LGBT Leaders Rally Against Measure S

This afternoon at the Los Angeles LGBT Center Ed Gould Plaza in Hollywood, leaders of L.A.'s Lesbian, Transgender and Gay communities spoke out against Measure S. Measure S, the so-called "Neighborhood Integrity Initiative," would severely restrict development during an initial two-year moratorium, then via permanent restrictions on certain types of zoning changes.

The housing ban measure has been bankrolled to the tune of more than $4.6 million by the AIDS Heathcare Foundation under the stewardship of Hollywood anti-development crusader Michael Weinstein.

Los Angeles City Controller Ron Galperin, Los Angeles LGBT Center CEO Lorri Jean, Los Angeles County Assessor Jeffrey Prang and city of L.A. Transgender Advisory Committee appointee Justine Gonzalez all passionately advocated a no vote on Measure S.

Galperin repeatedly urged AIDS Healthcare Foundation to stop "squandering millions of dollars" and rededicate itself to its core mission of serving the healthcare needs of people with AIDS. Gonzalez called Measure S "mind-boggling" in that it would harm efforts to house the most vulnerable in the LGBT community. Prang acknowledged issues with planning and development in L.A., but compared the measure's draconian restrictions to be like performing "surgery with a sledgehammer instead of a scalpel."

Jean drew attention to audible demolition work happening across the street where the LGBT Center is building new affordable housing: 100 apartments for homeless youth, 95 low income senior apartments, and 30 micro apartments for short term homeless shelter. The LGBT Center's project, located on land formerly zoned light industrial, would not have been possible under Measure S prohibitions.

In other Measure S news: Though Measure purports to preserve L.A. City neighborhoods, ironically its proponents,  the "Coalition to Preserve L.A." can't be bothered to actually depict L.A. City neighborhoods in promotional mailers. SBLA reported earlier that the cover image of a Yes on S mailer featured a stock photo of a Beverly Hills street. Further research by Curbed's Alissa Walker found that a house shown in the same mailer is actually located in the city of Torrance. Perhaps the Coalition to Preserve Torrance and Beverly Hills would be a more fitting name for the pro-S organization.