Housing Affordability: How To Vote In The March 5 Primary If It’s Your Top Issue

Decide where you stand

You won’t hear anyone disputing that L.A. has a housing affordability crisis, or that we need to “cut red tape” to fix it. But candidates tend to show their differences when it comes to actual housing proposals in their districts, or specific measures to address the crisis. Ask yourself a few questions to see if a candidate’s approach matches yours:

• Do you support more housing being built in your neighborhood? 
  • How much, and what kind? Market-rate condos? Apartments for very low-income tenants? All of the above and everything in between? 
• If there’s a specific housing project being proposed near you, how do you feel about it?
• What do you think are the main reasons for the housing affordability crisis? This can get in the weeds pretty fast, but generally:
  • Candidates who say it’s mainly a supply problem focus on finding ways to build more housing, such as fast-tracking approvals for certain types of housing, changing the zoning code to allow developers to build more housing in a given area, or making better use of vacant land and empty buildings. 
  • Those who say it’s largely a lack of tenant protections problem emphasize expanded rent control, vacancy taxes on units that stay empty for long periods of time, or more protections against evictions. 
  • Plenty of candidates support combinations of these measures, but knowing what they think is the main source of the problem will give you a better understanding of their approach.

If you’re new to housing policy, start with this explainer.