Re “Local homeowners wary of proposed law,” May 2 issue

Contrary to your headline, last week’s SB 50 town hall was attended by many renters as well as homeowners, and the crowd (numbering in the hundreds) was not just wary of the proposed law. Most showed deep alarm.

Why all the commotion? Because SB 50 doesn’t just threaten to wipe out single-family neighborhoods and historic zones. It would replace mid-range multi-family housing with dense clusters of small, high-end units designed for speculation, not for living. As Council member [Paul] Koretz noted, instead of one place you can’t afford, there would be four places you can’t afford.

SB 50 takes away virtually all local control over planning and proposes to generate affordable housing by flooding the market with upscale developments. Soviet central planning meets trickle-down Reaganomics. Not the kind of recycling we really need.

Shelley Wagers

Beverly Grove

The state bill, even if it passes and is signed, would still require the approval of the City Council to get a building permit. I wonder where the L.A. Planning Department is, or the Historic Preservation Group [is] in standing up and speaking out?

While we need housing that is affordable, where are the tax incentives for the developer? On the same front, there is a law that says 10% must be for low income individuals, and I have not seen any of the new proposed construction meeting that figure. So, the City Council is not doing their job for the rules they enacted.

There are also developer concessions in exchange for a variance. I have not seen any of the proposed sites listing the “give backs” in order to obtain the variance. Bottom line is, if the council in Los Angeles would enforce the laws they wrote and put on the books, maybe there would be constructive and positive development in the city. It requires everyone affected to stand up and communicate, daily if necessary, to the elected officials reminding them of their obligation and accountability to the people who elected them. Those who remain silent have no one to blame but themselves.

Paul Siman

Los Angeles