CCA successfully spearheaded efforts to defeat City recommendations that would have, among other things, increased tenant relocation assistance to as much as $17,000 for qualified tenants and $9,000 for all other tenants, regardless of need or length of tenancy. As a result of the lobbying efforts by CCA and other business leaders, the City Council's joint HCED/PLUM Committee unanimously approved an ordinance that ties tenant relocation fees to income and length of tenancy. CCA presented the City with a needs-based plan and actively lobbied key City officials on the importance of changing the way relocation assistance is paid.

In addition, as recommended by CCA,  the ordinance adopted by the Committee ties payment timing to service of the "Notice of Termination." The ordinance approved by the joint Committee will be heard by the full Council on March 28th.

In the weeks leading up to the hearing, CCA staff and members presented CCA's need-based Fair Share Tenant Relocation Plan to the offices of Councilmembers Herb Wesson , Jan Perry , Eric Garcetti , Jose Huizar , Tony Cardenas , Ed Reyes , and Jack Weiss , and to Jane Blumenfeld , Senior Planner at the Los Angeles City Planning Department.

CCA would like to thank members Kate Bartolo from the Kor Group, and chair of the subcommittee on the matter; Tara Bannister from the California Apartment Association; Sheri Bonstelle from Jeffer Mangels ; Cindy Starrett , Marcos Velayos , and Heather Crossner from Latham & Watkins ; Craig Lawson from Craig Lawson and Co., LLC ; Dale Goldsmith from Armbruster & Goldsmith ; Kristen Montet Lonner from Cerrell ; and Daniel Gryczman from Manatt , for all of their time and effort in crafting a needs-based plan to present to the Committee, as well as all the other members and business leaders who helped make this success possible.

While this is a tremendous step forward in the fight for balanced tenant relocation policy, there is more work to do before the full Council vote on the matter. CCA will continue to advocate for a needs-based structure and present the City with a plan to administer needs-assessment.

The Committee also instructed the City Attorney's Office to draft an ordinance that would allow Building and Safety to deny a demolition permit based on vacancy rate and "cumulative effect." CCA will actively monitor this item and continue to lobby to prevent policies that could negatively impact Los Angeles' housing market and economy.