Action to relieve overcrowding in L.A. Housing

The City of Los Angeles now has a higher rate of housing unit overcrowding than any other big city in the United States. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, 17 percent of all rental units in the City — 80,000 households — were overcrowded or severely overcrowded. A third of L.A. households include four or more people, but only 14 percent of our rental housing units have more than two bedrooms.

Last week, Council President Krekorian introduced a motion in Council to establish a density bonus for developers of larger family-sized units, and to relax density and height limits for developments consisting primarily of large family units. The motion also specifies that these units be affordable for families earning a fixed percentage of the Area Median Income. This motion has been submitted to the Planning and Land Use Management Committee for review.