ACTION Apartment Association

Judge Tosses City of Santa Monica's Motion to Dismiss Voting Rights Lawsuit

06/23/2018 9:29 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

June 18, 2018 -- A motion to dismiss a voting rights lawsuit against the City of Santa Monica was denied in Superior Court Tuesday after the high-powered law firm hired to defend the City failed to meet a filing deadline.

Santa Monica is the only City in California still fighting litigation seeking to replace the at-large voting method used by most small to mid-sized municipalities with district systems ("City of Santa Monica the “One Hold Out” in Voting Rights Litigation, Lawyer says," May 18, 2017).

Rent control measures fall short in Inglewood, Long Beach, and Pasadena

06/23/2018 9:25 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Voters in Pasadena, Long Beach, and Inglewood won’t get a chance to vote in November on whether to adopt rent control policies in those cities.

Supporters of ballot initiatives calling for rent control in all three cities did not garner enough valid signatures to qualify the measures for the fall election.

'Super-Majority' Ballot Measure Would Have No Impact on Proposed Developments

06/22/2018 10:33 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

June 21, 2018 -- A proposed ballot measure to require a "super-majority" vote by the City Council for developments that exceed zoning limits will have no impact on projects currently in the planning pipeline, according to City planning officials.

"It's a bait and switch to get voters to think they are being responsive, said Armen Melkonians, who heads Residocracy.com, an online slow-growth group.

However, it would have no impact on a proposed development in the Bergamot Area, staff said in its report.

It also would likely not affect future developments guided by the Hospital Area Specific Plan (HASP) and the Civic Center Specific Plan (CCSP), according to staff.

In addition, amendments that allow additional height or density for 100 percent affordable housing projects "could be approved with a simple majority Council vote," staff wrote.

Council to debate development measure Tuesday

06/22/2018 10:30 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Tuesday the City Council will consider placing a measure on the Nov. 6 ballot to require a super-majority Council vote to increase density in the city’s building guidelines: the Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) and Downtown Community Plan (DCP). The two documents set maximum height and density throughout the city.

If passed by Council, the measure would make development a key campaign issue two years after the grassroots initiative Measure LV failed to get enough votes. LV would have required a city-wide vote on all new development over two stories in Santa Monica. Instead of requiring citizen votes, the newly proposed measure would restrict the Council’s ability to tweak the rules that govern all new projects.

New York City Sues Landlords Who Refuse Government Vouchers

06/21/2018 8:02 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

For the past four years, New York City has tried to persuade landlords and real estate brokers to rent apartments to low-income people and homeless people with bonuses and pledges that rent would be guaranteed with government vouchers.

The incentives have helped thousands of people move into permanent housing throughout the city. But some landlords have still refused to accept vouchers, city officials said, which is against the law for buildings with six apartments or more.

Last year, the city created a unit to combat such violations, and on Wednesday, the unit took its first legal action, filing lawsuits against the manager of Seaview Estates, a complex on Staten Island, and a real estate broker who rented apartments in two Bronx buildings.

$2.3 million public potty price tag gives Council pause

06/20/2018 8:05 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The controversy over two, new public bathrooms at Clover Park had been swirling long before it reached the City Council this month. Several commissioners say they complained about the $2.3 million price tag for two buildings to house toilets long before Santa Monica’s most powerful unelected official found himself defending the cost.

After the brief discussion, the Council unanimously voted to approve the $2.3 million contract.

Illegal Vacation Rental Business Operator in Santa Monica Convicted

06/19/2018 7:53 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — The Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office successfully concluded the prosecution of Shabi Jafri, a local real estate agent and operator of an illegal vacation rental business which unlawfully took approximately nine residential housing units off of the rental housing market. Jafri had been charged with operating his illegal vacation rental business without City Permits and refusing to comply with City Administrative Citations.

City Launches Resident Satisfaction Survey Through the End of June

06/19/2018 7:50 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Scientific survey designed to obtain feedback from residents on service delivery and key issues

A randomly selected group of 400 to 500 residents will be invited to participate in the scientific survey. Those who are selected will receive a postcard in the mail starting this week and will have two weeks to complete the survey.

City begins negotiations for Gehry building

06/18/2018 8:14 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

World renowned architect Frank Gehry’s signature Santa Monica project sailed through its final preliminary review Tuesday, as the City Council lauded the design as “iconic.” The project’s centerpiece, a curving 12-story hotel tower, will be wrapped in white metal to reflect the golden hues of the setting sun from its perch on Ocean Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard.

The Council was the fourth board to review the latest design iteration, which removed ten stories from the central tower originally included in the 2013 plans. The project now includes a 115-room hotel, a 40,000 square foot museum, about 80 apartments including 19 rent-controlled units and 18 deed-restricted “affordable” units, 24,700 square feet of retail space, and a 5,000 square foot public observation deck.

Airbnb loses latest court battle over Santa Monica’s strict rules

06/18/2018 8:11 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Home sharing sites Airbnb and HomeAway will have to verify hosts are properly registered with the City of Santa Monica before booking guests, after a U.S. District Court judge dismissed a legal challenge to local rules. The judge said the city has a right to keep the international websites from facilitating illegal business transactions here.

Santa Monica’s strict home sharing ordinance prohibits the use of apartments, condominiums and houses for short-term rentals unless the host is present during the stay. Hosts must register with the City and obtain a business license. City leaders say the rules maintain the character of local neighborhoods and preserve housing in the midst of a statewide crisis.