ACTION Apartment Association

City Hires Outside Counsel to Help Fight Councilmember's Case

10/15/2021 8:46 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The City Attorney has hired outside counsel to help fight a lawsuit filed by Councilmember Oscar de la Torre claiming he is being illegally excluded from deliberations on the voting rights lawsuit.

Ramon Batista Selected to Lead the Santa Monica Police Dept

10/14/2021 9:32 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

City Manager David White announced the selection of Ramon Batista, Jr., a 35-year law enforcement leader to join the City of Santa Monica as chief of police. Chief Batista comes to Santa Monica from Mesa, Arizona’s third-largest city, where he served as police chief. Before that time, he spent 30 years rising through the ranks of the Tucson Police Department, including two years as assistant chief of police.

Council Cautiously Approves Housing Plan

10/14/2021 9:26 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Approved on a 5 to 2 vote, the Housing Element Update provides a road map for building 8,895 housing units over the next eight years, more than two-thirds of them affordable.

David White begins role as City Manager

10/13/2021 9:13 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

After 18 months of interim leadership, David White has taken the helm as the permanent City Manager of Santa Monica.

White brings with him five years of experience as the City Manager of Fairfield and two years of experience as the Deputy City Manager of Berkeley, where he recently relocated from.

Impacts on Key City Services and Infrastructure From Building 8,895 New Housing Units

10/13/2021 9:11 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The final Environmental Impact Report for the state-ordered addition of 8,895 new housing units to Santa Monica over the next 8 years reveals the projection of significant and unavoidable impacts on air quality, historic resources, fire protection services, education, recreational facilities, water sustainability, and Vehicle Miles Traveled thresholds.

Virtues of a Low-Rise City (Part 2) - SMa.r.t.

10/12/2021 8:39 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

In the final analysis, low-rise buildings consistently out-perform mid- and high-rise buildings in terms of their cost, safety and livability.

Another advantage of lower buildings is that their occupants are able to closely monitor the street and hence exert more “territoriality “on the neighborhood. This makes the streets safer because more eyes on the street discourage crime.

Rising rents spark buying frenzy among apartment investors

10/11/2021 12:29 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Apartments are a hot commodity, and not just in the Inland Empire. Following a year in which the pandemic sent the industry into a tailspin, sales are rebounding throughout Southern California, pushing up prices.

Council to hire police oversight Inspector General and give Housing Element update

10/11/2021 11:43 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The meeting will also feature two new faces, City Manager David White and Interim City Attorney Joseph Lawrence, who will both be recognized at the beginning of open session.

An Inspector General was promised when the Public Safety Reform and Oversight Commission was formed on January 26 in response to concerns raised during summer 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests.

City Prepares to Submit Plan to Build Nearly 9,000 Housing Units

10/09/2021 9:09 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The City Council is expected to approve a plan Tuesday that meets a State mandate to build 8,895 housing units by 2019, more than two-thirds of them affordable.

Rent control tenants endure 6 years of construction hell at 220 San Vicente

10/09/2021 9:03 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Tenants’ woes began in June 2015, when Brad Korzen purchased the building under San Vicente Tower SPE, LLC. Korzen is the CEO of the Kor Group, which lists 220 San Vicente as part of its portfolio in addition to several other luxury residential and hotel properties, including the Downtown Santa Monica Proper Hotel.