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[ PLANNING WATCH LA ](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/planning-watch-la)
# The Price Angelenos Pay For Politicians Who Cave To The Housing Industry – Increased Homelessness And Overcrowding
December 25 2025
Written by Dick Platkin.
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PLANNING WATCH - Overcrowding and homelessness are both increasing because -- after controlling for inflation – the price of housing is up and [most wages are flat](https://duckduckgo.com/?q=most+wages+are+flat+in+USA&iar=images&t=ffab&iai=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.statcdn.com%2FInfographic%2Fimages%2Fnormal%2F32428.jpeg). The causes are not a mystery: elected officials who dance the tune of major campaign contributors.
While the housing crisis is already severe in US urban areas, the situation is particularly tough in the greater Los Angeles area because elected officials ultimately control housing policies. For them, their concerns are rarely their poorly housed constituents. Instead they parrot that false narrative that an (imaginary) housing shortage is the cause of rising homelessness and overcrowding.
This explanation is not only wrong, but it hides the real causes of both homelessness and overcrowding. As shown in the chart below, the price of housing has continued to increase, while most incomes have been flat for the past 50 years. In fact, Los Angeles has an ample supply of vacant houses and apartments. What it lacks is [people with enough income to buy or rent them](https://www.npr.org/2024/01/25/1225957874/housing-unaffordable-for-record-half-all-u-s-renters-study-finds). The problem is simply a lack of money by the homeless and overcrowded, not the supply of housing. Nearly all of these groups would gladly move if they could afford to rent or buy. But they can’t afford existing [vacant housing](https://www.apartments.com/los-angeles-ca/), so they remain homeless or over-crowded.
Until this situation is remedied with higher wages, real rent control, and the restoration of public housing, little will change.
There is a solution, but it is a shot across the bow of both major electoral parties and their claim that homelessness and overcrowding result from a housing shortage. They ignore the 16 million vacant homes in the United States, including [many in the Los Angeles area,](https://www.rent.com/near-me/new-apartments?WT.mc_id=1039684&msclkid=0fe1802e69701e89b426e9646e020c57&id=627431121&adgroupid=1143493860742198&keyword=DMA=WASHINGTON,+DC&creative=&extension=%7bextensionid%7d&placement=&device=c&loc_physical_ms=44152&loc_interest_ms=&network=o&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Rent_Bing_DSA_NB_High_Tier-1_SRP&utm_term=DMA=WASHINGTON,+DC&utm_content=Washington-Hagerstown_DC&bbox=-118.32085267,34.03345426,-118.23854104,34.08856119) as well as an [average local apartment vacancy rate of 5.1%.](https://www.mmcginvest.com/post/current-multifamily-market-rents-and-vacancy-rates-in-los-angeles-2025)
The Remedies: First, the solution is already known. In addition to raises, it is real rent control to replace LA’s anemic Rent Stabilization Ordinance, plus the restoration of HUD public [housing programs jettisoned](https://www.streetroots.org/news/2020/10/28/death-public-housing) during the Nixon, Reagan, and Clinton presidential administrations.
Second, in addition to reestablishing HUD public housing programs, California must end [vacancy decontro](https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/california-rent-control-law.html)l by revoking the Costa-Hawkins bill. Real rent control should mean that rents do not increase when tenants move out.
Third, in Los Angeles the cutoff date for rent stabilization should not remain 1978. Instead, [rents should continually change](https://www.powerswitchaction.org/resources/stable-rents-rooted-communities), such as replacing 1978 with a sliding date, such as apartments built 15 or more year ago.
What are the real barriers? The barrier is the power of landlords -- as opposed to tenants - to shape national, state, and local legislation. Until this changes and tenants gain the upper hand, we will be subject to minority rule since renters far outnumber landlords.
The chances of positive changes trickling down from Washington are minimal. Elected Democrats don’t offer any credible housing solutions. As for Republicans, the Trump Administration proposes major cuts in HUD’s low-income housing programs, then [adding work and service requirements](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/ttps://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/13/trump-cuts-homeless-housing-program-00650758). Internal HUD documents estimate that an [additional 170,000 people may become homeless](https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/13/trump-cuts-homeless-housing-program-00650758) because of these changes.
This cure is worse than the disease!
*(Dick Platkin () is a retired LA city planner. He reports on local planning issues and serves on the board of [United Neighborhoods for Los Angeles](https://www.un4la.com/). Previous columns are available at the [CityWatchLA archives](https://ded2209.inmotionhosting.com/~citywa9/search?q=Platkin&Search=&w1=before&d1=&w2=before&d2=&t%5B%5D=&t%5B%5D=&t%5B%5D=&t%5B%5D=).)*
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