Will a New Mayor Address the Housing Affordability Gap?

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Los Angeles faces a shortage of affordable housing, and not enough is being constructed to meet increasing demand.  That’s created a problem with “workforce housing”—which allows people to live close to their jobs.  It all adds up to a real threat to economic recovery.

A recent study shows that the average rent for a 2 bedroom apartment in LA County is almost 1800 dollars—300 dollars more than the median household can afford.  With the average cost of a house still 335,000, many families are still priced out of the market.  Comparisons with other cities show that’s preventing economic recovery and driving some businesses out of town.    But that’s not the only problem.  When people can’t live close enough to their jobs, they’re driven to desperate solutions.

Candidates for Mayor claim they’re up on the problem, but how would they solve it?  Could changing Proposition 13 be part of the answer?

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Host:

Warren Olney