Los Angeles has imposed an additional tax on luxury home sales to generate millions for housing efforts in the city. Shelterforce checks in on where the money has gone, and what’s to come.

Los Angeles's Measure ULA, a real estate transfer tax on properties over $5.15 million passed in 2022, has funded 800 affordable housing units and provided rental assistance to over 4,000 households. While revenue fell short of initial projections due to market conditions and legal challenges, the tax generated $40 million in November 2024 alone - its highest monthly total to date.
The city is now expanding the program's scope to include social housing initiatives like community land trusts, guaranteed income support for seniors, and a right-to-counsel program for tenants facing eviction. These expansions come as legal challenges to the measure appear to be resolving and market conditions improve.
"The big millionaire and billionaire interests continue to complain about ULA, but meanwhile, it's doing exactly what it's intended to do," says Joe Donlin of United to House LA. The program is expected to create 10,000 construction jobs while addressing housing affordability through multiple interventions.
With recent zoning reforms encouraging development and monthly revenues reaching new highs, officials expect the program's impact to grow in 2025. The first residents will move into ULA-funded units this year.
FULL STORY: What has Measure ULA Done so Far?

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

LA’s Tree Emergency Goes Beyond Vandalism
After a vandal destroyed dozens of downtown LA trees, Mayor Karen Bass vowed to replace them. Days later, she slashed the city’s tree budget.

Sacramento Leads Nation With Bus-Mounted Bike Lane Enforcement Cameras
The city is the first to use its bus-mounted traffic enforcement system to cite drivers who park or drive in bike lanes.

Seattle Voters Approve Social Housing Referendum
Voters approved a corporate tax to fund the city’s housing authority despite an opposition campaign funded by Amazon and Microsoft.
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