Skip to Content
Streetsblog California home
Streetsblog California home
Log In
Streetsblog SF

Cartoon Tuesday: Where Are L.A.’s Measure S Supporters?

It is no secret that Measure S, the so-called "Neighborhood Integrity Initiative," is heavily funded by AIDS Heathcare Foundation president Michael Weinstein. AHF and Weinstein also bankrolled the recently-defeated Propositions 60 and 61 and was a significant funder of the anti-Measure M campaign.

According to a January 15 Curbed article, Weinstein and AHF contributed 99 percent of the recent pro-Measure S campaign contributions during the most recent reporting interval.

Clearly Weinstein is behind Measure S. But does anyone else endorse this measure, which amounts to a ban on most new housing, affordable or otherwise?

GIF by Shane Phillips
GIF by Shane Phillips
false

Shane Phillips exposes the limits of official Measure S support in the above GIF. Can the John Travolta meme find any real support for the housing ban initiative? Especially now that Leonardo DiCaprio's supposed endorsement was revealed to be a lie.

The Measure S opposition column reveals a truly broad coalition. No on S is endorsed by labor and business, who often find themselves on opposite sides of issues. Affordable and homeless housing advocates oppose it, too. So do firefighters and police.

For those who don't know, Measure S does two major things that threaten the future of Los Angeles as a sustainable city. It puts a two-year ban on any zoning changes or General Plan amendments. Given that the city of Los Angeles' General Plan has not had a comprehensive update since just after World War II, a significant percentage of new housing requires amendments (from minor reductions in parking requirements to increased density near transit nodes) to get built. Measure S also requires that the city's myriad neighborhood plans be updated, but prevents them from increasing density, regardless of whether the neighborhoods are near transit.

Given the severity of California's housing shortage and our general need for more housing and jobs along our transit corridors to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase overall sustainability, Measure S could be devastating for the city.

Essentially, Measure S is being touted as a way to "preserve" Los Angeles. In other words, Measure S aims to halt any move away from the unsustainable, sprawling, auto-dependent Los Angeles of the past.

On March 7th voters will decide which direction they want to go.

Read earlier more serious SBLA Measure S articles by Brian Addison and Shane Phillips.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog California

First OC Streetcar Arrives

The $649 million 4.1-mile OC Streetcar light rail line is 92 percent complete, and now anticipated to open in spring 2026

May 8, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines

California and Trump continue to spar and more news from up and down the state.

May 8, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: ‘Normal’ is Not Correct, Someone Died Here

After a crash, the debris is quickly cleaned up and everyone moves on (usually too quickly). But these two experts are asking us to all slow down.

May 8, 2025

Metro Names Bill Scott as Chief of Police

Chief Scott and Metro leadership emphasized that keeping Metro transit safe would require a multi-faceted approach that included the deployment of officers as well as collaboration with the community, ambassadors, and service providers. "Sometimes enforcement is the answer," Scott said. "Sometimes it's not."

May 7, 2025

State Supreme Court Reinforces Rules that Cities Must Maintain Safe Roads

When Ty Whitehead was injured in a crash caused by a pothole in Oakland, it sparked an eight-year legal battle that is still being waged.

May 7, 2025
See all posts