Los Angeles just got an F on housing — ranking dead last among the nation’s 100 largest metros for the combination of affordability and homebuilding.
Realtor.com gives L.A. an overall score of just 12 out of 100. A median-income buyer would have to spend nearly 85 percent of their income on the mortgage for a median-priced $1.12 million home.
And the supply problem is enormous.
Under California’s housing requirements, Los Angeles must plan for more than 456,000 new homes between 2021 and 2029 — about 57,000 a year. But last year, only 18,000 units were permitted. By May, the pipeline had accelerated to an annualized 28,500 — still roughly half the needed pace.
Mayoral challenger Nithya Raman says L.A. has made housing too difficult, time-consuming and expensive to build, arguing the city treats residential construction like a nuisance instead of a necessity. She also says city policies have made affordable for-sale housing “functionally illegal” to build.
Mayor Karen Bass counters that her administration is cutting red tape. Her office says nearly 47,000 affordable units have received streamlined approval, with about 6,000 now under construction.
Real estate agent Victor Currie says the bottom line is inventory: L.A. needs more of it, but the development and permitting process is so slow that the city simply can’t build fast enough.
