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Field of Council Candidates Grows, Few Have Board or Commission Experience

01/18/2019 8:30 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

With the Thursday deadline fast approaching, a record 43 candidates had applied for an open seat on the Santa Monica City Council as of 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

And while a handful are civic or business leaders, almost all of the applicants so far have never served on City or civic boards, which the Council views as a highly desired qualification.

So far the only candidates who have served on major civic boards or City boards and commissions are Albin Gielicz, Robert Kronovet and Eddie Guerboian

Inglewood residents ask City Council for rent control

01/18/2019 8:23 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The demonstration was set in motion by a proposed 150 percent rent increase by a property investment company on East 99th Street in Inglewood that went viral on social media in late December, catching the eye of Mayor James T. Butts Jr.

“We’re not going to be pushed into somebody’s idea of what a solution is but what we’re going to do is make sure that people aren’t pushed in mass out of apartment buildings,” said Butts, who advocated on behalf of those specific tenants for a six-month moratorium on any rent increases until July 1.

After that, instead of a 150 percent increase, renters will see a 28 percent increase from $1,150 to $1,475 a month, which Butts said is still way under the market rate of $1,800 in Inglewood.

City Approves 9 Percent Water Rate Increase

01/15/2019 8:36 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Changes to go into effect on March, 1.

At the January 8 Santa Monica City Council meeting, council approved a 9 percent water rate increase for the 2019 calendar year.

The 2015 rate saw an increase of 9 percent, but due to better than expected financial performance, the rate only increased by an annual amount of 5 percent in the years 2016, 2017 and 2018. The reason staff is now trying to reinstitute the annual increase to 9 percent is a result of the council’s plan for Santa Monica to achieve water self-sufficiency by 2023.

Field of Santa Monica Council Hopefuls Grows

01/15/2019 8:27 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

With a record 35 candidates so far submitting applications for a vacant City Council seat, an activist group is weighing in on the process, while a former council hopeful looks to put the Council's criteria to a test.

Former Rent Board Commissioner Robert Kronovet and business leader Eddie Guerboian were the only well-known names among the nearly three dozen candidates listed on the City Clerk's applications page as of 2 p.m. Monday.

On Friday, the Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City (SMCLC), a slow-growth activist group, weighed in on the qualifications a candidate should have to win the appointment.

Former City Council candidate and slow-growth leader Armen Melkonians is skeptical the Council will pick a candidate, even if they have the voters' support, whose philosophy differs from the majority view.

Venice Neighbors Fight Homeless Shelter In Court

01/15/2019 8:17 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A Venice neighborhood group filed a petition Monday challenging the city of Los Angeles and the California Coastal Commission's approval of a 154-bed homeless shelter one block from Venice Beach.

The petition brought by the Venice Stakeholders Association in Los Angeles Superior Court alleges the project approval was done in violation of the California Environmental Quality Act, the California Coastal Act and other laws.

Learning garden to replacing housing on Montana Ave

01/14/2019 8:15 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Planning Commission will review Jan. 16 a plan to demolish a vacant 18-unit apartment building at 401 Montana Avenue and build the Rainbow Garden, a children’s learning center and 10,000 square foot garden. The center will employ a teacher to educate visiting pre-school through third-grade classes about growing and cooking organic produce. The vacant two-story apartment building that currently occupies the corner of Montana Avenue and 4th Street was built in 1947 and is in poor condition, staff said. Tenants were evicted under the Ellis Act several years ago.

So Now What?

01/14/2019 8:06 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

by SM.a.r.t.

The case was tried, the decision is in, and the City lost. The judge has ordered that all future City Council elections be district based in accordance with a seven-district map submitted by the Plaintiffs.

Now what?

Well, the city reiterated its intention to exhaust all appellate remedies to avoid having to give up the at large system found by the trial court to violate the California Voting Rights Act. It responded to the court’s invitation to submit its own draft map involving public process by stating it would undertake such a task only after all appellate rights have been exhausted.

Landlords Cannot Avoid Paying Tenants’ Attorney Fees in Housing Rights Cases

01/11/2019 12:27 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

by Gary Rhoades, Deputy City Attorney

Can a landlord in Santa Monica unilaterally change a rental lease to avoid paying attorney fees when they lose a civil rights case?

The short answer is no. Normally, parties must bear their own attorney fees. But in a civil rights case, attorney fees are paid by the losing defendant. This exception applies in many federal and state anti-discrimination laws as well as Santa Monica’s own ordinances that prohibit housing discrimination and tenant harassment.

First Candidates Submit Applications to Fill Vacant City Council Seat

01/11/2019 11:57 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A former Rent Control Board member and a newcomer to Santa Monica politics are the first candidates to apply for an empty seat on the City Council.

Robert Kronovet, who made history in 2008 when he became the first rent control opponent to sit on the City's Rent Board, and Troy Harris, a civic volunteer, submitted their applications Thursday morning.

No one applied on Wednesday, the first day the City Clerk began accepting applications.

By 5:30 p.m. Thursday, four other candidates had submitted applications. They were:

* Susan C Caruso, a former secretary for the Darien, Connecticut Fire Foundation, who has lived in Santa Monica for two years,

* Jonathan Mann, a 40 year residents who has made a record 13 bids for City Council,

* Jeff Mirkin, a television producer who has volunteered as a parent for Santa Monica schools, and

* Patrick Regan, a retired assistant director and production manager, who was active in school issues.

City expands benefits for evicted tenants

01/10/2019 8:34 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Renters facing no-fault evictions will receive up to 50 percent more money from their landlords to relocate.

At its Jan. 8 meeting, City Council increased the amount landlords must pay their tenants if they evict them under the Ellis Act or if the landlord or a family member moves into the unit. The increase is the first since 2011. It also raised the per diem evicted tenants get to temporarily stay in hotels while they find new housing from $165 to $292 per day.

The amount evicted tenants are entitled to depends on how many bedrooms their unit had and whether they are older than 62 or disabled. A typical studio tenant previously received $9,950 and will now receive $15,020, while a one bedroom tenant got $15,300 and will now get $20,705. Landlords had to pay tenants who rented units with two or more bedrooms $20,750 and will now pay $28,810.

Elderly and disabled tenants will receive about $1,000 to $2,000 more at each step.