ACTION Apartment Association

Housing law that would densify single-family neighborhoods ruled unconstitutional

04/25/2024 1:08 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

SB9, or the California Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency (HOME) Act, mandated that cities permit an additional residential unit on parcels zoned for single-dwelling units. It allowed for a total of two residential units in such zones, excluding accessory dwelling units (ADUs). Enacted in September 2021, the law took effect statewide on January 1, 2022. Locally, SB9 applied solely to properties in the R1 (Single-Unit Residential) and OP1 (Ocean Park Single-Unit Residential) Zones. Certain exemptions prevented displacement of current residents, including properties within hazard zones, historic districts, containing price-controlled units, subject to recent Ellis Act removal, or necessitating the removal of over 25% of existing structure walls.

Updates on the city’s housing efforts

04/25/2024 1:04 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Santa Monica Housing Authority is now open to the public
In response to requests from the community and members of our programs, it’s our goal to make Housing Division services easily accessible to community members.

As part of our increased effort to support the community, the Santa Monica Housing Authority opened its doors to the public in February. Our dedicated frontline staff are now stationed in Suite 180, conveniently located near the east entrance of City Hall, with walk-in hours Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Judge Rules Controversial State Housing Law Unconstitutional

04/25/2024 12:48 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

In a major blow to State control over local development, a Superior Court judge on Monday found a California law allowing multi-family buildings on single-family lots unconstitutional.

Meddling California lawmakers risk sending landlords out of rental business

04/23/2024 11:42 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

SACRAMENTO – What do the state’s insurance and housing crises have in common? Obviously, homeowner policies have an impact on housing costs, but I’m referring to something different, namely the concept of open-ended risk. Insurers are exiting the market because state policies limit their ability to price policies to reflect the risk of a major wildfire season. They rather pull out of California than risk the destruction of their assets.

I’d argue the same thing is happening in the rental market, thanks to a fusillade of pro-tenant laws that subject landlords to an incalculable level of risk. Landlords have freely entered the business and understand the various ups and downs. They can calculate the costs of mortgages, taxes, insurance and maintenance. They expect to, say, replace carpets and paint between tenants. They know the cost of the eviction process in those instances where it’s necessary.

'Milestone' Reached in Efforts to Split School District

04/23/2024 11:15 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

School District and Malibu officials have reached a revenue sharing arrangement that marks a "significant milestone" in the beach city's 13-year effort to split from the district, officials announced.

Council Approves $1 Million Per Unit Homeless Housing Project

04/23/2024 11:13 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Developed by EAH Housing, the project on prime City owned land at the former site of Parking Structure 3 Downtown will be financed with Federal, State and County funding, loans, tax credits and tax-exempt bonds.

Projected to be completed in 2030, the five-story development will include 122 apartments, 50 of them for Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) residents, 116 underground parking spaces and a 19,000-square-foot grocery store on the ground floor.

Former Santa Monica mayor proposes initiative to amend Measure GS

04/05/2024 8:57 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Former mayor of Santa Monica, Pam O’Connor, has filed a ballot measure with the city in an effort to amend Measure GS, (that was proposed and funded by former Mayor Sue Himmelrich) to exempt the sale of multifamily housing from the city’s new third tier transfer tax. O’Connor’s measure argues the tax is an impediment to new housing construction and seeks to exempt large apartment developments from the tax.

California’s most controversial housing law could get a makeover

04/03/2024 11:04 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

by Cal Matters

The proposed overhaul, outlined in a newly amended draft of the bill published this morning, includes new perks for developers, textual edits to clear up how the law would apply and a new “streamlining” provision that would let developers bypass environmental review and public hearing requirements so long as they pay their workers union-level wages and meet basic environmental requirements.

But the bill would also put a cap on how big builder’s remedy projects can be, while prohibiting its use in industrial zoned areas. That’s a break from current law, in which the sky — and the California Building Code — is the limit.

LA Department of Public Health to Santa Monica residents: We Don't Care About YOUR Health

04/02/2024 11:27 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

by Arthur Jeon

The bottom line is harm reduction depends on people being in their right mind enough to make a good decision. The crazed people lurching around my neighborhood can't decide anything except how to get their next fix; you might as well ask somebody with a broken leg to climb stairs. This needle program is, at best, doing nothing more than creating HIV-free corpses because the drugs are too strong for people to be given needles for years with ZERO interaction. They will die before they get well, and that's not compassion.

Proposed Ballot Initiative Exempts Multi-Family Housing from Transfer Tax

04/02/2024 11:22 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The proposed measure amends Measure GS, which raised the transfer tax by $56 per $1,000 for Santa Monica properties that sell for $8 million or more to fund local schools, homelessness prevention and affordable housing projects.

Instead of alleviating the housing crisis, the notice to circulate the petition states, Measure GS "effectively taxed the production of new multi-family housing units, greatly threatening the financial feasibility of critically needed new housing options."