Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced that her administration has built more than 10,000 units of affordable housing across the city, a pace more than four times higher than the five years before she took office.
Bass was joined by Councilmember Imelda Padilla and community leaders to announce the milestone, saying her office has used executive power to cut red tape and eliminate bureaucratic barriers that slowed housing production for decades.
"Since day one, I have focused on making life more affordable for Angelenos by building the affordable housing that we desperately need. I worked with the business community, developers, labor groups, and affordable housing advocates to identify and eliminate the bureaucracy that has held Los Angeles back – now, we're seeing the results," said Mayor Bass. "We've already built a record 10,000+ affordable housing units, and we're not slowing down. I'll continue accelerating housing production across L.A. to build the housing people can afford."
According to the release, the city built an average of nearly 700 affordable units per year from 2018 to 2022. Since Bass took office, the administration has averaged nearly 2,800 units per year. In total, the city is creating nearly 16% more housing per year than in the prior five years, even as federal tariffs on building materials, rising interest rates and energy costs pose challenges.
"As the new chair of the housing committee, my focus is clear on getting to work. Los Angeles needs more housing, and we need to use every tool available to build the housing Angelenos need to stay in their communities, raise their families, and thrive," Councilmember Padilla said. "In my district, we have moved with urgency, building affordable housing, permanent supportive housing and interim housing, and I am proud to take that work and expand it across Los Angeles."
The release cited Executive Directive 1, signed in Bass's first week, which streamlined approval of 100% affordable housing and has put more than 47,000 units in the pipeline. The City Council voted unanimously in December 2025 to make the directive a permanent city ordinance.
Other measures include the Citywide Housing Incentive Program, described as the largest local rezoning program in modern history, creating capacity for half a million new homes; a "Homes for L.A." Notice of Funding Availability awarding $360 million to create or preserve more than 5,000 affordable units; a citywide expansion of the Adaptive Reuse Ordinance; Executive Directive 19 on permitting reforms; and four Missing Middle LA draft ordinances.
Affordable housing construction totals by council district ranged from 122 units in District 7 to 1,653 in District 14, with a grand total of 10,265 units completed between December 11, 2022, and August 31, 2026.