There was a housing crisis in Los Angeles County long before fire swept across the Pacific Palisades, Altadena and parts of the San Fernando Valley, turning thousands into newly homeless people.
Now, it’s an even bigger, more challenging housing crisis that requires city and county officials and developers to figure out how to rebuild more fire-resistant housing in the burn areas as well as continue to focus on building desperately needed housing.
Los Angeles County already had a shortage of 500,000 units, and more than half of tenants spend more than a third of their income in rent. There have been reports of price gouging, in violation of a state law that bars raising rent on available units by more than 10% during a state of emergency…