Wednesday, May 13, 2026

LA County Supervisors Advance Housing Ordinance Update, With Barger Amendment Preserving Existing Density Caps

The measure, which applies to unincorporated areas including Altadena, creates a new “Acutely Low Income” tier and tightens affordable-housing replacement rules

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday took a step toward overhauling the County’s housing ordinance for unincorporated areas, voting 5-0 on an amended measure after first adopting, 3-2, an amendment by Supervisor Kathryn Barger that preserves the County’s existing density bonus caps rather than raising them.

The ordinance, presented by the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning, applies to unincorporated communities across the County — including Altadena, where thousands of structures were destroyed in the January Eaton Fire. Among its provisions: a new “Acutely Low Income” category for households earning less than 15% of the Area Median Income, a requirement for “like-for-like” replacement of affordable units that are demolished, and broader eligibility for density bonus projects to include shared housing and residential care for the elderly.

The action was not the final adoption of the ordinance. County Counsel will prepare the final ordinance documents for a final vote by the Board at an upcoming meeting, according to Supervisor Barger’s office.

Barger, who represents the Fifth District, said in a statement issued by her office that her amendment was intended to address constituent concerns about scale and parking while still expanding affordable housing.

“I recognize that families across Los Angeles County are struggling with the high cost of housing, so I fully support increasing density bonuses that produce units that will be affordable to residents who need it most,” Barger said in the statement. “Yet many communities are also frustrated by oversized developments and growing parking challenges in neighborhoods that already have limited street parking.”

She added: “We must strike a balance between building much-needed housing and preserving the quality of life in existing communities. My amendment helps move us in that direction.”

According to her office, the County’s existing density bonus caps already exceed the minimums required by State Density Bonus Law, and her amendment retains those caps rather than adopting proposed higher percentages contained in the original staff proposal.

The Housing Ordinance Update, as described in a fact sheet published by the Department of Regional Planning, amends Title 21 (Subdivisions) and Title 22 (Planning and Zoning) of the County Code. The Department’s stated goals are to incentivize the production of affordable housing, promote more housing choices, remove zoning barriers to fair housing, and align the County’s ordinances with recent state law changes. The update implements three programs from the County’s Housing Element, which was adopted by the Board on May 17, 2022, and certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development ten days later.

The Board’s 5-0 vote on the amended ordinance was unanimous. The 3-2 vote on Barger’s amendment was not; the two supervisors who voted against the amendment were not identified in the press release issued by Barger’s office, which is the only public statement issued so far by any of the five supervisors’ offices on Tuesday’s action. The Board’s five members are Hilda L. Solis (District 1, Chair), Holly Mitchell (District 2), Lindsey Horvath (District 3), Janice Hahn (District 4), and Barger.

Altadena, an unincorporated community in the San Gabriel Valley, is one of approximately 125 unincorporated communities governed directly by the Board of Supervisors. For those communities, the Board functions as a city council and the County’s planning ordinances function as local zoning law. The Department of Regional Planning has issued several Altadena-specific code interpretations this year to address rebuilding from the Eaton Fire.

The full text of the proposed ordinance, the Department’s fact sheet, and the Regional Planning Commission’s resolution are posted on the Department’s website at planning.lacounty.gov.

Helen Chavez Garcia, communications director in Supervisor Barger’s office, can be reached at hchavez@bos.lacounty.gov or (213) 453-4316.

The next step is the final vote. According to Barger’s office, County Counsel will prepare the final ordinance documents for that vote at an upcoming Board meeting; a date has not yet been announced.