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THE VIEW FROM HERE - The monetization of Los Angeles’ housing has been the major cause of homelessness which costs us and the billions of dollars each year. It is caused the unjustified rise in housing costs which have driven Family Millennials out of the city resulting the city’s losing population. The loss of residents has been particularly dramatic in CD 13 where densification drove out so many people that by 2010 US Census, CD 13 ceased to qualify a legal district. Because a 1925 law required the city to have 15 districts, rather than dissolving CD 13 into the surrounding districts, CD 13 stole portions of Koreatown and of Tom LaBonge’s CD4. Primarily, the north boundary of CD 13 moved north from Hollywood Boulevard to Franklin Ave, which is directly south of the Hollywood Grove HPOZ (HG HPOZ).
Thanks to Tom LaBonge, the portion of original huge Los Feliz HPOZ, the small area along the north side of Franklin Avenue from Western Ave to Canyon Drive and south of Foothill became the Hollywood Grove HPOZ. The State’s Woke-Developer Alliance has targeted single family homes for destruction, and its latest attack has been SB 79, which is poised to destroy Historic Preservation Zones (HPOZs) which are near transit lines.
Higher Housing Costs Makes Money for the City Council
Whenever the Woke-Developer Alliance can destroy a single family home for a multi-story project, property taxes escalate and the city makes a ton more money. The more housing costs are inflated, the greater the property tax on a parcel for the new owners. The sole thing which has saved LA from absolute ruin has been Prop 13.
The Destruction on the Future Middle Class
Wall Street’s backing of the Woke-Developer Alliance monetization of housing prices has driven prices so high that Family Millennials, which is the most vital segment of society, moved out of Los Angeles. Higher prices means higher mortgages for Wall Street. Yet, these titans of industry are too dumb to realize that their monetization caused an exodus from Los Angeles so that the city is losing population and the state is losing representation in the House. Suppose, the Dems had one more member in the House. What will it be like when California loses 5 more seats which will follow Angelenos to the Red States? Wall Street doesn’t care, but Californians should worry.
The Evils of SB 79
SB 79 allows developers to invade HPOZ’s like the Hollywood Grove HPOZ which is located between the Hollywood-Western subway station and the Hollywood-Vine subway station. When an elderly person living on North Wilton in the HPOZ dies, his heirs will want to sell for the highest amount. Developers will pay more for an R-1 lot than a family since the Developer will make a huge project from erecting an multi-unit project in place of single family home. SB 79 overrides the HPOZ ordinance; if a developer wants to build a 3 story project at 1945 North Taft, what’s to stop him?
SB 79 Does Not Override the Earthquake "Zone of Required Investigation"
Structures cannot be built within 50 feet of the fault LINE in the Alquist-Priolo Zone, which requires an investigation for the fault line in a zone 500 feet wide. All of the Hollywood Grove HPOZ falls within Alquist-Priolo Zone (The Hollywood Earthquake Zone) and contrary to what people thought in 2014 when the Millennium Towers ran into trouble for building on top of the fault line, the location of the fault LINE through the HPOZ is unknown.
Although the LA Times interactive map for 2014 placed the fault line as running through 1907 and 1912 North Saint Andrews Place, subsequent seismic testing from 1916 North Saint Andrew Place southward to the other side of the Franklin did not locate the fault Line.
The Role of Water Tables
The seismic drilling for 5600 Franklin found the ground water level between 61 and 63 feet, while north of 1908 North Saint Andrews Place, the ground water level is about 5 to 10 feet, indicating a "fault-bounded aquifer" or a "groundwater dam." In fact, it pools in some of the homes on North Saint Andrews requiring a sump pump. The variation of ground water levels suggests the Hollywood fault might be "blind" (meaning it's pushing the ground up into a fold rather than breaking the surface). Whatever the reason, the location of fault line is unknown, but most likely it’s farther north into the HG HPOZ than previously believed.
SB 79 Does Not Override Mandatory Earthquake Testing
Because more recent seismic testing shows that the Hollywood Earthquake LINE could be anywhere within the boundaries of the Hollywood Grove HPOZ, no project may be approved until the exact location of the LINE has been definitely located or proven to be more than 500 feet from any possible project.
Since the Hollywood Earthquake Zone has several strands and it is not one single connected rupture line, the matter becomes more complicated. Furthermore, lines do not run horizontal. While the water tables along North Saint Andrews suggest that the fault line may be under 1916 to 1932 North Saint Andrews Place making all construction on Saint Andrews north of Franklin Ave illegal, similar water table information is not known for the rest of the Hollywood Grove HPOZ. What is known is that "Zone of Required Investigation” overrides SB 79.
Presently, no one knows the exact location of the Hollywood Earthquake LINE, but it is highly likely that it is within 500 feet of any property of any HG HPOZ on which SB 79 allows construction. The burden to prove otherwise is on the developer.
The last time people relied on the city data about the fault line under the Millennium Towers, head of Building and Safety Raymond Chan insisted there was no danger. In 2014, Raymond Chan was convicted of 12 felony charges including bribery. Others at the City’s DBS had to know about Chan’s concealing of vital data to favor the Millennium Towers developer. Is anyone so naive as to believe that the city has cleaned up its act since The Millennium Towers fiasco?
(Richard Lee Abrams is a former Los Angeles-based attorney, an author, and political commentator. A long-time contributor to CityWatchLA, he is known for his incisive critiques of City Hall and judicial corruption, as well as his analysis of political and constitutional issues. Abrams blends legal insight with historical and philosophical depth to challenge conventional narratives. A passionate defender of civic integrity and transparency, he aims to expose misuse of power and advocate for systemic reform in local government. You may email him at [email protected])
