On Tuesday,  the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors considered important updates to the County’s housing ordinance aimed at increasing affordable housing opportunities.

The proposed ordinance presented by the Los Angeles County Dept. of Regional Planning applies to unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. It makes several updates to local housing regulations, including strengthening protections for existing affordable housing by requiring “like-for-like” replacement housing when affordable units are removed or demolished and broadening eligibility of density bonus projects to include shared housing and residential care for the elderly. 

The ordinance also creates a new “Acutely Low Income” category to better serve residents with the greatest housing need, defined as households earning less than 15% of the Area Median Income.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger introduced an important amendment to the proposed County ordinance to help preserve the quality of life of residents where new housing will be built. The amendment reflects the supervisor’s determination to retain some of the County’s existing density bonus caps – which already exceed the state’s minimums in their current form – rather than adopting proposed higher density bonus percentages. 

Supervisor Barger’s amendment passed 3-2. The board of supervisors then voted unanimously 5-0 on the newly amended ordinance. Next, County counsel will prepare the final ordinance documents for a final vote by the board of supervisors at an upcoming meeting.