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Raman brands LA housing crisis “self-inflicted,” vows rapid reforms
Her plan proposes a 60-day timeline to approve zoning-compliant projects and 120 days for discretionary housing proposals.
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Rwittika Chakraborty - Thu, 26, Mar 2026
- 05:14 EDT
- 21
LA City Councilmember Nithya Raman / Courtesy: X/@nithyavraman
Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman described the city’s housing crisis as “self-inflicted” while unveiling a plan to address rising costs and limited supply.
Raman, who is running for mayor of Los Angeles, has centered her campaign on housing affordability, infrastructure improvements, public safety, and job creation.
ALSO READ: L.A. mayoral hopeful Raman raises urban heat issue
In a post on X, Raman said the decades-long crisis was the result of “deliberate” decisions by city leaders to limit new housing, as she announced a plan to “triple housing production.”
“Los Angeles’ housing crisis is self-inflicted. For decades, city leaders have taken deliberate actions to limit new housing. Today, we announced our plan to fix this and triple housing production,” she wrote.
She shared data and charts showing the Los Angeles region has one of the lowest numbers of housing units per adult, arguing that scarcity is driving high rents.
The LA region has the fewest homes per adult of anywhere in America.
— Nithya Raman (@nithyavraman) March 26, 2026
When homes are scarce, rents rise. The result: LA is the most rent burdened big city in America. pic.twitter.com/deYT4pmnDD
Raman also criticized past actions by city leadership, alleging efforts to block 100% affordable housing, delays in providing utilities to completed homes, and resistance to state-led housing expansion measures.
Calling for systemic change, Raman said “it is easier to stop housing than to build it” in Los Angeles and outlined a series of reforms to accelerate development.
Her plan proposes a 60-day timeline to approve zoning-compliant projects and 120 days for discretionary housing proposals. It also includes streamlining permitting and inspections, improving coordination across departments, introducing a single-inspector model, allowing citywide self-certification, and creating a dedicated housing strike force within the Department of Water and Power.
Raman also called for updating the city’s growth framework and ending exclusionary zoning by increasing density along transit corridors, allowing duplexes and townhomes in single-family neighborhoods near transit, and creating new high-rise zones for union-built housing and office conversions.
To support homeownership, her proposal includes legalizing small-lot starter homes, allowing accessory dwelling units to be sold separately, backing condo liability reform, permitting single-stair construction, and reducing subdivision timelines and fees.
On affordability, Raman said stability is key, noting that “nearly two-thirds of Angelenos rent and many are one financial shock away from losing their home.”
“When tenants are pushed out, rents reset higher and communities—disproportionately communities of color—are disrupted,” she wrote.
She added that while some progress has been made in reducing rent increases and strengthening tenant protections, enforcement remains weak.
We’ve already reduced rent increases and strengthened tenant protections. This issue is that they are not being enforced. As mayor, I will create a new Office of Tenant Protections to stop violations of existing renter’s rights.
— Nithya Raman (@nithyavraman) March 26, 2026
Raman said that, if elected mayor, she would establish a new Office of Tenant Protections to enforce renters’ rights.
“We can make a city that works for everyone,” she wrote.
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