TL supporters say it’s a new day in city politics

11/12/2018 8:59 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Santa Monica voters may have put limits on how long City Council members can serve, but incumbents won’t have to worry about being ousted until 2032.

Voters approved Measure TL, which will limit City Council members to three four-year terms after 2020, on Nov. 6. Incumbents have long enjoyed security on the Council, but residents signaled that the age of terms lasting upwards of 20 years are over as they voted both to introduce term limits and unseated an incumbent, Pam O’Connor, for only the third time in the Council’s history.

Ocean Park apartments move through Planning Commission

11/12/2018 8:50 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Planning Commission approved plans for a three-story residential and commercial development in Ocean Park Nov. 7 despite nearby residents expressing concerns that the project would create an untenable amount of traffic on Pico Boulevard.

Term Limits' Landslide Win Sends Strong Message

11/12/2018 8:48 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

When Santa Monica voters in Tuesday’s election granted overwhelming approval to term limits for the City Council, they were also blasting out a stern warning, says the City Hall watchdog who helped craft Measure TL.

“We’re watching you,” said Mary Marlow, who authored TL with Councilmember Sue Himmelrich, who was elected to a second four-year term Tuesday.

“Voter expectations of what is expected of the council has risen.”

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11/09/2018 10:32 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Emergency messages and important community updates when you need them, where you need them.

California's rent control initiative was crushed in the election

11/09/2018 9:00 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Don't expect the issue to go away

The defeat of a ballot measure that would have allowed for the expansion of rent control across California has buoyed landlords and left tenants pinning their hopes on the state’s new governor for relief.

Proposition 10 failed resoundingly with nearly 62% of voters rejecting the initiative as of results tallied Wednesday. The initiative would have repealed the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, which bans cities and counties from implementing more aggressive forms of rent control. The result means those prohibitions remain in place.

Supporters of expanding rent control, however, said the campaign pushed tenant concerns to the forefront of the state’s housing debate. They’re also taking solace in a pledge from Democratic Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, who has said that he will try to strike a deal on new rent control policies upon taking office. Newsom opposed Proposition 10, saying that he preferred amending Costa-Hawkins rather than repealing it.

Protesters arrested during Santa Monica rally over rejection of Prop 10

11/08/2018 6:21 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Chaos ensued at a sit-in and rally in Santa Monica Wednesday, a day after voters rejected Prop 10, which would have expanded rent control.

Challenger Morena beats incumbent O’Connor for City Council

11/08/2018 7:33 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Pam O’Connor lost her bid for a seventh term on the City Council last night becoming just the third incumbent in the City’s history to be voted out of office. However, a possible appointment could reinstate her for two years. Voters chose businessman Greg Morena

Plans to develop nightmare project passed at ARB

11/08/2018 7:29 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A vacant apartment building in Mid-City that has stood boarded up and surrounded by construction fencing for 18 years is finally getting a makeover.

The Architectural Review Board approved plans to construct a two-story, four-unit multi-family building at 3004 Broadway at its meeting Nov. 5, with board member Kevin Daly calling the existing building the city’s last “haunted house.”

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http://surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2018/November-2018/11_08_2018_Saga_of_Abandoned_Santa_Monica_Building_Finally_Comes_to_an_End.html

San Francisco Proposition C homeless tax passes

11/08/2018 7:15 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The controversial San Francisco homeless tax that pitted tech billionaires Marc Benioff and Jack Dorsey against each other passes

San Francisco's Proposition C, which will tax the city's biggest businesses to raise funds to combat homelessness, passed Tuesday.

SMRR City Council to Continue, but Pam O'Conner Finally Loses her seat.

11/07/2018 2:47 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Local Santa Monica Election Results: Measure TL, SMS, SM all approved.

Greg Morena will join incumbents Sue Himmelrich and Kevin McKeown on the Santa Monica City Council. Greg Morena, a restaurant owner, won election to be the newcomer on the Council. Pam O'Conner, who has been on the City Council since the Reagan administration, was somehow turned out by voters. She has voted for every large development project ever proposed in Santa Monica, and voters evidently finally understood that.

Lori Brown lost her bid to be the only landlord on the Santa Monica Rent Control Board.