ACTION Apartment Association

Rent Registry to Kick in for Market Rate Units

11/13/2025 10:10 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The City Council on Tuesday is set to give final approval to an ordinance that requires landlords of market-rate apartment buildings to register their rental units with the City.

As part of the annual registration, property owners would be required to provide information on the occupancy status of each rental unit, the date the current tenant moved in and what the tenant is paying.

Santa Monica Charts Path to Realignment

11/12/2025 4:18 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

UPDATE: At its Oct. 28 meeting, the Santa Monica City Council approved the Realignment Plan.

City Council to consider comprehensive plan to restore safety, rebuild vitality, and achieve fiscal stability

Go Sell Crazy Somewhere Else. Santa Monica is All Stocked Up

11/12/2025 4:16 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Our new Manager Oliver Chi seems energetic and talented. Let's hope the council has finally caught up to the residents who have been sounding the alarms and being ignored for years.

Arthur Jeon, Letter to the Editor

City Manager Unveils Sweeping Plan for Santa Monica's Comeback

11/12/2025 4:04 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The City Manager's office on Thursday released an "overarching game plan" for Santa Monica that aims to "restore order, rebuild economic capacity and re-establish long-term fiscal health."

Outlined in a 34-page staff report the City Council will discuss Tuesday, the sweeping plan comes six weeks after City Manager Oliver Chi urged the Council to declare the City is in "fiscal distress."

City Bill Reaching $14.5 Million in Voting Rights Case

11/12/2025 3:57 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

One of the most expensive law firms in the nation, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher made headlines recently after the firm billed the City of Los Angeles $1.8 million for two weeks work.

Council Approves New Program for Neighborhood Groups

11/12/2025 3:55 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The plan also bases funding for the seven groups on the number of households each represents -- instead of the current $7,000 given to each group -- and waives City fees for neighborhood events and activities.

Council tackles development heavy agenda on Tuesday

09/29/2025 9:09 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Council members will review the status of an emergency ordinance establishing a pilot program that allows market-rate housing projects more flexibility in providing affordable housing units off-site. The Off-site Affordable Housing Pilot Incentive Program, approved in August, was designed to incentivize stalled housing projects facing financial challenges.

Staff will present options for reforming the Neighborhood Organization Grant Program, which has been suspended since July following political endorsements by participating groups during recent elections.

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.