Through its lawsuit, which was dismissed in Superior Court earlier this month, AHF sought to apply and enforce the federal Fair Housing Act and California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act as it should apply to four Hollywood developments: Sunset Gordon Tower, Palladium Residences, Crossroads Hollywood and one planned at the Amoeba Music site
LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) will appeal a ruling earlier this month in Superior Court of the State of California for the County of Los Angeles dismissing a case it filed in August 2019 against the City of Los Angeles, the L.A. City Council and property developers of numerous luxury mixed use residential/commercial/entertainment projects within the Hollywood area.
AHF’s case asserted violations of both federal and state housing laws intended to eliminate housing discrimination, barriers to minority housing and integrated communities. AHF’s lawsuit sought to enforce the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA) and California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), asserting the four Hollywood developments within a one mile radius in AHF’s lawsuit were approved without providing adequate measures to ensure that the Projects would not displace protected minorities. These fair housing laws protect minorities who are disproportionately impacted by a city policy or practice.
Studies show that large scale, high end market-rate housing development without sufficient affordable units is linked to the mass displacement of neighboring low-income residents. These low income residents are disproportionately people of color. In its lawsuit, AHF offers a prime example of such low-income and minority displacement: Crossroads Hollywood, which will demolish over 80 existing rent stabilized apartments, displacing a decades-old, tight-knit community of largely low-income, predominantly Latino residents.
“We respectfully disagree with Judge Draper’s decision and intend to appeal his ruling in the case,” said Michael Weinstein, President of AHF. “In May of this year, Judge Beckloff of the LA Superior Court decided that similar fair housing claims regarding the project planned at the Crenshaw Mall could proceed. Not a single one of these property developments in Hollywood has nearly enough housing units set aside as affordable for extremely-low-income families and they collectively continue the gentrification and wholesale displacement of low-income, largely minority communities from Hollywood.”
Hollywood projects in development targeted in AHF’s lawsuit include:
- Sunset Gordon Tower on Sunset Boulevard, a 22-story, almost entirely market rate apartment complex by development company CIM.
- Hollywood Palladium Residences, by developer Crescent Heights, twin 28-story towers that will house 730 residential units.
- Crossroads Hollywood, by Harridge Development Group, a project set to include 950 apartments in 3 high-rise buildings, over 100 of which apartments will be set aside for very low-income families. However, Harridge will demolish over 80 units of current rent stabilized apartment housing, so the net gain of new affordable housing units is just 20 or so housing units. The developer has also been granted 22 liquor licenses across the project—nearly one license each for every new affordable apartment created.
- And, an as yet unnamed 26-story, 200-unit luxury residential and commercial development that provides almost no below market housing by GPI Companies for the site of Amoeba Music on Sunset Boulevard.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 1.3 million individuals in 43 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us @aidshealthcare
Contacts
Ged Kenslea, Senior Director, Communications, AHF
+1.323.791.5526 cell
[email protected]
