Publications
The briefs and reports below provide a sample of recent research by Lewis Center faculty, affiliated scholars, staff, and students, produced internally or by our partner centers and other universities. Learn more about support for students and the Graduate Student Fellows program to fund students conducting capstone research.
Note: Briefs and reports are often adapted from or into published books and articles in academic journals, which are not listed here.
| Title | Author(s) | Year |
|---|---|---|
ReportThe Unintended Consequences of Measure ULAThis report analyzes Measure ULA, a real estate transfer tax approved by L.A. voters in 2022. The analysis reveals reduced high-end real estate transactions, particularly non-single family properties, potentially hindering housing production, revitalization, and property tax revenue in Los Angeles. |
Michael Manville, Mott Smith | 2025 |
Student WorkAffordable Housing in a Down Cycle: International Solutions for Difficult TimesA list of potential policy tools to advance affordable housing |
Chase Engelhardt | 2024 |
Student WorkAlternatives to the Low Income Housing Tax CreditThis project aims to illustrate possible project models as additional options beyond LIHTC, and demonstrate the value of including higher income projects within an affordable housing system. |
Chase Engelhardt | 2024 |
ReportHow Will the Measure ULA Transfer Tax Initiative Impact Housing Production in Los Angeles?Measure ULA is a November 2022 ballot initiative that would increase taxes on the sale of properties valued $5 million or above in Los Angeles, but there is concern it may depress new housing production. We develop a model for identifying projects that may be most at risk of not being built because of the increased tax. |
Shane Phillips, Maya Ofek | 2022 |
ReportAn Analysis of Measure ULA: A Ballot Measure to Reform Real Estate Transfer Taxes in the City of Los AngelesThis paper analyzes Measure ULA, a City of Los Angeles ballot measure which would reform transfer taxes to raise money for affordable housing/homelessness prevention. |
Joan Ling, Shane Phillips, Peter Dreier, Scott Cummings, Manuel Pastor, Seva Rodnyansky, Jacskon Loop | 2022 |
ReportThe Future of Housing and Community Development: A California 100 Report on Policies and Future ScenariosThis report examines where California's housing has been, where it’s at and where it’s headed when it comes to possible scenarios and policy alternatives for the future. |
Shane Phillips, Carolina Reid, Dana Cuff, Kenny Wong | 2022 |
ReportHousing And Community Development In California: An In-Depth Analysis of the Facts, Origins and Trends of Housing and Community Development in CaliforniaThis report provides detailed analysis on where California's housing has been, where it’s at and where it’s headed when it comes to possible scenarios and policy alternatives for the future. |
Shane Phillips, Carolina Reid, Dana Cuff, Kenny Wong | 2022 |
BriefEnd of the pandemic, but not renter distressThis research brief is a follow-up to a 2020 survey and report that found one in five Los Angeles County tenants struggling to pay rent during the early months of the pandemic. As the economy reopens, many tenants continue to struggle. California should act quickly to deliver assistance directly to renters. |
Michael Manville, Paavo Monkkonen, Michael Lens, Richard Green | 2021 |
ReportCOVID-19 and Renter Distress: Evidence from Los AngelesA joint UCLA-USC report documents the hardships faced by tenants during the COVID-19 pandemic and traces those hardships overwhelmingly to lost work and wages as a result of the economic shutdown. |
Michael Manville, Michael Lens, Paavo Monkkonen, Richard Green | 2020 |
ReportA Call For Real Estate Transfer Tax ReformReforms to the real estate transfer tax, which is assessed when properties are sold or otherwise change ownership, are an effective and equitable solution to immediate budget needs, while also supporting important long-term priorities including affordable housing and tenant assistance. |
Shane Phillips | 2020 |