Instructions: To support the petition, please fill in your first name, last name, and email. Hit the “SIGN NOW” button to have your signed petition sent to LA City decisionmakers! We request that you allow to remain filled in the “Opt In” to our email list since this issue is a lively one at City Council and we will most likely need updated petitions to keep pace with the City’s latest proposed changes. This is a defining moment for Sawtelle.

535 apartments are in the process of being built in Sawtelle without parking. Many of these are incentivized by the Affordable Housing Streamlining Ordinance (AHSO)¹, formerly Mayor Karen Bass’s Executive Directive 1 (ED1) signature policy that fast-tracks the approval and permitting for 100% affordable housing and emergency shelter projects that do NOT require parking. However, AHSO exempts all single unit lots, R1s, which account for 70% of residential property in L.A. So, R2s are bearing the load for all low-density sites across the City of L.A. to meet the state’s mandate. This is NOT a “FAIR share”, and leaves communities like Sawtelle to bear the brutal brunt of the load — without parking.

Per Mayor Bass’s original order, AHSO not only exempts R1s, but also Westwood Village, Central City West, Echo Park, North University Park, parts of South and Southeast Los Angeles, West Adams, and San Pedro. All of this further restricts the small areas, especially those on the Westside, to bear virtually all of the state-mandated housing load, on narrow, interior streets.

This petition demands a more equitable and rational distribution of affordable housing projects. This means big buildings on big streets where at least some parking is viable.

¹AHSO is part of the Affordable Housing Incentives Program, which does NOT apply to R1 properties nor to any of the above listed sub-areas. To learn more about the Citywide Housing Incentives Program, click here or directly on the City’s website here.

Dear Councilwoman Park and Mayor Bass,

535 Apartments are coming to Sawtelle Japantown with NO Parking.

Many of these new buildings are incentivized by Mayor Karen Bass’s Affordable Housing Streamlining Ordinance (formerly ED1) signature policy that fast-tracks the approval and permitting process for 100% affordable housing and emergency shelter projects that do NOT require parking.

R1, single-unit, lots are strictly excluded from ED1 eligibility, INCLUDING those on arterial thoroughfares.

Mayor Bass announced revisions on July 1, 2024 to ‘promote geographic EQUITY and DISTRIBUTE affordable housing citywide’—to protect the 70% Citywide majority R1s.

R2, duplex lots, in the interior of Sawtelle Japantown, nestled among non-arterial streets, are caught in a parking crisis created by the increasing numbers of overwhelmingly large apartment complexes.

Proposed housing on arterial streets can accommodate parking—BUT LOTS ON SMALLER STREETS CANNOT.

Owning a car in Sawtelle Japantown has now become a privilege reserved for the ‘lucky’ few.

The Sawtelle neighbors signing this letter remain committed to boosting affordable housing, but demand that:

1. Within the area of Sawtelle Japantown, ED1 must exclude R2 parcels on non-arterial streets and include any residential lot on an arterial street. Owning a vehicle in Sawtelle Japantown should not be limited ONLY to the “lucky few” who can afford an R1 home.
2. The project at 1928 Federal Ave. include parking for each unit, a 15 ft front step back, no visible trash bins at the front, preservation of mature trees with additional landscaping, and a three story limit.

Sincerely,

Within the area of Sawtelle Japantown, ED1 must exclude R2 parcels on non-arterial streets and include any residential lot on an arterial street. Owning a vehicle in Sawtelle Japantown should not be limited ONLY to the “lucky few” who can afford an R1 home.
The project at 1928 Federal Ave. include parking for each unit, a 15 ft front step back, no visible trash bins at the front, preservation of mature trees with additional landscaping, and a three story limit.

How You Can Help:

To volunteer to identify forthcoming streamlined projects, gather more signatures, or to learn more about the housing crisis in L.A., please email admin@sawtellera.org.