On Tuesday, the Santa Monica City Council unanimously approved a 50,000-square-foot project that will cost $141 million, including finance costs. The excuse given for the extremely high cost ($2820/square foot) is that the building will be "sustainable" and be a candidate to win Green awards. $100 to $200 a foot are common figures for construction estimators.

Read More: http://www.smobserved.com/story/2017/01/26/news/city-approves-141000000-city-hall-annex/2538.html

and

http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2017/January-2017/01_26_2017_Council_Rejects_Appeal_of_75_Million_Santa_Monica_City_Hall_Annex.html

As property crime goes up across major cities in California, Santa Monica has also seen an increase in serious crime.

Part 1 crimes (including murder, arson, burglary, assault, and grand theft auto) are up 5.5 percent in the city, to a total of 4,515 incidents in 2016. Nearly 90 percent of those incidents are property related and the City’s downtown business area is seeing the most concentrated problem.

The Police Department divides Santa Monica into four “beats” and SMPD reports 40 percent of all Part One crimes in 2016 happened in Beat 1: the area that encompasses the beach, the Pier and the Promenade.

Read More: http://smdp.com/property-crime-rises-in-santa-monica/159400

If one of your low income tenants is able to obtain a Section 8 apartment in another Santa Monica building, you could have a voluntary vacancy and not have to pay a relocation fee.

The waiting list will be reopening for applications on-line for one day only Tuesday January 31, 2017.

The details, including eligibility requirements, are explained in the flyer linked below.

Assistance can be made available to people unable to apply online but should be arranged prior to January 31.

This does not involve your participation in the Section 8 program in your building.

It is a program for tenants to possibly find Section 8 apartments in other Santa Monica buildings.

If you have questions you can call the city at 310-458-2232.

You can also call Elaine at 310-829-7423, but please read carefully the attached flyer before calling.

See flyer:  https://www.actionsantamonica.com/resources/Documents/20170120192249.pdf

It’s a dense agenda for the Jan. 24 City Council meeting with the plans to tackle the budget, an expansion to city hall itself and revisions to the city’s urban forest rules.

Council will also hear the second readings for a pair of decisions discussed earlier this month. Returning for their final procedural vote will be rules expanding Santa Monica’s prohibition on performing in public spaces with animals and more restrictions on home sharing/vacation rentals.

Read More: http://smdp.com/budget-and-city-hall-expansion-on-tap-at-city-council/159377

Some time soon, new rules will require many older apartment buildings to be inspected, and then reinforced to make them less vulnerable to earthquakes. The city’s new list of about 2,400 vulnerable buildings will be released this month, and about half of those are two- and three-story apartment buildings with parking on the ground floor.

How can the City help? City Hall should appoint a liaison that will help guide these folks slowly and patiently through the permit process. 

Read More: http://smmirror.com/2017/01/oped-sma-r-t-reinforcing-the-future/

January 19, 2017 -- Rent Control Board members say Santa Monica tenants need more information about their rights and want to make it a requirement that they get this information upon signing a lease and annually through the mail.

The board discussed at its meeting last Thursday how to provide that information to tenants.

They determined the best option was to require landlords to provide an information sheet during the lease signing and to include it in one of the three mailings the rent board sends out each year (two newsletters and a summer mailing).

Two landlord attorneys told the board they opposed this plan.

Read More:  http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2017/January-2017/01_19_2017_Santa_Monica_Landlords_Could_Be_Required_to_Provide_Rent_Control_%20Information_Sheet.html

January 19, 2017 -- The Santa Monica City Council will vote on something Tuesday that is close to home -- a 50,000-square-foot addition to City Hall.

The addition was approved by the Planning Commission in November, although not too enthusiastically (“Commission Approves Santa Monica City Hall Addition, but with Dissenters,” November 22, 2016).

That decision was appealed by resident David Garden, who although he does not say he is representing a group uses the word “we” throughout the appeal statement.

Read More:  http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2017/January-2017/01_19_2017_Appeal_of_City_Hall_Addition_Approval_Goes_to_Santa_Monica_Council.html

and

Also, let’s not forget that this $86 million will be financed with municipal bonds at 3.25 percent, which will add an additional $55 million of interest over the next 20 years. This brings the total project cost up to $141 million.

http://smmirror.com/2017/01/letter-to-the-editor-city-services-building/

Ad in local paper for: 

RENTERS

Parking space providers can make money by renting out their underutilized parking space through MyLücke’s online platform. Join our network so you can enjoy the benefits while we do all the work!

Read More: https://www.mylucke.com/

After a 16-year City campaign against Santa Monica’s anti-corruption law known as Oaks, the City has finally enforced it.  Based upon Complaints filed by the Transparency Project, the City has fined Council member Terry O’Day for having twice violated Oaks. Council member O’Day was found to have illegally accepted contributions from two well-known individuals after having approved contracts in their favor, including one related to the notorious Village Trailer Park development that led to evictions of low income, elderly people.

Read More: http://smmirror.com/2017/01/oaks-finally-enforced-terry-oday-found-to-have-twice-violated-oaks-fined-2/

Presently, the new City Services Building is budgeted at $86 million for 50,000 square feet of office space. Plans include financing the project with lease revenue bonds. With the City's "AAA" credit / bond rating, the current interest rate is at 3.25% for twenty years. This will add an additional $55 million of interest to the projected cost for a total amount of $141 million dollars.

[ Final cost $1,720 per square foot ($86 million / 50,000 square feet)

[ Final cost $360,000 per building worker ($86 million / 239 workers)

[ Final cost $915 per Santa Monica resident ($86 million / 94,000)

Presently, the City leases office space for these 239 workers at various locations around the City at a yearly lease rate of $2 to $3 million dollars per year. Using the $3 million figure, it will take 47 years to break even on the proposed City Services Building considering the project's budget combined with the debt obligation.

Read More: http://www.smobserved.com/story/2017/01/17/news/small-city-set-to-build-the-most-expensive-public-building-in-world-history/2494.html

and

http://www.smobserved.com/story/2017/01/17/news/astonishing-figure-city-will-spend-141000000-to-build-a-50000-sft-building/2493.html