Calm down...The “Illegals” in the article refers to apartments not registered as such, not illegal immigrants.
But it would not be uncommon for illegal immigrants to live there.
The underlying problem is that housing costs in CA and/or LA are extremely high. The main reason for population loss in CA is high housing costs.
They talk about landlords chopping apts up but tenants also do it. To save rent money, a tenant sublets to additional tenants, smaller "personal areas" are created by erecting walls and the kitchen and baths become "common areas". Then one of the "sub-tenants" make improvements to his "personal area" by adding a shower stall and toilet. Then another. Then another. None of it is code.
When they move out, the landlord will re-rent it as a chopped up apt. Why would the landlord pay to tear it all out when he can leave it in and raise the rent.
The article points out that these regs don't apply to garage apts and granny flats. Those are everywhere in LA. I lived in one of those LA garage apts many decades ago. It was smaller than the master bedroom in the house in which I presently live. And next door to that garage apt was a garage apt occupied by a woman and her 3 daughters. I never could figure out how all 4 of them lived there.
You can't read the Orwellian media without also reading what they are not writing!
The LA politicians and the LA Times had no problem with those housing laws for many decades - until now! Why "amnesty" now? Why was it fine for past LA residents to live under those housing laws and not the LA residents of today?
The answer is carefully concealed from the reader of the article. It is the demographic change supercharged by the illegal invasion from south of the border. A new population who believes no American laws should apply to them. From the wikipedia article on Los Angeles [Link]:
But the LA Times must not make the factual connection to the immigration variety of "illegal" - since it would be damaging to prospects for that very other form of "amnesty" they so strongly support in so many other articles.Racial composition 2010 1990 1970 1940 Asian 11.3% 9.8% 3 .6% 2.2% Black/African American 9.6% 14.0% 17.9% 4.2% Hispanic or Latino 48.5% 39.9% 17.1% 7.1% White Non-Hispanic 28.7% 37.3% 61.1% 86.3%