Last Updated on November 18, 2020 by BVN
In summary
Do not let the progressives crowd out the voices of Black elected officials who recently rejected the rationale of market-rate up-zoning.
By Isaiah Madison, South Los Angeles
Isaiah Madison is a board member of Livable California and a neighborhood council member in South Los Angeles.
Re “Los Angeles is ready for single-family zoning reform”; Commentary, Nov. 13, 2020
This commentary is yet another attempt by leftist to conflate market-rate housing production with sorely-needed welfare.
The historic motives for single-family zoning are irrelevant to assisting Black people suffering from poverty today. The studies cited clarify the issue; youth in low-income areas lack the investment early in life to compete in the labor and housing market. Thus, economist Raj Chetty’s dream of expanding the marketplace is not a viable solution to the racial wealth gap as there is no money to make significant housing investments like Measure J.
Additionally, the recent defeat of Proposition 15 provides little hope for future funding. Do not let the Black Lives Matter yard signs that dot the progressive white enclaves of Santa Monica, West Hollywood and Silverlake crowd out the voices of Black elected officials in South Los Angeles who recently rejected the rationale that market-rate up-zoning is a tool for racial justice.