Survey suggests swap: more urban density for restrictions on wildfire zones

Los Angeles County voters favor building dense apartments in urban areas in exchange for allowing fewer homes in fire-prone areas.

To compensate for restricting homebuilding in fire-prone communities, county voters backed greater production of high-density housing in urban areas, with 55 percent in support compared to 30 percent opposed, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing a new poll.

The poll, conducted by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies and co-sponsored by the newspaper, found that voters favored boosting funding for fire protection, even if it increased their taxes.

An overwhelming majority of county voters also supported strengthening building codes and imposing greater restrictions on home construction in high-risk areas after the January firestorm burned more than 12,000 homes between Altadena and the Pacific Palisades.

Some 80 percent of those polled backed tougher building codes to make homes more fire resistant, even if it added costs.

Seven out of 10 wanted more regulations to curb homebuilding in wildfire-prone neighborhoods.

“This is a huge event in L.A. history,” Mark DiCamillo, poll director at UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, told the Times. “It’s having a major effect on what people think needs to be done in terms of making housing safer.”

State and local officials have not decided if there will be any building code changes for homes rebuilt from the fires. Codes for new and rebuilt properties in high-risk fire zones now require significant measures, including ignition-resistant materials and multipaned or window upgrades.

The Berkeley IGS poll found broad backing for a number of policy ideas, including those that would increase taxes to pay for fire protection and build higher-density housing in urban areas.

The most popular proposal, with 84% support, was for policymakers to prioritize assistance for low- and middle-income families displaced by the fires.

Nearly two-thirds of voters polled wanted to provide greater funding for city and county fire departments even if that meant raising taxes.

The Berkeley IGS poll was conducted online in English and Spanish on Feb. 17-26 among 5,184 registered voters in L.A. County. The survey’s estimated margin of error is 2 percentage points, and larger for demographic subgroups.

A 2019 Berkeley IGS poll saw support from three-quarters of California voters, including 79 percent in L.A. County, for imposing limits on growth in wildfire areas, according to the Times.

A poll last year from the Los Angeles Business Council Institute found 81 percent of city voters backed speeding approvals for apartment buildings with some affordable housing near public transit and existing high-density, urban areas.

— Dana Bartholomew