housing

Los Angeles, CA – Today, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn voted against a motion to change the County’s existing rent stabilization ordinance. Instead, Hahn favored moving forward with the previously announced plan to limit rent increases to 4.275% this coming year. The motion passed 3-2.

Hahn issued the following statement regarding her vote:

“LA County has a strong rent control policy in place—and I think it’s important for renters and landlords alike to be able to count on consistency in that policy. That is why I voted to keep our current policy in place and limit rent increases to 4.275% this coming year in unincorporated LA County. Not only do I believe that protects renters and allows landlords to cope with rising costs, it was also the recommendation of our Director of Consumer and Business Affairs.”

Ordinance means county will inspect unincorporated rental units at least every four years

Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn has released the following statement after she voted in favor of a proposed ordinance to ensure the habitability of rental housing in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County.

“Renters are paying for safe, healthy places to live and we need to ensure they are getting what they paid for,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “The vast majority of landlords are taking care of their units and respond to their tenants’ concerns, but we need to step in when landlords drop the ball and residents need help. I think that this plan is one that is responsive to renters, fair to landlords, and rewards property owners who continue to do the right by their tenants.”

The ordinance will mean that county public health inspectors will inspect housing units in unincorporated areas at least once every four years, allows tenants to request inspections, and will put in place a new process to hold landlords accountable for maintaining habitability including the possibility that rent will be withheld partially or fully until repairs are made.

The board voted unanimously in support of the ordinance but still needs to come back to the board for a second reading and vote in 30 days.

Los Angeles, CA—Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a proposal by Supervisor Janice Hahn to explore creating a Senior Safe Home to protect victims of elder abuse.

One in ten seniors have experienced some form of elder abuse which can range from financial, emotional, physical, sexual, or psychological. On average, a tenth of these victims face homelessness due to the abuse. However, no facilities in LA County are dedicated to providing refuge to these survivors, with only one such facility existing west of the Mississippi.

“Victims of elder abuse without any safe place to go will continue to be abused or will fall into homelessness,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “By creating a Senior Safe Home, we can protect survivors of elder abuse from their abusers and get them the help and support they need to enjoy their golden years with dignity and in peace.”

With Supervisor Hahn’s proposal, the LA County Department of Aging and Disabilities will take the lead on developing a roadmap to creating a Senior Safe Home. The model would be similar to a domestic violence shelter, providing a secure location where survivors would be protected from abusers and would have their own rooms with wraparound supportive services.

The Aging & Disabilities Department will work with the Departments of Public Health, Health Services, Mental Health, Public Social Services, CEO Real Estate, Homeless Initiative and community stakeholders to provide a 180-day feasibility report back to the Board of Supervisors. This report back will include substantiated elder abused data from the last 5 years, the development of site-specific criteria, and a pilot project funding model to help establish sustainability.

The idea of an LA County Senior Safe Home would build on the concept brought to Hahn’s office by the Long Beach Senior Citizen Advisory Commission. While the City of Long Beach recently explored how to create a senior safe home, they were unable to provide this resource, showing the need for collaboration and locking arms with the County.

Read full motion here.

This morning, we brought LA County’s Pathway Home initiative to Walnut Park. My staff was on the ground as County teams arrived and offered services and safe housing to every resident of the RV encampment on Santa Fe Ave between Broadway and Independence Ave, just north of South Gate.

I heard the concerns many of you expressed in person, on the phone, and through our official Walnut Park Instagram account about this RV encampment. No one is safer or better off when people are living in dilapidated RVs. It’s not good for our kids who need safe sidewalks to get to and from school, it’s not safe for drivers or cyclists, and it’s not safe for the people living inside them. No person should be forced to live in a motorhome on the street.

They deserve safe housing, and you deserve safe streets.

The RVs have been removed, and the residents were offered hotel rooms and every service and support that the County family has to offer. Those who accepted moved into those rooms right away. The cleanup of the street is ongoing.

I’ll be sharing more details about this RV encampment resolution in the next few days. Stay tuned to this and other important information on Instagram and, if you haven’t already signed up, through my weekly Janice Journal.