League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Los Angeles County, CA November 4, 2008 Election
	Proposition B Update of Low Rent Housing Authorization City of Los Angeles Ordinance - Majority Approval Required Pass: 616,711 / 59.97% Yes votes ...... 411,626 / 40.03% No votes See Also: Index of all Measures

Full Text of Proposition B

NOTE: The following unofficial copy, extracted and reformatted by the League of Women Voters from a scanned document located on pages 6-8 of a file titled Council Action dated 07/11/2008 and listed among the files related to Council File 08-1800-S2 available from City Clerk Connect. We look forward to replacing it with a more official copy when one is available. ------------- RESOLUTION WHEREAS, there is a great need in the City of Los Angeles to provide decent, safe and sanitary housing for low income persons and families; and WHEREAS, Article XXXIV of the Constitution of the State of California requires the approval of a majority of the qualified voters of the City of Los Angeles voting in an election for the development, construction or acquisition of certain categories of low rent housing projects assisted with public funds; and WHEREAS, in 1973, 1977 and 1980 the voters of Los Angeles approved five ballot measures authorizing several different types of low rent housing projects in the City of Los Angeles for a total authorization of 52,500 units; and WHEREAS, at the April 3, 1973 election, the voters approved Proposition A authorizing the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles to develop, construct or acquire, with federal financial assistance, low rent housing for low income elderly persons, with not more than 500 units per City Council District; and WHEREAS, at the May 31, 1977 election, the voters approved a second Proposition A authorizing the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, with federal or state financial assistance, or by any other financial means except local taxation, to develop, construct or acquire not more than 500 units of low income rental housing in each City Council District, provided that no more than five dwelling units be located on any one site zoned for multi-family dwellings unless such dwelling units are to be occupied by low income elderly persons; and WHEREAS, at the May 31, 1977 election, the voters approved Proposition B authorizing private sponsors with state financial assistance or by any other financial means except local taxation to construct, develop and acquire not more than 500 units of low rent housing in each City Council District provided that no more than five dwelling units be located on any one site zoned for multi-family dwellings unless such dwelling units are to be occupied by low income elderly persons; and WHEREAS, at the June 3, 1980 election, the voters approved Proposition J authorizing the City Housing Authority or other local public agency, with federal, state or other financial assistance, but not local taxation, to develop, construct or acquire up to 1,000 units of elderly and non-elderly low rent housing per City Council District provided that units to be occupied by non-elderly persons shall not exceed thirty per site and that newly constructed developments containing units for non-elderly persons not exceed two residential stories in height; and WHEREAS, at the June 3, 1980 election, the voters approved Proposition K authorizing private sponsors with federal, state or other financial assistance, but not local taxation, to develop, construct or acquire not more than 1,000 units of elderly and non-elderly low rent housing per City Council District provided that units to be occupied by non-elderly persons shall not exceed thirty per site and that newly constructed developments containing units for non-elderly persons not exceed two residential stories in height; and WHEREAS, the various requirements of each proposition approved by the voters are not compatible with current housing development needs and standards, creating a hindrance to the efforts of public entities to develop voter-approved housing and increase the supply of much needed low-rent housing for low-income persons and families in the City of Los Angeles; and WHEREAS, to date, the state or federal governments have not required their own Article XXXIV Authority to fund affordable housing in the City of Los Angeles; and WHEREAS, the State of California recently informed the City that the appropriate Article XXXIV authority will be required in order for the state to continue to provide funds to affordable housing projects within the City; and WHEREAS, the various requirements contained in existing authority provided by the five propositions create obstacles to obtaining continued State of California funding; and WHEREAS, by consolidating the five prior propositions into a single proposition with consistent standards that conform to the current housing market but maintain the same numerical authorization per City Council District, less the number of units already developed, constructed or acquired under the prior propositions, the development of affordable housing for low income persons and families will continue in the City of Los Angeles without interruption; and WHEREAS, voter approval of a consolidated authority to support the development of affordable housing in the City of Los Angeles does not require or guarantee that the authorized number of units will be built, acquired or funded by the City, state or federal governments, nor does this authorization obligate the provision of additional funding for such purposes or exempt such projects from public review processes required by the City; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the People of the City of Los Angeles that Proposition A of the April 3, 1973 election, Proposition A of the May 31, 1977 election, Proposition B of the May 31, 1977 election, Proposition J of the June 3, 1980 election and Proposition K of the June 3, 1980 election are hereby repealed; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in place and stead of the five repealed propositions it is hereby authorized that public entities may develop, construct and/or acquire in the City of Los Angeles up to 52,500 units of low rent housing for persons of low income, the same total authorization provided under the prior propositions, less the number of units which had been developed, constructed or acquired under the prior propositions as of the date of the November 4, 2008 election; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that no more than 3,500 units shall remain authorized per City Council District; as such Council District boundaries may change from time to time, less the number of units per Council District which had been developed, constructed or acquired under the prior propositions as of the date of the November 4, 2008 election; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the terms of the authorization contained in this measure shall be construed in the same manner as Article XXXIV of the Constitution of the State of California and any laws or cases interpreting that section.