State honors Los Angeles and Mayor Bass for speeding up housing approvals

The city of Los Angeles on Friday, March 10, received a “prohousing” designation from the state, with Gov. Gavin Newsom commending the efforts under Mayor Karen Bass to expedite construction of more housing in an effort to relieve the homelessness crisis.

Cities with the designation can receive priority consideration for state housing funds, allowing them to score higher in competitive funding programs administered by the state Department of Housing and Community Development.

“I’m thankful to Los Angeles and Mayor (Karen) Bass for committing to building more housing, faster, and doing their part to help tackle the housing crisis,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “Cities and counties across the state need to meet this moment and act with urgency to bring more housing to their communities.”

Just 11 jurisdictions in the state have received the “prohousing” designation. The label is earned by cities that take steps such as streamlining multifamily housing developments, allowing higher densities near job centers and transit hubs and creating more affordable housing in areas that traditionally exclude lower-income residents or households of color, according to the governor’s office.

“We have to build more, faster,” Bass said in a statement released by Newsom’s office. “Los Angeles will continue to do everything we can to confront this crisis with the urgency it deserves.”

The announcement came one day after the state announced it was taking legal action against the Orange County city of Huntington Beach, accusing it of flouting state housing requirements.

Huntington Beach officials, in turn, announced the filing of a federal lawsuit against the state, accusing it of imposing illegal density requirements and infringing on the local governance of a charter city.