ACTION Apartment Association

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.

Study Reveals Housing Struggles for Latino Renters

01/31/2024 10:14 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Titled “Facts about Latino Renters in Los Angeles County,” the analysis draws from the Latino Data Hub, offering a comprehensive look into the number and characteristics of renters grappling with housing cost burdens. The study comes at a critical juncture, just days before substantial policy changes are set to take effect in the largest city within L.A. County, potentially exacerbating housing affordability issues for Latino households in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Promenade Property Owner Says Crime and Homelessness Are Rising in Santa Monica

01/30/2024 10:03 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

by John Alle

DTSM, Inc will soon be a relic of the past. Property and business owners would be no worse off. That is in the works...DTSM Property and Business Owners are paying ridiculous assessments to have the funds misappropriated and a staff that continues to grow.

Consider who the longest serving Councilmembers are, and ask if we are any better off, or if things are getting worse.

S.M.a.r.t Column: Serf City

01/29/2024 9:11 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Conceptually, the idea for this trickle-down housing scheme is that in exchange for including a small percentage of deed-restricted, reduced-rent units designated for moderate, low, and extremely low-income renters, developers can mostly ignore all local development restrictions, zoning ordinances and approval processes to build dense, over-sized, generic, low-concept projects that are out of scale with the neighborhood, the city and its infrastructure, as well as its cultural aesthetic and natural resource limitations. Some may feel that this is a worthwhile trade-off. For the moment, we’ll put aside the concept that building tens of thousands of luxury, market-rate apartments, with a small percentage of “affordable housing” thrown in, will reduce homelessness in Santa Monica. It won’t, but that’s a discussion for another day.

2024 Santa Monica State of the City

01/25/2024 10:50 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Thursday, February 29 · 5 - 7pm PST

John Adams Middle School (JAMS) Performing Arts Center

2425 16th Street Santa Monica, CA 90405

Council Strengthens Tenant Protections Amid Uptick in Evictions

01/25/2024 10:08 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Spurred by 67 evictions filed in Santa Monica last year, the City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to strengthen the City's "robust" tenant protection laws already in place.

The move is a response to a regional increase in eviction filings after COVID-related tenant protections expired during a persistent housing crisis, City officials said.

The added protections -- which will take effect on March 14 -- "clarify and expand the types of actions that constitute harassment" and "outline examples of prohibited coercion and intimidation," officials said.

They approved amendments also include increasing the maximum penalty for harassment from $10,000 to $20,000 per violation "to keep up with inflation and remain a meaningful deterrent," staff wrote in a report to the Council.

AND: https://www.santamonica.gov/press/2024/01/24/council-approves-added-renter-protections-to-combat-rising-evictions

L.A. County looks to require rental units to stay cool in summer

01/24/2024 1:04 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

On Tuesday, the board voted to direct staff to start drafting an ordinance that would set a maximum temperature for rental units across much of the county.

It’s Good to Know Your History

01/24/2024 10:52 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

by Charles Andrews

Some here don’t like to bring it up because it could be awkward for them. Our City governments and many civic leaders have spent a lot of energy and money, and years of planning, and propaganda, to implement their patriarchal “visions,” their pet agendas for the future of our city. Those plans require ignoring the needs of the current residents – gosh, some might not even be able to live here anymore – and tossing aside a lot of Santa Monica history.

Housing Commission Pushes to Connect Voucher Holders and Landlords

01/24/2024 10:43 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

On January 31, the Commission -- composed of four Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) holders and three property owners -- will hold a "first-of-its-kind" Housing Voucher Town Hall meeting on January 31 at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers.