South L.A. Townhall Opposes SB 1120 Statewide Upzoning Bill

Just as South Los Angeles residents and community leaders did in the Spring of 2019, again this month they joined together to voice concerns about pending California statewide legislation, SB 1120, which would eliminate single-family zoning, arguing that the legislation would further gentrify and displace current residents in the name of more housing (with no requirement for affordability). With the state on track to build less than 20 percent of the affordable units it needs and cities buckling under the weight of the current public health and economic crises, the California Assembly is pressing forward with policy proposals aimed at preempting local control of planning and land-use decisions. 

TPR excerpts this virtual town hall hosted by the South LA Alliance for Locally Planned Growth, in which L.A. City Councilmembers Herb Wesson and Paul Koretz register opposition to a "one-size-fits-all bill," part of a suite of proposals teed up for hearing by the Assembly Appropriations Subcommittee that would be, according to the arguments presented here, the single biggest attack to date on the residential integrity throughout the state of California—and most especially in L.A.'s historically disadvantaged neighborhoods of color:

“When I think about SB 1120, it’s one of the biggest insults and slaps in the face to our community that I can remember. This is as bad SB 50” —Herb Wesson

For the full excerpt, visit The Planning Report.