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Millions in new spending approved as homelessness emergency is extended

05/12/2023 8:59 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Council approved a series of multi-million dollar contracts this week to aid in the ongoing fight against homelessness. The actions came as the city officially received its annual report on the state of homelessness in Santa Monica.

During Tuesday evening’s City Council meeting, staff presented findings from the 2023 Annual Interdepartmental Homelessness Report along with nine recommendations it is hoped might help alleviate the crisis currently affecting Santa Monica, all of which were passed unanimously.

Santa Monica City Council Extends Local Emergency Order

05/12/2023 8:56 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

In response to City staff’s comprehensive annual update on addressing homelessness, the Santa Monica City Council on May 9, 2023, voted to extend the Local Emergency Order on Homelessness to May 31, 2024, and focus current and new investments to maintain and scale up initiatives to support vulnerable populations at-risk of or experiencing homelessness. These investments include using new resources from Measure CS, approved by voters in 2022, and, in the future, using resources from Measure GS, also approved by voters in 2022 but currently pending litigation as to its validity, to expand field-based services; create new deed-restricted affordable housing and expand homelessness prevention programs; establish a Homeless Strategic Plan as recommended by the City’s internal auditor; and create a new Housing and Human Services Department to lead implementation of the Strategic Plan, enabling the City to achieve Measure CS, GS, and audit report objectives more rapidly.

Rent Board Announces 2.8 Percent Rent Increase

05/12/2023 8:49 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Santa Monica Rent Control Board on Tuesday announced a mandated 2.8 percent annual rent increase starting on September 1.

The increase is based on a formula dictated by the Rent Control Charter that sets the amount at 75 percent of the Consumer Price index for the 12-month period ending as of March.

Council Approves Agreement That Removes 'Builder's Remedy' Projects

05/11/2023 10:31 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The City Council on Tuesday approved a settlement agreement that will avert a lengthy legal battle over an untested development policy and scale back nearly a dozen projects that could have been built largely outside the City's control.

The 7 to 0 vote came as Santa Monica's largest developer -- WS Communities -- threatened to proceed with 14 "builder's remedy" projects' totaling nearly 4,200 units if the Council didn't greenlight the proposed settlement before midnight ("WS Could Pull 13 'Builder's Remedy' Projects Under Proposed Settlement Agreement," May 5, 2023).

In first increase since ballot box revolt, Rent Control Board proposes a 2.8% increase

05/10/2023 11:35 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Rent Control Board will meet this week to determine allowable increases for rent controlled units and while the proposed figure is significantly higher than increases in recent history, it is less than half of the figure that roiled renters last year.

Rental increases in rent controlled units are established by a preset formula that limits rents to 75 percent of the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This year, the CPI comes in at 3.7 percent meaning increases will be capped at 2.8 percent for the next year. The Rent Control Board has the option to establish a dollar cap on those increases which is also determined by a preset formula and if they do implement the cap it would be a maximum of $67 per month on units already paying $2,375 a month or more.

SMCLC wants time to study Builders Remedy settlement

05/10/2023 11:33 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The proposed settlement with WS Communities (WSC) over 13 of its “builder’s remedy” project sites will have a huge impact on Santa Monica and its residents for generations to come. When the news broke last September that this developer had filed applications for 14 projects under a “builder’s remedy” statute to construct buildings as high as 20 stories and over 4000 units citywide there was widespread opposition. Residents urged the city to hire outside counsel and oppose these projects. https://smclc.net/DevIgnoreZoning10-17-22.html

In response, the City Attorney retained outside counsel who advised the City Council that there were good legal grounds to contest the filings once formal applications were filed, and one of his highest priorities was to keep the Council and the public informed.

In spite of this, last Thursday city staff placed a settlement item on the Council agenda for tomorrow’s Council meeting as though it were just a routine item.

Landlord Plans to Evict Hundreds of Tenants in Aging West LA Apartment Complex

05/09/2023 10:31 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The owner of the Barrington Plaza Complex is evicting all the tenants that live in the building, some of whom have lived there for decades.

The building itself has a history of life-threatening fires and is in serious need of renovations that could take several years to complete.

The complex's 577 occupied units were informed that with very limited exceptions they have four months to relocate.

Median Santa Monica Rents Increase In April

05/08/2023 12:10 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Median Rent In Santa Monica Increased by 0.8 Percent In April, Marking The Second Consecutive Monthly Increase After a Six-Month Decline.

WS Could Pull 13 'Builder's Remedy' Projects Under Proposed Settlement Agreement

05/08/2023 11:55 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The proposed settlement agreement gives WS "the option to suspend the BR Project applications, and, instead, file thirteen new multi-family housing projects that would qualify for ministerial approvals" under the City's Housing Element, according to City Attorney Doug Sloan.

If WS agrees, "the City would process the new applications on an expedited basis," and "the housing built by the owners will satisfy a significant portion of the City’s regional housing needs," Sloan wrote in his report to the Council.

SMa.r.t Column: Parking Wars

05/08/2023 11:48 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Mobility Landscape Has Started To Abruptly Change In Santa Monica Because Of New State Laws Banning Parking Minimums In New Developments.