The battle lines around the pro-development (and pro-gentrification) SB 827 are becoming increasingly clear, with 37 grassroots organizations from L.A. yesterday releasing a letter detailing their opposition.
On one side, in support, you have the bill’s author, State Senator Scott Wiener, a former lawyer and current career politician whose biggest funders are the real estate industry; an informal coalition of 120 tech and venture capital executives; and astroturf YIMBY groups (“Yes In My BackYard”) that unabashedly promote free-market, trickle-down approaches while ignoring anti-displacement policies like rent control and “just cause” eviction protections. (I say “astroturf” to refer to the fact that these groups are rolling in corporate and billionaire cash — they are not genuinely of the people. California YIMBY, for example, was founded by two tech CEOs, Nat Friedman and Zack Rosen, a fact that is conveniently nowhere to be found on their website!)
Read Full Article (via Knock LA)