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FINANCING AND CONSTRUCTION GUARANTEED MAXIMUM PRICE FOR CITY HALL ADDITION APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL

08/21/2017 8:30 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

At last night’s meeting, the Santa Monica City Council approved financing and a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for construction services for the City Services Building (CSB). This City Hall addition will bring City employees spread out in different leased locations onto one campus offering streamlined public services and long-term fiscal savings.

Council approved Lease Revenue Bonds totaling $76,760,000 million for the project. The bonds carry a “Green Bond” designation due to the strong environmental qualities of the CSB as a “Living Building”, the highest green building standard available.

SMA.R.T.-$76 MILLION FOR SUSTAINABLE WHAT?

08/18/2017 8:58 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

By Phil Brock

The Santa Monica City Council approved construction of a new “City Services Building” at its Aug. 8 Council meeting. As local media noted, “Council took very little time (25 minutes) to approve quite a bit of money ($76,760,000)” in green, lease revenue bonds. The actual cost of this 50,000 square foot addition to City Hall is much more. With the addition of interest, the cost will increase by a minimum of $60.4 million plus by 2047. It is a costly building, especially for a city with abnormally high employee salaries, extravagant municipal pension costs, the highest sales tax rate in our state and utility taxes that are over the top.

WHY ARE RENTERS LEAVING CALIFORNIA?

08/16/2017 2:30 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Renters frequently move to new cities and metros in search of better jobs, more affordable homes and lifestyle changes. In order to better understand trends in renter mobility, Apartment List analyzed results from our annual renter survey of 24,000 renters and internal search data.

Reead More: https://smmirror.com/2017/08/why-are-renters-leaving-california/

New Affordable Housing Project in Santa Monica for Seniors Headed for Downtown

08/16/2017 2:28 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

August 16, 2017 -- A six-floor affordable housing complex for senior citizens in downtown Santa Monica is heading toward construction after years of legal wrangling and other issues.

The 26,390-square foot building is slated for a less than one-acre site at 1437 5th between Santa Monica Boulevard and Broadway, according to City planners. The site is currently used as a parking lot.

All of the building’s 44 units will be for senior citizens, designated as affordable and anchored by a lobby and 1,001 square-feet of neighborhood commercial tenant space, City planners said.

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.