ACTION Apartment Association

Groups Supporting City Fight Back in Voting Rights Case

07/21/2021 8:36 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Four Santa Monica organizations that support the City's position in the voting rights case asked the California Supreme Court on Monday to strike a motion by the plaintiffs to toss their amicus brief.

The request calls the Latino plaintiffs' motion, filed on July 8 by their lead attorney, Kevin Shenkman, "frivolous" and "grounded on baseless speculation" about the groups and their counsel

Rep. Lieu Secures $2 Million for Affordable Housing

07/20/2021 10:14 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Congressman Ted Lieu has announced that he successfully secured the inclusion of $2 million in funding in the 2022 House Appropriations Bill to support an affordable housing project on the current site of Parking Structure 3 in Downtown Santa Monica.

SMa.r.t Column: Blind Upzoning’s False Promise

07/19/2021 9:34 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

I have serious questions about who stands to benefit from indiscriminate upzoning of all single-family residential areas. Basic economic principles based on land values alone suggest that the primary beneficiaries of upzoning will be developers, who will undoubtedly sweep in and redevelop properties, sell at a greater value to more upper middle class professionals, who typically far exceed the area median income (AMI) for the region—all the while accelerating gentrification.

Council plans education campaign in face of eviction tsunami

07/19/2021 9:11 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

City Hall will consider a new communications campaign to inform renters and landlords about the extended eviction moratorium recently passed in Sacramento as part of a bill known as AB 832.

AB 832 extends the statewide eviction moratorium through September 30 and provides financial relief to struggling tenants and their landlords. Coauthored by Assemblymember Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica), AB 832 is an extension of SB 91, also known as the COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act of 2020.

LASD to Heighten Patrol In Effort To Clear Public Spaces

07/19/2021 8:56 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

See Video: https://smmirror.com/2021/07/lasd-to-heighten-patrol-in-effort-to-clear-public-spaces/

Homeless Hiring Tax Credit Signed into Law

07/19/2021 8:54 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Part of AB 150 -- a budget trailer bill -- the California Homeless Hiring Tax Credit is expected to assist some 3,000 individuals and help businesses recover from the coronavirus shutdown.

The new law establishes a tax credit of between $2,500 and $10,000 per qualified homeless individual hired, according to Bloom's office.

Measures to Address Historic Racism in Housing Get Approval

07/19/2021 8:53 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Santa Monica City Council approved a pilot "Right to Return" program that gives priority for affordable housing to Black and Latino households displaced by urban renewal projects in the 1950s and 60s.

AND

https://www.santamonica.gov/press/2021/07/14/santa-monica-city-council-prioritizes-housing-for-historically-displaced-households-through-new-pilot

New Attorney General Takes No Position on "Particular Claims" But Criticizes Appellate Court Ruling in Voting Rights Case

07/19/2021 8:51 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

An eagerly awaited brief submitted Monday by the State Attorney General takes no position on "particular claims or factual disputes" in the Santa Monica voting rights case before the California Supreme Court.

The brief from newly appointed Attorney General Rob Bonta, however, criticizes an Appellate Court decision in favor of the City, while questioning several of the City's key assumptions.

Santa Monica City Yards Project Gets High Bond Rating

07/19/2021 8:49 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

One of the "Big Three" credit rating agencies announced Tuesday it has given a AA+ rating to the bonds that will help complete Santa Monica's City Yard's modernization project.

The high score from Fitch Ratings, Inc. should facilitate the sale of the approximately $63 million in bonds scheduled to be offered next week.

Op-Ed: The absolute wrong way to solve California’s affordable housing crisis

07/13/2021 9:20 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

In recent years, a group of California lawmakers has been pushing for legislation to override locally approved zoning rules and permit denser development in residential neighborhoods. At the moment, a bill is rushing toward passage in the state Legislature that would dramatically and undemocratically rewrite land-use rules in California.

The bill is SB 9, written by Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego). If approved, it would effectively eliminate single-family zoning in wide swaths of California’s cities.