April 28, 2025 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Column: Can we Solve Westside Traffic with more Housing Development?

About the author: Avi Sinai is the principal of HM Capital, a Los Angeles company specializes in hard money real estate loan and private lending. To contact HM Capital you can call (530) 436-5630, or email all inquiries to avi@hardmoola.com

By Avi Sinai

Traffic and housing are two major issues plaguing West Los Angeles. When offering solutions about solutions to the housing crisis, arguments against often cite traffic as a counterpoint. Discussions about solutions to those problems are often one-dimensional and presented in a zero-sum world – if we increase housing production, traffic gets worse. But what they are not opposite sides of the same coin and we can solve both traffic and housing with smart legislation?

This is what Scott Weiner, a California State Senator representing San Francisco is proposing with SB-50. The idea behind the Senate Bill is simple – allow developers to build more near mass transit and major employment zones. Placing high-density housing near transit stops will give workers easy access to their workplace without using a car to reduce inefficient commute during rush hours and encourage public transit. SB 50 also eliminates mandatory parking restrictions and increases height limits by overruling city ordinances. So developers can build more units in certain areas, increasing housing supply and reducing prices, and incentivize public transportation use.

This is a revolutionary idea that stands in direct contrast to the existing dynamic between development and traffic that often dominates Westside politics. Just a few years ago, a Santa Monica initiative was looking to reduce traffic by limiting all new construction in the city to two stories or less. Anti-development groups often cite bad traffic as the first reason to stop limit housing construction. Too often the narrative around the traffic-construction dichotomy is political, and weaponized by elected officials to promote careers and agendas. Developers are ‘neighborhood destroyers’ and pro-tenant groups are called NIMBYs. This rhetoric is neither productive nor moves the conversation closer to a solution.

West Los Angeles will stay in demand for the years to come – the beach, and great weather year-round (except this year) are not going to change. When we discussed the housing problem in a previous column, we mentioned that the only way to lower housing prices in the long term is to increase supply. According to a study, Los Angeles needs to triple new housing construction just to meet the demand, and traffic isn’t projected to get better either. It is time for lawmakers to take initiative and adopt radical ideas that can tackle not just one problem but multiple issues that affect the most vulnerable part of our community.

<>Related Posts

Opinion: Declaration of Economic State of Emergency in Malibu & Pacific Palisades: A Direct Result of the Devastating Impact of the Palisades Fire

April 27, 2025

April 27, 2025

Malibu and Pacific Palisades Request Emergency Financial Measures By Ramis Sadrieh, Chairperson, Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce    On behalf...

SM.a.r.t Column: The World’s Happiest Cities

April 27, 2025

April 27, 2025

Almost every year, we see new cities, regions, and countries that make the list(s) of our planet’s happiest and healthiest...

SM.a.r.t Column: A City for Everyone

April 20, 2025

April 20, 2025

Santa Monica dazzles with its ocean views, sunshine, and laid-back charm. But beyond the postcard image lies a more complicated...

SM.a.r.t Column: Part II: Rebuilding Resilient Communities: Policy and Planning After the Fires

April 13, 2025

April 13, 2025

The January 2025 wildfires that devastated Pacific Palisades and Altadena left an indelible mark on Los Angeles County. Beyond the...

SM.a.r.t Column: Innovative Materials for Fire-Resistant Rebuilding After the LA Fires

April 6, 2025

April 6, 2025

In the aftermath of the devastating 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, homeowners face the daunting task of rebuilding their lives and...

Opinion: Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath Community Column Regarding a More Accountable Homeless Services System

April 3, 2025

April 3, 2025

By Lindsay Horvath, Los Angeles Board of Supervisors This week marks a significant milestone in our fight to end homelessness...

SM.a.r.t Column: Bring Back The Music 2.0

March 23, 2025

March 23, 2025

This is an update of the article appearing in the SM Mirror on Feb 1, 2025 On January 28th, 2025,...

Letter to the Editor: Close the Fairview Library??

March 17, 2025

March 17, 2025

By the Santa Monica Public Library Board, Judith Meister, Chair, Dana Newman, Vice Chair Antonio Spears, Boardmember Daniel Cody, Board Member...

SM.a.r.t Column: Fire Safety in Los Angeles: Reimagining an Age of Megafires

March 16, 2025

March 16, 2025

Los Angeles stands at a critical juncture in its relationship with fire. It is true that climate change intensified vegetations...

Santa Monica Civic Auditorium: The Cultural Icon Santa Monica Needs

March 9, 2025

March 9, 2025

Santa Monica is a city of innovation, creativity, and world-class attractions, yet it lacks a central cultural destination that reflects...

SM.a.r.t Column: The Perils of Passing the Buck: How Self-Certification Threatens Public Safety in Building Design and Construction

March 2, 2025

March 2, 2025

In the bustling city of Santa Monica, California, a quiet revolution is underway in the world of building design and...

SM.a.r.t Column: Bring Back The Music

February 16, 2025

February 16, 2025

On January 28th, 2025, the City Council did a wise thing and agreed to continue the process, for 30 days,...

SM.a.r.t Column: The Water Crisis Behind LA’s Fire Disaster: A Legacy of Outdated Infrastructure

February 9, 2025

February 9, 2025

A firefighter filling a trash can with pool water during the devastating 2025 Los Angeles fires tells a story more...

SM.a.r.t Column: California’s Fire Safety Evolution: Meeting Modern Wildfire Challenges

February 2, 2025

February 2, 2025

The devastating fires that struck Los Angeles in January 2025 echo a pattern of increasingly destructive wildfires reshaping California’s approach...

SM.a.r.t Column: Peril, Prevention, and the Path Forward

January 26, 2025

January 26, 2025

The recent Palisades and Altadena fires brought Los Angeles’ inherent contradictions into sharp focus as residents fled their homes in...