In Los Angeles, the urgency of the climate crisis and our worsening housing crisis are colliding. But what if we told you that the solution to both could—and must—be one and the same?

Housing is a climate solution. Where and how we build housing influences our greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, and access to sustainable transportation. But more than that, the way we invest in housing determines who gets to thrive amidst climate change—and who is left behind. That’s why we must push for intersectional, innovative solutions that treat housing not just as shelter but as an investment in a just and climate-resilient future.

Thanks to the leadership of tenant organizers, advocates, and community coalitions like Our Future LA (OFLA), the City of Los Angeles has already laid a powerful foundation with Measure ULA. Since its implementation in April 2023, the ULA “mansion tax” has raised $661 million, created over 10,000 union construction jobs, supported 795 new affordable housing units, and prevented 11,000 Angelenos from falling into homelessness through direct financial aid. With more than 100,000 tenants reached through public education efforts, ULA is not just a housing policy. As the only meaningful local funding source for affordable housing production in the City of LA – it’s a lifeline. Measure ULA proves what’s possible when we invest in people and community well-being, all while ensuring transparent implementation through a Citizen’s Oversight Committee.

Now, it’s time to bring this same bold vision countywide.

Earlier this year, voters passed Measure A, which authorized the creation of the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency (LACAHSA). This new agency—also born from grassroots power and led by the OFLA coalition—has a chance to transform how we build, preserve, and protect housing across our entire region. But the opportunity is only as powerful as our commitment to getting it right.

LACAHSA must prioritize:

• The construction of deeply affordable, climate-resilient social housing—permanently affordable homes designed with resident governance, income-based rents, and protections against speculative displacement.
• The preservation of Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH)—to protect existing lower-income tenants from eviction and prevent displacement from rising rents.
• A countywide Right to Counsel program—so no one is forced into homelessness simply because they couldn’t afford a lawyer.
• Direct rental assistance and holistic legal services for residents precariously housed or facing economic hardship to preempt what could otherwise turn into a crisis.
• Streamlined, single-source financing to reduce construction timelines and ensure deeper affordability in every unit built.

This focus is not just about funding housing development. It’s about building an equitable Los Angeles County where no one pays more than 30% of their income toward rent, where Black and Brown communities are no longer pushed out, where low-income residents can live safely and with dignity, and where our climate investments don’t come at the cost of our people.

Affordable housing is climate action. Tenant protections are racial justice. Public investment is resilience.

With Measure ULA as our blueprint and LACAHSA as our next chapter, we have the tools to build a future where housing is not a privilege but a guaranteed right. Now, we must ensure that the future reaches every corner of our county.

Let’s build it together.

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CATHERINE BALTAZAR IS THE SENIOR POLICY ANALYST & ORGANIZER FOR CLIMATE RESOLVE