Rent Control, Fast Food, Water to go before City Council

08/10/2018 12:18 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The agenda for the August 14, Santa Monica City Council meeting has been posted and among topics up for consideration is rent control, water and the future fast food restaurants on the third street promenade. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m.

During the regular Santa Monica City Council meeting on Tuesday, June 26, Councilmember Kevin McKeown requested City Staff to prepare for a possible repeal of the Costa-Hawkins Act, the 1995 California law that limits cities’ ability to impose rent control. A statewide initiative on the 2018 ballot, however, seeks to repeal the Costa-Hawkins Act and if voters approve this repeal, rents in Santa Monica will be rolled back to 1978 rates. The staff report on measures the City can take in the event of a repeal occurs is not yet available but City Council is slated to continue the discussion about this item on Tuesday evening.

Councilmembers Seek Changes to Strengthen Santa Monica's Tenant Protections

08/10/2018 12:03 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

August 9, 2018 -- Worried that long-time rent control tenants will be increasingly displaced in Santa Monica's heated real estate market, two Councilmembers are recommending that staff revisit local renter protections.

The item placed on Tuesday's agenda by Councilmembers Sue Himmelrich and Kevin McKeown asks staff to look for "outdated definitions and compensations, in light of rapidly intensifying market pressures on local rents."

If directed by Council, staff would explore a range of issues, including compensation for tenants evicted "through no fault of their own" and the use of rent-controlled units as corporate rentals.

O'Connor Submits Nominating Papers for Santa Monica Council

08/10/2018 12:01 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

August 9, 2018 -- Councilmember Pam O'Connor submitted her nominating petitions Thursday afternoon, becoming the final incumbent to do so in the race for three open seats.

O'Connor said she submitted "a bit over 150" signatures to the City Clerk late Thursday afternoon.

Incumbents Kevin McKeown and Sue Himmelrich have already qualified for the ballot, having gathered the necessary 100 signatures from registered Santa Monica voters.

Costa Hawkins, California’s rent control law, explained

08/10/2018 9:38 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Supporters of a state ballot initiative to expand rent control options for cities across California announced Monday they had gathered enough signatures to qualify the measure for the November 2018 ballot.

If passed, the measure would repeal the 1995 Costa Hawkins Rental Housing Act, which sets limits on the kind of rent control policies cities are able to impose. Right now, 15 California cities have rent control policies. In the LA area, that includes the cities of Los Angeles, West Hollywood, and Santa Monica.

Costa Hawkins is a state law that sets some requirements for the 15 cities in California with rent control—Los Angeles included.

There are three main provisions:

It protects a landlord’s right to raise the rent to market rate on a unit once a tenant moves out.
It prevents cities from establishing rent control—or capping rent—on units constructed after February 1995.
It exempts single-family homes and condos from rent control restrictions.

Voting Rights Suit Vs. City Underway, Challengers Drop out of Council Race

08/10/2018 9:30 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A coalition of voting rights advocates have taken the City of Santa Monica to court, claiming the City’s at-large election system dilutes the Latino vote in City Council elections and is in violation of the California Voting Rights Act.

The outcome of this ongoing voting rights lawsuit,” Pico Neighborhood Association et al. v. City of Santa Monica,” not only will have a lasting impact on the future of elections in the City but has already laid its mark on the upcoming 2018 elections by causing two City Council two candidates to end their bid for office.

Kate Bransfield and Armen Melkonians, co-founders of the Facebook page “Residocracy,” announced last weekend that they were dropping out of the race for City Council.

Family on rent strike in Westlake is evicted

08/09/2018 4:59 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Family on rent strike in Westlake is evicted after not paying rent

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“We regret having to take this action, but the tenant in this unit failed to pay rent for seven months”

A family of five participating in the Burlington Unidos rent strike in Westlake was evicted Wednesday after a jury ruled they violated their lease by refusing to pay rent.

Landlord Donald Crasnick and building owner Lisa Ehrlich filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court in March asking for an order to remove the tenants after they refused to pay rent increases. The family stopped paying rent, because they say they were living in substandard conditions.

Proposed rule would define rent control tenants as “human beings”

08/09/2018 9:13 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Proposed rule would define rent control tenants as “human beings” to oust corporations

Any landlord leasing a rent-controlled apartment to a corporation without first getting a removal permit from the Rent Control Board is running afoul of the law, according to the Board’s top lawyer, J. Stephen Lewis. The assertion comes as the Board attempts to clarify its own rules in order to deter the practice in Santa Monica.

The issue came to light in June after a rent-controlled building at 1238 and 1242 Tenth Street began advertising apartments on corporate rental websites. A leasing agreement obtained by the Daily Press included a “corporate application for rental form” and an addendum to rent “by the suite.” At the time, the Board’s Executive Director said the addendum sounded problematic but there was nothing illegal about leasing a rent-controlled apartment to a corporation.

On Wednesday, Lewis sought to clarify rules for all landlords who may have corporate tenants.

Ballot Arguments Underscore Key Differences Over Term Limits For Santa Monica Council

08/09/2018 9:01 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

August 8, 2018 -- Term limits would either bring new perspectives to a City Council whose members often serve "virtually lifelong" terms or pave the way for "novice" elected officials beholden to the City bureaucracy.

Those are the key arguments that will try to persuade Santa Monica voters to support or oppose a term limits initiatives that will appear on the November 6 ballot.

The measure -- which would limit Council members to three terms -- would take effect on, or after, the election ("Santa Monica Council Grudgingly Places Term Limits Measure on Ballot," July 30, 2018).

Santa Monica Election System on Trial

08/09/2018 8:56 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

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Plaintiffs in Santa Monica Voting Rights Lawsuit Paint Picture of Disenfranchised Minority

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Latinos More than Fairly Represented on Santa Monica Council, Defense Argues in Voting Rights Case

California’s rent control ballot measure triggers $24M fundraising battle

08/09/2018 7:06 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Real estate investors and other opponents of a ballot measure that would allow California cities to expand rent control have raised more than $21 million since the beginning of the year—far outpacing supporters.

But a massive donation from the measure’s primary backer, the Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, could help even the score.

Last week, AHF, which has poured tens of millions of dollars into campaign financing for ballot initiatives in recent years, announced that it would contribute $10 million to the campaign to support the measure. That nearly quintuples the $2.5 million raised by supporters to this point.