VX2020 Special: Housing Unpacked—Who Will Accept the Challenges?
California's response to the homelessness and housing affordability crisis will certainly contribute to defining the state for the generation to come. The issues of homelessness, adequacy of the supply of affordable units, densification and infrastructure, gentrification, and upzoning are all interconnected. The question for policymakers is: what outcomes are intended, and what provisions are included to address unintended consequences? How are cities marshaling and deploying integrated, holistic services to help individuals find housing? What role should the state play in housing, zoning, and local infrastructure investment that can align incentives with community plans? What lessons are being learned from the largest homeless housing voter initiative in history, and what short-term solutions can be deployed in 2020 to provide immediate support?
Moderator:
David Abel, Chairman, VerdeXchange
Panel:
Mark Ridley Thomas, Supervisor, District 2, LA County Board of Supervisors
Zev Yaroslavsky, Director, LA Initiative, UCLA Luskin School of Public Policy & Fmr. LA Couty Supervisor, District 3
Kerry Cavanaugh, Editorial Writer, LA Times
Alisa Orduña, Senior Advisor on Homelessness, City of Santa Monica