Over the past several months, our city’s vibrant construction industry has been shaken by an unprecedented surge in immigration enforcement activity. Many construction workers—some natural-born citizens, some with legal residency, and some with neither, but all deeply connected to our communities—tell me they feel intimidated, even fearful, about showing up on job sites. Foremen report empty stations at 7:00 AM; schedules slip, budgets swell, and entire projects grind to a halt.
In this fraught environment, we need solutions that both protect our workforce and keep Los Angeles building. That’s why I believe now, more than ever, is the moment to accelerate adoption of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). By shifting a large portion of our work into controlled, off-site facilities and embracing industrialized processes, we can:
1. Reduce On-Site Vulnerability
Traditional jobsites are highly visible—and under the current climate, that visibility can deter workers from clocking in. MMC shifts framing, plumbing assemblies, and finish work into factories behind secure perimeters. Modules are built and inspected in batches, then transported in for rapid assembly. Workers who might hesitate to cross a busy street to a downtown jobsite can drive to a nearby manufacturing hub with confidence.
2. Boost Productivity and Predictability
When disruptions occur—whether from enforcement sweeps, wildfires, or supply‐chain delays—jobsites slow first, factories last. In a factory you control climate, material flow, and crew assignments. You eliminate daily tailgate meetings, avoid weather shutdowns, and cut waiting times between trades. A modular apartment building that would take 18 months on-site can often be delivered in 12 months with MMC, even accounting for transport and craning.
3. Elevate Quality and Safety
Factory processes enforce consistent quality controls: calibrated jigs, laser–guided cuts, lean layout boards. Rather than trying to calibrate on a dusty jobsite, you lock tolerances in a climate‐controlled environment. Safety training can be standardized on a single campus, under one OSHA program, rather than sprinkled across dozens of small sites. Fewer on-site hours also mean fewer on-site accidents.
4. Diversify Our Workforce
MMC facilities open doors to workers who might not have traditional carpentry or plumbing experience—but who excel in precision assembly, machine operation, or quality inspection. We can partner with local schools and community colleges to train English-language learners in factory roles. These positions come with regular hours, formal pay scales, and pathway careers—critical for families seeking stability when day-labor gigs feel risky.
5. Support Resilient, Equitable Growth
The housing shortage and skyrocketing rents aren’t going away. If we can’t count on a full on-site crew every morning, we jeopardize the pipelines California desperately needs. MMC helps us meet production targets and stabilize costs, which in turn protects the affordable and mixed‐income projects that subsidize the community. Every day we can reclaim from schedule delays is a day closer to delivering homes Angelenos can truly afford.
Looking Ahead
Modern Methods of Construction are already taking root here in Los Angeles. From the Star Apartments’ success in downtown to smaller infill townhome projects in the Valley, developers who’ve experimented with panelization and volumetric modules report net time savings of 20–30 percent. As costs come down and local factories scale up, that curve will only steepen.
But technology alone isn’t enough. We need:
- Policy Incentives for factory space reuse and streamlined permitting of modular deliveries.
- Industry Partnerships between general contractors, equipment suppliers, and training programs to build a local MMC ecosystem.
- Public-Private Dialogue to ensure enforcement agencies understand the difference between a secure factory and a vulnerable street-side site.
Los Angeles has always thrived on innovation and grit. In this moment of doubt and disruption, let’s lean into a proven path that protects our workers, strengthens our projects, and delivers homes at the speed our city so desperately needs.
If you want to learn how to apply Modern Methods to weather the storm, [set a call appointment with Dr. Musson]
Dr. Brent Musson is a public policy specialist and modern‐methods advocate focused on industrialized housing solutions for multifamily development.