ACTION Apartment Association

SANTA MONICA RENT CONTROL BOARD NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

06/04/2018 8:23 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Thursday, June 14, 2018
Public hearings on the following topics will be conducted at the regular Santa Monica Rent Control Board meeting on Thursday, June 14, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chamber, 1685 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401:

1) Consideration of imposing a $60 ceiling (or maximum increase) on the 2018 annual general adjustment of 2.9%; and

2) Consideration and adoption of the Santa Monica Rent Control Board’s Fiscal Year 20182019 Operating Budget.

Read More on page 4: http://backissues.smdp.com/060418.pdf

Emergency Plan to Save Vacancy Decontrol (Costa-Hawkins)

06/03/2018 8:24 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

California landlords say they'll back caps on rent increases if big rent control measure goes away.

A statewide lobbying group that represents landlords is supporting a cap on rent increases in an effort to stave off a ballot measure that would expand rent control across California.

The California Apartment Assn. says it’s OK with limiting annual rent hikes to the cost of inflation plus 5% alongside property tax breaks for apartment owners who covert residences to low-income rentals. UC Berkeley researchers proposed both ideas this week.

City of Santa Monica Study Session on City Budget Ignores Elephant in the Room

06/01/2018 2:40 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

No one knows how Santa Monica will pay the lavish pensions of former City Employees

The main problem is the City's current $461 million unfunded pension liability, which the City hopes to retire within 30 years. The City of Santa Monica pays over 200 employees more than $120,000 per year, and is notorious for overpaying its employees.

"We are not in a position of crisis, but a period of reshaping so we can meet environmental and social goals," said City Manager Rick Cole.

City of Santa Monica Releases a Practical Toolkit About Homelessness

06/01/2018 2:35 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Today, the Los Angeles County Homelessness Services Agency (LAHSA) released countywide homeless count numbers for 2018 showing a decrease of 3% with 53,195 people living on the street. This is the first countywide decrease in four years, a sign that more people are being housed and recent investments are paying off. Santa Monica saw a 4% increase with more people experiencing unsheltered homelessness – bunkering down on our streets and in cars.

The homelessness toolkit is available in print and digital formats in English and Spanish.

Greater L.A. Homeless Count Shows Decreases Not Mirrored in Santa Monica

06/01/2018 2:34 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

June 1, 2018 -- The number of homeless counted in Greater Los Angeles dipped for the first time in four years, officials announced Thursday, registering an overall decline of those living on the streets and leaving Santa Monica behind in the effort to handle the regional crisis.

Countywide, the 2018 count totaled 53,195 homeless people, down from 55,048 people -- or 3 percent -- from last year, according to the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Services Agency.

AND

http://smdp.com/county-makes-strides-in-tackling-homelessness-crisis-but-major-problems-remain/166518

More Than 90 Rent-Striking Families in Westlake Are Facing Mass Eviction

05/31/2018 9:06 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The tenants of three adjacent apartment buildings on South Burlington Avenue in rapidly gentrifying Westlake are combatting what they claim are unjust rent increases from their landlord. In the process, they are facing being evicted by attorney Lisa Ehrlich, who has refused to negotiate over their main demands: rent increases of four percent or below, and a guarantee that the rent will not be raised for another two years.

INTENTION TO A FORM SCHOOL FACILITIES IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT - SANTA MONICA SCHOOLS

05/31/2018 8:47 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Section 4.
Estimated Cost of the Improvement Projects. The Board estimates at this time that the Improvement Projects will cost approximately $650 million, which includes all costs incidental to said Improvement Projects. Notwithstanding the foregoing cost estimate, general obligation bonds, if approved, may only be issued in a principal amount which does not exceed the amount presented to and approved by voters of the Improvement District. The Board may determine to address the costs of the Improvement Projects in bond measures presented to voters of the Improvement District at one or more bond elections.

Section 5. Levy of Taxes Only Within Improvement District. If the issuance of general obligation bonds is approved in accordance with California law by the voters of the Improvement District, all taxes levied for the purpose of paying principal of and interest on any such general obligation bonds shall be levied exclusively upon the lands in the Improvement District, and not on any other land in the District that is not within the boundaries of the Improvement District.

Read More on pg. 11: http://backissues.smdp.com/053118.pdf

Members of Santa Monica's Citizens Fiscal Committee Formally Ask that Group be Retained, Expanded

05/30/2018 2:00 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

May 30, 2018 -- Calling Santa Monica's rising pension debt an "existential threat to our fiscal sustainability," two members of a residents committee on Tuesday formally called for the group to be retained and expanded.

In a letter to top City officials and neighborhood groups, Laurence Eubank and Dominic Gomez said members of the Citizens’ Fiscal Sustainability Committee "are ready to continue working with the City to address fiscal anxieties of residents."

New Regulations for Accessory Dwelling Units in Santa Monica

05/30/2018 9:30 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – At its meeting on Tuesday, May 22, the Santa Monica City Council approved an ordinance to amend the City’s Zoning Ordinance regarding standards for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). An ADU is a dwelling unit providing complete independent living facilities that is located on a parcel with another, primary single-unit dwelling. ADUs have also been referred to as second dwelling units, in-law units, or granny flats. Independent ADU standards in SMMC Section 9.31.300 have been created separate from the Accessory Building and Structures standards in SMMC Section 9.21.020 to avoid any confusion and conflicts between the standards.

What to know about ADUs in Los Angeles

05/30/2018 8:36 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

These small residences could help solve California’s housing shortage

Amid a profound housing shortage that’s driving up rents and property values statewide, California officials and real estate experts are looking to an often overlooked form of housing as a potential solution: the in-law unit.