ACTION Apartment Association

L.A. considers cutting through red tape to get homeless people housed faster

02/13/2018 7:28 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

As Los Angeles politicians face mounting pressure to combat the homelessness crisis, the City Council is weighing two measures aimed at clearing obstacles to getting more people into housing.

But the proposed laws have stirred up concerns among critics who fear they will muzzle neighbors or concentrate homeless housing into specific neighborhoods.

Pass-Throughs: Santa Monica Rent Control Board

02/12/2018 7:38 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Public Notice: Santa Monica Rent Control Board
At its regular meeting on January 25, 2018, the Santa Monica Rent Control Board adopted Regulation 3120 and made amendments to Regulations 3105, 3106, 3108 and 3109.

The new and amended regulations will phase out pass throughs of certain items that appear on owners’ property tax bills regarding voted indebtedness and direct assessments by eliminating surcharge pass throughs to tenants in the following instances:
1) The unit’s rent is established for a new tenancy starting on or after March 1, 2018; or
2) The unit is in a building that is reassessed as the result of an ownership transfer on or after March 1, 2018; or
3) The unit is on a property that is reassessed on or after March 1, 2018 as the result of significant improvements.

Read Notice on page 3: http://backissues.smdp.com/021018.pdf

Earthquake Fault Line Runs From Santa Monica to Westwood

02/12/2018 7:28 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Santa Monica earthquake fault line was initially believed to stop at Beverly Hills at Santa Monica and Wilshire boulevards and under ritzy Rodeo Drive. However, a new map now shows it runs all the way to Westwood via Century City.

The final version of California Geological Survey’s map shows the Santa Monica fault line extending a mile farther northeast throughout the Golden Triangle, including glitzy Rodeo Drive. It cuts through the heart of the Westside, with sections running through Century City, Westwood, Brentwood, Santa Monica and Pacific Palisades, the Los Angeles Times reported.

SMa.r.t.-Population Overload: Part 2

02/09/2018 4:24 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

In this second article SM.a.r.t. (Santa Monica architects for a responsible tomorrow) continues discussing the thorny issue of the optimum Santa Monica population.

SM.a.r.t. suggests that our construction approvals should not exceed the population growth rate of Los Angeles County. For example, the annual growth rate of Los Angeles County over the last 7.5 years to mid-2017 averaged 0.43 percent year. In the last year alone Santa Monica approved projects whose projected population is equal to a 0.92 percent per year growth rate. In other words last year we grew at twice the average rate of L.A. County. As population growth and construction rates fluctuate wildly annually, we should consider using, for example, a 5 year average to set our construction limit benchmarks.

Court upholds San Francisco law on rental housing buyouts

02/09/2018 10:33 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A federal appeals court has upheld a San Francisco law that regulates the ability of landlords to pay tenants to vacate their apartments. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Thursday the law does not violate landlords' free speech, privacy, equal protection or due process rights.

Read More on page 4: http://backissues.smdp.com/020918.pdf

Fiscal Forecast Improves but Red Ink Looms for Santa Monica City Hall

02/08/2018 12:57 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

February 8, 2018 -- Cobbling together a record $45 million payment last year for unfunded employee pensions helped postpone a deficit at Santa Monica City Hall, but millions of dollars in red ink are coming anyway, according to a new fiscal forecast.

When the City was formulating a $1.57-billion biennial budget for fiscal years 2017-2019, the finance director warned City spending was outpacing revenue and -- combined with a slowing of the economy -- would face escalating deficits from fiscal years 2019-2020 to 2021-2022.

In an update to the City Council, officials now say the City has skirted a deficit next year, primarily because of the pension paydown it made last year

Rent Control Needs Retirement, Not a Comeback

02/08/2018 9:25 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The definition of policy insanity is to repeat the same mistake and hope for a different, better outcome.

According to the Wall Street Journal, rent control seems to be making a retro comeback. Most forms of intelligent life could be forgiven for asking why.

Serial experimentation with this policy has repeatedly shown the same result. Initially, tenants rejoice, and rent control looks like a victory for the poor over the landlord class. But the stifling of price signals leads to problems. Rent control starts by producing some sort of redistribution, because the people with low rents at the time that controls are imposed tend to be relatively low-income.

Supporters Hope Term Limits for Santa Monica Council is Idea 'Whose Time Has Come'

02/07/2018 1:45 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Now, backers of term-limits for the council’s seven members are trying to put the issue before voters during the General Election this fall -- and hoping the past will not haunt them.

“There’s nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come,” said Mary Marlow, head of the Santa Monica Transparency Project, a City government watchdog group.

Preschool Approved on Delaware Ave

02/07/2018 1:44 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Part of a trend of schools in R1 Santa Monica neighborhoods

Over numerous resident objections, the Santa Monica City Council has turned down an appeal from a decision to allow a 20 student preschool at 2953 Delaware Avenue.

They did add about 60 conditions to the preschool, intended to abate noise, traffic and the like.

The Gandara Park neighborhood mobilized against the proposed preschool.

Curious City: I’ll Raise Your Full House… by Charles Andrews

02/07/2018 7:59 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

What are we, Santa Monica?

Aren’t we the refuge at the end of the freeway? Gateway to the vast blue Pacific Ocean, seen just over the serene shoulders of St. Monica? The rejuvenating Central Park for the ginormous, sprawling Los Angeles, a much-needed breath of fresh air, blue skies, tall palm trees? A sunny, open, casual walking place that draws people from all over LA and all over the world and has for 150 years, for its charms, its history, its ambiance, its distinct sense of place?

Or are we just another indistinguishable slice of LA? Make it all look the same. Build tall buildings, bring in lots more people to live in this already jam-packed 8.4 square miles, snarl the traffic, block out the sun, hide the palm trees, up the crime rate, build a row of really tall buildings overlooking the ocean, a 12-story hotel where we need a town center park, rip out trees, squander our water funds, make housing unaffordable to all but the very well off, commercialize residential neighborhoods, kill diversity, evict longtime citizens and leave no place for their children. Because that’s the path we’re on, with what’s been built and what’s been approved and what’s in the pipeline. The city you knew even five years ago, is being built over. Why? It’s insane. Are we asking for that? I don’t hear it. From the people who live here.