Are things at the national level a little too much to handle right now? I get it. Instead, grab a of something strong and settle in with some old, familiar crazy: statewide NIMBY group Livable California's monthly meeting!

The guest today: LA Councilmember Paul Koretz!

Koretz starts out strong, saying fighting SB9 and 10 is a fight against gentrification, against luxury development, against 1 man's utopian views that he wants to impose on all Californians."

Koretz: each year Scott Wiener says we've made it more moderate, now it should be acceptable, but in reality they've only made it worse and worse

Koretz: I believe we must stay vigilant, and I'm grateful to Livable California and groups like yours, and it's because of you that SB50 and the hydra of the 9 bad bills did not pass

Author's note: hmmmmmmm

Koretz then contradicts his previous claim, says that last years bills almost passed, if not for chaos in the legislature.

"I was calling and texting my friends in the legislature until midnight. We beat it [SB1120] by a hair."

Koretz: as bad as things are right now, in LA we've had a stunning series of deaths of very notable people. But we won't let this distract us. We've already introduced opposition to SB9 and 10, we're ahead of the game, will be lobbying hard.

Koretz: it may not be as easy to fight these bills this year. We lost Herb Wesson and David Ryu, so we lack a couple of the strongest opponents. We've gained at least one member who's very sympathetic to them."

Koretz scolds state legislators for pinning the housing crisis on homeowners and local cities when it's actually *their* fault. Claims unfunded mandates are why we don't have enough affordable housing.

Fact check: false

Koretz: 55% of people live in SFH homes. We don't need to force our communities to give up their way of life, don't need this senseless and hostile disruption. This is displacement.

Koretz says that small apartment buildings over 5 units will not be "owned" by the middle-class, will mostly be used as investment properties (in reference to SB10)

Koretz: Senator Scott Wiener won't take the hint that his housing bills are wrong for California. Even his own BoS acknowledges it. Yet Scott keeps recycling the same bad ideas, expecting a different result.

[He's literally reading one of Scott's tweets lmao]

Koretz says that some years these bills might through, but it won't be this year. Then contradicts himself by noting Senate Pro Tem Atkins is pushing them hard and that they'll be very difficult to stop.

"I look forward to fighting these battles again with you"

Koretz, answering a question: while there's other important things going on right now, we have our eye on the ball now, started the oppo earlier than any other year, didn't wait to see how the conversation took shape.

Koretz: get to the people we have the best relationships with early on, that's the key. We also have to start introducing ideas so we're not just opposed to everything. We can build affordable housing without "disrupting our neighborhoods"

Former Belmont Mayor Coralin Feierbach is here! Wants to know how many units SB9 will let be built on 1 lot (it's 4).

Koretz: I haven't done the research (lmao) but I believe it's 8

Local homeowner's association pres. Aaron Williams says he had a very frank discussion with Asm. Jesse Gabriel, who told him these bills would pass no problem. How do we stop this?

Koretz: good question. They're pushing it harder and harder. We need to "barrage legislators" telling them that people don't want their neighborhoods destroyed.

Margaret Clark, Rosemead Councilmember: want to protect black homeowners in Leimert Park, it's such an outrage to say the single-family home is racist. Implies that black people can't do that. This will decimate their neighborhoods.

Clark continues: with all that's going on, Black Lives Matter, of course, all lives matter. But how can you say you're for black lives matter when you want to take their homes?

Author's note: fucking *whew*, also, this is Margaret

Koretz: I think it’s just absurd to attack single-family neighborhoods as racist. Black neighborhoods will be decimated, replaced with mostly white residents in smaller units. If people want to live in SFH neighborhoods, I don’t see why we should change that.

Jill Stewart is completely off it here, claiming that SB9 allows 8 units, says that "no one understands these bills" but proceeds to apply a completely inaccurate take on it

There's now an extended discussion (disagreement) on how SB9 would work, and how many units would be allowed. Jill claims 6 units would be allowed by-right, but could get up to 8.

This is, of course, incorrect. It's still just 4 total.

Jill: to make your nightmare even worse, they could create just a 1,200 sq ft lot, so what you'll see is developers coming into Bayview, splitting lots and tearing down houses, will be one of the biggest problems

Christina Spitz, a commenter, says that the strategy they should pursue is getting this knocked off the consent calendar in the Senate, because that's how it flew through last time. Urges contacting Republican Sharon Grove.

Koretz: hopefully we have some republicans in republican districts who could contact their members, that would be great

Also thinks Ben Allen and Henry Stern would be the next best people to oppose

Jill calls SB10 a "twin cousin" to SB9, which is both inaccurate and very funny to me

People in the chat *really* don't like Nithya Raman, which reflects very well on her imo

Koretz slams measure JJJ

"We're allowing more housing in residential areas with greatly reduced parking. Creating massive shortfalls. I've had to negotiate with developers myself to get more parking, I've been somewhat successful."

Jill chimes in to say the only way to get out of poverty (according to UCLA professor Manville) is to own a car, will make this war on cars a war on poverty

Martin Lipkin wants to know why LA City Council isn't launching a major, forceful offensive, corralling the media to oppose Scott Wiener and his ridiculous ideas. "This isn't in the paper!"

Lipkin continues, says he knows that some like "that woman who replaced David Ryu" support crap like this, but what are the rest of you doing?

"You've gotta gin up the people. Where are the pro-neighborhood folks?!"

Lipkin continues ripping on Koretz, says there should be thousands of people on this call.

Thinks people need to be going after Sen. Wiener. Calls Scott Wiener "the most destructive force in California"

Author's note: uh...COVID?

Jill Stewart jumps in: re: Scott, he’s a scary dude, there’s a fear factor around him, he scares people. He’s got more money than anyone and there’s this fear factor. But donate to Livable California, so we can fight him.

Anastasia from the San Francisco Tenants Union is here! Says these bills will result in gentrification and displacement. Sympathizes with Paul Koretz, notes that SF elected Dean Preston, thinks we can "get things done" to preempt things that might happen at the state level

Koretz: One of the areas that can help most is SF. If SF supes oppose, Wiener's hometown, would be really helpful. Want to organize through tenant organizations like CES. There's no advantage to tenants.

Author's note: yeah, how would more housing help renters?

Koretz: want to note that you shouldn't count on progressive orgs or enviro orgs to fight these bills. They think these bills help the climate, get people living near transit.

Koretz: younger people especially believe these lies. They believe if you build luxury housing it'll eventually trickle down to them.

Author's note: sigh

Jill and Rick are engaging in their favorite sport: ripping the media. Says they don't understand these complex bills.

"I don't think we saw a single journalist who correctly reported SB1120. We couldn't stop the LA Times from promoting their inaccurate coverage."

We've got a Godwin's Law sighting in the chat!

Someone named Alice just went on a long tear about luxury housing and "all these vacant units in Hollywood," claims to know Richard Katz and have a lot of wealthy backers. Her group is called "Saving the West"

A former developer (lmao) from Long Beach is railing against "these bills," suggests people move to areas like Lancaster instead

Jill railing about Asm. Bloom, claiming he was "completely taken in by YIMBY, way way off in YIMBYland" but he voted against SB1120 and thinks that's because local papers pushed back against him.

A planner from Lomita is on the call, claims planners are all "going nuts" figuring out the "design impacts" on the communities they're working in. Thinks maybe they should focus on amendments.

Koretz worries that amending it might help the bill pass.

San Francisco resident Mari Eliza wonders about repealing SB35, a bill that has resulted in thousands of new affordable homes statewide

Tricia Crane, who chairs a neighborhood assoc. in Santa Monica is here. Brags about their "slow-growth" wins this cycle, including Phil Brock, who was here earlier. Is complaining about Prop 19 (I think?) and how it harms the middle class

Koretz responds, notes that he owns a condo in Hollywood that he rents out. His daughter will inherit it, will probably have to sell it since she lives in Long Beach. Says no one really thought about "the impacts to families"

Discussion about the Sierra Club now, Jill notes she's asked Kathryn Phillips why they don't oppose these bills more strongly, claims bills will wipe out urban tree canopies.

Claims enviro groups "haven't woken up to the realities" of density

Koretz claims the enviro groups are split. Some are convinced moving people out of cars, you'll reduce climate impacts. 25-50 years from now that might be true, isn't now.

"Will be a battle to convince progressive groups, enviros are torn"

One commenter is concerned that even literal gated communities can no longer protect them from...duplexes and small apartments!

Maria of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association is here. Has formed a coalition of 45 homeowner groups to fight these bills. Urges people to email in support of Koretz' motion to oppose SB9 & 10.

Jill chimes in to say that there are groups of black and latino homeowners joining with the Sherman Oaks people to fight these bills. Says it doesn't matter if you're in a wealthy neighborhood or a poor one. Says this scares the legislature.

Koretz: when the topic of defunding the police came up, we got 2 people supporting law enforcement, 1,000 in opposition, because people aren't used to the technology. We need to have an eye on this, train our people to call in so they actually get heard.

Member Chris LeGras is worried about "the plan to house LA," says it sounds like something that came out of Scott Wiener's dream journal, with words like upzoning and missing middle. Wants to know what Koretz plans on doing about that.

Folks, referring to a Jewish legislator's bills to legalize duplexes and small apartments everywhere as Nazi propaganda is...not great!

Jill Stewart now doing a PowerPoint presentation on SB9 and 10, completely misrepresenting what the bills actually do.

Oh boy, Jill says they're going to try to get someone from Vancouver to speak about how upzoning doesn't work. Claims Van's new zoning destroyed neighborhoods. Are apparently trying to get Patrick Condon to one of their meetings. Refers to Vancouver as "a petri dish" ???

Jill now ranting about UC Berkeley's Terner Center, says that it's outrageous how wrong they are and how they lie, which is why Livable California only listens to The Embarcadero Institute, a "think" tank founded by Palo Alto NIMBYs and retired venture capitalists

This is all complete bullshit, but what always fascinates me is that they refer to allowing apartments and duplexes in single-family neighborhoods as a "war"

Tess of the West Toluca Lake Homeowners' Assoc. is here, claims that "due process" is thwarted by Zoom, need to get back to in-person meetings as soon as possible, we have to demand the chat function

Author's note: lol

Chat is once again asking about recalling/challenging Scott Wiener

I have some bad news for them

A commenter wants to find ways to say "yes" to things, thinks the reason they get called NIMBYs is because they aren't presenting any solutions for anything

Jill disagrees, because of course

Look, let's just say Livable California isn't exactly sending their best here

One commenter recommends not voting for Democrats anymore and instead working with Republicans

Julie Testa, a landlord and Pleasanton City Councilmember says that market-rate housing with 15-25% BMR will never help the housing crisis, actually makes things worse. Wants to up BMR percentage to at least 50%

Anne Bertrand from Cow Hollow in SF is here, says there are a *lot* of people in SF who don't like Scott Wiener.

Author's note: this is clear from his 20-point victory in November.

Says it's not just him, it's Ting, Chiu, etc. in on this.

Jay Garfinkle from Alameda wants to know if, under these bills, whether he and his HOA could stop his neighbor from building duplexes/small apartments in his neighborhood

Jill: no, sadly

Allie Bean from Venice doesn't understand why her progressive friends all like Scott Wiener and believe that more housing will lower prices. Why do people all think this is a great idea. Can you explain it to me?

Says she saw these policies "destroy" Vancouver

Jill explains supply and demand, then claims that it doesn't work (without, of course, providing any evidence). Says all of academia has been caught up in this idea.

Rick: we're not doing oranges here. Housing isn't oranges.

Rick: the market is the market. If people want to live there, prices will be high, no matter how many homes you build. I work with anti-gentrification groups, all these YIMBYs who live in Silicon Valley want to live here!

Author's note: I'm so tired

Rick again touts the idea of suburban sprawl, sending jobs out to communities where housing is cheap. Says teleworking has changed the game, you'll never get affordable housing on the coast so instead, we should send it to the central valley

Aaaand that's it. All it took was 3.5 hours of my life and the last remaining shreds of my sanity. Enjoy the rest of your weekends, folks!