Committee approves $135 million Measure A first-year spending plan, asks for equity analysis

The Los Angeles City Housing Committee approved a modified spending plan for the city's first allocation of Measure A funds, authorizing staff to move forward with the proposed allocation and return with additional geographic and equity reporting.

The presentation by Los Angeles Housing Department staff said the plan assigns $135,000,000 to the city and divides it across four primary categories: a preservation/owner-preservation bucket (approximately $47,000,000), a flexible PPO category (approximately $19,800,000), tenant protections/services (about $45,000,000) and technical assistance (roughly $6,500,000). Staff also noted a city administrative allowance of 12.5% under the House rules.

Why it matters: Measure A is a major new local source of housing capital. Councilmembers repeatedly pressed staff on the geographic distribution of funds and whether projects funded by Measure A would predominantly land inside or outside the City jurisdiction. One councilmember said they had seen more than 120 projects under Pathway and only four within the City, and called for the House (Measure A board) to respond to equity concerns.

Program design and pilots: Staff proposed using half of the PPO allocation for new construction in an initial NOFA round while assigning the remainder to preservation and stabilization programs. LHD and partner developers described a proposed $30,000,000 pilot to accelerate new construction and social-housing approaches; developers said many pipeline projects are near construction and the funds could help close early financing gaps but typically require multiple funding sources.

Outcome and next steps: The committee approved the spending plan as modified, asked staff to invite the House to address geography and equity questions, and directed LHD to provide more detailed reporting on fund distribution and NOFA terms. The vote was 4to approve as modified.