Here’s a wonderful example of Los Angeles city government at work. The city wants to close a disused pedestrian tunnel under Sunset in Silver Lake which has become a cesspool of graffiti, litter, etc. LA anticipates the cost of doing so will be $160,000. I guarantee a private contractor could close the thing up for $80k … Continue reading “A little bit of government waste”
Category: City government
More NIMBYism in Hollywoord
Here’s a ridiculous example of NIMBYism ruining our city. You ought to be able to build lots of apartments in already-dense areas on major commercial streets near subway stations. If you can’t build them there, where should you be able to build them? And, if someone wants to an answer “nowhere”, then that person has to be honest … Continue reading “More NIMBYism in Hollywoord”
Clean up MacArthur Park!
Here in LA, we’re not exactly over-supplied with parkland. So it’s particularly galling that MacArthur Park, one of the true gems of the city, is in such an appalling state. It’s surrounded by dilapidated buildings, covered in garbage, and overflowing with illegal vendors and people sleeping rough. Yes, the area around MacArthur Park is a … Continue reading “Clean up MacArthur Park!”
Why the rent is so damn high
Someone asked me yesterday why the rent in LA is so damn high. Figured it would make an interesting post for the blog, so here goes: Demand for close-in apartments in all major cities is growing due to: Demographics, eg more people in the prime rental age range of, says, 22-35; and A society-wide shift … Continue reading “Why the rent is so damn high”
In defense of micro-units
Just read a fairly irritating article over at Curbed LA regarding “micro-units”, which are generally defined as apartments smaller than 400 sq ft. The tone of the article is pretty negative. The blogger (whose work I generally like) spends a lot of time emphasizing how small 400 sq ft is. Micro-units are part of the … Continue reading “In defense of micro-units”
San Francisco’s Proposition J: A really bad idea
Every time I get discouraged about city government in LA, I can depend on San Francisco to do something so crazy as to make LA look like it’s run by philosopher kings (or Michael Bloomberg; same thing). To wit, here’s an absolutely crazy proposition being put to the San Francisco voters: “Proposition J would create … Continue reading “San Francisco’s Proposition J: A really bad idea”
From the local government desk, Franz Kafka reporting
Thought I’d relate a story today about the insanity of local government. We recently purchased a building which we intend to totally renovate. Due to the age of the building, the number of people who live there and lack of attention by the previous owner, there is a vermin problem in the building. The county … Continue reading “From the local government desk, Franz Kafka reporting”
An off the wall idea for housing the homeless
Have been doing some more thinking about homelessness in LA and want to share an idea. Let’s assume that LA accepts responsibility to house anyone within its borders who finds himself without a home. In a perfect world, where the city had unlimited money and land, the simplest solution would be to build housing for these … Continue reading “An off the wall idea for housing the homeless”
One simple thing LA could do to reduce homelessness
Yesterday, the LA City Council declared a “state of emergency” regarding homelessness and pledged to spend $100MM to help ameliorate the problem. As you might imagine, I have plenty to say about how the city handles homelessness in general and about this plan in particular. But today I want to focus on one particular aspect … Continue reading “One simple thing LA could do to reduce homelessness”
Why LA public schools matter to landlords
Today’s LA Times notes that the LA Unified School District (LAUD) is close to hiring a search firm to take over the job of finding our next superintendent. Wondering why I’m discussing this on a multifamily real estate blog? Well, I’m thinking about long-term tenant demand. Right now, the vast majority of new tenants moving … Continue reading “Why LA public schools matter to landlords”