In Search of a City: The LA Housing Podcast

In Search of a City: The LA Housing Podcast
  • 5.0 (11)
  • Politics

LA's housing crisis is inescapable. From people forced to sleep on the sidewalk to those who have to spend hours commuting to their jobs. In Search of a City covers the effort to fix it, two weeks at a time. It's hosted by people who actually work on the problem: a city councilmember, a housing advocate, a developer, and a young urbanist voice, all talking through the week's biggest housing news together. Every episode also digs into one issue in depth, with an expert guest, to help you actually understand what's blocking new homes and what could fix it.

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    Housing Research and Measure ULA with Shane Phillips

    UCLA housing researcher and host of the UCLA Housing Voice podcast Shane Phillips  joins us to discuss the housing research he's most excited about, his involvement with ULA and efforts to reform it, whether YIMBYs should support sprawl housing, and more. 00:00 Introduction 01:23 Guest Intro: Shane Phillips 3:11 Leslie Updates: Podcast Meetup 4:24 Jonny Updates: City Pilot for Volunteer Street Repairs2  11:06 News: Election Predictions 22:32 Prop 45: Should YIMBYs support sprawl? 37:12 Big Question: What can LA learn from research? 53:21 Measure ULA: Origins, Results, and Reform efforts PUBLIC COMMENT Got something to say to us? We read everything. Which empty LA building would you turn into housing? Tell us in the comments. Email: lahousingpod@gmail.com X: @HACdotorg TikTok: @lahousingpod Threads: @lahousingpod Bluesky: @lahousingpod.bluesky.com Instagram: @housingactioncoalition LISTEN ON Apple Podcasts:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-search-of-a-city-the-la-housing-podcast/id6811204065 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7EgzDpuw8AClu7lXpnTriE New episodes every two weeks. Subscribe so you don't miss one, and please rate and review to help more people find fact-based information about solving LA's housing crisis. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: HSQVBMW1RTAFX6WH

  2. Oct 23

    Can Nithya Win Over Developers? with Andrew Slocum

    The Mayor's race is in the final stretch, and two groups that are typically allies - housing advocates and housing builders - aren't aligned. Developer and housing advocate Andrew Slocum joins the podcast to discuss the concerns some in the development community have with our usual hosts: Jesse Zwick, Southern California director of the Housing Action Coalition, Jonny Hale of People's Vision Zero and the Inner City Law Center, Principal of ShelterX Io Sunwoo, and Downtown LA 4 All and Downtown Residents Association founder Leslie Ridings. 00:00 Episode Overview 1:08 Guest intro: Andrew Slocum 2:22 Leslie Updates: DTLA Mayoral Forum 3:49 Io Updates: Affordable Housing and parking 5:45 Jonny Updates: Right to Shelter vs. Building Shelter Discussion 8:15 Jesse Updates: 2027 Housing reforms teaser 8:45 News: Affordable Housing Funding Measures 9:16 Prop 37: New Homebuyer Financing Program 12:44 Measure ULA Funding Release 15:48 Altadena Rebuilds and SB1090 29:01 Big Question: Can Nithya Win Over Developers? 1:12:24 Public Comment: LA's Historic Transit Oriented Development Keywords Los Angeles housing, affordable housing, housing policy, Measure ULA, Prop 1, Prop 37, Altadena fires, Palisades fires, Nithya Raman, housing development Los Angeles housing, rent stabilization, tenant protections, housing development, housing affordability, YIMBY, Measure ULA, LADWP, transit-oriented development, autonomous vehicles PUBLIC COMMENT Got something to say to us? We read everything. Which empty LA building would you turn into housing? Tell us in the comments. Email: lahousingpod@gmail.com X: @HACdotorg TikTok: @lahousingpod Threads: @lahousingpod Bluesky: @lahousingpod.bluesky.com Instagram: @housingactioncoalition LISTEN ON Apple Podcasts:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-search-of-a-city-the-la-housing-podcast/id6811204065 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7EgzDpuw8AClu7lXpnTriE New episodes every two weeks. Subscribe so you don't miss one, and please rate and review to help more people find fact-based information about solving LA's housing crisis. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: HSQVBMW1RTAFX6WH

  3. Oct 9

    Mayor of the Reluctant Metropolis with Bill Fulton

    He wrote one of LA’s most influential histories. Now he joins the podcast to share his thoughts on the LA mayor’s race, housing, and the new politics of growth. [Note: the initial post of this episode had an incorrect audio file. This issue was quickly fixed; please re-download it if you got the old version]. Plus: * Pro-housing charter amendments on the ballot * Small but impactful reforms signed into law * Two separate housing memes brainstormed * Our first public comment! It's been 30 years since Bill Fulton wrote the "Reluctant Metropolis," the seminal history of LA's growth wars. He joins hosts Jesse Zwick, Io Sunwoo, Jonny Hale and Leslie Ridings to discuss the book, the latest news on the effort to end LA's housing shortage, and what LA's next chapter holds. Chapters 00:00 Show Preview 1:05 Bill Fulton Introduction 2:23 Io Sunwoo Updates: Economic conditions 3:11 Jonny Hale Updates: Student housing 3:44 Leslie Ridings Updates: DTLA Vacant to Vibrant 5:19 Jesse Zwick Updates: Public education 5:45 Housing News: State Bills Signed 10:48 LA Charter Reforms 14:28 LA Measure TE and ULA 16:14 LA Mayor's Race 17:31 Balancing housing production and rent control 23:11 ED1 and reducing building costs 31:11 The Reluctant Metropolis 30 years later 35:06 City of Quartz and LA's "dystopian times" 36:18 What today's pro-growth coalition or backlash could look like 38:25 Can you turn the growth machine back on? 44:31 The AIDS Healthcare Foundation backs building reform? 48:08 LA's Structural Issues 50:02 Hollywood and LA Governance 52:10 SF Mayor Lurie and Soft Power 54:49 Public Comment: Measure LA - Should the City Run Businesses? PUBLIC COMMENT Got something to say to us? We read everything. Which empty LA building would you turn into housing? Tell us in the comments. Email: lahousingpod@gmail.com X: @HACdotorg TikTok: @lahousingpod Threads: @lahousingpod Bluesky: @lahousingpod.bluesky.com Instagram: @housingactioncoalition LISTEN ON Apple Podcasts:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-search-of-a-city-the-la-housing-podcast/id6811204065 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7EgzDpuw8AClu7lXpnTriE New episodes every two weeks. Subscribe so you don't miss one, and please rate and review to help more people find fact-based information about solving LA's housing crisis. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: HSQVBMW1RTAFX6WH

  4. Sep 29

    SB79 Update + The Keys to Turning LA's Empty Offices Into Homes with Karin Liljegren

    LA has tens of millions of square feet of empty office space and a severe housing shortage. Why aren't we turning one into the other? Architect Karin Liljegren, who has spent 25 years converting old buildings into homes, explains what's standing in the way, from seismic rules to property taxes, and the fixes that could unlock thousands of units.  We also discuss the slow start of SB 79, the landmark transit housing law, and find out why LA hasn't seen a single project submitted yet--while Santa Monica has had 3.  Also, new research finds average apartment sizes in LA are shrinking. Why is that--and is it a good thing?  CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome to episode 2 00:30 Karin Liljegren Introduction 1:35 Jonny Hale Update: AB1924 - Homelessness Prevention 2:06 Leslie Ridings Update: Downtown Reforms 4:46 Jesse Zwick Update: Fundraisers for HAC candidates 6:00 SB79's Mixed Start Across LA 23:22 Are apartments getting too small? 36:02 Can adaptive reuse work in LA? 1:07:32 Public Comment THIS EPISODE'S GUEST Karin Liljegren — Founding Principal, Omgivning, an LA architecture firm specializing in adaptive reuse https://www.omgivning.com/ TODAY'S HOSTS Jesse Zwick — Southern California Director, Housing Action Coalition Jonny Hale — UCLA law student, Intern at Inner City Law Center, housing and transportation advocate Leslie Ridings — downtown organizer and Abundant Housing LA board member MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE SB 79 (Wiener): https://mnolangray.substack.com/p/everything-you-need-to-know-about LA Citywide Adaptive Reuse Ordinance: https://planning.lacity.gov/project-review/adaptive-reuse Report on shrinking LA apartment sizes: https://la.urbanize.city/post/las-new-build-apartments-are-shrinking AB 1924, homelessness prevention (Inner City Law Center): https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1924 AB 2074, the Downtown Revitalization Act: https://davisvanguard.org/2026/09/california-ab-2074-housing-bill/ PUBLIC COMMENT Got something to say to us? We read everything. Which empty LA building would you turn into housing? Tell us in the comments. Email: lahousingpod@gmail.com X: @HACdotorg Instagram: @housingactioncoalition LISTEN ON Apple Podcasts:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-search-of-a-city-the-la-housing-podcast/id6811204065 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7EgzDpuw8AClu7lXpnTriE New episodes every two weeks. Subscribe so you don't miss one, and please rate and review to help more people find fact-based information about solving LA's housing crisis. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: HSQVBMW1RTAFX6WH #HousingPolicy #LosAngeles #YIMBY #Urbanism #CaliforniaHousing #AdaptiveReuse #SB79 PUBLIC COMMENT Got something to say to us? We read everything. Which empty LA building would you turn into housing? Tell us in the comments. Email: lahousingpod@gmail.com X: @HACdotorg TikTok: @lahousingpod Threads: @lahousingpod Bluesky: @lahousingpod.bluesky.com Instagram: @housingactioncoalition LISTEN ON Apple Podcasts:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-search-of-a-city-the-la-housing-podcast/id6811204065 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7EgzDpuw8AClu7lXpnTriE New episodes every two weeks. Subscribe so you don't miss one, and please rate and review to help more people find fact-based information about solving LA's housing crisis. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: HSQVBMW1RTAFX6WH

  5. Sep 11

    Why Is LA the Worst Big City in America at Housing?

    LA has the highest rate of overcrowded households in America, the lowest homeownership rate of any major city, and the most unsheltered homelessness in the country. Over the past five years, LA County lost about 300,000 people — from a region that's still adding jobs. So is LA uniquely bad at this? Or just unlucky? In the first episode of In Search of a City, four Angelenos who work on housing from very different angles break down what happened at the end of California's Legislative session, why California quietly stopped building condos two decades ago, and why a region of 88 separate cities can't seem to build homes for the people who already want to live here. CHAPTERS 00:03 Introducing the podcast 00:52 Co-host Io Sunwoo Intro 02:40 Co-host Jonny Hale Intro 03:53 Co-host Leslie Ridings Intro 05:29 Co-host Jesse Zwick intro 08:26 Housing News: The Last 2 Weeks 08:41 State Legislative Session Results 09:40 AB1903: Homeownership and Condo Reform 21:53 SB1116: Missing Middle Housing Reform 33:27 AB2074: Downtown Revitalization Act 43:00 Why is LA so bad at housing? 01:01:52 Public Comment YOUR HOSTS Jesse Zwick — Southern California Director, Housing Action Coalition Io Sunwoo — CEO and Managing Partner, Shelter X Jonny Hale — UCLA law student, Intern at Inner City Law Center, housing and transportation advocate Leslie Ridings — downtown organizer and Abundant Housing LA board member PUBLIC COMMENT Got something to say to us? We read everything. Email: lahousingpod@gmail.com X: @HACdotorg Instagram: @housingactioncoalition New episodes every two weeks. If this was useful, rate and review — it's how more people find fact-based information about solving LA's housing crisis. #HousingPolicy #LosAngeles #YIMBY #Urbanism #CaliforniaHousing PUBLIC COMMENT Got something to say to us? We read everything. Which empty LA building would you turn into housing? Tell us in the comments. Email: lahousingpod@gmail.com X: @HACdotorg TikTok: @lahousingpod Threads: @lahousingpod Bluesky: @lahousingpod.bluesky.com Instagram: @housingactioncoalition LISTEN ON Apple Podcasts:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-search-of-a-city-the-la-housing-podcast/id6811204065 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7EgzDpuw8AClu7lXpnTriE New episodes every two weeks. Subscribe so you don't miss one, and please rate and review to help more people find fact-based information about solving LA's housing crisis. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: HSQVBMW1RTAFX6WH

    Why Is LA the Worst Big City in America at Housing?
  • 5 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

LA's housing crisis is inescapable. From people forced to sleep on the sidewalk to those who have to spend hours commuting to their jobs. In Search of a City covers the effort to fix it, two weeks at a time. It's hosted by people who actually work on the problem: a city councilmember, a housing advocate, a developer, and a young urbanist voice, all talking through the week's biggest housing news together. Every episode also digs into one issue in depth, with an expert guest, to help you actually understand what's blocking new homes and what could fix it.

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