What Housing Crisis?

So much for the maxim, “Never let a good opportunity go to waste.” Notwithstanding all his talk about addressing the main reason for California's high cost of living and compelling cities to provide more housing, Gov. Gavin Newsom has chosen to allow Los Angeles, Malibu, and Los Angeles County to suspend critical legislation that addresses the state's housing crisis.

“On Wednesday [July 30], Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass ordered a ban on duplex projects in the Palisades,” reports David Wagner for LAist on July 31. “The move came after an order the same day from Gov. Gavin Newsom that granted local governments permission to suspend a state housing density law in burn zones.”

The law at play, Senate Bill 9, allows single-family homeowners across the state to build duplexes and split their lots, potentially creating up to four units of housing on land previously zoned for one unit.

The mayor's executive order applies to “the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone within the boundaries of the Palisades Fire area.” The governor’s executive order applies to the Palisades, Sunset Mesa, Malibu and the eastern foothills of Altadena, adds Wagner, housing reporter for LAist.

Why the ban on single family lot-splitting in the burned areas?

Sadly, it looks to this contributor as just another case of NIMBY. Proponents of the ban claimed that “increased population would make evacuations even more difficult during emergencies, and multi-family buildings would threaten the neighborhood’s 'quiet, low-density' character,” wrote Wagner.

From the perspective of these residents, they are not allowing this opportunity to go to waste, as they've used this wildfire disaster to ensure that no additional housing units are built, perpetuating the state's affordability crisis .

Hat tip to KQED News.