OpEd: Erickson deals the developers a big win

At the May 5th city council meeting Item F6 would change the trajectory of West Hollywood, housing, developments, and community processes for years to come.         

Council member Erickson brought forward a proposal that would streamline all developments within the city.    City staff would control the decision making process and new developments could skip over planning commission approvals and community input.  The proposal would allow for city staff approval on developments up to 100 units within a half mile of a transit corridor.  In West Hollywood, that’s almost everything.

The candidate’s John Erickson, Danny Hang, and Chelsea Byers who ran for office as champion’s of ‘renter’s rights’ and to strengthen ‘rent control’ were in lock step to give developers the financial incentive to tear down aging housing stock and almost all the rent-controlled units within the city.   

John Erickson’s sweeping proposal,  would a) change the review authority projects up to 100 units from the Planning Commission to the Director of Community Development,  b) eliminating requirements for a neighborhood meeting,  c) eliminate parking minimums city wide,  d) options for a self-certification for licensed professionals to expedite permits.   

The deliberations began with the its author Council member and State Senate Candidate John Erickson – “I’ve been thinking about this for the last 5 1/2 months.”  In other words, thinking concurrently with his announced bid for the California State Senate.  John is working hard to be the ‘developers candidate’.     

We’ve seen the game plan before.  Lindsey Horvath and the defund the Sheriff vote while she curated her support for County Supervisor.    Sepi Shyne positioning herself as the ‘worker’ candidate pushing the highest minimum wage on West Hollywood business owners in her run for United States Congress.   And now John Erickson, a brilliant politico,  had his deliverable to the developers in his quest to replace Ben Allen as the next California State Senator from the 24th district.  

Erickson began “The urgency of West Hollywood’s housing crisis cannot be understated,  it translates into thousands of people who are unable to afford to live here, or are being displaced from the community that they helped build”. “Its important to be clear eyed about how we got here, for too long our local housing production systems at all levels have been entangled in layers of well meaning but ultimately exclusionary processes.   Discretionary review, duplicative meetings and ever changing project standards have served as tools of obstructionism.”    

Mayor Byer’s, Erickson’s twin Mayor.  (They both share the Mayor’s title on social media) was a sure lock step yes.   Meister was a sure-fire no, and Heilman voting to tear down the system he helped to build?  I couldn’t imagine.   Danny Hang wimped out on his campaign promise to listen to the residents.  His pre-written speech had all the talking points.  “I’m very proud to support this item because its about meaningful steps for one of the biggest issue’s we face – that’s housing.” “behind every delayed project is a person.  every barrier in our process is a missed opportunity to let somebody live in dignity” lets open more doors.”  

Meister said it – “Im really tired of people blaming and putting the burden on West Hollywood when West Hollywood has 18,000 people per square mile, Los Angeles has 8300 people per square mile, Culver City has 8000 people per square mile,  Beverly Hills has 5800 people per square mile,  West Hollywood is not the problem.   We have never been the problem.  We have always provided affordable housing by way of our inclusionary ordinance which require 20% affordable on every new project, without bonuses.”, “To keep putting this on West Hollywood like we are going to save the world, thats ridiculous!”  

“This proposal does not guarantee affordable housing, and what is going to happen is that it is going to incentivize the purchase, the Ellis-ing and demolition of housing that is already affordable.   As others have said there is no protections for existing tenants”.   Meister stated.  

Council member Heilman added: “99 unit building would be approved by the staff and what the use of mailing a postcard after?  ‘the 100 unit threshold is very uncomfortable for me.” “We are cutting the public out of the process and I can’t support that –  A couple of things I hope we can all agree on, how can we go about expediting the approval process, we know that new housing needs to be built, we should make sure the process is as efficient as possible but keeping in mind that governments are not designed to be efficient, we are designed do get public input, designed to look at things from all angles.”   

Melissa Crowder, City Clerk read the motion:   We are moving forward with all the recommendations outlined in the staff report.  Additional direction from UNITE HERE’s comments removing hotels from this process.   Additional direction for amount of housing for mixed use projects, the noticing by units or size of lots, adding back in the pre-meeting that happens and this will be part of the first meeting with the budget sub-committee.  

The item passed 4-1, noting Council member Meister’s NO vote.   The feckless Council member Heilman jointed the majority and stated.   “I do not agree with the number of the specifics in this, but I do support the general idea of making the housing approval process more efficient, and I still have serious concerns about the impacts of this in displacing tenants.   

This ‘deportation’ plan of West Hollywood renters was sent back to staff to develop a formal ordinance.    The city council offered no plan for the displaced residents.   

The developer’s have their boy.  

Footnote:  There are other alternatives including targeted up-zoning or increasing each residential zoning in an even-handed manner, R2 to R3, or R3 to R4. , working with city staff to develop other measures to streamline the approval process and lesson consequences to long term renters.  

 

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Kimberleigh Zolciack
Kimberleigh Zolciack
28 days ago

Every new development needs at least 20 community meetings before anything can happen. Honestly it should be 80. How dare people try to build in West Hollywood!

JF1
JF1
1 month ago

This council is a disgrace. But we get what we voted for. And we voted for the destruction of our city. All the reasons why people want to move here will be destroyed. I’d like to live in Malibu…but i can’t afford it. Anybody working hard to make sure I can afford to live on the beach? They will destroy historical neighborhoods. The three inexperienced, radical, far-left, progressive wackos will destroy this city as they presume their political ambitions. They don’t give a rat’s ass about our city. Heilman, what a joke he turned out to be. He helped built… Read more »

Gimmeabreak
Gimmeabreak
1 month ago
Reply to  JF1

No one who runs to oppose these kinds of candidates will have the money to match what Unite Here will provide, so it’s not looking hopeful going forward. Larry Block and others who ran should have been elected and none of this would be happening. Most voters fill in their ballot with the names that are the most recognizable and they have no clue what the candidates positions are.

fedupwithwehogovernment
fedupwithwehogovernment
1 month ago
Reply to  Gimmeabreak

Then we need to work harder to ensure the public is aware of these candidates and their positions. What is happening to WEHO is unbelievable – so ironic that the leftist position of these council members is the one that supports developers who have nothing but $ on their minds. That relationship should be investigated for sure. The members are spouting off the current tropes, including “affordable housing”, while a very small percentage of these oversized buildings will offer less expensive housing. We will not have FOR YEARS a decent public transportation system here so how can they be given… Read more »

fedupwithwehogovernement
fedupwithwehogovernement
1 month ago

Weho has no housing shortage. A large percentage of the population who voted in this disgrace of a council are complainers who have been living on rent control for 30-40 years. To all of you who voted them in – the world has changed! Every desirable place in the US is more expensive than it was, and Weho is no exception. Unfortunately, the desirability, i.e., charming nature of Weho will now change forever. It will become a city of tacky, cheaply constructed apartment buildings (often in the middle of beautiful residential neighborhoods), which will offer: 1) the least legally required… Read more »

angry gay pope
1 month ago

There is absolutely no way you know that people with rent control vote a certain way. Get over yourself!

Fedupwithwehogovernment
Fedupwithwehogovernment
1 month ago
Reply to  angry gay pope

Who else would vote for these wackos? People who have worked their asses off to purchase property in WEHO only to now have their real estate values decimated by over-sized, unattractive multi-unit properties built in the middle of single and multi-family neighborhoods? I don’t think so.

Graham
Graham
1 month ago

When the truth is the truth they put a target in your back. It takes experience to see the forest through the trees and these kids do not understand what it is like to buy a home in a nice community and have the rug literally pulled out from you.

Shawn Thompson
Shawn Thompson
1 month ago

Weho takes another turn for the worst.

WehoQueen
WehoQueen
1 month ago

Can’t wait to meet the first Wehoan Ellised out, and forced to pay 4 times the price for fair market rent who voted for those 3. And how come the taxpayers who paid for John Erickson’s luxury trip to the Paris Olympics never heard a peep from him about it, nor did we get to see his selfies. Where is Doge when they could actually do some local good.

Angry Gay Pope
1 month ago

Erickson dyed his hair pink while in office. That should tell you something. If he engages in nitwit stunts like that which say “I don’t know who I am” and “Don’t put your trust in me” then we should not be surprised when he does things like this.

BEC
BEC
1 month ago

Excellent Op-Ed! This is truly disgraceful. They MUST be voted out and this developer coup reversed.

Singleguywh
Singleguywh
1 month ago

Larry – so much of this is squarely at your doorstep. Where were you when he was being supported by a PAC that spent more than half a million dollars to get him and his sycophant elected to council – a PAC that purported to be the voice of a labor union, but in fact received significant funds from developers? Some “news” source you run!

Gimmeabreak
Gimmeabreak
1 month ago
Reply to  Singleguywh

Are you kidding me? Larry ran for city council and this publication could not have done more to expose the very thing you say he didn’t.

Uron
Uron
1 month ago

We need to get to work on voting in new council members and reversing this idiotic new law.

:dpb
:dpb
1 month ago

Erickson is selling West Hollywood, piece by piece to developers to finance his senate run. I say we run him out of town. He is a complete turncoat and traitor.

Martha Washington
Martha Washington
1 month ago

The want to be politicians have sold out West Hollywood. I’m not sure if I should vote for Erickson just to get rid of him but he’s as dangerous as Trump.

Kimberleigh Zolciack
Kimberleigh Zolciack
28 days ago

Yeah! Building more housing is the exact same thing as deporting peoploe without due process.