Council OKs $14 Million for Housing in Quake-Hit Areas

The Los Angeles City Council voted Wednesday to appropriate $14 million in community redevelopment funds to build and rehabilitate housing in quake-damaged areas of the city.

In the same action, the council voted to set aside another $14 million for housing in areas affected by the civil unrest of 1992 and $18 million for citywide housing

Council debate centered on how the redevelopment funds should be divided among areas of the city.

Councilmen Zev Yaroslavsky and Richard Alarcon initially proposed a $10-million appropriation for citywide housing and $23 million for quake-damaged areas.

But Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, who chairs the House and Community Development Committee, put forth a proposal to make more funds available for citywide use, regardless of whether areas were affected by the quakes and the unrest.

“It does not deny the areas affected by the civil disturbance their share of the resources, nor the areas affected by the earthquake its resources,” Ridley-Thomas said of the plan which eventually passed.

“We cannot lose sight of the fact that irrespective of the earthquake, this city is down 15,000 (housing) units on an annual basis according to Planning Department and the Housing Department data.”

Money designated for earthquake and riot damaged areas can only be used for that purpose, but developers who propose to develop or rehabilitate housing in those areas may apply for citywide funds as well as the specially designated funds.

The plan must now be approved by the mayor.