New Poll findings to be presented to national,
state and local leaders at LABC Mayoral Housing, Transportation,
and Jobs Summit on May 10
Seven in 10 Los Angeles voters find it difficult to afford
housing and 60% have considered leaving the city, fearing they
won’t be able to sustain rising rents or afford to buy a home,
according to a new survey commissioned by the Los Angeles Business
Council Institute.
The findings show that homeowners and renters of different ages,
races, income levels and political views across L.A. are deeply
impacted by the affordability gap and broadly support government
action to accelerate the production of new homes, including those
for low- and moderate-income Angelenos.
By a two-to-one margin – 61% to 32% – voters favor substantially
increasing the number of housing units in L.A. Even larger
majorities endorse specific local and state initiatives such as
expanding Mayor Karen Bass’s Executive Directive 1 (ED 1), which
fast-tracks permits for temporary shelters and affordable rental
housing, for moderate-income residents, including nurses, teachers,
and firefighters.
“Voters are fed up with housing costs and urgently want the
government to step in to accelerate new housing production
citywide,” said Mary Leslie, president of the Los Angeles Business
Council (LABC). “It’s encouraging to see support coalescing around
Mayor Bass’s vision to cut red tape. Expanding ED 1 will provide
relief for everyone from the unhoused to middle-class Angelenos,
who are the backbone of the city’s economy and key to its future
viability.”
On Friday, May 10, at the 22nd Annual LABC Mayoral Housing,
Transportation, and Jobs Summit, Leslie is scheduled to present the
findings along with Aileen Cardona-Arroyo, PhD, a senior vice
president with Hart Research, the nationally respected public
opinion polling firm which conducted the survey. Mayor Bass; Neera
Tanden, domestic policy advisor to President Biden; Senator Alex
Padilla; and other national, state and local leaders from the
public and private sectors will be in attendance.
The survey clearly reveals broad support for a range of state
and local housing policy initiatives.
- 81% favor a proposal to speed up approval for new apartment
buildings that include some affordable housing, as long as they are
near public transit or on underutilized urban land in high density
areas.
- 77% favor a proposal to guarantee approval for new apartment
projects that designate 20% of the units for low-income
residents.
- 73% favor a proposal to change the law to make it possible to
build larger apartment buildings along major transportation
corridors and in commercial areas.
“The LABC has been doing important research on the housing
crisis challenges for two decades, and we’ve never seen voters as
united as they are today,” said Founding Chair of the LABC
Institute Richard Ziman. “I’m demanding bold action to create the
necessary affordable housing for a more livable city.”
The urgency stems from an affordability gap that affects every
population group and corner of L.A. Some 87% of voters surveyed
identify housing affordability in Los Angeles as a “serious
problem.”
Renters and younger voters face the greatest challenges
affording housing, the research showed. About 84% of renters find
it difficult to afford housing, compared to 46% of homeowners. A
total of 73% of voters aged 18-34 have considered moving from the
City due to housing costs, compared to 60% overall.
Voters support new housing despite having concerns about adding
new homes and apartments. More respondents (49%) think new housing
will make their neighborhoods less affordable than more affordable
(40%).
“People are facing enormous economic pressures and are calling
for better answers and policy solutions,” Leslie said. “It is
striking to see such acute concern as well as widespread support
for government action to spur housing production.”
Voters express broad and deep support for building rental
housing in their neighborhood, particularly for low-income seniors,
veterans, public service workers like teachers and firefighters,
and low-income families with children.
Only slight majorities of voters favor proposals to allow
building new apartments in neighborhoods currently zoned for
single-family homes, and 56% of homeowners believe that affordable
housing for low- and moderate-income renters, in particular, will
lower home values.
When it comes to implementing solutions, 56% of voters say the
lack of affordable housing in L.A. is so serious that the state
government should assume a bigger role and require cities to build
more housing or be penalized. Close to one-third say that housing
decisions should be made by local authorities.
“The findings of the LABC survey underscore the need for bold
policies and long-term funding sources to help address the
affordable housing crisis,” said Miguel Santana, CEO of the
California Community Foundation. “The findings show that housing
affordability is a dominant issue that impacts residents across a
broad spectrum in neighborhoods throughout the city.”
Hart Research’s survey of 600 registered L.A. voters was
conducted in early April and has a margin of error of ±4 percentage
points. It was followed by two focus groups with L.A. voters—one
group with 12 renters and one with 11 homeowners from a mix of
geographic areas.
To read the full survey, visit
https://labusinesscouncil.org/housing-2024/
To learn more about the LABC Mayoral Housing, Transportation and
Jobs summit, visit here.
A livestream of the summit will be available Friday, May 10
starting at 7:45am here.
About the Los Angeles Business Council
Institute
The LABC Institute is a forward-thinking research and education
organization dedicated to strengthening the sustainable economy of
California. Founded in 2010, the Institute provides a bridge
between the business, government, environmental, labor and
nonprofit communities of Southern California to develop policies
and programs that promote investment, jobs and business
development. The Institute is the research and education arm of the
Los Angeles Business Council, one of the most respected business
advocacy organizations in the region. Founded in 1936, the LABC is
known as an innovator and catalyst for policy development on a wide
range of issues, including education, housing, green building,
energy efficiency, transportation and solar development. For more
information, please visit labusinesscouncil.org.
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Malina Brown (310) 974-6680