Work swiftly. Quietly. Under cover of darkness. Succeeding before anyone has even gotten wind of it, before it can be stopped.

There are those here who have always suspected there might be nefarious intent behind what we consider the wholesale selling out of our city, not just a difference of urban planning philosophies.

Some corruption. Maybe even actual criminal activity. Salaries are sky high for coveted City staff positions, and it takes six figures to get elected even dogcatcher.

Read More: http://smdp.com/evil-and-corruption/163621

A bill to repeal California’s longstanding ban on rent control received little fanfare—until it died a slow death in committee. Can activists bring it back next year? 

Assemblymember David Chiu has been hailed as a hero on housing. His efforts to pass an ambitious spending and reform package with other Bay Area politicians landed him a glowing spread feature in San Francisco Magazine, and the accolades of newspapers across the state.

But one white whale remained in his agenda: bringing back rent control. In this ongoing saga, Chiu might make history as the only California politician to be picketed at his office by supporters of a bill that he supported as a coauthor.

Read More: https://www.thebaycitybeacon.com/politics/advocates-prepare-a-one-two-punch-for-rent-control/article_4e68df08-e3bc-11e7-9c1f-f7532fd27dcb.html

AND

http://www.potreroview.net/assembly-member-david-chiu-champions-housing/

The City Council has asked staff to look into drafting a ballot measure for the 2018 election that would protect against development exceeding the size guidelines in the Downtown Community Plan (DCP), which was adopted after intense debate earlier this year. 

The request of Mayor Ted Winterer and Councilmember Kevin McKeown narrowly passed with four votes, relying on the caveat that most Councilmembers would not support any solutions that would require large developments go directly to the ballot box.

Read More: http://backissues.smdp.com/121817.pdf

Sixteen former and current residents of one of Los Angeles’ largest apartment complexes have won a $3.5-million verdict over an infestation of bedbugs in their units, according to their lawyer.

Park La Brea Apartments, a sprawling complex with more than 4,000 units in the Miracle Mile District, was found liable by a jury in Los Angeles Superior Court late Friday afternoon, said attorney Brian Virag, who represented the plaintiffs.

A representative for Park La Brea Apartments could not be reached for comment Saturday.

The 16 renters who lived in eight separate units complained about the bedbugs from 2011 to 2013; Virag said management of the complex knew about the problem since 2008. Nearly all of the tenants have since moved out, he said.

“They failed to warn any of the tenants of the original problem,” said Virag, who specializes in bedbug problems at hotels and apartments.

Although the medical costs to treat the bedbug bites were only about $2,200, the attorney said the jury awarded the large sum due to the emotional distress caused.

Read More: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-park-la-brea-bedbugs-20171216-story.html

The City Council has approved using $500,000 in federal community development block grants to help remodel about a dozen affordable housing apartments just one block south of Santa Monica’s border. In exchange for the funding, Venice Community Housing (VCH) will set aside three of the 14 apartments for people on the Santa Monica Homeless Service Registry.

Read More: http://backissues.smdp.com/121617.pdf

by Robert Kronovet

Certainly politics and war make strange bed fellows ("Leader of State Democratic Party's African American Caucus Urges Santa Monica to Stop Fighting Voting Rights Lawsuit," December 13, 2017). As the only elected Santa Monica Republican in nearly two decades, I stand completely with Darren W. Parker, chair of the African American Caucus of the California Democratic Party, in urging the City to voluntarily adopt a by-district voting system that divides the Santa Monica into several districts.

Read More: KRONOVET-The Lookout Letter to the editor.pdf

If you are considering a major remodel, or building a new home this year, you should prepare yourself for additional costs. Although the State has mandated that all new residences in California must be “Net Zero” by 2020, Santa Monica’s City Council has voted to move this deadline up by two years to 2018. To assist residents comply with the new ordinance, the City will make consultants available to them at City Hall. What the City will be unable to provide, however, are the additional laws necessary to protect the rights of those residents who do comply. Here is an ominous warning from the Energy Policy Initiatives Center in San Diego:

“California’s Solar Shade Control Act provides limited protection to solar energy system owners from shading caused by structures, trees and shrubs on adjacent properties.”

Read More: https://smmirror.com/2017/12/sma-r-t-santa-monicas-early-adoption-solar-ordinance-shady-deal-residents/

After starting with high hopes, the Santa Monica City Council on Tuesday signaled it isn’t likely to put a bond measure on the November 2018 ballot to fund as much as $200 million in park improvements.

In the end, there were too many hurdles to victory.

Polling showed potential voters were not “overwhelmingly” supportive, especially after the potential impact on taxes was revealed, City staff said in a report to the council.

Read More:   https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2017/December-2017/12_15_2017_Santa_Monca_City_Council_Walks_Back_Putting_Major_Parks_Bond_on_November_Ballot.html

by Mayor Ted Winterer

After reducing our homeless population by roughly a quarter over five years, we saw all that hard work undone in our 2017 count of unhoused individuals. 

At the same time, the County of Los Angeles experienced a 23% uptick in its street population so that now there are 58,000 homeless persons in our region. And despite the application of proven strategies to get people off the streets and into housing and services, an estimated 13,000 new people become homeless in LA County every month. Simply put, local and regional resources have been overwhelmed by this crisis. 

Read More on page 5: http://backissues.smdp.com/121517.pdf

Despite dread of touching off more development warring, the Santa Monica City Council Tuesday voted to consider a ballot measure requiring a “super-majority” council vote for development exceeding City limits on size and height.

The vote asks City staff to examine such a measure for the November ballot next year.

The author, Councilmember Kevin McKeown, said he hoped a super-majority requirement approved by voters would help create “a period of development peace” for a city scarred over the issue of new development.

Read More:   https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2017/December-2017/12_14_2017_Santa_Monica_Council_to_Consider_Ballot_Measure_Requiring_Super-Majority_Vote_for_Biggest_Projects.html