ACTION Apartment Association

Social Justice Drives Sepi Shyne

02/14/2019 8:51 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The lack of affordable housing, rent control, and meaningful diversity across all gender identities, sexual orientations and ethnic backgrounds are realities that Sepi Shyne finds disturbing in the city she’s called home for more than a decade, and that’s the catalyst behind her decision to run for the West Hollywood City Council.
Read More: https://www.goweho.com/social-justice-drives-sepi-shyne/16040

Oregon Senators Pass 1st-In-Nation Statewide Rent Control

02/13/2019 8:58 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Oregon Senate voted 17-11 Tuesday to make Oregon the first state in the nation to adopt statewide rent control and make it harder for landlords to evict tenants without a reason.

The bill now moves to the House.

Challengers Easily Outspend Incumbents in Santa Monica Council Race With Mixed Results

02/13/2019 8:57 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Two challengers outspent the three incumbents by more than $60,000 in a relatively quiet race for three open seats on the Santa Monica City Council November 6.

The race between seven candidates, the smallest field in at least three decades, saw candidates spend a total of $358,708.

Letters to the Editor: Repeal or reform Ellis Act

02/12/2019 8:53 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The City Council has long sought the repeal or reform of the Ellis Act, a state law which allows owners of rent-controlled properties to evict tenants and to pursue other uses of their properties provided they don’t re-enter the rental market for at least five years. Every loss of controlled rental stock is painful to a Council which has made the affordability of housing for low and moderate income households a priority, but unfortunately state law preempts local authority.

The Resident Survey Results Are In

02/12/2019 8:40 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The City of Santa Monica recently published the results of its Resident Satisfaction Survey. This survey, conducted biennially since 1998 (the last survey was conducted in 2015), provides input from residents on how well the City is delivering services, and helps identify priority focus areas.

Rental Properties – Long Beach City Council To Consider Tenant Protection Policies

02/12/2019 8:17 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

When city staff invited Long Beach property owners and tenant advocates for a joint “tenant protections focus group” meeting in September 2018, it quickly became clear that there was little the two sides could agree on, as recalled by some of those present.

The meeting was part of a process kicked off last January by 1st District Councilmember Lena Gonzalez, who asked city staff to produce a progress report on the city’s search for “revenue tools and incentives for the production of affordable and workforce housing” to include “policies that support tenants adopted in other cities.”

Ocean Ave Apartment Remodel Approved by Coastal Commission

02/11/2019 10:52 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Coastal Commission has approved a partial demolition and remodel of a long vacant building in one of the Santa Monica’s most desirable locations. The properties at 423 – 429 Ocean Ave. The 16 former apartments have been vacant for a decade and will be converted into 14 condominiums after the Coastal Commission required an increase density beyond limits previously set by Santa Monica.

Planning Commission asking for affordable housing in Pico development

02/11/2019 9:52 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

City Hall is asking a developer building 19 condominiums in the Pico neighborhood to make some of the units affordable after some nearby residents said the project would accelerate gentrification in the area. The developer, Behzad Soroudi, originally planned to build 21 condos in a two-story building at the corner of Virginia Avenue and 21st Street and designate two of them as affordable. In 2014, the Planning Commission asked him to remove two condos to make the design of the building more consistent with the neighborhood and improve the site’s landscaping. Soroudi then elected to pay an in-lieu fee to the City of Santa Monica’s affordable housing fund.

Santa Monica and ‘Big One’ Preparedness

02/11/2019 9:32 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

To better prepare yourself and those around you for an earthquake, OEM (Office of Emergency Management) recommends a simple three- step process. The first step is to have your kit ready.

Revisiting Rent Control, Preserving Affordable Housing for California

02/08/2019 9:34 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Last year’s expensive battle over a California ballot measure that would have allowed cities to expand rent controls should be a wake-up call for the real estate industry, National Multifamily Housing Council vice president Jim Lapides said during ULI’s Housing Opportunity 2019 conference.

California voters soundly defeated Proposition 10, but it was one of the costliest ballot initiatives in U.S. history, with groups spending more than $100 million to either support or defeat the initiative.

“We cannot keep having these fights,” Lapides said. “It behooves us to come to the table with real workable solutions that are palatable to policymakers and their constituents.”