LA City Council to Vote on Using ULA Funds for Wildfire Rent Relief
The Los Angeles City Council will vote on Tuesday, April 1, on whether to use $15 million from the United to House LA Fund to support renters affected by the January wildfires.
Measure ULA, passed by voters in November 2022, was created to support long-term affordable housing. The proposal would redirect part of that funding for emergency rental relief. It also asks city staff to report on additional ways to use Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) funds.
Councilmembers Bob Blumenfield, Traci Park, John Lee, and Heather Hutt introduced the motion.
Supporters say this move is needed to protect tenants and small landlords who are still recovering from the wildfires.
“Redirecting existing funds already designated for housing assistance toward emergency rental assistance is a practical and effective way to prevent evictions and not place the burden on mom and pop rental providers who often carry the financial burden in the wake of disasters,” said Councilmember John Lee in a statement released Monday, March 31.
He added, “I fully support this reallocation as a logical step to keep our communities stable and help residents recover.”
Not everyone agrees with the plan.
Larry Gross, executive director of the Coalition for Economic Survival, said he has “mixed feelings.” While he supports helping wildfire victims, he questioned the funding source.
“They’re going to the well, which was set up to provide funding for the development of new affordable housing that’s desperately needed, provide income support for the most vulnerable, eviction protections and rental assistance for thousands of Angelenos that needed it prior to the wildfire,” Gross said.
Gross also pointed to a previous effort that failed. Several of the same councilmembers backing this proposal had earlier opposed a separate plan to enact eviction protections and rent freezes for wildfire victims. That measure, introduced by Councilmembers Eunisses Hernandez and Hugo Soto-Martinez, was ultimately voted down in early March after delays. (Read about the council’s vote)
“If the concern was so great for some of these council members, not all of them, but some of them, why didn’t they support the moratoriums on evictions and rent increases for wildfire victims?” Gross asked.
The United to House LA coalition, which led the campaign to pass Measure ULA, also opposes the current proposal.
Joe Donlin, the coalition’s director, said the approach would take away needed administrative funds, require a complex revision process, and might put the city out of compliance with the ordinance.
Instead, the coalition supports changing eligibility requirements for the $14.6 million already allocated to the ULA Income Support Program to assist wildfire victims.
Measure ULA raises hundreds of millions of dollars each year through a real estate transfer tax on properties sold for $5 million or more. Of that total, 70% goes to the Affordable Housing Program, which funds new construction, preservation, and rehabilitation of affordable units. The remaining 30% supports the Homelessness Prevention Program, aimed at keeping low-income tenants housed.
Measure ULA took effect on January 1, 2023. Its supporters will mark its second anniversary on the same day as the City Council vote.