Jason Islas
Recent Posts
No-Growth Initiative Opponents, Proponents Square-off at Westside Urban Forum
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The so-called Coalition to Preserve L.A. announced earlier this week that they will push their no-growth ballot initiative back to L.A.’s March 2017 municipal election. Supporters of the initiative, backed by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, claimed they wanted to move the initiative because they feared it would get buried on the November ballot; without any […]
Santa Monica Assemblymember Bloom Takes Aim at CA Housing Shortage
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California State Assemblymember Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica) has set his sights on tackling the dire shortage of homes—and the resulting affordability crisis—currently facing the state. Bloom, whose district includes Malibu, Santa Monica, West L.A., Brentwood, and Beverly Hills, currently has three bills pending—A.B. 2501, A.B. 2299, and A.B. 2522—that seek to lower barriers to new […]
Expo Line Phase 2 Opening Announced for May 20
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Passengers will be able to ride a train to Santa Monica for the first time in more than half a century starting on Friday May 20, Metro officials announced today. Metro CEO Phil Washington officially announced the opening date for Expo phase 2, the 6.6-mile extension of the Expo light rail line. In April 2012, […]
New ‘Build Better LA’ Ballot Initiative Would Require Affordable Housing and Local Hiring
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A coalition spearheaded by the L.A. County Federation of Labor, announced Thursday that it has filed language for a ballot initiative that supporters say will increase affordable housing and jobs in the city of Los Angeles. If approved by voters, the initiative would require developers seeking zoning changes and general plan amendments for projects to […]
Want to Slow Displacement? Then Build More Housing, Says Legislative Analyst’s Office
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What will it take to make sure there’s a future for lower- and middle-income people in California? Anyone who has tried to look for a place to live recently knows that question is much more than an abstract policy discussion. Increasingly, the high cost of housing in California is driving the state’s low- and middle-income […]
More Housing — Especially the Affordable Kind — Is Exactly What the Westside Needs
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L.A. City Councilmember Mike Bonin has begun championing the redevelopment of an obsolete Metro bus yard in his district into something that the westside of L.A. County is desperately short of: affordable housing. The 3.5 acres of prime Venice land — located at Sunset and Main — is a mere stone’s throw away from the […]
Coalition Grows in Opposition to Proposed No-Growth Ballot Initiative
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Communities United for Jobs and Housing, a growing coalition of affordable housing developers, community leaders, climate activists, transit advocates, and elected officials, has formed to oppose efforts by no-growth activists to pass a November ballot measure that would severely curtail, among other things, the city’s ability to address Los Angeles’ worsening housing shortage. Nearly 40 […]
Doubling Down on an Unsustainable Future: Looking at L.A.’s “Neighborhood Integrity Initiative”
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Los Angeles voters may once again have to go to the ballot box this November to determine the future of the city’s urban form. No-growth activists led by AIDS Healthcare Foundation President Michael Weinstein are preparing to put an initiative on the ballot this election cycle to severely restrict most future growth throughout the city. […]
Expo to Hit Another Major Milestone Next Week
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Next week, the Expo Construction Authority — which oversees construction of the Exposition Light Rail project — is anticipating handing over the Phase II right-of-way to Metro, which will begin regular train testing or “pre-revenue” service, according to a report to the Expo Construction Authority Board [PDF]. (Note: An earlier version said the report was […]
Main Street in Santa Monica Poised to Get 2 Parklets
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Update: The Santa Monica City Council unanimously approved three locations for the city’s pilot parklet program. The three locations include the two recommended by staff and a third at Main and Hill in front of Finn McCool’s. The Santa Monica City Council next Tuesday will consider giving the go-ahead to the beachside city’s first two […]
What Can You Get to Riding the Breeze
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Last week, Santa Monica launched Breeze Bike Share, the first public bike-share system in Los Angeles County. To celebrate, more than 100 early subscribers, city staffers, and elected officials went for an inaugural ride in front of City Hall. Breeze’s 500 bikes, located at 80 hubs around the city and in Venice, mean that residents, […]
Support Our Bid for an LA2050 Grant and Help Us Make L.A. an Affordable Place to Live for All
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Note: California Streets Initiative, the nonprofit that publishes Streetsblog Los Angeles, Streetsblog California, Longbeachize, and Santa Monica Next, is teaming up with Abundant Housing LA (AHLA) to compete for an LA2050 grant to help make LA an affordable place to live for all. To earn the grant, we either need to win a popular vote or be […]