Long Beach : Kellogg to Seek Repeal of Low-Income Housing Law

Councilman Jeffrey Kellogg said he will ask for repeal of Long Beach’s controversial new low-income housing ordinance Tuesday, when the City Council is expected to review several amendments to the ordinance.

Kellogg, citing a recent court ruling in San Francisco, said he believes that the ordinance is not legal and that it is not “achieving its goals of promoting more housing.”

The so-called “one-for-one” ordinance requires developers to pay fees to the city or replace low-income units that they demolish or convert to condominiums. The law is a cornerstone to the city’s attempt to preserve housing for low-income tenants.

The ordinance’s hefty replacement fees provoked an outcry from developers after the law went into effect last February. “It has stopped recycling of dilapidated property and development in the city,” said Rich Johnson, spokesman for the Long Beach Board of Realtors.

Planning Director Robert Paternoster said the ordinance has been “very successful” in preserving low-income housing units. However, Paternoster said he and the city attorney are concerned about the “viability” of the law because of a recent decision that overturned a similar measure in San Francisco. In that case, a state appellate court ruled that the city could not charge the owner of a residential hotel fees for turning his building into a tourist hotel.