L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Defends Her Housing Record as City Scores Worst for Affordability

As Los Angeles ranks as the nation's least affordable major metro, Mayor Karen Bass is vigorously defending her housing record, maintaining that her administration remains "laser-focused" on cutting through red tape to bring more homes within reach of buyers.The issue took center stage after the glittering, sun-soaked capital of the U.S. film industry received an F grade in the 2026 Realtor.com® Metro Report Cards released on Wednesday, after earning the lowest overall score measuring both affordability and homebuilding metrics among the 100 largest U.S. cities.In a statement to Realtor.com addressing the report, Bass, who is running for re-election in November, says that since taking office in 2022, she has been working to accelerate the building of affordable housing "after decades of inaction."Her camp highlights several key initiatives, including Executive Directive 1, which streamlined approval for nearly 47,000 units of 100% affordable housing. About 6,000 of those units are currently under construction."Under Mayor Bass’ leadership, the City has implemented the largest local rezoning program in modern history that creates the capacity for half a million new homes and opens u...