Howard Jarvis & AAGLA v. City of Los Angeles

Housing Justice

Community Groups and Labor Join Legal Fight to Defend Measure ULA

Attorneys and members of the United to House LA coalition outside the Stanley Mosk Courthouse after Judge Scheper heard their arguments on October 23, 2023.

Measure ULA is the largest affordable housing ballot initiative passed in Los Angeles history. It was drafted and led by the United to House LA coalition and passed in November 2022 with overwhelming support from nearly 58% of L.A. voters. The measure will generate hundreds of millions of dollars annually via a one-time real estate transfer tax on sales of properties over $5 million. These funds will go toward programs that provide financial assistance to low-income seniors, rental assistance for tenants, the purchase of apartments and hotels for affordable housing, the construction of new affordable housing using both established and innovative models, and legal assistance for tenants threatened with eviction.

In December 2022, two special interest groups – the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, and the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles (AAGLA) – filed a lawsuit challenging the measure in court. Their lawsuit names the City of Los Angeles as a defendant as well as “all persons interested in the matter of Measure ULA.”  In January 2023, Newcastle Courtyards LLC and the Mani Benabou Family Trust filed additional challenges in state and federal court. Their state action was consolidated with the Howard Jarvis and AAGLA lawsuit.

In February 2023, community groups, affordable housing providers, and organized labor joined the legal fight to defend Measure ULA against the lawsuit. Public Counsel and Irell & Manella LLP represent the Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing (SCANPH), Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance (KIWA), and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 2015, who were deeply involved in the development of Measure ULA and represent constituencies that would benefit from the measure’s programs.

On September 5, 2023, federal district court Judge John Kronstadt dismissed the federal challenge filed by Newcastle Courtyards and the Mani Benabou Family Trust. Judge Kronstadt determined that the federal court lacked jurisdiction under the Tax Injunction Act and thus dismissed the challenge. With this ruling, the court threw out one challenge to the will of the City’s voters.

On October 24, 2023, state superior court Judge Barbara Scheper granted the Motions for Judgment on the Pleadings filed by Public Counsel and Irell and the City of Los Angeles, dismissing both remaining state challenges with prejudice. Judge Scheper specifically found that the plaintiffs’ complaints “fail to state facts sufficient to support any claim against any Defendant.”

Court

Superior Court of The State of California, County of Los Angeles

Status

Dismissed with prejudice

Case No.

22STCV39662

Filed

2/15/2023 (Answer filed to join lawsuit)

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Case Developments and Key Developments

Ruling

Cases Dismissed with Prejudice

Judge Barbara Scheper granted the defendants’ Motions for Judgment on the Pleadings, dismissing all of the state court claims with prejudice and finding that the plaintiffs’ complaints “fail to state facts sufficient to support any claim against any Defendant.”

Documents

Filings

Motions for Judgment on Pleadings

Documents

Filing

All Persons Interested Answer Filed

Community groups, affordable housing providers, and organized labor joined the legal fight to defend Measure ULA against the lawsuit. The groups joined the lawsuit as original backers and advocates for the measure.

Documents

Filing

Newcastle Plaintiffs File Complaint

Documents

Filing

Howard Jarvis & AAGLA File Complaint

Two special interest groups – the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, and the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles (AAGLA) – filed a lawsuit challenging the popular Measure ULA in court.

Documents

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Clients

KIWA

Founded in 1992, KIWA builds power with immigrant workers and renters to bring about a more just and inclusive Los Angeles. One of the nation’s most established worker centers, KIWA organizes primarily Korean and Latino immigrant workers, with a focus on the restaurant and retail industries. KIWA aligns strategic worker and community organizing with policy change, leadership development, research, services, and coalition-building. Because of their immense impact on workers’ lives, KIWA also works in the areas of civic justice, economic policy, immigration, housing and transit policy, and land-use reform.

SCANPH

The Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing (SCANPH) is a trade association, founded in 1985, that supports and advocates for those dedicated to the development of affordable housing. SCANPH’s advocacy efforts have contributed greatly toward assisting the financially vulnerable in our communities since 1985. The mission of SCANPH is to facilitate development of affordable homes across southern California by advancing effective public policies, sustainable financial resources, strong member organizations, and beneficial partnerships.

SEIU 2015

SEIU Local 2015 is the largest union in California, representing nearly 450,000 long-term care workers (home care, skilled nursing facility, and assisted living center workers) throughout the state. Its members are as diverse as the state’s population, but united in their commitment to caring for California’s most vulnerable: seniors and the disabled.

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Organizational Partners

United to House LA

The United to House LA Coalition consists of over 240 groups to support the implementation of Measure ULA for affordable housing & to keep people housed.

Legal Team

Public Counsel

Co-Counsel

Irell & Manella LLP

For more than 80 years, Irell & Manella LLP has helped clients resolve their most challenging and complex legal issues. Irell is known for its extraordinary track record of successful outcomes as well as the genuine creativity brought to high-stakes litigation. The firm’s success is rooted in its unflagging commitment to quality and client service.

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