ACTION Apartment Association

Now What? by Wes Wellman

01/04/2021 9:39 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The 2020 election represented a generational turn from the ideals of the Baby Boomers to those of the Millennials. A Reason-Rupe survey found that 53 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds view socialism favorably, compared to only a quarter of Americans over 55.

Prop. 19: State offers guidance on new property tax transfer law

01/04/2021 9:35 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

There are two primary provisions of Prop. 19. One allows for the transfer of property tax base year values from one California residence to another for certain homeowners, effective April 1, 2021. The other severely curtails the property tax reassessment exclusion for transfers of property between parents and children (and grandparents and grandchildren in very narrow circumstances), is effective Feb. 16, 2021, and will be discussed in the next column. A final column will discuss planning options.

Housing and Land Value in Santa Monica

01/04/2021 9:24 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

In much of California, one of the biggest barriers to needed housing production is the high cost of land. Part of the price of land comes from speculation about its future value. Part of this incentive to speculate – which drives prices up – is the ability by property owners to privatize the publicly created value of land.

Housing Element discussions continue

01/04/2021 9:20 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Some Santa Monica residents and city leaders feel the Southern California Association of Governments is asking the impossible by mandating the city to build 9,000 new units between 2021 and 2029, but City Council and local stakeholders gathered online recently to discuss the mandate as well as the City’s sixth Housing Element.

Eviction Tsunami

12/31/2020 10:58 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Committee For Racial Justice (CRJ) will be gathering by Zoom on Sunday, Jan. 3, at 6:30 p.m., to kick off the New Year by examining a topic that is most pressing in a number of households. During this time of unprecedented economic upheaval, numerous reports claim that one third of our country’s inhabitants will face housing insecurity in the coming months. We know that the moratorium on evictions has been extended to the end of January for most LA County residents and ends March 30 for Santa Monicans, but what then?

City Granted Extension to Submit Voting Rights Brief

12/30/2020 8:53 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The California Supreme Court on Monday granted the City's request for a 60-day extension to submit its responding brief in the voting rights lawsuit filed by Latino plaintiffs.

Council Challengers Win Among Homeowners, Share Tenant Vote

12/29/2020 8:36 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Three challengers in the race for four full-term City Council seats cemented their win by sweeping Santa Monica's single family neighborhoods and making a strong showing in the Pico Neighborhood.

SMa.r.t. Column: Yes, Santa Monica, there is a Santa Claus

12/28/2020 9:50 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

...we “wish” for the following:

California Could Extend Eviction Moratorium to January 2022

12/27/2020 10:06 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A California lawmaker wants to extend the state’s existing restrictions on multifamily evictions until January 2022.

Santa Monica Extends Residential Eviction Moratorium

12/24/2020 10:47 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The City of Santa Monica’s thirty-first emergency supplement signed today extends the City’s local emergency orders, with specified exemptions, to January 31, 2021, and extends the City’s moratorium on residential evictions for reasons other than nonpayment of rent to March 31, 2021.