Councilman Mike Bonin made a motion today to get an ordinance on the books implementing the Mello Act for the City.

“For the past 15 years, the City has been implementing the Mello Act through a set of interim guidelines,” wrote Councilman Bonin. “The only way that we can make sure the City is following the Mello Act the way it was intended is to finally get an ordinance on the books implementing the Mello Act, and, in the meantime, to make sure that the City is doing everything it possibly can to follow the rules that we do have.

“The Mello Act is a state law, adopted over 30 years ago, that is supposed to preserve, replace, and develop low-income and affordable housing in the coastal zone. In recent months, I have grown extremely concerned about whether the City of Los Angeles is properly following the provisions of the act, and is fulfilling its obligations to protect affordable housing.

“So today, I introduced a motion intended to direct the City to take steps that it should have taken over a decade ago by replacing the interim Mello Act provisions with a permanent ordinance; to get clear, on-the-record answers about how or whether the City has been complying with the guidelines, and to figure out what more the City can do to protect affordable housing in the coastal zone, including requiring rigorous third-party financial analysis of applications covered by the Mello Act.”