ACTION Apartment Association

Installing a Home EV Charging Station Just Got Easier

11/06/2019 8:21 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Do you know that California state law (AB 1796) requires landlords to approve tenant requests to install EV charging stations in their dedicated parking spaces if they are willing to pay for them? Previously, this law required tenants to obtain a $1 million insurance policy, which often prevented tenants from being able to take advantage of this legislation. A recently passed bill (SB 638) removes this insurance requirement, making it one step easier for renters to install charging stations at their homes.

Los Angeles Enacts "Emergency Moratorium" on No-Fault Evictions of Tenants

11/06/2019 8:17 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Fearing landlords would kick out tenants in advance of AB-1482, LA City Council acts.

Fearing that mass evictions could follow after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed rent cap and stronger tenant protections into law, the Los Angeles City Council has approved an emergency moratorium on no-fault evictions.

A 2018 DoJ report says that violent crime was up in Santa Monica, 2018 over 2017.

11/06/2019 8:15 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Dept of Justice ranks Santa Monica has the 3d Highest Crime City in Calif. in 2018.

The Plaza at Santa Monica’s Groundhog Day

11/06/2019 8:12 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Last week our colleague Thane Roberts, in a reprise of an article from four years ago, said: “Insanity was once defined as doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result. Once again, our City Council has embarked on a misadventure that will likely end the same way as before with the Hines Project- a major waste of funds and time for all parties concerned, especially the developers.” This week he continues the discussion about the proposed Plaza at Santa Monica, a massive project in the very heart of downtown Santa Monica.

Six Big Lies Keeping the Real Estate Bubble Inflated

11/06/2019 8:09 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Every so often SMart invites a guest columnist to write an article about local planning issues. This week and next we have invited Dick Platkin, a former planner for the City of Los Angeles, who is writing about the lies that the building and financial industries perpetuate in their quest for profits using the wedge of new State of California laws gutting local development controls. Since this year the State has been feverishly passing laws unleashing over development, (the City of Santa Monica is now supposed to build 5000 new units in the next 10 years) we felt this article was relevant to expose the lies used to sell this overdevelopment. While Dick’s article was written about Los Angeles identical issues apply in Santa Monica. Just substitute Santa Monica every time he mentions Los Angeles. This article first appeared in City Watch LA a few weeks ago.

Construction Set to Begin on 100-unit Lincoln Boulevard Mixed-Use Project

11/06/2019 8:07 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Construction is set to start next spring for a mixed-use development in Downtown Santa Monica that will bring 100 apartments and nearly 6,000 square feet of retail space to Lincoln Boulevard just blocks from the Expo Line.

Project developer, NMS Properties-affiliated firm WS Communities, plans on replacing a surface parking lot at 1430 Lincoln Boulevard with a five-story building containing 100 apartments, 5,878 square feet of ground-floor retail and a four-level subterranean parking garage with 296 parking spaces.

Santa Monica Is Reimagining The Promenade

11/06/2019 8:03 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The last time Santa Monica's main shopping strip was overhauled, the Berlin Wall was still standing and the World Wide Web was a proposal on paper.

Thirty years later, the Soviet Union has crumbled and, for the first time in history, more general merchandise was sold on the web than in brick and mortar stores.

Santa Monica Home Prices Post Highest Jump in Nation

11/06/2019 8:00 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Santa Monica saw home prices rise higher than any other large city in the nation, with the median price of a home soaring by $155,000 over the past year, according to an analysis by Forbes magazine.

The study, which is based on data sourced from the real estate site Zillow, analyzed home prices in the 500 largest U.S. cities between September 2018 and September 2019.

City's Wellbeing Summit to Cost Nearly $250,000

11/06/2019 7:59 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The City of Santa Monica's Wellbeing Summit next month -- meant to "spark conversation and action around community wellbeing" -- will cost $242,500, which will be paid for by sponsors.

So far, the City has raised $229,500 from 19 sponsors for the event on November 16 at the Santa Monica College (SMC) Center for Media and Design, according to a report from City Manager Rick Cole sent to the City Council Thursday.

Beware of Price-Gauging During Fire Emergency, City Officials Warn

11/06/2019 7:57 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

As wildfires rage just north of Santa Monica's border, the City Attorneys office on Wednesday cautioned residents to be wary of price-gauging.

The ban on price-gouging applies to "temporary and permanent housing, food, emergency supplies, medical supplies, building materials, gasoline, transportation, and emergency cleanup."

AND: https://www.santamonica.gov/press/2019/10/30/santa-monica-city-attorney-s-office-warns-of-price-gouging-during-state-of-emergency-in-los-angeles-county