Councilmember presses ballot fixes to ULA; council refers proposals after heated public comment
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Summary
Councilmember Grama urged June-ballot amendments to Measure ULA—technical fixes, a one-time Palisades-fire exemption and a 15-year post-construction exemption for new multifamily/commercial buildings—saying ULA has slowed housing production; unions, tenant groups and residents urged the council to preserve the voter-approved measure. The council withdrew objections and sent the matter to committee for further review.
Councilmember Grama on Tuesday sought to put narrow changes to Measure ULA before voters in June, saying the voter-approved transfer tax has produced more than $1 billion but is also slowing larger multifamily development and must be fixed to avoid undermining long-term housing goals.
"Measure ULA is one of the most consequential housing policies Los Angeles voters have ever approved," Grama said, laying out a package that would include a one-time exemption for victims of the Pacific Palisades fires, technical fixes to speed distribution by the housing department, and a 15-year exemption after a multifamily or commercial building first comes online. Grama cited the city’s data showing a decline in permits "a 27% drop" since the tax took effect and argued the tax disincentivizes investment in larger buildings needed to address the housing shortage.
The proposal prompted immediate procedural and policy pushback. Councilmembers and members of the public called for a committee process rather than rushing changes onto the ballot. Councilmember Sotomayor Martinez said the public deserves "an open and transparent conversation" and criticized last-minute backroom handling of the motion.
Public-comment speakers were sharply divided. Tenant groups, labor unions and advocates urged the council to resist amendments. Maura O'Neil of Better Neighbors LA warned that a vacation-rental component in a related budget item would "resurrect the vacation rental ordinance" and increase short-term rentals, and several speakers from labor (including United Teachers Los Angeles and Unite Here Local 11) said ULA is critical to preventing homelessness and funding affordable-housing programs. Other commenters and some housing advocates supported careful, narrowly drawn reforms to reduce costs for multifamily development while protecting the measure’s revenue.
After a procedural exchange about Rule 16, the council withdrew an objection and sent the measure to the Housing and Homeless Committee for further review and stakeholder vetting. No final ballot language was adopted at the meeting; the council asked that the committee process and public input continue before any ballot placement.
What happens next: The council formally referred the matter to committee for more study and public engagement. Committee review will determine whether the council returns proposed language for a future vote about placing amendments on the June ballot.
