Labor, religious leaders square off over City Hall’s affordable housing rules

Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. Religious leaders in L.A. were thrilled when the city’s Planning Department started work on a proposal several years ago to encourage churches, synagogues and other faith-based groups to build affordable housing. But he fears that the prevailing wage requirement in Wiener’s law “might prevent smaller projects from getting built.” Bishop Lovester Adams, who heads Greater New St. Matthew Missionary Baptist Church in South L.A., told The Times earlier this year that he can’t afford to build affordable housing on his property unless the city proposal passes. McOsker, an ally of organized labor, also introduced a motion earlier this year that would create a prevailing wage requirement for affordable housing projects made possible by Executive Directive 1, Mayor Karen Bass’ signature program. Hutt told The Times that the city should “not exempt ourselves from this important state law,” while Soto-Martinez said the city “must provide affordable housing and strong labor protections.” The Planning Department’s faith-based affordable housing proposal is part of an array of housing recommendations that are intended to boost the number of units in the city.