Lee's HHH Motion Rejected By LA Council Homelessness Committee

CHATSWORTH, CA — Members of the Los Angeles City Council Homelessness and Poverty Committee voted unanimously Thursday to drop CD12 Councilmember John Lee’s motion to rescind HHH funding from a proposed housing development for the homeless and veterans in Chatsworth. The controversial project, many years in the making, is expected to break ground in late 2021.

Even Councilmember Kevin de Leon, who co-sponsored Lee’s motion, ultimately voted against it. The broader Los Angeles City Council will now decide whether or not to take up the motion.

Lee’s motion called for Council to rescind $7 million of HHH funding allocated to a 55-unit development for homeless housing located at 10243 Topanga Canyon Boulevard. Lee said that he did not have adequate time to confer with the developer about the project, and as a result it is too tall, too close to a school, and does not provide enough parking, among other concerns shared by many of his constituents. He also argued that he could build housing that would be built faster, cost less, and house more people.

“Fears that this sends a message that every project trying to leverage funding are not warranted, because those projects have the councilmembers’ commitment and also partnership,” Lee said during Thursday’s meeting. “Because they were allowed the time to work together. I was not given that opportunity. I have objected to this location since the beginning, and despite my repeated offers to work with this developer to find a new site, they have turned me down. I can build something that provides more beds, at a cheaper cost, and faster than the project before you today.”

CD14 Councilmember Kevin de Leon, who co-sponsored Lee’s motion, asked the committee to consider giving Lee time to return to the committee with a specific alternative proposal. He later made a motion to delay the vote 60 days while Lee works out an alternative. CD14 Councilmember Joe Buscaino said he supported that idea.

“If we can get something that’s a little bit more concrete, a little bit more substantive, with regards to a potential developer that would establish more units faster and more expensive, and I would make a suggestion, is perhaps not move forward with this vote until the next hearing, engage with the specific developers with the disputable project,” he said. “If Project X is not gonna happen, what is the alternative, and do you have something that’s viable and real, and if you do, that’s something we can definitely explore moving forward, but I don’t know if we’re there at this moment.”

Committee Chair, CD10 Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas, said that he is afraid of setting a precedent for denying already approved funds on a project many years in the making.

“It seems to me that which is requested of the committee compounds a series of problems, exacerbates the issue that we need to ameliorate, and while I appreciate the concerns articulated by Councilmember Lee, I do not believe that clawing back a commitment is in the best interest of the city from a liability perspective, from a fiduciary perspective, nor do I feel that it is consistent with the claims that this council has repeatedly about moving forward on affordable housing,” Ridley-Thomas said.

The city attorney’s office shared a confidential memo with committee members on the legality of rescinding HHH funds, but they are not able to disclose its contents.

Ridley-Thomas also rejected De Leon’s suggestion, saying that “time is not our friend in the process” and “30 becomes 60, 60 becomes 90, and we are in the middle of a crisis.”

Councilmembers Nithya Raman, CD4, and Monica Rodriguez, CD7, both said that securing HHH funds is an overly onerous process that should be reformed, but that because the Lumina project has already come so far in a difficult process, it should not be abandoned.

“I know that this project hasn’t started construction yet, but the amount of investment that the developers have already put into getting us to this place where the project can break ground is certainly part of the process we need to reform, but it cannot be understated how much time and effort has already gone into it, and I think to discount that and to say we haven’t broken ground, to me ignores how much work and effort has already been put in, and how far along the process is already,” Raman said.

Public commenters on the item mostly sided against Lee’s proposal, although only a fraction of the people in the queue were able to voice their opinions.

“[Lee] has done everything possible to stall, delay, and sabotage any kind of housing project in our district. You’ve already from providers of HHH housing how this motion threatens the public-private partnerships for all HHH housing moving forward, so once again John Lee is not only abdicating his responsibility to provide housing, he’s actively hurting the efforts,” one CD12 resident said. Seven other callers voiced similar opinions.

Lee recently pushed back against claims like these in a letter to the Los Angeles Times. “Since taking office in 2019, I have supported the creation of nearly 300 beds to help persons experiencing homelessness in my district, some of which are already operational today,” he wrote. “In the same manner as other elected officials and community leaders have demanded, my motion on city funding for one particular project in Chatsworth calls for accountability for how we spend precious public funds and ensure we have the best possible projects as quickly as possible.”

One caller joined Lee in arguing that the project was rushed. “I’m speaking in support of passing our Councilmember John Lee’s motion, specifically because due to a fast-tracking of this and other HHH projects, a critically needed environmental impact report was waived. This single action causes safety risks to school children crossing in crosswalks immediately next to this project and 10 other schools inthe area, while upset drivers detour off of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and De Soto Boulevard to avoid major traffic delays that will occur every day of the work week during the two to three-year time slated for construction,” the caller said.

See also:

Lee Backs Motion To Rescind Funds For Proposed Homeless Housing | Northridge, CA Patch
Skateland Rink Closes, Will Be Renamed Trebek Center | Northridge, CA Patch
Lee Answers Questions On Proposed Homeless Hotel | Northridge, CA Patch