Hey all!
I hope you all are having a lovely Friday!
Hopefully, many of you were able to make use of the election notes from this past week. I wanted to pass along a message that James Yu, from West LA, put out to those who attended our meeting. I thought it was a good note and thought some of you might appreciate it:
Now that the polls have closed, we have a chance to look back at how housing advocates fared during the primaries.
Unfortunately, the answer is: not great.
On the local level, pro-housing candidates finished a distant last in 3-out-of-8 city council races, as well as the city attorney’s race. While there was some progress on the state level, we can expect the fight for housing in Los Angeles to be challenging in the coming years, as elected officials shore up the status quo.
Many have tried to explain the reasons behind Tuesday’s results (rising crime rates, backlash against progressives, the felt impact of homeless encampments), but the simplest explanation lies in the data: very few people voted in this election.
Out of 6 million registered voters in LA County, a mere 822,000 (or 14.45%) cast a ballot. In some working-class areas, that number was far smaller. For example, in Council District 9, where pro-housing candidate Dulce Vasquez was defeated by incumbent Curren Price, the total number of votes cast was only 6,500. That’s only 7.5% of all registered voters in that district!
All this reinforces the key takeaway from our meeting: local politics is where the Church has the potential to do the most good, but our impact is curtailed by widespread apathy and low engagement.
The spirit is willing, but the voters feel unempowered.
When you see this data, it should give you a sense of hope and opportunity. As Thomas puts it convincingly in his latest newsletter, we are not outnumbered by an army of anti-housing advocates in diehard opposition to change. There is openness on both the right and the left end of the political spectrum to the idea that our city needs better housing policy. However, our greatest challenge is the vast field of millions of undecideds—Ji’s so-called “uninformed voters” bloc—who are waiting to be persuaded that participating in local politics can practically make their lives better. The harvest is indeed plentiful.
As I say this, I’m encouraged by the words of Elisha in 2 Kings 6, when he was surrounded by an enemy army that seemed numerically superior. Rather than give into despair, the prophet saw through the Lord’s eyes and boldly declared, “do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
We are grateful that you all stepped out in faith and joined us for this info session. Even if the results weren’t what you desired, our prayer is that you left with the conviction that your vote matters far more than you can imagine. Join us again in November for the general election, and make sure to invite a friend!
Summer Housing Small Group
This summer, we have an excellent opportunity: we are doing a small group focused on the topic of housing and the bible and doing so jointly with our sister church at West LA!
The lack of affordable housing in Los Angeles is a massive crisis with severe physical and spiritual implications for us as believers. Join us to learn about God’s heart for housing throughout Scripture and the unique strengths that Christians can bring to this fight.
This life group will meet via a hybrid model. The first meeting will be held at New Life Community Church on June 30th, starting with an optional BBQ kick-off at 6 PM. The next three meetings will be via Zoom, ending with a final in-person gathering on the Westside (location TBD).
Key Housing Bills
The California legislature is resuming its work this week, with crucial housing bills coming up in committee. I briefly discussed some of these in a previous update:
They could all use our support! You can send an email using the following links:
AB 2011: This would increase the ability to build housing (especially 100% affordable housing) in commercial corridors in the state
SB 886: this would streamline approvals of student housing (avoiding CEQA Review) as I wrote about in March
But the potentially most impactful of these is AB 2097, which would eliminate parking minimums across highly transit-accessible areas around California. It would be one of the most potentially beneficial programs we have to accelerate housing that is affordable to low-income Californians. I wrote about last month:
The bill is up for a vote in committee next Wednesday Morning. Two LA-area senators are on the committee, Hertzberg in the San Fernando Valley and Maria Durazo (who represents almost all of the Eastside and Downtown). It would be great to call Durazo’s office before next Wednesday morning and voice your support. I made a quick script you all are more than welcome to copy (I find it makes me less nervous to call with something already written out):
Or, if that is too high a bar, please send an email:
Thank you so much, and as always, please let me know if you have questions or want to talk at more length!