LA City Council seeks ‘a more inclusive, sustainable Hollywood’ in community plan

LOS ANGELES — Councilman Hugo Soto-Martínez said Friday he will only support a Hollywood Community Plan that is further amended to ensure it promotes equity for working people and increases affordable housing.

Ahead of Monday’s scheduled special session of the council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee to discuss the proposed Hollywood Community Plan, Soto-Martínez said in a statement his support is conditional on the assurance that the city Planning Department is committed to updating the zoning for Hollywood and East Hollywood to include anti-displacement and sustainability measures.

“The uneven growth and increasing inequality across Hollywood in the 35 years since the last Hollywood Community Plan update has shown the desperate need for more equitable density,” Soto-Martínez said. “We have the opportunity here to set the roadmap for a more inclusive, sustainable Hollywood with the affordable housing that we need.”

Council members Nithya Raman and Katy Yaroslavksy, who also represent portions of the Hollywood area, along with Soto-Martínez, have requested three amendments before the plan is adopted:

— Affordable tenant protections, including relocation assistance for renters forced out of their homes and a provision requiring no net loss of affordable housing units for new developments

— Affordable housing covenants extended from 55 years to 99 years

— Additional affordability requirements in some areas to promote equity and consistency across the plan’s area

“We look forward to working with our partners on the council and the Planning Department to finally see this long overdue plan through to adoption,” Raman said in a statement. “Adding the proposed recommendations around additional tenant protections and affordability will ensure community stability while also managing future projected growth.”

Soto-Martínez said he also wants to ensure there will be an opportunity to make changes to the plan after its adoption. He wants to incorporate East Hollywood into the plan, which is currently not included.

Specifically, he would seek to increase to affordable housing and density, anti-displacement measures, and sustainability and safety.

“Right now, renter protections incorporated in the plan only apply to communities west of the 101, completely leaving out the predominantly working-class communities of color east of the 101,” Soto-Martínez said in a statement. “Our focus is reversing the decades-long disinvestment and neglect in the marginalized communities of our city.”