ACTION Apartment Association

SM.a.r.t Column: Santa Monica’s Governance Problem

09/26/2025 5:55 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Residents of Santa Monica rarely question how their local government works. Debate usually focuses on housing, homelessness, or budgets—not on the machinery producing those outcomes. But the City Council–City Manager system creates a power imbalance: part-time, often inexperienced council members struggle to set priorities, while unelected staff make the real decisions. The result can be inefficiency and policies misaligned with community needs.

Council to Weigh Three Options to Support Neighborhood Groups

09/26/2025 5:51 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The three options range from resurrecting the City's mailed magazine, "Seascape," at a cost of $200,000 a year, to providing fee waivers and co-sponsoring neighborhood events and activities.

A third option would provide modest funding based on the number of households within a neighborhood's boundaries, while penalizing groups that "engage in political endorsements" by making them ineligible for the program for five years.

State Funding Offers Free Solar and Battery Systems for Low-Income LA Homeowners

09/25/2025 9:41 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A new round of state funding will soon make it possible for hundreds of low-income homeowners in Los Angeles to receive solar panels and battery storage systems at no cost, under California’s Self-Generation Incentive Program. The application window opens September 29 for customers of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

Housing Developers Flock to Incentive Program

09/25/2025 9:33 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Approved August 12, the program to kick-start stalled housing construction received applications for a total of 1,088 units -- 916 market-rate and 102 affordable -- in its first week, exceeding the 1,000 units allowed by September 30.

On Tuesday, the City Council will decide "whether to terminate, extend and / or modify the terms" of the pilot program that gives developers three options to meet the City's affordable housing quotas.

LA County Approves $30 Million Emergency Rent Relief

09/24/2025 11:15 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved nearly $30 million in emergency rent relief Tuesday, targeting residents displaced by January wildfires and immigrant families affected by federal immigration enforcement actions.

The Emergency Rent Relief Program will provide up to $15,000 in assistance covering six months of rent or mortgage payments for eligible households. The program represents a significant expansion of housing stability efforts as the county grapples with overlapping crises affecting thousands of residents.

Housing Pilot Program Reaches Capacity

09/23/2025 8:33 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A pilot program designed to jumpstart stalled housing construction in Santa Monica reached its 1,000-unit capacity within two days of launch, prompting city planners to seek an extension of the innovative initiative that offers developers unprecedented flexibility in meeting affordable housing requirements.

Santa Monica Approves 260-Unit Housing Project

09/23/2025 8:30 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The 8-story mixed-use development at 1907-1933 Wilshire Boulevard will include 26 affordable housing units and approximately 21,500 square feet of commercial space above four levels of underground parking. The project represents one of the largest residential developments to gain approval in the city's Mixed-Use Boulevard district this year.

Councilmember to Head Housing Advocacy Group

09/19/2025 8:21 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

City Councilmember Jesse Zwick has been hired as director of a housing advocacy group, but it remains unclear how his new role will impact his participation on housing issues before the Council.

Zwick, who was elected in 2022, will head the Bay-area based Housing Action Coalition's new office in Southern California, where he will be responsible for "growing HAC’s membership and advancing pro-housing solutions across the region," the non-profit said.

City Attorneys Keep Revolving

09/18/2025 8:23 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Chief Deputy City Attorney Heidi von Tongeln was appointed Tuesday to head the City's legal department, becoming the seventh person to hold the post in the last nine years.

County Approves $30M Wildfire Rent Relief, Explores Eviction Protections

09/17/2025 1:40 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The board unanimously passed two motions introduced by Supervisors Lindsey P. Horvath and Hilda L. Solis to establish an Emergency Rent Relief Program (ERRP) with $29.8 million in funding. The program aims to assist wildfire survivors who lost homes or income, immigrant families facing financial hardship due to federal raids, low-income tenants at risk of eviction, and small landlords repairing fire-damaged affordable housing units.