NOTHING ILLUSTRATES THE DISCONNECT between City Hall and Santa Monica residents like the agenda for city council’s retreat, held Sunday, August 23 at the Ken Edwards Center.

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SUBJECT: 1) Amendment of the Water Shortage Response Plan A public hearing will be held by the City Council to consider the following: 1) Proposed Amendment of the City’s Water Shortage Response Plan which sets water use allowances, water conservation thresholds, a process to adjust water use allowances, and penalties for non-compliance. DATE/TIME: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2015 AT 6:45 p.m.

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CITYEWIDE As lawns citywide turn brown or are replaced with drought tolerant alternatives, Andy Lauer’s plush green lawn stands out. The front yard has flourished despite being untouched by a hose or a sprinkler for over a decade. The secret behind its healthy appearance? The entire lawn is grown in sand.

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Based on the discussion at the August 25 City Council Meeting, most Santa Monicans support the concept of affordable housing. However, residents differ in preferred funding choices, how much housing to build, where that housing should be and even the importance of affordable housing to the city.

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August 31 2015 -- Santa Monica provides local homeowners and businesses looking to go solar free technical advice and help picking a reputable contractor, but the beach city has never had a formal permit process within its codes for the often-complex rooftop systems until now.

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August 31,2015 -- Santa Monica moved closer to eliminating its dependence on imported water by 2020 after the City Council last week approved a nearly $2 million contract to hire a groundwater geologist for up to five years.

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Santa Monica is one of the most desirable places in the world to live. The beautiful beach, world-famous Pier, fabulous restaurants and spectacular sunsets – it all combines to make this area unique and special.

Unfortunately, though, finding a place to live at a reasonable and affordable rate can be difficult to say the least. 

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While many people in Southern California were out at the beach or hiking or playing sports on a hot summer day, Santa Monica Mayor Kevin McKeown and members of the city council spent Sunday in a special session to discuss the top issues and concerns facing the city today.

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http://www.smmirror.com/articles/News/Diversity-Mobility-Homelessness-SMO-Identified-As-Citys-Top-Priorities/44075

August 27, 2015 -- The Pico Neighborhood was hit with a skyrocketing number of rental evictions last year, a sign that Santa Monica’s last affordable neighborhood is being gentrified with the coming of light rail, an eviction-monitoring research group has concluded.

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http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2015/Aug-2015/08_27_2015_Mapping_Shows_Pico_Neighborhood_Ground_Zero_for_Skyrocketing_Evictions_in_Santa_Monica.html

August 27, 2015 -- City Council members reached no conclusions on how to increase the availability of affordable housing in Santa Monica during a study session dedicated to the subject on Tuesday. 

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