Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto is facing criticism from housing advocates and legal service providers over her investigation into Stay Housed L.A., a city-funded legal aid program that provides eviction defense to low-income renters. Feldstein Soto has framed the probe as a routine review of how public dollars are spent, but advocates say it fits a troubling pattern of obstruction targeting pro-tenant and affordable housing initiatives—particularly on the city’s Westside.
Stay Housed L.A. was created in 2020 in response to the pandemic-driven eviction crisis and has become a key component of the city’s homelessness prevention efforts. Funded by the city and county and administered by a coalition of nonprofit legal organizations, the program has provided free legal support to tens of thousands of tenants. The City Attorney’s office says the review is focused on transparency and oversight, but critics argue the program has already met its reporting obligations and warn that the inquiry could undermine public confidence in the city’s legal defense infrastructure at a time of mounting housing instability.
The investigation comes amid escalating scrutiny of Feldstein Soto’s broader housing record. She and Councilmember Traci Park have been accused of quietly derailing several affordable housing projects on the Westside, including Venice Dell, a 140-unit supportive housing development on a city-owned parking lot in Venice.
The Los Angeles Times editorial board has repeatedly criticized the city’s handling of Venice Dell, calling delays “inexcusable” and attributing the stall to legal maneuvers from the City Attorney’s office. In a 2023 editorial, the board wrote: “The city attorney’s job is to facilitate the decisions of city leaders, not interfere with them. But that is exactly what is happening in Venice.” Although the project was approved by City Council and cleared environmental and zoning reviews, progress halted after city agencies, allegedly under direction from the City Attorney, stopped coordinating with the project’s nonprofit developer, Venice Community Housing.
In addition to Venice Dell, housing advocates point to the City Attorney’s refusal to intervene in the mass eviction of over 500 tenants from the rent-controlled Barrington Plaza complex in West LA. Feldstein Soto argued the evictions were lawful and advised City Council against taking legal action, even as tenant groups alleged violations of the city’s new tenant protections. A judge later ruled the evictions illegal, but by then most residents had already been displaced.
A decade-long effort to update and strengthen the city’s Mello Act protections—which safeguard affordable housing in coastal areas like Venice and Pacific Palisades—also stalled after Feldstein Soto took office. The ordinance had been nearly finalized in 2022 after years of collaboration between the Planning Department, the California Coastal Commission, and legal aid groups, but has not advanced since.
Meanwhile, interim shelter capacity on the Westside has shrunk dramatically. Since 2022, the city has closed or is in the process of closing several sites, including A Bridge Home Venice, Project Roomkey at the Cadillac Hotel, and the Ramada in Venice. These closures represent a loss of hundreds of shelter beds in a district in desperate need of interim housing.
The combination of actions suggests a broader effort to scale back tenant protections and affordable housing investments in wealthier, politically connected neighborhoods. Some advocates argue the probe is less about good governance and more about undermining programs that challenge landlord power. The Stay Housed L.A. coalition has defended its work, noting that the program has consistently submitted required reports and that funding was recently renewed by City Council. The coalition warns that the City Attorney’s probe could cast unwarranted doubt on a successful initiative and chill future tenant-focused legal efforts.
Mayor Karen Bass, who has made housing and homelessness a top priority, has not publicly commented on the investigation. Housing advocates are urging her to intervene and ensure the program remains intact. After all, any serious effort to prevent homelessness must resist political maneuvers that threaten the very systems keeping people housed. With the city under increasing pressure to address homelessness and protect renters, the stakes are high. For many tenants, access to legal defense can mean the difference between staying housed and ending up on the street.