ACTION Apartment Association

Council rejects appeal of Ocean Front housing

04/25/2019 10:28 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Two developments that have sparked protests from Ocean Park residents are moving forward.

City Council voted Tuesday to deny appeals filed by South Ocean Avenue Residents (SOAR) and UNITE HERE Local 11 against multi-story, mixed-use buildings at 1828 Ocean Ave. and 1921 Ocean Front Walk. The groups claimed the developers will the buildings as an extension of their two adjacent hotels, Shutters on the Beach and Hotel Casa Del Mar. SOAR also contends that the five-story Ocean Avenue building will box in the low-slung homes along Vicente Terrace.

Green Power Goes Commercial in Santa Monica on May 1

04/25/2019 10:20 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Beginning Wednesday, May 1, Santa Monica businesses will receive 100 percent green power from the Clean Power Alliance, the energy provider designated by the City of Santa Monica and 31 other jurisdictions in Los Angeles and Ventura counties to provide clean energy to three million new customers.

Customers can switch freely between the tiers without restriction.

New Budget Strategy to Result in Better Government at Lower Cost, Officials Say

04/25/2019 10:00 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Santa Monica's municipal workforce will shrink by nearly 30 full-time employees and voters could be asked to approve new taxes in an effort to rein in a rising pension debt, City officials said Wednesday.

That is part of a strategy for the proposed 2019-21 Biennial Budget that will help pay down the City's estimated $448 million in unfunded pension liability, top City officials said at a morning media briefing.

Officials, however, did not reveal the bottom line that will be presented to the City Council May 23, which they said finance officials are still reviewing and tweaking.

AND: https://www.smdp.com/city-hall-will-cut-about-29-jobs-and-save-17-million-in-spending-by-mid-2021-to-prepare-for-its-coming-financial-shortfalls-as-it-pays-down-its-448-million-unfunded-pension-liability-over-the-next-1/174865

L.A. renters deserve a ‘right to counsel’ for evictions

04/23/2019 2:05 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Here’s one way to help ease Los Angeles’ homeless crisis: Give poor, vulnerable tenants lawyers to help them fight unjust evictions. Why? Because it’s often easier, cheaper and more humane to help people stay in their homes than it is to get them back on their feet after they have become homeless.

The Los Angeles City Council is considering a proposal to create a “right to counsel” program to fund legal advice, emergency payments and attorneys to help keep struggling renters in their homes.

City Attorney’s Office Commemorates Fair Housing Month

04/23/2019 9:08 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Consumer Protection Division of the Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office (CAO) is commemorating the 51st anniversary of the Fair Housing Act of 1968 (also known as the Civil Rights Act of 1968) with several activities in April. The fair housing laws prohibit housing discrimination that is based on race, national origin, religion, gender, disability, familial status, sexual orientation, marital status and other protected classes.

As Legislature Tries to Stuff More Housing Down the Throats of Cities, California Just Says No

04/23/2019 8:51 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to oppose a proposed bill in the California State Senate, SB 50, which would offer waivers and other encouragements to housing built close to urban railway stations.

The bill would override local zoning and allow structures up to five stories tall in areas currently populated with single-family homes. It would also allow waivers for parking, with less than 0.5 parking spots required per unit. An apparently far-reaching law with many prongs to it - the text runs several pages - SB 50 would also take over local guidance regarding affordable housing, requiring any building over 10 units to include a certain number of affordable units.

Wall Street vs. Main Street: Ocean Front Walk Editon

04/23/2019 8:43 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

However, the organs of power within the City; namely, the money interests, all too often collude to err on the side of overdevelopment. Are they delivering what the people want or delivering big dollars for themselves? Are they providing needed housing for a diverse community or luxury housing to line their pockets? Are they adhering to our Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) or doing what they can get away with to increase profits? Are the community benefits paid really enough? Blame cannot be placed on the developer entirely; it’s the City facilitating the excesses by adopting misguided design standards and “tiers.”

Development Plan for Downtown Santa Monica Spurring Housing, Report Says

04/23/2019 8:04 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A total of 1,762 units have been proposed under the Downtown Community Plan (DCP) approved two years ago, which foresees 2,500 new multi-family units built through 2030, according to a status report from planning staff.

They are among the 2,586 residential units that are under construction, approved or making their way through the planning pipeline, according to the report sent to the City Council on March 22.

If completed, the proposed units would nearly double the 3,210 residential units Downtown officials say have already been built in the Central Business District, most of them constructed in the past two decades.

Owner of 2 Apartment Units Faces Tenant Harassment Charges

04/23/2019 8:00 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The City Attorneys office last week filed a criminal complaint charging the owner of a two-unit rent-controlled apartment with five counts of tenant harassment.

Miesha Charnae Grant, who owns the two detached units at 1914 18th Street, was charged with operating a business without a license, unlawfully charging rent and five counts of criminal contempt.

Beach-front housing appeal heads to Council

04/22/2019 9:10 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A group of residents are continuing to fight plans to build a five-story apartment building near Santa Monica State Beach.

City Council will vote Tuesday whether to deny appeals filed by South Ocean Avenue Residents (SOAR) and UNITE HERE Local 11 that claim that the hoteliers behind the developments at 1828 Ocean Ave. and 1921 Ocean Front Walk will treat the buildings as an extension of their two adjacent hotels, Shutters on the Beach and Hotel Casa Del Mar. SOAR also argues the five-story 1828 Ocean Ave. building will box in the low-slung homes along Vicente Terrace.

City of Santa Monica staff is recommending Council deny the appeals and uphold the Planning Commission’s approval of both projects.