Mike Feuer

Homelessness

“On my first day as Mayor, I'll declare a Homelessness State of Emergency to cut through red tape and implement swift and decisive solutions.” – MIKE FEUER

THE CHALLENGE

Solving the homeless crisis in L.A.

There are at least 41,000 people experiencing homelessness in our city, nearly 30,000 of whom have no shelter on a given night. Our homelessness emergency is the result of an acute lack of affordable housing, joblessness and underemployment, a failed mental health system, substance abuse fueled by the opioid and methamphetamine epidemic, a legacy of systemic racism, domestic abuse, and many other factors. It touches every neighborhood. Tackling this crisis requires a balanced approach that leads with humanity, housing, and services and ensures that our public spaces are safe and accessible to everyone.

SOLUTION #1

Declare a State of Emergency on homelessness

As Mayor, my goal will be to make shelter available for all by the end of my first term. I will approach homelessness as the emergency it is. On day one, I will declare a Homelessness State of Emergency so I can do the most possible to implement swift and decisive solutions. To streamline this effort, I will appoint and empower a high-level point person on homelessness, who will report directly to me. This key leader will coordinate the efforts of every City department and work across jurisdictional lines to implement an urgent and cohesive response to this crisis.

SOLUTION #2

Expand public-private partnerships and empower a Strike Team to expedite housing construction

I will convene community stakeholders—L.A.’s largest companies, philanthropies, banks, and others—to expand private investments in homeless and affordable housing, building on successful projects that have relied on pools of revolving private capital to quickly create cost-effective units. I will empower a City Hall Homeless and Affordable Housing Strike Team that will expedite the construction of temporary shelters and permanent supportive housing, and I will make general managers’ tenures contingent on success.

“I will continue to champion the fastest and most cost-effective housing options for people experiencing homelessness.” – MIKE FEUER

In addition, I will continue to champion the fastest and most cost-effective housing options for people experiencing homelessness, including converting existing motel rooms into longer-term homeless housing through initiatives like Project Homekey, because those units can be occupied faster and at a lower cost than building from the ground up. I will pursue the construction of prefabricated homes and lead efforts to have them manufactured right here in Los Angeles. I will advocate for additional state and federal resources to fund permanent supportive housing, and partner with social service providers to create a more efficient pathway to that housing.

SOLUTION #3

Find creative ways to expand immediate homeless housing options

Even though we must focus our efforts on developing the permanent supportive housing that people experiencing homelessness need, we must also offer short-term solutions to address the immediate crisis on our streets. That’s why I will drastically expand temporary housing. As Mayor, I will seek federal support to secure more beds in local motel and hotel rooms for people experiencing homelessness through the extension of Project Roomkey. I will lead efforts to explore and implement a wide range of solutions, from villages of tiny houses to 3-D printed units to networks of sprung shelters. Further, I will take steps to improve the city and county’s rapid rehousing programs to maximize the use of short-term rental vouchers that temporarily support individuals while they get back on their feet and look for full-time employment. By urgently pursuing every option for temporary shelter, I will work to reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness by thousands each year.

SOLUTION #4

Rethink our outreach and services strategy for people experiencing homelessness

Because our immediate objective must be to save lives by quickly transitioning people experiencing homelessness into housing with appropriate services, our outreach strategy must improve. Outreach workers still do not have hand-held devices showing all available beds on a given night. They frequently overlap and often do not coordinate effectively. They often lack accountability for meaningful outcomes for individuals, focusing instead on geographic areas. And too often, outreach strategies have failed to focus on moving people experiencing homelessness into shelter as quickly as possible. We need to do better. The streets are no place for our unhoused neighbors to live, and our outreach strategy needs to reflect that. We must focus on urgently moving Angelenos off the streets and into housing that is safe and equipped with the services they need. Following repeated offers of such housing, a person experiencing homelessness should have a clear “choice date,” after which they are no longer permitted to remain where they have been encamped. And our public parks—essential for everyone’s recreation and enjoyment in a park-poor city—should be off-limits to encampments in the first place. As Mayor, I will ensure a unified outreach strategy that achieves the most important measurable outcome—diminishing the number of people on our streets relegated to homelessness.

“The streets are no place for our unhoused neighbors to live, and our outreach strategy needs to reflect that.” – MIKE FEUER

At the same time, we must improve the quality and effectiveness of the services we offer to people experiencing homelessness. People experiencing homelessness require more than just shelter. They often need access to physical and mental health services, substance abuse rehabilitation, legal counsel to help them remove outstanding fines or citations, or professional guidance when applying for public benefits. It’s imperative that these services address the needs of the whole person. As Mayor, I will promote programs that treat physical and mental health and help unhoused Angelenos become productive members of their communities. An example is the "Trieste model" that has been proposed for Hollywood, which would not only focus on traditional physical and mental health treatment, but also help individuals establish meaningful community connections, process experiences of trauma and inequity, and pursue employment. I will also work to dramatically expand deployment of teams of mental health experts, nurses, and housing navigators to homeless encampments to speed up the transition of people into shelters and help them get back on their feet. And I will lead a much deeper collaboration between the County, which operates mental health and substance abuse services, and the City, which sites and pays to construct housing.

SOLUTION #5

Keep families on the verge of homelessness in their homes

Early intervention is one of the best strategies for reducing chronic homelessness. What’s more, a targeted one-time intervention of just $1,500 is 99.5% effective at preventing someone from newly falling into homelessness. As Mayor, I will sustain and expand a robust emergency relief fund for individuals at risk of experiencing homelessness or who have become homeless in the last 90 days. By collecting and organizing valuable data and directing one-time, small-dollar interventions to those who need it most, we can prevent thousands of people from becoming homeless every year.

SOLUTION #6 Treat homelessness as an issue of joblessness and lack of income, not simply a lack of housing

As Mayor, I will work with public and private sector actors, non-profit groups, and labor organizations to develop and support vocational, career-technical and job training programs that not only prepare people experiencing homelessness to succeed in the workforce, but also connect them with prospective employers so they have a job lined up and a guaranteed source of income after they complete their training.

I have a proven track record of protecting and advocating for our homeless neighbors

I’ve long advocated for more focused leadership on homelessness and am proud that my work to prevent people from experiencing homeless, intervene when they do and protect vulnerable Angelenos has been recognized by the Weingart Center for the Homeless, the Inner City Law Center, the Los Angeles Coalition to End Hunger and Homelessness, the California Lawyer Magazine, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles and others. Under my leadership as L.A. City Attorney, my office started the Los Angeles Diversion, Outreach, and Opportunities for Recovery (LA DOOR) program. This health-centered outreach program seeks to support individuals struggling with substance abuse in under-served communities by: 1) sending a mobile team of trained experts to provide field-based housing and health services to those in need and 2) offering a pre-booking diversion pathway to treatment in lieu of prosecution for those with misdemeanor drug-related arrests. With a similar goal in mind, we also created the Homeless Engagement and Response Team (HEART) that helps Angelenos experiencing homelessness resolve and remove low-level infractions such as fines, warrants and citations from their records in exchange for using the services and resources available to them through the program. Moreover, I led efforts to combat the dumping of homeless patients on Skid Row and elsewhere, obtaining millions in penalties and changing discharge practices to prevent others from being victimized.

“We created the Homeless Engagement and Response Team (HEART) that helps Angelenos experiencing homelessness resolve and remove low-level infractions such as fines, warrants and citations from their records.” – MIKE FEUER

Additionally, my office partnered with the Los Angeles court system to eliminate nearly two million stale citations against indigent, predominantly homeless people that were impeding their access to housing, jobs, and other essential services. Similarly, we created Clean Slate, a program that connects low-level, non-violent homeless offenders to services, and a program with the Public Defender to direct mentally ill defendants, the majority of whom are experiencing homelessness, away from the criminal justice system and into social service programs.

As a member of the California Legislature, I wrote the Sargent Shriver Civil Counsel Act, preventing tenants throughout the state from being evicted by expanding access to free legal services. And, earlier in my career, I served as the Executive Director of Bet Tzedek, the House of Justice, which assisted more than 50,000 clients during my tenure, including people experiencing or on the verge of homelessness. Under my leadership, Bet Tzedek assisted vulnerable seniors and families in homeless shelters across Los Angeles from Westwood to Bell.

Every human being is entitled to live with dignity. Each of us deserves a decent place to live. As Mayor, I’ll fight to ensure every Angeleno has a roof of their head and a place they can call home, in a City where all residents can safely share our common spaces.

Affordable Housing

“As Mayor, I will make it a priority to build more affordable housing units, using every available tool and resource at my disposal.” – MIKE FEUER

THE CHALLENGE

Building an L.A. that accommodates everyone

L.A. is not building enough housing for our growing population. Over the past five years, the L.A. metro area has built just one housing unit for every 3.2 jobs created—meaning it is building 44% more slowly, per person, than the United States as a whole. As a city, Los Angeles has not done nearly enough to build new affordable housing or to preserve what we have. Less than 10% of our new housing in recent years has been affordable. What’s even more concerning is that covenants that currently keep thousands of housing units affordable will expire in the next few years. L.A. is now hundreds of thousands of housing units short, making our city less affordable, less livable, and less sustainable.

Most kids who grow up in L.A. won’t be able to afford a house here—or in all too many instances, even an apartment. More than half of renters in L.A. County are rent-burdened, spending over 30% of their income on rent, which threatens to tip even more Angelenos into homelessness. L.A. now has the highest rate of people living in overcrowded housing of any city in America. Employers are unable to recruit sufficient workers because housing costs are so much higher here than in cities with which we compete. More and more Angelenos have been forced into overcrowded apartments or out of L.A. altogether because of high housing costs; many now commute hours each day into the city for work. As housing sprawl balloons, so does traffic–increasing our greenhouse gas emissions and making it harder to meet our climate goals.

For L.A. to be a vibrant, diverse, welcoming place to work and raise a family, we need to make it possible for everyone to live here—not just the wealthy. That demands smart and tenacious leadership dedicated to making housing in our city more affordable. As Mayor, I will take bold action to produce more housing, preserve the affordable housing we have, and protect renters struggling to make ends meet.

“As Mayor, I will take bold action to produce more affordable housing, preserve the affordable housing we have, and protect renters struggling to make ends meet.” - MIKE FEUER

SOLUTION #1

Accelerate Affordable Housing Construction

To reduce the time and expense of siting and constructing these units, I will empower a City Hall Homeless and Affordable Housing Strike Team– made up of experts from each of the 10 City Departments that play a role in housing projects— to work across departmental and jurisdictional lines to speed up every aspect of the process. These 10 General Managers will conduct frequent, transparent meetings to identify and fix anything impeding the development of affordable housing, including interdepartmental conflicts and misaligned regulations, protocols and innovations. I will mandate concrete goals for decreasing the time it takes to get this housing approved and department managers’ tenures will be tied to the success of this effort.

SOLUTION #2

Expand the Transit-Oriented Communities Program

In 2016, Angelenos voted to approve Measure JJJ, which created the “Transit-Oriented Communities” (TOC) program to incentive housing development near public transit. The program has been a success, helping nearly 30,000 new housing units see the light of day. But we can, and should, do more. As Mayor, I will lead efforts to expand and improve the TOC program to help create more housing along L.A.’s transit-rich corridors.

The TOC program is a tier-based program to incentivize affordable housing in residential projects within half a mile of certain transit stops. If a housing development project qualifies for TOC incentives, it can be built with more density and reduced parking, which allows more housing units to be built on a given plot of land. In exchange, the development must set aside units for low-income households. The TOC program is a great tool to increase housing exactly where it is needed: in transit-rich, walkable parts of town, close to job centers.

As Mayor, I will work to strengthen and expand the TOC incentives to help create even more affordable housing in transit-rich areas of the city. My administration will seek to expand the areas in which TOC incentives apply. For example, I will pursue allowing TOC incentives for housing developments that are close to a single rapid-transit bus stop (rather than only stops where two buses intersect). I will also work to extend the distances from public transit stops in which certain TOC density bonuses apply. Analysis of TOC-eligible sites shows that there are stretches of many more commercial corridors that can and should support housing. Many are close to retail and other ser vices. Further, I will work to fast-track inspection and approval for projects using TOC incentives, and explore making TOC incentives ministerial, rather than discretionary. And I will work to make this program permanent. (Otherwise, it will sunset in 2026.)

SOLUTION #3

Convert Underutilized Office Buildings into Housing

I will expedite efforts to convert underutilized office buildings into both low-income and middle-class housing. Many commercial tenants who vacated office buildings during the pandemic will never return or will use significantly less office space, in favor of telecommuting and hybrid work environments. Rather than lay vacant, all or parts of these buildings should be repurposed and transformed into long-term affordable housing units. I support expanding the concept of “adaptive reuse” to the greatest extent possible, so we can streamline the process of converting these buildings into housing. In order to make this successful, I will task my City Hall Homeless and Affordable Housing Strike Team with expediting these efforts.

“I will invest in and financially support a robust emergency fund for renters who are on the precipice of homelessness.” - MIKE FEUER

SOLUTION #4

Remove Regulatory Barriers to Housing Construction

L.A.’s housing shortage is due in part to outdated and unproductive land use policies that were made for a different era. As Mayor, I will pursue fundamental reforms to our land use process to eliminate barriers to housing production and reduce the time and cost of approvals. Among other things, I will explore expanding by-right approval for certain types of affordable housing developments (along with appropriate fee waivers); eliminating the discretionary site plan review process for developments with 100 or fewer units (rather than 50 or fewer); reducing minimum-parking requirements within a short distance of major transit corridors; and relaxing transitional height requirements and other design regulations which stymie housing development in commercial corridors. I will also explore zoning changes that allow “co-housing” developments—residential buildings in which tenants share common spaces, like kitchens—in areas where multifamily housing is already permitted, if affordability thresholds are met. Co-housing can be a great alternative housing option, particularly for our seniors, who benefit from the communal experience and for whom kitchens can be a hazard.

SOLUTION #5

Build Affordable Housing on Underused Public School Sites

Los Angeles is home to many public school sites whose land is not being fully used. That should change. As Mayor, I will work with LAUSD to create affordable housing for teachers, staff and families experiencing housing insecurity at underused public school sites. By reducing or eliminating the cost of land from the equation, underused public school sites can be turned into affordable housing at a far low cost than other locations.

SOLUTION #6

Advance ADU Experiments

Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) can be a cost-effective and fast way to build affordable housing. As Mayor, I’ll promote experiments that place ADUs in backyards at no cost to owners, devote them to people formerly experiencing homelessness, transfer monthly payments to homeowners, and give the homeowners ownership of the ADUs after a period of time. This can be a win-win-win proposition: formerly homeless Angelenos can get back on their feet, homeowners can supplement their incomes and eventually take ownership of new assets without any outlay of personal capital, and we can make an affordable, permanent addition to the housing stock in L.A.

SOLUTION #7

Streamline Modular Housing Construction

I will work to incentivize and streamline the construction of modular, prefabricated or 3-D printed housing. These units can be built much more quickly and inexpensively than traditional housing, making it easier for us to meet affordability goals. I will strive to have these units manufactured right here in Los Angeles, creating well-paying jobs for local workers as well as the affordable housing needed to keep Angelenos off the streets.

SOLUTION #8

Preserve and Protect Existing Affordable Housing

It’s imperative that we preserve what we already have. My administration will take advantage of all available financial resources so that the City can purchase existing rental housing units and cap rents at reasonable levels. I will make use of new state bonds to fund the acquisition of middle-class housing and work to expand an L.A. Housing Authority program so that we can assume control of “naturally occurring affordable housing”—housing that isn’t protected by an affordability covenant but has remained affordable to middle or lower-income renters—and keep it that way.

I will also work with federal leaders to dramatically increase the availability of Housing Choice Vouchers (“Section 8”) that help lower-income families remain in their homes or move to higher-opportunity neighborhoods. The Section 8 program is currently underfunded, meaning that over 75% of rent-burdened households that qualify for assistance nationwide don’t receive it. I’ll advocate strongly to make sure all households that need vouchers receive them, and work to expand the number of landlords who will accept these Housing Choice Vouchers.

SOLUTION #9

Help Protect Residents from Gentrification

Building new housing units shouldn’t come at the expense of existing residents. Community land trusts vest ownership of land in a mission-driven organization, like a non-profit, which leases or sells buildings on the land to residents with the explicit goal of keeping the housing affordable. By separating ownership of the land from rental or ownership of the buildings, and by keeping ownership of the land in a non-profit, CLTs can keep housing more affordable for the long term. As Mayor, I’ll use my powers to promote the formation of community land trusts to make housing more affordable and accessible. These community land trusts can aggregate properties and make housing more affordable while reducing gentrification.

SOLUTION #10

Safeguard Tenants and Help Families Stay in Their Homes

While we’re growing the supply of affordable and supportive housing, I will remain laser-focused on protecting renters who find themselves struggling to stay in their current homes. That means investing in and financially supporting a robust emergency fund for renters who are on the precipice of homelessness to help them pay their bills and keep a roof over their heads. I will also support expanding access to legal counsel in eviction proceedings for renters in L.A.

Community Safety

“We need to expand our depleted police force while embracing efforts to reform law enforcement to keep our neighbors—and our neighborhoods—safe.” – MIKE FEUER

Mike Feuer’s Plan to Fix L.A. Neighborhood Safety

Escalating gun violence, brazen smash and grab burglaries, follow-home robberies, unsafe conditions for transit riders—all have put L.A. residents on edge. The next Mayor must work to prevent crime and restore safety to our neighborhoods—that’s the City’s number one obligation.

Los Angeles is the most under-policed major city in America. I will work with LAPD leadership to immediately get more sworn officers out from behind desks and on to our streets, where they can better protect and serve Los Angeles neighborhoods. We also need to expand our depleted police force to 10,000 diverse officers and reject calls to defund law enforcement.

And to be effective over the long term, our public safety commitments must go even further. A sustainable public safety agenda requires reforms in how we police to ensure a well-trained, diverse police force whose officers de-escalate confrontations whenever possible and earn the trust and respect of the neighborhoods they serve; increasing the use of closed-circuit cameras in high-crime locations; a criminal justice system that protects the public by holding suspects in custody who present a danger to others; results-focused prosecution that holds offenders accountable, reduces repeat offenses and turns offenders’ lives around; a neighborhood-based problem-solving strategy; and an array of community investments that have shown success in preventing violence and crime and improving neighborhood quality of life.

The path forward compels action on all these fronts at once—repudiating polarizing claims that police are the enemy or that advancing bold community-based programming is soft on crime.

I’ve made community safety a top priority from my days as Vice-Chair of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee to my current role as City Attorney. My public safety platform as Mayor includes:

SOLUTION #1

Expanding the police force to 10,000 sworn officers, emphasizing diversity that reflects Los Angeles.

Our police force once approached 10,000 but has declined substantially since. While even at 10,000, the number of LAPD officers, per capita, would still lag far behind other cities like New York or Chicago, an increased police presence can play an important role in deterring crime, improving response times, and giving the Department added flexibility to address crime hot spots.

SOLUTION #2

Enacting further policing reforms.

• Deepening ties between the LAPD and the communities it serves.It’s essential to provide the police with the resources they need, and it’s fundamental that our communities trust our officers and that those officers are guardians of the communities they serve. I have worked to implement true community-based policing throughout my career—creating LAPD substations in neighborhoods in my City Council district 25 years ago. As Mayor, I’ll expand the Community Safety Partnership Bureau within the LAPD—assigning officers to serve communities in multi-year stints so they can build trust and understanding—and transition more officers to this deeply community-centered policing model. We will also empower neighborhoods, so they too have a greater voice in how to reduce crime and expand prevention programs that work for their specific needs.
• Redefining the core functions of law enforcement and expanding crisis intervention teams. More than 90% of calls to LAPD involve non-violent incidents, and in many cases do not require an armed response. As Mayor, I will expand Crisis Response Teams composed of trained social workers and mental health professionals to be first responders to non-violent incidents, such as contacts with mentally ill people experiencing homelessness.
• Investing in training to de-escalate violence and use of force. As Mayor I will devote resources to additional training of LAPD officers to de-escalate conflict and reduce instances where the use of force is necessary.
• Making police stations user-friendly to the public. As Mayor, I will establish a police station civilian ambassador program. Ambassadors will serve as guides to assist the public to obtain timely and helpful assistance in what can be a stressful and confusing experience.

“As Mayor, I will establish Crisis Response Teams that will serve as first responders to non-violent incidents.” - MIKE FEUER

SOLUTION #3

Reforming the Bail System.

Recent smash and grab burglaries, follow home robberies, auto theft, and organized theft from drug and retail stores compel us to ensure that dangerous criminals aren’t being arrested and immediately returned to the street.

In response to the pandemic, the court system imposed a $0 bail schedule for most crimes. But that approach can come at the expense of public safety.

The Court should eliminate $0 bail on crimes that have become disturbingly prevalent: organized theft from drug and retail stores; commercial burglaries; and auto theft. Suspects should be held in jail or restricted by monitored ankle bracelets, home detention, or both—not released to the street—until a risk assessment reveals they do not pose a danger to the community.

Otherwise, the message to those who would commit these offenses is that they can do so with impunity. And the message that a $0 bail sends to a public already on edge is chilling.

To be clear: follow-home robberies we’ve seen reported in the news recently are already an exception to $0 bail. The legend of $0 bail must not mislead anyone into thinking if they commit a follow home robbery today, they will be released tonight. They won’t.

“I've been one of the nation's leaders on combating gun violence.” - MIKE FEUER

SOLUTION #4

Expanding the use of closed-circuit cameras to protect the public.

L.A. should significantly expand the deployment of closed-circuit television cameras in high-crime public places and ensure oversight and transparency in how these cameras are used. There are 270,000 such cameras in use across the nation, but L.A. lags far behind other major cities, from Atlanta to Philadelphia to Denver, in per capita deployment. Effectively placed cameras can help deter and solve crime.

SOLUTION #5

Advancing criminal justice programs that hold offenders accountable and reduce recidivism.

Individuals who commit crime must be accountable for their actions. Victims need to be heard and to heal. Neighborhoods need to be restored. And we need to reduce criminal recidivism, the repeat offenses that make us all less safe. As City Attorney, I have led the way with restorative justice, including a program, Neighborhood Justice, that has practically eliminated repeat offenses among its thousands of participants and turned lives around. It has a mere 5% recidivism rate.

SOLUTION #6

Investing in community-based programming to prevent violence.

There is a growing body of evidence that a robust network of community-based programs can have a long-term impact on community safety. With $5 billion in new federal resources in President Biden’s Build Back Better legislation, L.A. will have an opportunity to make major new investments in violence prevention, interruption and intervention programs. There are promising new models on which to build, like Readi/Chicago, which include everything from cognitive rehabilitation to job training.

SOLUTION #7

Establishing Mayor’s Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.

As Mayor, I’ll continue my career-long leadership to prevent gun violence, creating a Mayor’s Gun Violence Prevention Task Force that brings together officials from across relevant city departments to develop and implement solutions in conjunction with community stakeholders. And because violence-induced trauma can have lasting impacts on childhood brain development, I will develop projects to intervene early with kids in communities where violence is all-too-common, building on the program I started in the City Attorney’s Office.

SOLUTION #8

Cleaning up trash and blight and illuminating darkened passages that invite crime.

Studies have shown that when communities are cleaned up, crime goes down. I have pledged to create one million additional hours of neighborhood cleanup and beautification each year—200 more hours per week in every one of L.A’s neighborhoods— and employ people experiencing homelessness, among others, to get the job done.

SOLUTION #9

Strengthening neighborhood-based problem solving.

As Mayor I will continue my neighborhood-based approach to problem-solving, establishing the Mayor’s Neighborhood Solutions Program, bringing together neighborhood Mayoral deputies with relevant Neighborhood Prosecutors, Council representatives, staff from departments ranging from sanitation to street services to Gang Reduction and Youth Development and others to assess key community problems and develop solutions by collaborating across bureaucratic lines.

SOLUTION #10

Expanding After-School and Job Training Programs.

In addition to expanding after-school programs, I will develop public-private partner- ships with business, labor, universities, community colleges and the LAUSD to expand job training and apprenticeship programs that increase graduation rates and work to give young people economic and career opportunities. Father Gregory Boyle, who heads Homeboy Industries, famously noted, “Nothing stops a bullet like a job.”

SOLUTION #11

Galvanizing major private sector investment in underserved communities.

True public safety goes far beyond addressing crimes after they occur. It means preventing crime in the first place. That’s why, as Mayor, I will aggressively pursue new levels of private investment in good jobs, access to health care, quality educational opportunities, childcare, after-school programs, recreation, and nutritious food in underserved neighborhoods.

Sustainability

“As Mayor, I will push to have LADWP generate 100% of its power from clean energy sources by 2035.” – MIKE FEUER

THE CHALLENGE

Tackling climate change and building a greener future for L.A.

Climate change is the most pressing challenge the world faces over the coming decades, and while the problem is global, the consequences will be felt locally. L.A. already is facing higher temperatures, more smog, more frequent wildfires, disruptions to our water supply, power outages, and rising sea levels. Like all cities, L.A. also plays a role in contributing to climate change, through auto emissions, electricity production, and manufacturing. We have a profound interest in reducing our contributions to climate change, and a responsibility to do so. Under my leadership, we will build a greener L.A.

SOLUTION #1

Los Angeles’ sunshine is world-famous. It is time the City ran on it.

Over a quarter of our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions come from burning fossil fuels for electricity production. The Mayor of Los Angeles has a powerful tool to reduce these emissions: the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). Supplying power to nearly every L.A. household, it is the biggest municipal utility in the country and is run by a board appointed by the City’s mayor. With solar and wind power costs dropping and new battery technology emerging, I will push to have LADWP generate 100% of its power from clean energy sources by 2035—by investing in clean energy across L.A.’s communities.

As Mayor, I will also work to identify opportunities for community solar projects, particularly for disadvantaged neighborhoods, providing a clean, cheap, and reliable source of power. I’ll expedite the local power grid modernization efforts already underway, with the aim of building the country’s most advanced “smart grid.” I’ll also work to increase the percentage of energy that LADWP gets from locally distributed energy, by creating or expanding financial incentives to develop locally-generated renewable energy, like rooftop solar and battery storage. Together, these initiatives will reduce power outages, allow us to use energy more efficiently, and reduce our carbon dioxide emissions—all while saving Angelenos money on their electricity bills in the long run.

“We have a profound interest in reducing our contributions to climate change, and a responsibility to do so.” - MIKE FEUER

SOLUTION #2

Reduce transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions

Cars and trucks account for a third of greenhouse gas emissions in the City. As Mayor, I will modernize and expand our public transit infrastructure, create more protected bike and scooter lanes, and invest in improved charging infrastructure for electric vehicles across L.A.

SOLUTION #3

Clean & Green Los Angeles

Our land-use decisions need to reflect our commitment to sustainability. This means more “greening” of city-owned property – widely installing rooftop solar panels, reducing water use, capturing rainwater runoff, and using energy-efficient lighting and technology. It also means ensuring new construction projects support a greener L.A. by decreasing sprawl and long car commutes. As Mayor, I will promote development that brings housing closer to public transit. And, I’ll prioritize investing in green public spaces, including along the L.A. River. I will also extend and expand the City’s tree-planting program, which provides carbon-absorbing, shade-providing trees so that all of our residents – particularly lower-income communities – have access to green spaces.

SOLUTION #4

Conserve Water and Source It Locally

My administration will focus on conserving our water and sourcing it locally. Currently, L.A. imports over 80% of its water. Importing water involves substantial energy use – by one estimate, nearly one-fifth of California’s electricity use comes from transporting, heating, and treating water. Reducing water use and sourcing more of it locally will cut wasteful electricity use, make our water supply more resilient to natural disasters, and make scarce water resources available to other states and cities. My administration will put us on track to source 75% of L.A.’s water locally by 2035 – ahead of current goals. I’ll also work to continue building infrastructure to increase local stormwater capture and institute programs to reduce per-capita water use.

“My administration will put us on track to source 75% of L.A.’s water locally by 2035 – ahead of current goals.” - MIKE FEUER

As Mayor, I’ll make Los Angeles an international leader in environmental protection.

I’ve long been a leader in making our City and state greener and more sustainable, winning awards from the state and local chapters of the Sierra Club, the California League of Conservation Voters, the Planning and Conservation League, the Los Angeles Sustainability Collaborative, local water districts, and others.

In the California State Assembly, I authored what was the nation’s most comprehensive state legislation to protect the public from dangerous chemicals in products. I also wrote landmark urban water conservation legislation that mandated major reductions in per capita water use. And, I wrote California’s law authorizing Measure R to go to the ballot, generating more than $30 billion for public transit in L.A. County and thousands of jobs.

As City Attorney, I sued and successfully resolved a lawsuit against SoCalGas over the Aliso Canyon gas leak; brought cutting-edge environmental protections to an underserved community in a lawsuit against Allenco Oil; sued and obtained a restraining order against a scrap metal recycler that was the source of dangerous shards of metal that fell onto a South Los Angeles school next door; and played a key role in resolving the decades-long dispute with Owens Valley, a victory which saves vast quantities of water and protects air quality. On the City Council, I played a leading role in securing funds to create parkland in the Santa Monica Mountains, “greened” a portion of the L.A. River, and led City efforts to persuade the County’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority to purchase natural gas-powered buses, among other successful measures.

COVID Recovery

“As Mayor, I will ensure that City resources and services reach those who need them most as L.A. recovers from this pandemic.” – MIKE FEUER

THE CHALLENGE

Leading L.A. to recover quickly, safely, and equitably

The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a public health and economic crisis for Los Angeles—a crisis that will continue to affect the City when the next Mayor takes office. More than ever, we’ll need a leader who can utilize all of the City’s resources to address this enormous challenge. During my 30 years in public service, I’ve built relationships at all levels of government. I am a proven leader with the necessary experience to ensure that resources and services reach those who need them most as L.A. recovers and emerges from this pandemic as a more equitable city that works for everyone.

SOLUTION #1

Secure additional funding to support Angelenos in financial distress

Unemployment in Los Angeles has more than doubled since the beginning of the pandemic. Nearly 900,000 adults in the County suffer from food insecurity, and between 15-30% of renters cannot pay their rent. This puts more than 350,000 households at risk of homelessness when the eviction moratorium lifts. Addressing these crises requires local, state, and federal resources, which I will advocate for as your next Mayor. I will sustain and expand the emergency aid offered through the City’s Emergency Renters Assistance Subsidy program and the Angeleno Card for L.A.’s poorest residents.

SOLUTION #2

Direct more resources to underserved communities

COVID-19 exacerbated the long-standing inequities that have plagued Los Angeles. Job losses throughout the State, including in our own community, have disproportionately affected workers of color, with a jobless rate of 22% for Black workers and 26% for Latino workers. Black and Latino renters also disproportionately face the risk of homelessness once eviction moratoria are lifted. We have a moral imperative to protect our most vulnerable residents. As Mayor, I will ensure that public relief and resources are prioritized and directed toward the communities that have been hardest hit in this crisis. In addition, I will create public-private partnerships that invest in L.A.’s most underserved communities. Equity will be at the heart of all of my policy efforts.

“As Mayor, I will ensure that public relief and resources are prioritized and directed toward the communities that have been hardest hit in this crisis.” - MIKE FEUER

SOLUTION #3

Lead an Economic Resurgence in L.A.

L.A.’s next Mayor needs to be riveted on rebuilding our local economy, attracting job-creating business to Los Angeles, helping lift up our battered small businesses, developing a more prepared workforce and creating strategies to spur economic growth. I will create an Economic Development Cabinet, charged with creating business growth and job creation. I will appoint a top-level Deputy who reports directly to me as a full-time resource to support existing small businesses (including assisting with the City’s contracting and procurement processes) and help establish new businesses. I will make L.A. a hub of the new green economy, and work to attract new green manufacturing to Los Angeles, partnering with the education system, labor and others to assure a well-trained workforce.

I’ve done my part as City Attorney and throughout my career. As Mayor, I can do much more.

“During the pandemic, I defended our most vulnerable residents from fraud and abuse.” - MIKE FEUER

During the pandemic, I defended our most vulnerable residents from fraud and abuse. When COVID-19 struck, as L.A. City Attorney I successfully led my office’s prosecution of fake test kits and fraudulent preventions and cures, stopping them again and again. I targeted price gouging, both online and in brick-and-mortar stores. I was among the first officials in the nation to convene a virtual community event on hate crimes against Asian-Americans, providing key leadership on preventing these incidents, holding perpetrators accountable, and supporting victims. I also created a program with the LAUSD, Grocers Association, and the District Attorney to get key information to victims of domestic abuse trapped at home with their abusers. I sued to protect nursing home patients that were allegedly unlawfully discharged during the pandemic, obtaining penalties and sweeping reforms.

As the next Mayor of Los Angeles, I will do everything in my power to help our residents recover and build a stronger, more equitable community.

Jobs and the Economy

“L.A.’s vitality and financial health depend on the recovery of our small business community, which has been hit so hard during the pandemic.” – MIKE FEUER

THE CHALLENGE

Creating More Well-Paying Jobs, Spurring Small Business Recovery After the Pandemic, Establishing L.A. As the Hub of the Green Economy, And Boosting Other Key Economic Sectors

L.A.’s vitality and financial health depend on the recovery of our small business community, which has been hit so hard during the pandemic. Los Angeles’s employment rate lags behind the State’s, with tens of thousands of workers unprepared to participate in an increasingly digital economy. At the same time, our City should be at the center of the emerging Green Economy, which could spur dramatic job growth and wealth in Los Angeles. With so much at stake at this pivotal moment, L.A.’s next Mayor needs to be adept at leading in each of these areas, spearheading efforts to attract and retain good jobs for our City’s workforce.

SOLUTION #1

Phase Out the Business Tax

The City’s business tax is not based on profit. It is based on gross receipts, and therefore unrelated to a business’s ability to pay it. As Mayor I will phase out the gross receipts tax to help those businesses already in L.A. thrive and to attract businesses that otherwise might site in neighboring cities to come to L.A., and bring job opportunities with them.

SOLUTION #2

Elevate Small Business Recovery at City Hall

I appreciate the challenges confronting small businesses. All my grandparents worked long hours in them, either as owners or employees. It’s hard enough to make a small business succeed in normal times. But the pandemic dealt a harsh blow to L.A.’s current generation of small businesses. During COVID, I convened virtual panels of small business owners, so I could listen to how City Hall could best help spur their recovery. More than once I heard, “You’re the first person to ask us.”

That will change in my administration. I will appoint a top-level Deputy in the Mayor’s Office to be a full-time resource to our existing small businesses, and to facilitate the siting of new small businesses in L.A. When a business contacts my Deputy for Small Business, they will get an answer—not a transfer. If a retail store owner needs help completing a business tax form, we’ll help them—not refer them to a website for instructions. If a community bicycle store wants to add a repair training program for local youth, my Office will help the store apply for grants and loans. We’ll re-evaluate the City’s contracting and procurement processes, to make it easier for small local companies to provide goods and services—and, importantly, ensure they are paid on time. We’ll connect small businesses to each other, enabling them to learn from one another and benefit from best practices. And we will adopt a comprehensive review of the fees small businesses pay (in addition to the gross receipts tax, discussed above), with an eye toward suspending or eliminating any that are not absolutely necessary for core city functions.

“I will phase out the gross receipts tax to help those businesses already in L.A. thrive and to attract businesses” – MIKE FEUER

SOLUTION #3

Establish an Economic Development Cabinet

I will establish and assemble an Economic Development Cabinet, charged with creating business growth and job creation. This Cabinet will include the heads of Planning, Building and Safety, Office of Economic Development, Office of Finance, Port, Airport, DWP, HCID, Transportation, Street Services, Convention Center, Cultural Affairs, the Deputy for Small Business and representatives from the private business community.

I will convene weekly sessions with the Cabinet, assessing the ever-changing economic climate of the City, and developing strategies to spur economic growth. This Cabinet and I will hold Town Hall meetings in our many business districts, focusing on how the City can assist by minimizing regulatory barriers and connecting to resources, and obtaining ideas for how the City can most effectively spur economic growth, including working aggressively to attract and retain large businesses headquartered in Los Angeles.

And I will establish collaborations among the region’s major colleges and universities to assess the L.A. economy and develop targeted initiatives that build on the strengths of these institutions, from substantive efforts in emerging areas such as nanotechnology and robotics to serving as catalysts for local start-ups.

SOLUTION #4

Make L.A. a Hub of the Emerging Green Economy

L.A. is well-positioned to be at the center of the new green economy. Building on the innovations spurred by local entrepreneurs, research and development by our many leading colleges and universities, major federal infrastructure funding, and new collaborations with organized labor, our City can take the lead in dramatically expanding solar technology and installations; upgrading water systems, delivery and conservation; reducing waste; greening supply chains; creating sustainable products; upgrading transportation systems; decreasing pollution and much more.

As Mayor, I will make building L.A.’s green economy a central focus of my administration. I will convene a Green Economy Summit focused on supercharging those efforts.

“We’ll re-evaluate the City’s contracting and procurement processes, to make it easier for small local companies to provide goods and services—and, importantly, ensure they are paid on time. ” – MIKE FEUER

SOLUTION #5

Bolster Tourism and Hospitality

One in seven jobs in the L.A. region has been in the tourism and hospitality industries, making the success of these industries absolutely crucial to our economic recovery. While these sectors were particularly hard hit by the pandemic, there is pent-up demand, and they are poised to come roaring back as our economy continues to open up. My Administration will build on the work of the Los Angeles Tourism Cabinet to develop additional marketing strategies and create new L.A.-based discount programs to inspire tourists to travel and spend here.

SOLUTION #6

Regular Mayoral Roundtable with Entertainment Industry Leaders

With stiff competition from locations throughout North America, we need to do more to enhance our position as the entertainment capital of the world. As Mayor, I will meet regularly with entertainment industry leaders to collaborate on ways the City can create the conditions for the industry’s success, from ensuring an educated pipeline of young talent prepared to enter all facets of the industry workforce to further enhancing permit fast-tracking, and much more.

“On the City Council, I authored the measure eliminating business tax for the first, most risky year of a new small businesses siting in L.A.” – MIKE FEUER

SOLUTION #7

Preparing Our Workforce for What Lies Ahead

The digital economy holds great promise, and I will continue L.A.’s momentum toward being a national leader in the technology sector. But the digital economy also threatens to leave behind many experienced workers who lack the skills to compete. And the digital divide threatens to leave many of L.A.’s students behind as they emerge from school and seek job opportunities. At the same time, there are many sectors poised for growth, such as construction, that do not require these skills and for which L.A. has an insufficient number of well-trained workers.

As Mayor, I will lead a multi-pronged effort to address these challenges. I will appoint an Education Innovation Officer to help spur a transformation in how the LAUSD prepares students to enter the new economy. I will convene with leaders of the Community College system to frame curricula around emerging economic sectors, so we can attract and retain businesses dependent on a well-trained workforce. I will partner with organized labor on dramatic new job readiness and apprenticeship programs. In all these efforts I will make equity a central focus, ensuring access to education and training for students and workers from underserved communities.

In addition, to open up doors to students who lack exposure to practical work experience, I will work with business community leaders to create at least 10,000 new paid internship opportunities for underserved students during each year of my Administration.

My track record demonstrates I can make it happen

Throughout my career I’ve been a leader on creating jobs, assisting small businesses and promoting economic development, winning recognition from the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, the Encino Chamber of Commerce, the LAX/Coastal Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club of Century City and others.

As City Attorney, I established the office’s first liaison to the business community, spearheaded the creation of a job readiness and training program, worked successfully to stop unfair practices that undermine businesses who play by the rules, and dramatically expanded the Neighborhood Prosecutor program, which works closely with businesses, among other stakeholders, to tackle priority public safety issues.

On the City Council, I authored the measure eliminating business tax for the first, most risky year of a new small businesses siting in L.A. I supported the development of Business Improvement Districts in my City Council district.

As a member of the California Assembly I was asked by Assembly Speaker to co-lead a legislative effort to fund access to capital and training for small businesses throughout California during the Great Recession. I also created job fairs for unemployed workers in Los Angeles.

When I led Bet Tzedek, I created a program to assist small businesses which had suffered during the 1992 civil unrest, and created a similar program for small businesses and residents adversely affected by the Northridge Earthquake. ^[7]