Letters to the Editor: To overcome L.A.’s NIMBY opposition, build affordable housing here

To the editor: I’m disappointed in The Times for publishing the letters from two NIMBYs without offering a contrasting opinion on single-family zoning.

However, it is a good wake-up call to those of us who want more housing to get built in L.A. that this is the kind of opposition we face. Their arguments may be rooted in fear and not reality, but fear is a powerful motivator.

I recently took a trip on the Metro from Hermosa Beach to Altadena involving two buses and two trains. During the journey I saw countless vacant buildings, empty lots of land and massive parking lots with very few cars in them — all within sight of the train.

Knowing how hostile people can be to building apartments in single-family neighborhoods, why are we not starting here instead? Building multi-family housing right next to transit lines on land that isn’t being used seems like a no-brainer to me.

Justin Johnson, Redondo Beach