ACTION Apartment Association

Appeals Court Bounces Voting Rights Case Back to Trial Court

02/12/2024 11:45 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A California Appeals Court on Friday remanded the voting rights case against the City of Santa Monica to the lower court that ruled in favor of the Latino plaintiffs.

The latest action comes six months after the California Supreme Court sent the eight-year old case back to the Appellate Court saying it "relied on an incorrect legal standard" in its ruling in favor of the City ("Supreme Court Reverses Voting Rights Ruling," August 24, 2023)..

Council also approved a slate of added protections for renters

02/09/2024 8:49 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

including prohibitions against drastic rent increases, unjust evictions and harassment. The updates are in addition to robust renter protections already in place, and in response to a regional increase in eviction filings resulting from the expiration of COVID-related protections, along with the ongoing housing crisis.

The action will result in amendments in the Tenant Protection Code, Housing Anti-Discrimination Code, Tenant Relocation Code, Tenant Harassment Code and Tenant Buyout Agreements Code.

Reestablish a Lawful Community: Elect Jonathan Hatami for Los Angeles County District Attorney

02/09/2024 8:41 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A veteran of the United States Armed Forces and a Los Angeles County prosecutor for the past seventeen years, Hatami is running for District Attorney, the job George Gascon has abdicated since taking the oath of office in December 2020. Hatami says he plans to restore the public safety that has been decimated since that day.

Property Owners May Qualify for Tax Relief Following Recent Natural Disasters

02/09/2024 8:38 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

If properties have suffered damage or destruction due to events like storms, wildfires, earthquakes, or floods, owners may be eligible for reassessment. To qualify for this tax relief initiative, property owners must submit an application for reassessment of the damaged or destroyed property to the Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office within 12 months from the date of the damage. The assessed loss should exceed $10,000 to be considered for relief.

Property owners seeking more information or wishing to apply for reassessment can do so by visiting this link at the County Accessor’s website, and additional information is available at the State Board of Equalization’s website.

Union of Residents of Santa Monica

02/07/2024 1:06 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

by Charles Andrews

We need some umbrella, some place we can go, we beleaguered residents who care about Santa Monica’s future, and recognize and value our unique past, to be able to stand up in the present to the organized, moneyed forces of greed and political influence who do not care about any of that.

Petitioners, school district clash on proposed voting map

02/05/2024 11:14 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Held on the Malibu campus of Santa Monica College on Jan. 31, the committee held a public hearing to receive input on the legality of the voting map submitted as part of a petition aiming to establish district based voting in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) elections. The petition, initially submitted in 2022 by Malibu attorney Kevin Shenkman on behalf of Malibu residents, claims that the district’s at-large voting system is unfair to minority voters, and proposes a division of the district into seven geographic “trustee areas.”

Santa Monica Marked as a Priority Amid Statewide Housing Development Goals

02/05/2024 10:48 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The City of Santa Monica became one of 37 California localities designated by Gov. Newsom as “Prohousing”, making it a funding and resource priority during a statewide acceleration effort of housing development.

SMa.r.t. Column: B(U)Y RIGHT

02/05/2024 10:43 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

“By Right” state housing laws that give developers, in certain projects, the ability to ignore codes ‘by right.’ Well, that is the lovable jargon developers have jumped in bed with at the State level to have it their way, and then lucky them, even getting their hands held at the City level, yielding to their every desire—a ménage à trois.

Governor adds Santa Monica to “prohousing” list

02/02/2024 11:13 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

To encourage that development, the Prohousing Designation rewards communities with “funding incentives and additional resources that help scale up those innovative efforts.”

Santa Monica Sees Biggest Annual Rent Drop in Region

02/02/2024 10:47 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Santa Monica had the largest annual rent decrease in the LA region, dropping by -5.4 percent after prices fell in January for the third straight month, according to the latest monthly report by Apartment List.

Rents in Santa Monica decreased -1.4 percent in January, following a -3.5 percent drop in December and a -1.7 percent decrease in November, according to data based on listings posted on the popular rental website.