November 2016 was an election year. Voters approved several measures that would raise taxes to pay for affordable housing/education, fund construction at Santa Monica College and tighten the city’s anti-corruption rules. 

Read the recap: http://smdp.com/year-in-review-other/159089

We continually hear from those who propose more and more development that it is all about a shortage of affordable housing. Close to 3,000 units approved and in the pipeline has not produced affordable housing. It’s a myth, a con. The new housing units will rent very high, whatever the market will bear, which in fact will have the opposite effect, of raising rent ceilings in the adjacent neighborhoods.

Read More: http://smmirror.com/2016/12/the-mansionization-of-santa-monica/

Seven Santa Monica apartment buildings caught in the middle of a legal battle have been sold to a San Francisco real estate investment company. The sale involved a total of nine apartment complexes managed by Santa Monica’s largest apartment owner, NMS Properties.

Read More: http://smdp.com/tug-of-war-continues-over-local-apartment-buildings/159071

December 21, 2016 -- Santa Monica is closer to easing rules for “granny flats,” or second smaller units that homeowners historically built on their property for housing family members but are now viewed as a way to address the affordable housing crunch.

Despite such concerns as the impact on parking, the City’s Planning Commission has tentatively supported modifying local zoning to match a new statewide law that relaxes restrictions on constructing an “accessory dwelling unit” (ADU) in the backyard or in garages on the property of Santa Monica’s single-family homes.

The final decision must still be made by the City Council. 

Read More:  http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2016/December-2016/12_21_2016_Relaxed_Law_on_Granny_Flats_in_Santa_Monica_Moves_Closer_to_Approval.html

His $278,00 a year annual salary will be about half of what Santa Monica pays its police chief, Jacqueline Seabrooks. No, seriously--Santa Monica pays her $478,000 a year. That's over twice as much. The City of San Francisco is seven times larger as Santa Monica. Think about it.

Read More: http://www.smobserved.com/story/2016/12/21/news/lapd-deputy-chief-william-scott-52-appointed-san-francisco-police-chief/2407.html

The Santa Monica Non-profit pays college grads to sift through trash for answers to the questions: What do LA County residents discard? Could it be composted, recycled or better disposed of? They are performing a statistical analysis.

"This is a pilot program, through which we are refining a model for multi-family food scrap collection programs. As a part of each pilot, we conduct a pre-pilot waste audit and a post-pilot waste audit," Gittlen wrote. She, Charlotte Will and Eleni Petrow were conducting research for http://www.Globalgreen.org Multi-Family Food Waste Organics Program.

Read More: http://www.smobserved.com/story/2016/12/21/news/global-green-goes-dumpster-diving-in-westside-alleys-seeking-to-improve-trash/2401.html

 I am astounded that our City pays a salary and benefits to a Police Chief equal to what this Country pays our President! 

Read More: http://smmirror.com/2016/12/letter-to-the-editor-salaries-of-the-city/

Hundreds of new apartment units are poised to appear along Lincoln Boulevard in the coming years, as the city green-lights developments near the new Expo Light Rail Station.

Read More: http://smdp.com/big-changes-coming-to-lincoln-boulevard/159032

AND

http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2016/December-2016/12_19_2016_Commission_Grants_Further_Approvals_for_Lincoln_Mixed_Use_Development.html

The City Council recently voted to accelerate Santa Monica’s adoption of the State’s new “Net Zero Energy” policy (NZE.)

The path to get there, however, should not be focused on the residents that are already doing their part and do not have as large an impact due to their smaller energy “footprint”.

Read More: http://smmirror.com/2016/12/oped-sm-a-r-t-santa-monicas-path-to-net-zero/

The housing issue directly plays into development challenges the city will face while finalizing the Downtown Community Plan, or DCP. Right now, strategic planners with the city are crunching the numbers, trying to figure out how high new apartment buildings need to go in order to reach goals for increasing the city’s housing stock. The Planning Commission is still divided over how to balance affordability and live-ability in the city, as residents complain traffic congestion is at an all-time high.

Read More: http://smdp.com/new-mayor-sees-divided-city/158990