LOS ANGELES, CA – The Board of Supervisors today approved a motion authored by Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda L. Solis, Supervisor to the First District, and co-authored by Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, authorizing up to $14 million for the Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA) to implement the Pilot Community Land Trust Partnership Program.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated Los Angeles County’s housing crisis, creating even more housing insecurity and economic instability,” said Chair Solis. “This unprecedented global pandemic requires unprecedented actions to protect vulnerable families who are on the brink of homelessness. The actions taken today will help to create more affordable housing and ensure that people are not displaced both during and after the pandemic. We are all in this together, and we are all better off when everyone has a place to call home.”
Partnerships between the County and Community Land Trusts (CLTs) offer one path to creating long-term housing opportunities for low-income households. While CLT structures can vary, a CLT is typically a nonprofit organization that develops, manages, and/or preserves affordable housing for a community. CLTs typically maintain permanent ownership of land and sell or issue long-term leases to low-income households with restrictions on the resale prices of properties. Depending on the scale of the development to assist with capacity, CLTs may partner with Community Development Corporations such as the LACDA.
On September 29, 2020 the Board directed the Chief Executive Office (CEO), Treasurer Tax Collector (TTC), the LACDA, and County Counsel to develop a process to help secure tax-defaulted properties through Chapter 8 Agreement Sales for CLTs to create long-term affordable housing. Further, the motion instructed the departments to establish a Pilot Community Land Trust Partnership Program, solicit partnerships with CLTs and nonprofits to utilize the process, and identify and designate funding for the Pilot Program.
On November 10, 2020, the Board approved the expansion of the Pilot Program to include non-Chapter 8 properties and allocation of up to $14 million to acquire and rehabilitate at least five non-Chapter 8 properties, one in each Supervisorial District. Further, the Board directed the CEO and LACDA to evaluate the Pilot Program after 90 days from execution of an agreement with a CLT/CDC, and if determined successful based upon this assessment, provide recommendations for establishing a long-term Community Land Trust Partnership Program for the County.
The CEO and the LACDA determined that the most efficient method to assist CLTs in purchasing properties is for the LACDA to administer the Pilot Program, which includes executing grant agreements with the CLTs and completing the transfer of County funding into an escrow account for the respective CLT to acquire the property.
The passage of today’s motion authorizes the LACDA to act as the agent for the Pilot Program and directs the CEO to execute a funding agreement with LACDA for up to $14 million for the Pilot Program.
The motion also directs the LACDA to execute grant agreements with the CLTs/CDCs, on behalf of the County.
To view the motion, click here.
CONTACT: Kimberly Ortega, Acting Communications Director, (213) 361-6435 or KOrtega@bos.lacounty.gov