Committee approves PY52 consolidated plan with added guardrails on HOME-funded interim housing

The committee voted to note and file the mayor's Program Year 52 Consolidated Plan for federal grants and adopt the CLA's recommendations as amended to require the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD) to report to the council on any specific property acquisition before the council approves new construction or preservation funded in the plan.

The CLA's presentation, delivered by David Wimsatt, said the report recommends allocations for four federal grants — the Emergency Solutions Grant, HOPWA, HOME (Home Investments Partnership), and Community Development Block Grant — and that HUD provided actual grant totals allowing the council to approve the mayor's proposed amounts. Wimsatt noted the CDBG public‑service cap that had been waived after the 2025 wildfires is back in effect for PY52 and described a list of priority projects and recommended reprogramming strategies for additional projects.

Why it matters: Councilmembers pressed the CLA on whether HOME funds could be used to acquire properties for interim or transitional housing and on the fiscal and programmatic implications of doing so. Wimsatt said the CLA's review found HOME funds can be used for transitional housing in ways that generally conform to federal definitions, but that transitional housing can impose higher ongoing costs than long‑term affordable housing. He said the timeline for converting an acquisition to interim/transitional housing could be roughly "About 24 months" and that "around 100" units might be expected from properties under review, subject to habitability and accessibility work and other constraints.

Councilmember Rodriguez pushed for tighter preapproval oversight and raised cost concerns, saying, "we need to get the hell out of the Alliance," and criticizing proposals with very high per‑unit acquisition and operating costs (he referenced a figure described in the hearing as "$1 million a door" for a Venice proposal). Rodriguez successfully moved an amendment to add specific reporting and Alliance‑compliance instructions (captured in instruction 17 of the report) requiring LAHD to present details on any property it proposes to acquire before council approval of the budget item. Wimsatt told the committee that instruction 17 would require LAHD to present the actual property details for council review.

The committee adopted the report as amended. Recorded votes in the transcript show Councilmember Soto Martinez voted yes; Councilmember Nazarian was absent; Councilmember Hidalgo voted yes; Councilmember Rodriguez voted aye; Councilmember Padilla was absent. The clerk announced the item approved as amended.

The committee also heard the CLA caution that while HOME funds may be an eligible financing source for time‑limited transitional housing, the city should account up front for higher operating costs and other obligations associated with acquisitions and transitional projects. Wimsatt recommended LAHD present specific acquisition properties and cost estimates before the council acts on new construction or preservation items.

Next steps: The amendment directs LAHD to report back with property‑level information and analysis (instruction 17) before the council authorizes new acquisitions or preservation actions in the plan. The council will receive LAHD's report for review before any related budget items proceed to the full council.