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Can this progressive YIMBY fix one city’s ludicrous housing prices?

LA mayor-elect Nithya Raman faces the challenge of addressing the city's housing crisis, while Bass's term was marked by failures in housing policy.

By Marina Bolotnikova·Nov 9·vox.com·1 min read

Intelligence analysis by Qwen 2.5 (3B)

GettyImages-2303453949
GettyImages-2303453949Image: vox.com

LA Mayor-elect Nithya Raman takes over from Karen Bass, who failed to address the city's housing and homelessness crises. Raman's progressive stance on housing reform may offer a solution.

Why it matters

The housing crisis in Los Angeles is a significant issue that affects many residents and could impact the city's economy and social fabric.

Karen Bass was the mayor of LA who promised to solve housing and homelessness problems. But she didn't follow through with her promises. Now LA's new mayor, Nithya Raman, will have to figure out how to build more homes to make housing more affordable.

Analysis

{"heading_1":"Karen Bass's Housing Policy Failures","paragraph_1":"Karen Bass, the former mayor of Los Angeles, failed to implement her campaign promises to address the city's housing and homelessness crises. Her term was marked by a lack of urgency and political choices that often led to the rejection of denser housing developments.","paragraph_2":"One of her notable housing policy choices was the Executive Order (ED1), which aimed to expedite housing developments with 100% affordable apartments. However, this order was later weakened to exclude projects in single-family neighborhoods, leading to backlash from vocal NIMBYs.","paragraph_3":"Despite these setbacks, Bass's administration still resulted in over 7,700 affordable apartments under construction. However, her attempts to delay the implementation of SB 79, a law requiring cities to allow denser housing near transit stops, were unsuccessful.","paragraph_4":"Bass's term also saw the weakening of ED1, which was described as 'functionally gutted' for many developers. Her administration's efforts to address the housing crisis were often met with resistance from NIMBYs and other political opponents."}

Key points

  • Karen Bass's term as LA mayor was marked by failures in housing policy
  • ED1, a policy aimed at speeding up housing developments, was later weakened
  • SB 79, a law requiring cities to allow denser housing near transit stops, was delayed by LA's city council
The Upside

If Nithya Raman can implement her progressive housing policies, it could lead to a significant improvement in housing affordability in Los Angeles.

The Downside

If Nithya Raman's policies are met with strong opposition from NIMBYs and other political opponents, it could hinder her efforts to address the housing crisis.

Originally reported at

vox.com

Discernion covers the story. Read the full piece at the source.

Tagshousinglos-angelesmayorhousing-policysan-francisco

Author

Marina Bolotnikova

Intelligence analysis by

Qwen 2.5 (3B)

Published

Nov 9, 2026

Source

vox.com

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Topics

housinglos-angelesmayorhousing-policysan-francisco

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