The Rent Control Board will consider asking City Council to expand rent subsidies for senior citizens following a request from Chairperson Anastasia Foster at their last meeting.

City Hall approved a pilot program, Preserving Our Diversity (POD), in 2017 to set aside about $200,000 to subsidize rent for low-income, long-term residents, aged 62 and older, who live in rent-controlled apartments. A report on the program is due to City Council in the coming months and Foster said she’d been personally tracking the program. She said it was important to pursue varied approaches to affordable housing that didn’t always focus on new construction.

Read More: http://smdp.com/rent-control-board-considers-support-for-expanded-rent-subsidies/166443

May 29, 2018 -- From cuts to trash collection to keeping vacant jobs unfilled, the Santa Monica City Council is looking at ways to operate during leaner years.

The potential cost saving measures come as the City steels itself against a possible recession amid sky-high employee pensions and other costs.

“We need to be a little ruthless,” said Council Member Gleam Davis as the council took a closer look at the City’s rocky five-year fiscal forecast during its May 22 meeting.

City staff, she said, should start “getting creative” to keep the City in the black.

Read More:  http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2018/May-2018/05_29_2018_Budget_Cuts_Loom_as_Costs_Rise_at_Santa_Monica_City_Hall.html

The City Council increased the maximum allowable size for Accessory Dwelling Units on large lots Tuesday, increasing the allowable floor area from 650 square feet to 800 square feet on lots larger than 6,000 square feet. The Council also removed a 250 square foot restriction for second floor ADUs to allow homeowners to build apartments above their garages.

Read More: http://smdp.com/council-amends-rules-to-allow-bigger-adus/166433

Community Corporation of Santa Monica (Community Corp.) has announced the biannual opening of the 2018 Housing Opportunity List.  Joining the Housing Opportunity List offers the opportunity to apply for affordable housing with their organization. Beginning May 29, visit 502 Colorado Avenue; select the date and time for the onehour seminar you would like to attend during the week of June 4.

Read More on pg.3: http://backissues.smdp.com/052518.pdf

Tara Barauskas is the Executive Director of Community Corporation of Santa Monica

Community Corporation’s waiting list is opening for one week on May 29th. Many believe it’s impossible to obtain affordable housing here in Santa Monica.

As the Executive Director of the Community Corporation of Santa Monica (Community Corp.), one of the largest developers of affordable housing in Southern California – I hear many different reasons why potentially eligible individuals and families don’t apply to become residents in our properties.

Some say that there is an endless waiting list. Others believe that it requires overwhelming paperwork and a perfect credit score, or that you need inside connections.

So many of these perceptions are incorrect. I’d like to set the record straight about a few common myths about affordable housing in our community.

Read More: http://smdp.com/your-column-here-17/166393

Facing ballooning pension costs, the City is reorganizing public employees by shuffling vacant positions and eliminating certain jobs. On Tuesday, the City Council approved a proposed operating budget that alters 69 public positions to realign operations.

While the City will add a total of six full-time positions in the next year, seven positions in the airport and broadband departments will be eliminated. Even with the departmental shuffling, the city will need to raise fees to keep up with a 4.4 percent rise in compensation costs for Fiscal Year 2018-2019.

Read More: http://smdp.com/city-moves-to-control-public-employee-costs/166385

With resident rumblings centering on the efficacy of Santa Monica City and its Councilmembers in recent months, a bold move to shake up the voting system and limit sitting terms saw almost 20 thousand petition votes lodged at Santa Monica City Hall Monday morning, May 21.

Read More: https://www.actiontakesaction.com/admin/website/system-pages/?pageId=1837908

Section 2.
Intent to Form a School Facilities Improvement District - Santa Monica Schools.  The Board hereby declares it is necessary and in the best interests of the District to form a school facilities improvement district in the area serving Santa Monica schools. 

Section 4.
Estimated Cost of the Improvement Projects. The Board estimates at this time that the Improvement Projects will cost approximately $650 million

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...

Read More on page 11: http://backissues.smdp.com/052418.pdf

The Rent Control Board (RCB) is an agency uniquely focused on the financial with analysis of expenses and revenues baked into their DNA. However, it will be their own cash flow up for discussion this week when the RCB meets to discuss their annual budget.

After hearing an update on the current budget, the Board will consider is operating budget for the 18/19 fiscal year at their Thursday meeting.

Staff estimates the department will spend $5,241,630 and take in $5,286,312. The Boards revenue is derived from an annual registration fee of $198 per unit and that fee is not expected to increase this year.

The largest expense for the department is staff.

Read More: http://smdp.com/rent-control-budget-up-for-discussion-this-week/166333

Rent control policies on the east and west coasts is causing a housing crisis. And California seems prepared to make things worse.

A 2018 California initiative likely to make the November ballot called the “Affordable Housing Act” would expand state and local government power to control rent prices.

“In many cases rent control appears to be the most effective technique presently known to destroy a city — except for bombing,” Swedish economist Assar Lindbeck said. While the comparison is extreme, Lindbeck makes a good point.

Read More: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/rent-control-is-killing-the-coasts