood.
How to Join the Hearing, this Wednesday December 9th, 5–7 PM
Click https://planning-lacity-org.zoom.us/j/84848992519 to join the virtual Open House and Public Hearing on December 9, 2020. To join by phone, dial (213) 338–8477.
Meeting ID: 848 4899 2519
Meeting Password: 768008
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