The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors this week moved ahead with a proposal that could shake up who gets to buy apartment buildings in some of the county's most vulnerable neighborhoods. Supervisors voted Tuesday to develop a new rule that would give nonprofit affordable housing groups the first chance to buy certain residential buildings before they hit the open market. The plan is pitched as an anti-displacement tool meant to keep mission-driven owners in charge of housing where tenants are most at risk of being pushed out. Staff were ordered to draft a Community Opportunity to Purchase Act and return within 180 days with detailed rules.
Board Orders 180-Day Blueprint for COPA
Under the motion filed with the board, the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs is instructed to work with County Counsel, the Los Angeles County Development Authority and other departments to craft a COPA ordinance for unincorporated areas, according to the County of Los Angeles. The motion calls for a registration system for properties covered by the law, procedures to certify "qualified mission-driven purchasers" and recommended enforcement tools. It also directs staff to spell out the budget and staffing that would be needed if supervisors ultimately adopt the program.
Which Buildings Would Be on the Block
The draft rules are expected to target residential properties with five or more units, and they could also cover mobile home parks, but only in unincorporated communities such as East L.A., City Terrace and Altadena. The motion notes that based on recent sales patterns, the ordinance would likely apply to somewhere between 30 and 130 listings each year. Staff would also draw up a roster of eligible buyers, including community land trusts, nonprofit developers and other mission-driven organizations that would receive notice when a covered property goes up for sale, LAist reported. County officials say owners would not be required to sell to those groups if they receive a higher offer on the open market.
How LA County Might Pay for Nonprofit Bids
Supervisors also kicked around how to help mission-driven buyers actually win these deals in a hot market. Options on the table include creating bridge or acquisition funds so nonprofits can move quickly when a building hits their radar. Supervisor Holly Mitchell pointed to Measure A, the 2024 sales tax measure that set up the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency, as one possible funding source, according to CalMatters. County departments were told to identify both start-up and ongoing money that could support property acquisitions as well as day-to-day program operations.
Tenants Cheer, Landlords Bristle
Tenant advocates and community land trusts lined up in support, arguing COPA could lock in long-term affordability and help families stay put. Brenda Tafoya of the El Sereno Community Land Trust told supervisors that groups like hers can "partner with willing sellers and tenants to acquire properties, ensuring permanently affordable housing," as reported by LAist. Industry organizations were far less enthusiastic, warning the added requirements could increase transaction costs and scare off investment. The California Apartment Association urged its members to contact supervisors ahead of the vote and argued that COPA would inject new delays into routine property sales, per the California Apartment Association.
D.C.'s Tenant Law Offers a Preview
Los Angeles County is not starting from scratch. The proposal borrows heavily from Washington, D.C.'s long-running Tenant Opportunity to Purchase framework, which has been studied for years. A 2023 analysis by the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development found that TOPA frequently gives tenants leverage to negotiate repairs or affordability protections when buildings change hands, but full tenant ownership or tenant-sponsored cooperatives are uncommon. Tenant-led cooperatives made up only a small slice of overall sales, according to the D.C. Policy Center review of the CNHED study.
What Happens Next
The board's agenda directs county departments to spend the next 180 days writing detailed regulations and then bring an ordinance back for a final vote, per the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. During that stretch, staff are expected to consult landlords, tenant groups and affordable housing providers on nuts-and-bolts questions such as how much notice owners must give, how buyers will be certified and what financing mechanisms make sense. Whether COPA ends up on the books countywide will likely hinge on how officials balance preservation goals with property owners' concerns about added delays and costs.
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