How did an ‘implausible’ claim about jobs created by LA’s ‘mansion tax’ get cited by watchdogs? Read the emails I unearthed through a public records request for this @laist.com story:

Gov. Newsom has signed a law clarifying that landlords must clean debris from fires and other disasters. State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez said the bill was driven by tenant complaints and @laist.com's reporting on confusion over post-Eaton fire clean-up.

Gov. Newsom just signed SB 79, allowing denser housing near transit lines. I'm re-posting my previous @laist.com story on how to find out if this major bill could bring new kinds of housing to your L.A. neighborhood.

Hoping to boost new housing, cities across California have considered building code changes to let apartment buildings have just one staircase. But only Culver City has passed that guarantee. Why did L.A. miss a key deadline? Find out in my @laist.com story:

The days of L.A. landlords telling renters to bring their own fridge are numbered. Here's my @laist.com story on the bill Gov. Newsom just signed requiring working refrigerators in California rental housing.

L.A.'s notorious refrigerator-less apartments will soon be illegal. Gov. Newsom just signed AB 628, a bill requiring all landlords to provide tenants with a working fridge and stove starting next year. Here's my previous @laist.com story on this bill: laist.com/news/housing...

I'll be joining LAist's Airtalk at 10:05 a.m. to discuss a new attempt at changing L.A. rent control limits. The caps on annual rent hikes cover 42% of the city's households. They haven't been updated in 40 years. Tune in! 89.3 FM or LAist.com/listen

L.A.'s rent control formula hasn't been updated in 40 years. Now, the city council is discussing reforms that could lower annual rent hikes from the current maximum of 10% to 5%... or less if tenant advocates prevail. Get the full story at @laist.com:

Would California’s big new housing bill affect your LA neighborhood? Use this map to find out.

Almost 8.5 months after the Eaton Fire, L.A. County has now agreed to enforce toxic ash cleanup standards in Altadena as part of a legal settlement with tenants announced this week. A case against Pasadena is ongoing. Get the details in my @laist.com story:

First for the pandemic. Then for fires. Next, for ICE raids? L.A. County considers reviving COVID-era eviction policy to aid immigrant renters. Details in my @laist.com story:

Following an uproar about plans for denser housing in areas rebuilding from fires, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass banned duplexes in the Pacific Palisades. But in Altadena, county leaders are taking a different approach. Find out why in my @laist.com story:

Well that fizzled fast... State lawmakers have now shelved their efforts to reform L.A.'s "mansion tax." Mayor Bass said she asked State Senators to hold off and introduce an amended version of the bill next year. Details in my @laist.com story:

BREAKING: California lawmakers are out with plans for new limits on the city of L.A.'s hotly debated "mansion tax." This comes as signatures are being gathered for a potential 2026 ballot measure to throw out the tax. Get the details in my @laist.com story: laist.com/news/housing...

L.A.'s lead provider of legal aid for struggling renters is now being audited by the L.A. City Attorney's Office. The increased scrutiny comes after Hydee Feldstein Soto rejected a new contract for city-funded eviction defense and rent relief. My @laist.com story has details:

Some renters displaced by the Eaton Fire still haven't returned to their homes, because their landlords haven't removed toxic ash. Now, more than seven months after the fire, L.A. County says it will order landlords to clean Altadena apartments. Details in my @laist.com story:

For @laist.com, Elly Yu reports on a troubling trend: Even as L.A. makes some progress on sheltering unhoused adults, the region is failing to stem the rise of homelessness among families with kids. laist.com/news/educati...

How many additional homes should be allowed in Altadena and the Palisades as homeowners start to rebuild? Gov. Newsom plans to let L.A. suspend a state law allowing duplexes to replace single-family homes in burn zones. Get the details in my @laist.com story:

After federal immigration raids, L.A. families are losing income and struggling to make rent. So far, cities have relied on private donors to fund cash assistance programs. Some renter advocates say local governments should dig deeper to help. Read my @laist.com story for more:

Despite thousands of listings that appear to have illegally raised rents since the January fires, L.A. County prosecutors have yet to file any charges. Now, county leaders want a new approach to enforcement: fines of up to $1,000 per day. Read our @laist.com story for details:

“It's a real breach of trust when servicers have raised this expectation of giving certain disaster relief and then they're not offering it at a moment where these homeowners really don't need any more stress.” laist.com/news/housing... via @laist.com #housing+ #urbanism+ #urbanism

After the L.A. fires, hundreds of mortgage companies said they would pause monthly payments for homeowners who lost everything. They promised to give people time to recover. But some are now demanding borrowers pay up — or risk losing their properties. My story for @laist.com:

L.A. County has extended a ban on rent gouging after the January fires. Limits were set to expire July 1 under an order from Gov. Newsom. Now they'll last through July 31. Tenant advocates say they're still seeing 100s of illegal listings every week. More in my @laist.com story:

“This could have the result of increasing homelessness for entire families.” laist.com/news/housing... Via: @laist.com #housing+ #urbanism+ #urbanism

Legal aid for thousands of L.A. renters is at risk of vanishing on June 30, tenant advocates say, because City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto is refusing to sign a contract approved by the City Council and the Mayor. Get the details in my story for @laist.com:

Trump’s mass deportation efforts are colliding with L.A.’s housing crisis. With breadwinners detained and workplaces shutting down due to fear of more raids, immigrant workers and their families tell @laist.com they're not sure how they'll pay next month's rent.

Should developers in car-centric Los Angeles be allowed to build new apartments anywhere in the city with zero on-site parking? Some L.A. City Council members think so. My @laist.com story looks at a new motion considering an end to parking requirements city-wide:

New rent hike caps of up to 5% will take effect in most L.A. apartments on July 1... unless City Council votes on a long-pending proposal to lower the limit to 2%. Find out where your council member stands on the city's rent control rules in my new @laist.com story:

When landlords refused to clean up toxic ash from the Eaton Fire, renters were told their only option was to hire a lawyer and go to court. Now, tenants are suing L.A. County and the city of Pasadena for allegedly failing to enforce safe housing standards. My @laist.com story has the details:

Facing a nearly $1 billion deficit, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass released a budget proposal this week calling for an 80% drop in city financing of new affordable housing. My @laist.com story unpacks the city's pessimistic outlook for getting more housing built.

You get a call from the L.A. County Department of Health Services telling you their AI has identified you as being at risk for homelessness, and they want to offer you resources to prevent that. Do you think it’s a scam? A lot of people do, and it’s a problem. laist.com/news/housing...

Undercover tests reveal Southern California landlords are still turning away tenants using Section 8 vouchers, five years after state law made such discrimination illegal. My @laist.com story breaks down the results of recent fair housing testing.

L.A.'s "mansion tax" took effect 2 years ago. It funds tenant protections and subsidizes new low-income apartments. But a new @rand.org and @uclalewiscenter.bsky.social study finds the city would have more affordable housing if the tax exempted new apartments. My @laist.com story breaks it down.

L.A. County is using AI to find people on the brink of homelessness. But in order to keep people housed, outreach workers first need to convince them the program isn't a scam. My @laist.com story on the delicate art of cold calling and winning the trust of vulnerable Angelenos:

JUST IN: A new audit finds L.A.'s 2021 law against tenant harassment has resulted in more than 11,000 complaints, but only 4 citations. Nearly three-quarters of surveyed tenants say landlords kept harassing them after the city closed their case. More in my @laist.com story:

L.A.'s City Council just passed a "Right To Counsel," providing free lawyers to low-income renters facing eviction. But it'll be years before the city has enough money — and enough attorneys — to give every eligible renter full representation. My @laist.com story has the details:

When I moved to L.A. back in 2010 my one-bedroom apartment had a parking space but no fridge. The apartment building manager when I asked about it: "We only provide the essentials."

Many apartments in Los Angeles come with no fridge. It's long been one of the weird quirks of renting in L.A. But the days of landlords expecting renters to bring their own fridge could soon be over. My @laist.com story on a new bill to ban BYO-fridge:

L.A. County voters recently decided to double a sales tax that funds homeless services. So why are some programs that prevent people from falling into homelessness now facing budget cuts? My @laist.com story goes into the details:

Fewer staircases, more homes? A new L.A. City Council proposal aims to end requirements for multiple staircases in mid-sized apartment buildings. Advocates say it could lead to bigger units for young families. My @laist.com story has the details:

The L.A. fires coated homes in toxic ash. For weeks, tenants and landlords sought guidance on who's responsible for decontaminating apartments. City officials initially said tenants were responsible. Now they've told @LAist.com clean-up is a landlord's job:

After the fires, tenants in Altadena are facing rent hikes, unclear plans for ash clean-up and lease terminations. The area isn't known for renter organizing. But some are now joining the new Altadena Tenants Union. I interviewed the organizers for @laist.com:

Two vacation real estate company executives allegedly raised the rent on a Hermosa Beach home by 36% after last month's fires, according to new criminal charges filed by the California Attorney General's office. Get the details in my @laist.com story:

After a month of delays and intense debate, the Los Angeles City Council has voted down a plan that would have given gardeners, nannies and other workers who lost income in the fires new protections from eviction. Get the details in my @laist.com story:

The head of L.A.'s homeless services agency told @laist.com she was recused from any business having to do with her husband's employer. But Nick Gerda and I found she signed taxpayer agreements, including one $2.1 million contract, with the service provider where her husband is a senior staffer.

Some L.A. landlords refuse to clean up toxic ash from last month's fires. Pasadena officials say the city's building code doesn't cover the ash, which could contain lead, asbestos and arsenic. For this @laist.com story, I interviewed renters left in limbo.

The Los Angeles City Council has again delayed a vote on new eviction protections for tenants who lost jobs in the fires. My @laist.com story gets into the heated debate splitting the council, and bringing landlords and tenants out to City Hall in droves.

JUST IN: A Glendale real estate agent is facing price gouging charges for allegedly offering a home to a family displaced by the Eaton Fire for more than 50% above listed rent. The agent denies the accusation. It's the 2nd L.A. rent gouging case filed so far. My @laist.com story:

Homes in L.A. were still smoldering when Zillow rents started to spike. Volunteer rent gouging sleuths quickly started tracking the data. They found 1,343 listings that appear to have broken the law. My @laist.com story is the first to report on their findings.

Anecdotally, many L.A. landlords seem to think that accepting high offers from people displaced by fires does not count as price gouging. Today, the AG's office clarified: Even in a bidding war, charging more than 10% above pre-fire rates is illegal. oag.ca.gov/news/press-r...