The Consumer Protection Division of the Santa Monica City Attorney's Office, along with the Santa Monica Rent Control Board, Santa Monicans for Renters Rights, Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles (AAGLA) and ACTION Apartment Association will co-sponsor the workshop Fair Housing Issues in Rental Housing on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 from 9 am to 12 pm at the Santa Monica Main Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd.

Read More: http://calendar.smgov.net/other/eventsignup.asp?ID=952&rts=&disptype=&ret=eventcalendar.asp&pointer=&returnToSearch=&SignupType=&num=0&ad=&dt=mo&mo=4%2F1%2F2019&df=calendar&EventType=ALL&Lib=ALL&AgeGroup=ALL&LangType=0&WindowMode=&noheader=&lad=&pub=1&nopub=&page=&pgdisp=

by Robert Kronovet

How is it possible that everyone finds protections under the umbrella of the Santa Monica City government: the hotel worker, every single laborer, all tenants, every man or woman with various sexual orientations?

The only individual that enjoys no protections but consistent prosecution is the woman housing provider, the lady landlord.

Read More: http://surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/letters/Letters-2019/04_01_2019_LETTERS_Protect_the_Local_Landlady.html

A Los Angeles program for developing affordable housing continues to discriminate against people with disabilities, producing kitchens, bathrooms, balconies and other living spaces that aren’t safely accessible to wheelchair users, federal officials said Monday.

In a 19-page letter, the Department of Housing and Urban Development said city officials failed to provide adequate oversight of the developers who built low-income apartments with federal funds.

Read More: https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-disabled-housing-investigation-20190401-story.html

Santa Monica has become a city separated by a rental divide, with some tenants paying triple what their next-door neighbors pay for a similar unit.

Market-rate tenants in the beach city paid more than twice as much as long-term tenants irregardless of the unit's size or location, according to the Rent Control Board's annual report.

Read More: http://surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2019/April-2019/04_01_2019_Santa_Monicas_Newer_Renters_Pay_More_Than_Double_What_Long_Time_Tenants_Pay.html

Developers temporarily will be unable to build housing for extremely low-income households as City Hall refines its affordable housing rules.

The City of Santa Monica requires developers to include affordable units in their projects or pay into an affordable housing fund. For the past seven years, they have had the option to set aside five to 7.5 percent of the units for households making 30 percent of the Los Angeles area’s median income, depending on the project’s size, rather than including more affordable units restricted for households making 50 or 80 percent of the median income.

Council believes the option incentivizes developers to include the smallest number of affordable units possible and voted Tuesday to suspend that option while the City revises the Affordable Housing Production Plan.

Read More: https://www.smdp.com/council-passes-temporary-ban-on-new-extremely-low-income-housing/173866

New study analyzes benefits of a potential $4 fee to enter parts of Santa Monica

Read More: https://www.smdp.com/new-study-analyzes-benefits-of-a-potential-4-fee-to-enter-parts-of-santa-monica/173827

The City Council is concerned about the apparent proliferation of small apartments in downtown Santa Monica. At the 3/26 Meeting, the Council banned construction permits for more apartments less than 375 square feet, unless they are "affordable." Which in Santa Monica means, you know, less than $2000 a month for one room.

Read More: https://www.smobserved.com/story/2019/03/29/news/city-council-enacts-moratorium-on-permits-for-micro-apartments-in-downtown-santa-monica/3872.html

AND: https://www.smdp.com/council-votes-to-prevent-micro-apartments-from-becoming-major-housing-supply/173823

California voters could decide next year whether it should be easier for their local governments to raise taxes and issue bonds for public projects.

Such actions currently require support from two-thirds of local voters. A constitutional amendment proposed Wednesday would lower that to 55 percent.

Read More: https://www.smdp.com/assembly-democrats-want-lower-threshold-to-raise-local-taxes/173793

The California Court of Appeal on Wednesday issued a ruling that allows the current City Council members to cotinue serving while the City's appeal in a voting rights lawsuit is heard.

As a result of the ruling, the City is also not required to hold a special election for all seven Council seats on July 2.

Read More: http://surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2019/March-2019/03_27_2019_Appeals_Court_Rules_City_Council_Can_Remain_Pending_Voting_Rights_Appeal%20.html

AND

https://smmirror.com/2019/03/court-of-appeals-puts-special-election-on-hold/

AND

https://www.santamonica.gov/press/2019/03/28/california-court-of-appeal-confirms-stay-on-special-election-pending-disposition-of-the-appeal

AND

https://www.smdp.com/court-allows-council-to-stay-pending-results-of-cvra-appeal-2/173802

City Hall will prioritize mental health treatment and building new housing in its efforts to reduce homelessness.

City Council voted Tuesday to follow a four-pronged strategy to address homelessness that staff recommended, emphasizing the City should explore opening a behavioral health center and operating a van for field-based mental health services, create permanent supportive housing for homeless Santa Monica and develop a cohesive homelessness strategy with neighboring communities.

Read More: https://www.smdp.com/changing-demographics-seen-as-a-challenge-to-reducing-homelessness/173805