Bass announces $300M in Housing From Mansion Tax
LA City Mayor Karen Bass joined Councilmembers Ysabel Jurado (D — Highland Park, Boyle Heights, Eagle Rock) and Eunisses Hernandez (D — Glassell Park, Echo Park, Highland Park) yesterday to announce more than $300 million in Measure ULA affordable housing funding, plus an additional $14 million in emergency rental assistance for Angelenos displaced by recent fires.
Measure ULA — the so-called Mansion Tax — imposes a transfer tax on high-value real estate transactions in the City of Los Angeles, with proceeds earmarked for affordable housing and homelessness prevention. Since taking effect in April 2023, the measure has faced legal challenges and slower-than-projected revenue, but supporters say Thursday’s announcement signals the fund is now delivering at scale.
“For decades, Angelenos have been forced to bear the burden of rising rents and eviction notices because City Hall failed to deliver housing and support for tenants,” said Bass. “This historic investment will provide relief to renters impacted by last year’s fires and will increase LA’s affordable housing supply.”
Jurado, who chairs the Ad Hoc Committee overseeing ULA implementation, said the funding will build, preserve, and enhance more than 1,700 units of affordable housing in CD14 alone, where nearly 70 percent of residents are renters. Hernandez said ULA has already delivered more than $2.3 million in rental assistance and funding for 773 affordable apartments in her district.
Barger, Hahn Honor Armenian Community with History Month Proclamation
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger (R — Antelope Valley, San Gabriel Valley, Santa Clarita) and Supervisor Janice Hahn (D — South Bay, Harbor) co-authored a motion unanimously approved this week proclaiming April 2026 as Armenian History Month.
Los Angeles is home to the largest Armenian diaspora community in the United States — and one of the largest outside Armenia itself. This includes deep roots across Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena, and the San Fernando Valley.
This year marks the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The Board’s action also recognized the ongoing displacement of more than 100,000 Armenians from Artsakh.
“My district is home to the largest Armenian diaspora in the county,” Barger said. “Proclaiming April as Armenian History Month is a meaningful way to celebrate their enduring contributions and honor their history.”
“Los Angeles County is the proud home to the largest population of Armenians outside of Armenia,” Hahn said. “It is important that we take this opportunity during Armenian History Month to recognize the Armenian Americans who have made a difference in our communities and celebrate the Armenian culture, while also joining our residents in commemorating and mourning the Armenian Genocide.”
Barger will recognize outstanding members of the Armenian community at the Board’s Public Hearing meeting on April 28.
Bonta Busts $267M Hospice Fraud Ring
California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) announced Thursday the dismantling of a major hospice fraud ring that bilked Medi-Cal out of $267 million, charging 21 suspects in what authorities called Operation Skip Trace following raids at ten Southern California locations, including Los Angeles County.
The scheme involved fraudsters purchasing stolen personal information from the dark web, enrolling out-of-state residents in Medi-Cal under false pretenses, then acquiring 14 hospice companies and billing the state for services never rendered. The so-called patients were healthy, living out of state, and had no idea they had been enrolled in hospice care.
“This isn’t a political game for us,” Bonta said. “Over the life of this fraud scheme, not a single legitimate hospice service was ever provided yet millions were billed in a brazen, calculated scheme that exploited the Medi-Cal system.”
The announcement came under pointed circumstances. The Trump administration — which has made California a focal point of its anti-fraud push — arrested eight people just last week in a separate $60 million Medicare hospice fraud case in Los Angeles. Vice President JD Vance was tapped in March to lead a federal fraud task force, and U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli publicly criticized California’s hospice licensing vetting as insufficient.
Bonta pushed back at the press conference, insisting the state has been prosecuting health care fraud since 1979. The California Post has reported that federal authorities had previously flagged the scheme before state action was taken — a claim Bonta’s office has not addressed.
The 21 defendants face charges of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, money laundering, and identity theft, with aggravated enhancements on both counts.
Valladares Bill Gives Worker-Owned Firms a Leg Up on Caltrans Bids
State Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares (R- Santa Clarita, Palmdale, Lancaster) announced Thursday that her bill, SB 1174, establishing a bid preference on California Department of Transportation projects for companies that operate Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP), passed out of the Senate Transportation Committee with unanimous bipartisan support.
ESOP is a federally regulated program that allows workers to earn an ownership stake in the company where they work, without putting up their own money. Workers accumulate shares over time; when they retire or leave, they cash out. ESOPs are common in construction, manufacturing, and professional services, and have a track record of keeping jobs stable during economic downturns.
“I’m grateful that my colleagues in the Senate Transportation Committee agree with the importance of expanding opportunities for California workers, not just in wages, but in ownership,” said Valladares. “Employee ownership gives workers a real stake in success and creates a pathway to financial security that too many Californians are missing.”
Research cited by Valladares’ office shows ESOP participants carry 92 percent higher median household wealth and earn 33 percent higher median wages than comparable workers. SB 1174 now moves to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
