ACTION Apartment Association

Santa Monica Approves Self-Certification Pilot to Fast-Track Building Permits

12/23/2025 9:23 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Santa Monica City Council unanimously approved a self-certification program allowing businesses to obtain building permits in as little as one day, bypassing weeks of city review. The program launches April 2026 for commercial renovations, including restaurants.

ickleball Court in Santa Monica to Convert to Affordable Housing

12/23/2025 8:55 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The move is part of a $50 million grant in state funding

See Video: https://smmirror.com/2025/12/video-pickleball-court-in-santa-monica-to-convert-to-affordable-housing/

Voter Initiated Transfer Taxes Get Another Legal Boost

12/23/2025 8:52 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A Los Angeles parcel transfer tax similar to the one approved in Santa Monica three years ago was upheld last week by the California Court of Appeals, handing another victory to voter-initiated taxes.

Monday's ruling found that the passage of Measure ULA to fund affordable housing and prevent homelessness "was a valid exercise of the people’s initiative power" under the State constitution.

Zwick Can't Vote on Housing Development Issues, FPPC Rules

12/22/2025 10:30 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

California's top political watchdog has concluded that City Councilmember Jesse Zwick is disqualified from participating in "housing production decisions" made by the Council, City officials said Thursday.

The formal advice issued by the Fair Political Practices Commission FPPC) on December 8 determined that Zwick's employer, the statewide Housing Action Coalition (HAC), could benefit from the Council's action.

State regulators say Councilman Zwick is conflicted on housing votes

12/19/2025 12:42 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

he California Fair Political Practices Commission has ruled that Santa Monica Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Zwick must recuse himself from housing production decisions due to his employment with the Housing Action Coalition, concluding his position creates a conflict of interest under state law.

The FPPC issued a formal advice letter Dec. 8 finding that Zwick is disqualified from participating in certain City Council decisions related to housing production under the commission's interpretation of the Political Reform Act and its "nexus test."

SM.a.r.t Column The Reckoning A City That Cannot Remember Itself

12/19/2025 12:33 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Santa Monica’s transformation represents catastrophic memory loss at urban scale. Every demolished bungalow contained decades of family stories that even the casual observer can sense. Every shadow-casting tower erases solar rhythms evolved over centuries. Every exiled family leaves with irreplaceable knowledge of place.

We’re not adding chapters to our urban story—we’re ripping out pages until the narrative becomes incomprehensible.

Acting Police Chief to Hold Post on Permanent Basis

12/18/2025 7:54 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Acting Police Chief Darrick Jacob has been appointed as Santa Monica's next police chief, making him the first member of the force to be elevated to the top post in nearly half a century.

City Receives $50 Million for Housing, Transit

12/18/2025 7:51 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A Downtown affordable housing project expected to cost $1 million per unit to build has received a major funding boost after the City received a nearly $50 million grant.

Emergency Rent Relief Applications Open Dec. 17 for Wildfire Victims

12/16/2025 12:33 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs will open applications for the Emergency Rent Relief Program on Wednesday, Dec. 17, at 9 a.m. PST, with a deadline of Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, at 4:59 p.m. PST. The program, directed by the Board of Supervisors and administered by DCBA in partnership with The Center by Lendistry, will distribute more than $23 million in rental and mortgage relief to eligible landlords and homeowners affect ed by the Palisades, Eaton and other wildfires, as well as households facing financial pressures tied to federal actions.

SM.a.r.t Column: The Machine: How Santa Monica’s Memory Gets Deleted

12/12/2025 5:00 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The state employs what it considers necessary tools for California’s housing affordability crisis. The “Builder’s Remedy” allows developers to bypass local zoning when cities lack compliant housing elements—meant to ensure housing production, but feeling like a sledgehammer where a precision scalpel might work better.