ACTION Apartment Association

Cost of Rent Subsidies for Poor Elderly Tenants Delays Santa Monica Program

11/28/2016 6:53 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

November 28,2016 -- A small but ground-breaking pilot program to save impoverished Santa Monica tenants, most of them elderly, from eviction by using City rent subsidies has been delayed again as City officials grapple with a rattling new finding:

Some cases in the proposed “Preserving our Diversity” program are all but hopeless -- and would drain money for subsidies from others who also badly need the help, a new analysis of the program found.

New Santa Monica Downtown Development Plan Spurs More Worries

11/27/2016 9:52 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

November 22, 2016 -- After eight months of trying to gage public sentiment, Santa Monica City planners face claims of discrimination against Hispanics, worries about long-term tenants losing their rent-controlled units and lingering questions about the biggest downtown projects in the development pipeline.

Commission Approves Santa Monica City Hall Addition, but with Dissenters

11/27/2016 9:49 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

November 22, 2016 -- Enough planning commissioners supported the proposed 50,000-square-foot addition to Santa Monica City Hall last Wednesday to approve the project. But there were plenty of critics on the dais.

Live in Santa Monica, West Hollywood, or Beverly Hills? Quake retrofits for apartments may be coming to you

11/25/2016 2:47 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The movement to retrofit buildings at risk of collapse in a large earthquake could take a major step forward in the coming months as three prominent Westside cities — Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and West Hollywood — consider sweeping laws mandating that thousands of structures be strengthened.

The move is part of a larger political movement that began in San Francisco and Los Angeles to tackle seismic retrofitting that is slowly spreading to smaller communities around the state.

Next Logical Step after LV is RCV

11/21/2016 2:38 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

By Michael Feinstein

RCV stands for ranked-choice voting. Ranked-choice voting is a voting system that empowers voters to rank candidates in the order of their preference. If used for Santa Monica City Council elections, RCV would preserve the best of our current system and improve it, by giving residents even more voice, and by rendering election results more proportional of the electorate.

RCV is the next logical step after LV because at its core, Measure LV was about radically altering the City’s development approval process.

Santa Monica City Staff Recommends Lower Water Rate Increase

11/21/2016 10:21 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Santa Monica residents and businesses will likely see a hike in their water bill next year, but not as high as previously proposed.

With more money coming into the so-called water fund than expected, City staff has recommended that the rate hike for 2017 be decreased from the previously approved 9 percent to 5 percent.

OpEd: SMa.r.t – The City That Ate Its Taxpayers

11/19/2016 3:32 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

With the recent election ushering in yet another sales tax on Santa Monicans, the expenditure of City Council has once again come under the microscope with a variety of local news outlets adding weight to the issue: this year 72 percent of our City’s general operating fund will be used for payroll.

Water theme runs through Nov. 22 Council meeting

11/19/2016 9:43 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

City Hall will be wading into a pair of water related topics at the Nov. 22 Council meeting including a study session on land use priorities for the coast and a public hearing on 2017 water rates.

The Council’s closed session will include recruitment for a new City Attorney, updates on several lawsuits (including ongoing litigation with AirBnB) and negotiations over property sales. The consent calendar includes grants from Homeland Security, property management services at the airport, contracts for building public restrooms and the purchase of protective equipment for firefighters.

“The recommended 5% water rate increase for 2017 instead of the previously approved 9% increase would be effective for calendar year 2017 on bills issued on or about March 1, 2017 to February 28, 2018, with up to 9% increases authorized for 2018 and 2019 pending annual evaluation by Council and staff.”

Santa Monica Hotel Union Urges Taller Buildings After Victory

11/18/2016 2:51 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

November 18, 2016 -- One day after housekeepers at the JW Marriott Santa Monica Le Merigot Hotel voted to form a union with UNITE HERE Local 11, union workers and officials urged city planners to allow taller buildings downtown.

City Hall wants greater presence in vacant buildings

11/16/2016 1:17 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A handful of vacant buildings with stalled construction projects will be subject to additional regulation following the Nov. 1 council meeting.

Council debated establishing a full-fledged vacant building registry that would have placed additional constraints on vacant buildings but ultimately chose a minor revision to code compliance rules with direction to revisit the issue down the road.

According to City Staff, about 29 properties were vacant at the time of their most recent inventory. Of those, only 10 were vacant without some kind of development project or Ellis Act process currently underway.