Speakers urge council to defend Measure ULA funding; advocates say the measure has produced housing gains

Multiple public commenters at the City Council’s May 22 meeting urged elected officials to preserve Measure ULA’s funding and opposed proposed amendments or ballot changes they said would weaken a voter‑approved housing revenue stream.

Speakers representing advocacy groups and people with lived experience said ULA’s first years generated substantial revenue and directly supported placements into housing. Jesse, who identified himself as a member of L.A. CAN, told the council Measure ULA ‘‘is working’’ and said it had raised “over one billion dollars” and that the funds helped keep more than 10,000 people housed. Another speaker, Matthew, also representing L.A. CAN, said the city had seen the first drop in homelessness in years and urged councilmembers to reject any amendments that would reduce ULA receipts.

Other commenters warned that a proposed 15‑year construction exemption or carve‑outs for developers would shrink the ULA revenue base and delay permanent housing production. Organizers said the amendment would shift costs away from large developers and toward the city’s ability to produce affordable housing. Speakers posed the potential loss of funding as a public‑health and life‑and‑death question; one commenter said “seven people are already dying every day in our streets.” That claim was not disputed from the podium during the comment period.

Councilmembers did not take final action on Measure ULA during the meeting; the clerk noted motions for posting and referral later in the agenda. The public comment period closed after roughly an hour of remarks on housing and other local topics.