ACTION Apartment Association

Santa Monica City Council Awards Contract for Homeless Street Team

08/15/2017 1:50 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

August 15, 2017 -- Trying to reach deeper into Santa Monica’s increasing homeless population, the City Council has approved a three-year contract of up to $1.65 million to a local nonprofit to send specialized mental health, medical and substance abuse professionals into the streets for faster intervention.

The contract for the Ocean Park Community Center (OPCC) is a modification of an earlier agreement to operate a “Homeless Multidisciplinary Street Team,” resulting in a three-year amended contract not to exceed $1.65 million.

It was among several homelessness-related agreements approved by the council on August 8.

No vote but lots of discussion for Zoning Ordinance updates

08/15/2017 7:56 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

There were 33 items up for discussion at the Aug. 2 Planning Commission meeting and while there was plenty to talk about, nothing was actually up for a vote yet.

The Commission held preliminary discussions on policy issues that have arisen since adopting the Zoning Ordinance in 2015. Many of the items presented by Principal Planner Tony Kim were minor clerical changes, but some items spurred debate among the Planning Commission.

Raises Approved for Santa Monica City Manager and Others Throughout City Hall

08/14/2017 3:25 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

August 14, 2017 -- From the City manager's new basic salary of $342,780 to others in upper echelons of staff at City Hall, salaries are rising modestly for the 2017-2018 fiscal year as many jobs continue trending well into six figures, or getting close.

The new pay pacts between the council and managers, as well as firefighters, show modest increases of about the rate of inflation, City officials said.

In all, the numerous memorandums of understanding (MOU) approved by the council August 8 will cost the City approximately $2,842,088, officials said.

After City Manager Rick Cole, the two City officials earning the highest basic pay are the police and fire chiefs, with each earning up to $314,136 in 2017-2018, under the MOUs.

Council almost accidentally rejects affordable housing rules

08/14/2017 8:16 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Downtown Community Plan’s (DCP) stringent new rules for affordable housing production were almost demolished last week when a pair of councilmembers cast protest votes against the procedural motion to update the city’s zoning laws. The DCP was ultimately approved during its second reading on Aug. 8 and will become the law of the land but not before a procedural speedbump threatened to derail the process.

Temporary Relocation For Santa Monica Tenants

08/11/2017 8:41 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

By Gary Rhoades

Santa Monica law requires property owners to get their tenants a place to live, and pay most expenses, when they’re forced to vacate temporarily. Examples include:

When the unit is deemed “uninhabitable” (no working bathroom, no hot water, etc.)
Any time a government agency requires tenants to vacate by law

City Hall expansion approved

08/11/2017 8:37 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Council took very little time to approve quite a lot of money for a new City Services Building (CSB) adjacent to the current City Hall.

At their Aug. 8 meeting, Council took about 25 minutes to approve bonds worth $76,760,000 to fund a new 50,000 square foot building that will hold about 240 current city employees. The building includes three stories plus a basement, with 45 feet above grade. It will set behind the current City Hall and in front of the Public Safety building.

City of Santa Monica on Top List of Biggest Public Pensions in California

08/10/2017 2:08 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

August 10, 2017 -- A total of 190 retirees of Santa Monica’s City government are receiving annual public pensions ranging from $100,000 to $250,000, a new analysis of 2016 public pension data statewide by a California watchdog group has found.

Released Tuesday by Transparent California, the findings secured a spot for the City among the top 25 public entities with the highest, and most numerous, six-figure pension payouts from the California Public Employee Retirement System (CalPERS).

The City of Santa Monica placed 11th on the list and was the only Westside city in the top 25.

The only governments with more employees receiving $100,000 or more in payments were much larger than Santa Monica, which has an estimated population of nearly 94,000.

EMPLOYEE UNION AGREEMENTS HOLD SALARY INCREASES AT OR BELOW THE COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT OF 1.7% ANNUALLY

08/10/2017 2:00 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

On August 8, 2017, the Santa Monica City Council authorized City Manager Rick Cole to execute seven employee union agreements representing the largest percentage of municipal employees. Overall, the agreements limit annual salary increases to 1.5 to 1.7%, which is equal to or below the region’s Consumer Price Index increase of 1.7% (as of January 2017). The net increase over the two or three year term of the contracts range from 3.5 to 4.7%. The total cost of the negotiated changes is approximately $2,842,088 for FY 2017-18. The budget impact of these changes was included in the General Fund FY 2017-18 through FY 2021-22 Five-Year Financial Forecast.

City of Santa Monica Adds to “Smart” Irrigation System in Conservation Move

08/09/2017 3:30 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

August 9, 2017 -- In a move to save water, the City of Santa Monica is adding to the new “smart” irrigation system used for its hundreds of acres of parkland, landscaped byways, lawn bowling, Woodlawn Cemetery and other public green spaces.

Staff wants to replace the current irrigation infrastructure, which it says is 15 years old, no longer under warranty and in disrepair in some cases, according to a report by Susan Cline, the City’s director of public works, before the City Council Tuesday.

Her recommendation follows a pilot project started in 2015 at two City parks using “Calsense smart controllers,” which conserve water by automatically adjusting to climate and environmental changes.

City of Santa Monica to Accept Applications for Affordable Housing from Santa Monica Workers and Residents

08/09/2017 7:46 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The wait list for moderate-income households opens at 8 a.m. on Thursday, August 10

The City of Santa Monica will be accepting applications for moderate-income households to be considered for deed restricted apartments created through the City's Affordable Housing Production Program.

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https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2017/August-2017/08_09_2017_First_Housing_Wait_List_Opens_for_Moderate_Income_Santa_Monica_Residents_Workers.html