City of Santa Monica Offers Rebates For Rainwater Storage Tanks

07/13/2017 6:48 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

In an effort to deal with California’s drought, the city has a program that pays residents for using a basin to collect rainwater for later usage.

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http://www.water.smgov.net/rebates

Expo Line to Santa Monica Hits Target Ridership 13 Years Ahead of Schedule

07/12/2017 11:23 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

July 11, 2017 -- Thirteen months after opening, the Downtown L.A.-to-Santa Monica Expo line has hit a ridership target it was projected to reach in 13 years, also posting a 40 percent increase in passengers in June that left the rest of the Metro Rail system far behind, according to L.A. Metro.

Estimated average ridership on weekdays jumped from 45,876 passengers in June of 2016 to 64,164 last month, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) said.

What not to do in a disaster

07/12/2017 11:09 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Survival is less about heroic actions than avoiding mindless mistakes.

Surprisingly, plenty of other people in deadly scenarios don’t act fast enough to save their own lives.

“No Section 8″ Policies By Landlords Now Unlawful In Santa Monica

07/12/2017 8:24 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

By 2015, however, in the midst of a deepening affordable housing crisis, many local landlords had adopted blanket discrimination policies against Section 8, even though their rents were at or below the Section 8 payment standard. The impact on low-income residents like Ellie was severe: they were spending time and money applying for such apartments, only to get turned away because of the voucher.

So in May of 2015, the Santa Monica City Council added “source of income” to the City’s list of tenant characteristics (such as disability and family status) that are protected from discrimination. (Race, religion and other classes are already protected by state and federal fair housing laws.) Adding “source of income” to that list now prevents landlords from refusing to rent to a person based on government-sponsored assistance like Section 8. It does not require landlords to reduce rents. The new law recently survived a court challenge.

Final Arguments Start in Bitter Battle Over Downtown Santa Monica's Future

07/11/2017 12:37 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

July 11, 2017 -- Rivals in the long, bitter battle over downtown Santa Monica's future began final arguments Monday, split by a call for a central public park and recommendations for more hotels, businesses and, especially, more housing.

More than 150 people asked to speak at the special hearing on the Downtown Community Plan (DCP), and the showdown was expected to lapse into the City Council’s meeting tonight. A final council vote is scheduled for July 25.

Santa Monica Has Two Latino Council Members, City Officials Contend

07/10/2017 8:25 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

July 10, 2017 -- Those who think Tony Vazquez is the only Latino ever to serve on the Santa Monica City Council are being asked to reconsider that commonly accepted notion.

In a voting Rights lawsuit against the City, officials are arguing there have been two Latinos on the Council, and both are currently sitting on the dais.

The issue came up during a meeting Thursday of the North of Montana Neighborhood Association (NOMA) when Council member Gleam Davis was asked when she discovered her Latino heritage.

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http://www.smobserved.com/story/2017/07/10/news/lawsuit-alleges-santa-monicas-elections-system-is-racist/3006.html

Bill preserving Marin’s suburban status sparks affordable housing debate

07/10/2017 7:38 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The state Legislature on Thursday approved a bill by Assemblyman Marc Levine that extends until 2028 special treatment for Marin County, San Rafael and Novato when it comes to meeting state requirements for zoning for affordable housing.

Adoption of the bill was considered a foregone conclusion because it was an item tied to passage of the state budget.

“It’s not a surprise,” said Diane Luther, advocacy manager for EAH Housing, an affordable housing developer based in San Rafael. “It feels like it was already decided even before it became public.”

SANTA MONICA RENT CONTROL BOARD NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

07/07/2017 11:49 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Thursday, July 13, 2017

A public hearing on the following topic will be conducted at the regular Santa Monica Rent Control Board meeting on Thursday, July 13, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chamber, 1685 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401: Amendments to Rent Control Board Regulation 4400 respecting construction-related rent decreases.

SMDP, July 7, 2017, pg.11: http://backissues.smdp.com/070717.pdf

California Senate OKs real estate fee to fund more housing

07/07/2017 11:42 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The legislation would impose a $75 fee on documents such as deeds and notices, with a cap of $225 per transaction. t’s expected to generate between $200 and $300 million annually for affordable housing projects. It passed 27-12 with all Democratic votes and now heads to the Assembly.

Read More on page 1: http://backissues.smdp.com/070717.pdf

Downtown Community Plan: 73% More People + Pathways and Apartments

07/07/2017 11:32 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A culmination of years of studies, research and public input has resulted in Santa Monica City’s latest and possibly final version of, the Downtown Community Plan (DCP). The plan will dictate development guidelines for the area, and a Staff Report including recommendations for, and analysis of, the DCP was recently posted online with a Public Hearing scheduled Monday July 10, a follow up Council meeting Tuesday July 11, and the return of staff on direction, July 25.

Housing and office space appear to be the big winners, with City Planners predicting more than double the amount of current residential units to result, increasing the now downtown population by 73 percent. They also expect such an increase to have no impact on the already-grid-locked traffic situation.