Bass, Blumenfield unveils the largest senior affordable housing project
Mayor Karen Bass joined by City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield (D-Woodland Hills, Reseda, Canoga Park) to unveil the largest affordable housing project created under her Executive Directive 1.
The project, Viva L.A. at Warner Center, a 2-million-square-foot assisted living facility in Woodland Hills, will provide nearly 3,200 units of affordable housing for LA’s senior population.
“From day one, I’ve focused on cutting red tape and creating faster, more predictable approvals so we can start solving our affordability crisis by building more housing — especially affordable housing,” said Mayor Bass. “Viva L.A. at Warner Center will provide nearly 3,200 units of affordable senior housing, our largest Executive Directive 1 project to date. With nearly 47,000 units now in the pipeline, we’re finally moving with the urgency and scale Angelenos deserve.”
Blumenfield credited the developer’s vision, the mayor’s streamlined directive, and the Warner Center 2035 Specific Plan he ushered in more than a decade ago.
“This project expands affordable housing options for our aging population while making meaningful progress in addressing our housing crisis,” said Blumenfield.
Executive Directive 1 streamlines the approval process for 100 percent affordable housing projects in the city. The City Council voted unanimously in December 2025 to make the directive a permanent city ordinance.
Durazo hails air quality violation notice against Lineage Logistics
State Sen. María Elena Durazo (D-East Hollywood, East Los Angeles, Highland Park, Los Angeles, Pico Union, South Montebello, Vernon) this week welcomed the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s issuance of a Notice of Violation against Lineage Logistics for odors impacting Boyle Heights and surrounding communities.
“This community organized, spoke up, and was heard. The Notice of Violation issued by South Coast AQMD is an important step toward accountability, and it is overdue,” said Durazo. “Residents have been living with these odors for weeks. More than 40 complaints were filed in a single day. This is a community telling us they have had enough.”
The notice, issued July 13, cites violations of South Coast AQMD Rule 402 and California Health and Safety Code Section 41700, which prohibit emissions that cause injury, nuisance or annoyance to the public. The violation can result in civil penalties and, if no settlement is reached, a civil lawsuit filed in superior court.
“The cleanup must move forward quickly — but it must also be done with care and respect for the people who live here,” Durazo continued. “Boyle Heights has already carried more than its fair share of environmental burden. We will keep watching, and we will keep pushing for accountability every step of the way.”
Residents who continue to experience odors, dust or other air quality concerns can report them to South Coast AQMD by calling 1-800-CUT-SMOG (1-800-288-7664), visiting aqmd.gov/complaints, or using the South Coast AQMD mobile app.
Residents of Boyle Heights, East LA and West Commerce may also apply for a free HEPA air purifier with a three-year supply of replacement filters through AQMD’s AB 617 Residential Air Filtration Program at aqmd.gov/raf, on a first-come, first-served basis.
Whitesides introduces bipartisan bill to unify parental screen time controls
U.S. Rep. George Whitesides (D-Santa Clarita, Palmdale, Lancaster, portions of San Fernando Valley) this week introduced the Tracking Online Time And Limits (TOTAL) Screen Time Act, bipartisan legislation to make it easier for parents to manage children’s screen time across the growing number of devices in the average household.
Screen time limits currently don’t work across devices, so a child who hits a limit on a smartphone can simply switch to a tablet or game console and reset the clock.
The bill directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop a voluntary technical standard allowing parents to set and enforce limits seamlessly across phones, tablets, computers, game consoles and televisions, while requiring privacy protections that prohibit any centralized database tracking minors’ activity.
“This bill doesn’t tell families how much screen time is right for their kids – that’s a decision for parents to make,” said Whitesides. “What it does is give parents the tools to actually enforce that decision, no matter what device their child picks up. It’s a commonsense, bipartisan fix to a problem nearly every parent in America has run into.”
The legislation builds on roundtables Whitesides has held with parents, educators and students across the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys on screen time and social media.
Chu bill demands disclosure of Trump drug pricing deals
U.S. Rep. Judy Chu (D-Pasadena, Monterey Park, Alhambra, San Gabriel) introduced the Drug Deal Disclosure Act this week, legislation that would require the Trump Administration to publicly disclose its prescription drug pricing agreements with pharmaceutical manufacturers and subject those agreements to independent review.
The measure comes after the Administration has claimed a series of agreements negotiated with pharmaceutical companies will lower costs for patients, but has not disclosed the terms of the agreements or the concessions offered in exchange.
“President Trump has repeatedly claimed that his Administration’s private deals with pharmaceutical companies will lower prescription drug prices for American families. If that’s true, then he should have nothing to hide,” said Chu. “If President Trump wants the American people to believe his secret deals with Big Pharma will do the same, then he should release the agreements and let the facts speak for themselves.”
The bill would require the Department of Health and Human Services to publicly release the agreements and related records — including arrangements involving Most-Favored-Nation pricing, TrumpRx participation and tariff exemptions — report to Congress on any redactions, and direct the Congressional Budget Office and Government Accountability Office to independently assess the agreements’ impacts on patients, taxpayers, Medicare and federal spending.
The bill is the House companion to Senate legislation introduced by Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden.
