ACTION Apartment Association

Community can now receive Santa Monica Police service request updates on their phone

11/07/2023 10:57 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Santa Monica Police Department and Office of Emergency Management (OEM) will initiate SPIDR Tech, a Versaterm Public Safety company, that will send automated text messages to people who have called 911 or the non-emergency phone number and requested service from the Santa Monica Police Department.

Council votes to support the Justice for Renters Act by the narrowest of margins

11/06/2023 11:15 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

In last Tuesday’s meeting, City Councilmembers voted to support the Justice for Renters Act by the narrowest of margins, passing the motion with four votes for yes, one vote for no and two abstentions.

Not only does Costa Hawkins prohibit cities from establishing rent control over single-family dwellings, condominiums and rental units built after 1995, it also prohibits “vacancy control” where the base rent the landlord charges may not increase upon the departure of a tenant from a rental unit.

The Act removes this ban on rent control in California, giving local communities the right to stabilize rents and make apartments more affordable for low-income and middle-income renters. Thus Repealing Costa Hawkins will help local government address one of the root causes of homelessness—skyrocketing rents and unaffordable housing.

Los Angeles Moves To End Rent Freeze, Lower Rent Increases

11/06/2023 10:44 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A Los Angeles City Council committee voted 3-2 last week against extending the existing pandemic-related rent increase freeze that is set to expire January 31, 2024.

While Rents Subside Across U.S., Santa Monica Sees Increases

11/06/2023 10:30 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Santa Monica was not a part of the nationwide trend of declining rents last month, as the median price for a one bedroom apartment within the oceanside city saw a 1.2% increase during October, according to research from Apartment List.

Revised Policy Increases Affordable Housing Requirements in Marina del Rey

11/06/2023 10:28 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

While a previous proposal increased the amount of on-site affordable housing for up to 20%, the policy approved at its Oct. 17 meeting calls for 30% of residential units in newly-built and “rehabilitated projects” (revitalizations of structural systems that result in at least three tenants vacated for at least 15 days) to be set at below market rates. Two-thirds of which are reserved for very low-income households while the rest are for ones deemed either low- or moderate-income.

North of Montana Remains Among Most Expensive U.S. Zip Codes

11/06/2023 10:27 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The city's 90402 zip code "saw a mere 2 percent increase" in home prices from last year to reach a median sale price of $4,489,000, according to the real estate data provider.

That dropped Santa Monica from the seventh to the eighth spot, although two cities tied for sixth place this year, according to the latest rankings.

Big real estate ruling may be years away from trickling down to Santa Monica properties

11/03/2023 9:16 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The National Association of Realtors was ordered to pay almost $1.8 billion in damages this week over accusations the organization’s policy of forcing home sellers to pay the commission charged to home buyers is a violation of federal antitrust laws.

An additional lawsuit has already been filed covering the entire country but local experts said how the local market might change is up in the air and how long those changes would take to reach California.

L.A. seeks to strengthen housing inspection program

11/02/2023 8:48 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Los Angeles City Council Wednesday approved a motion seeking to improve the city's housing inspection capabilities to ensure timely and quality repairs for renters, and to encourage tenants and landlords to fully participate in the process.

Santa Monica Politics by Charles Andrews

11/01/2023 12:20 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

This is written for all who love this special city. And that includes a lot of folks I believe are instrumental in destroying what we have/had here. Some of those have been corrupted by their desires for money or power or prestige. But many have become ideologues who so fiercely believe in a philosophy that they can ignore the damage done to people, neighborhoods, character, history and heritage.

Read More: on page 3: https://s3.amazonaws.com/smdp_backissues/110123.pdf

Santa Monica Rents Rise During Seasonal Slowdown

11/01/2023 12:13 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

For the third straight month Santa Monica rents rose in October, defying a nationwide downswing that began in August, according to the latest monthly report by Apartment List.