L.A. sued over 'illegal efforts' to impede housing project in Venice

Several public interest law groups are suing the City of L.A. over what they say are illegal efforts to stop the construction of an already-approved affordable housing project in Venice.

At issue is the construction of the authorized Venice Dell affordable housing project on Venice Boulevard which would create 140 units of affordable and supportive housing.

KNX News' Pete Demetriou reports that the suit is filed against the city but indicts the actions of Councilmember Traci Park and City Attorney Heidi Feldstein Soto , directing city employees not to sign off on critical documents that would allow the developer to begin work.

Faizah Malik with the Public Council says the project has been in work for eight years, but "Councilmember Park and the city attorney seek to defeat the project not by democratic means in the city council, but to use their offices to tie up the project in red tape outside public view. Alarmingly, the city attorney has been misusing her role as the attorney for the city to not only stop city departments from signing off on the remaining necessary approvals but has been preventing city staff from even communicating with the developers."

Want to get caught up on what's happening in SoCal every weekday afternoon? Click to follow The L.A. Local wherever you get podcasts.

It's unclear whether the plaintiffs will seek an injunction to address the problem or a full hearing before a judge.

Council Member Park's office was unable to make a statement on the issue, and the City Attorney's office has declined to comment on what they call 'pending litigation.'

Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok