LOS ANGELES, CA — Today, a three-judge panel for the Second District California Court of Appeal upheld a 2023 dismissal of a challenge to Measure ULA made by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Barbara Scheper. This is the third victory in court for Measure ULA. The panel wrote, “We conclude the passage of Measure ULA pursuant to a majority vote of the City’s electorate was a valid exercise of the people’s initiative power.”
“Measure ULA is building housing, protecting renters, creating jobs, and it continues to be the law of the land,” said Greg Bonett, Senior Policy Counsel for Public Counsel’s Community Development Project and an attorney on the case. “Special interests tried to undo the voters’ will in court, and they failed.”
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles (AAGLA) brought a lawsuit against Measure ULA in December 2022, claiming it was unconstitutional and violated this City’s charter. Newcastle Courtyards LLC and the Mani Benabou Family Trust combined their state action with the Howard Jarvis and AAGLA lawsuit in January 2023. Both challenges were dismissed by Judge Scheper in February 2023. The federal challenge brought by Newcastle Courtyards LLC and the Mani Benabou Family Trust was dismissed by federal district court Judge John Kronstadt in September 2023 and Newcastle’s appeal was dismissed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in November 2024.
“Millionaires, billionaires and real estate special interests all want to see Measure ULA fail,” said Joe Donlin, Director, United to House LA. “But they keep running up against the undeniable facts that Measure ULA is legal and Measure ULA is working. In its first phase, Measure ULA is funding construction on 795 affordable homes, accelerating the creation of 10,000 union jobs, and keeping 10,000 vulnerable renters housed. The largest affordable housing proposal in L.A., funded by ULA, recently received an overwhelming response and will spur new development across the city. It’s time for the real estate industry and its mouthpieces to stop trying to overturn Los Angeles’ best hope for creating the affordable housing our city needs.”
The City of Los Angeles defended Measure ULA alongside community groups including Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing (SCANPH), Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA), and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 2015. Community groups were represented by the law firms Irell & Manella and Public Counsel.
“Measure ULA is saving lives, building affordable housing, keeping people housed, fighting homelessness, and helping those who need it most,” said Alexandra Suh, Executive Director, KIWA. “The people have spoken, and we want Measure ULA. The courts have spoken, and it’s going to stay. Call off this fringe legal crusade to protect wealthy property interests at the expense of voter-approved housing solutions.”
Read the ruling here.
