ACTION Apartment Association

Santa Monica’s election season is about to begin

07/07/2022 10:51 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Consumer protection attorney and member of the Rent Control Board Caroline Torosis tossed her hat in the ring on June 10 with an event at Himmerich’s house during which Himmelrich formally endorsed her campaign. Torosis currently works in the office of County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell as Senior Deputy for Economic and Workforce Development. She has a strong passion for protecting tenants and producing more affordable housing.

The results of the 2022 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count delayed

07/07/2022 9:16 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The results of the 2022 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count -- which is used by cities to gauge how widespread their homeless problem is -- will be released in early September after it has been fully evaluated, LAHSA officials said.

Nearly $18 Million in Government Funding Earmarked for Santa Monica

07/07/2022 9:14 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The State funding -- part of the $308 billion budget signed by Governor Gavin Newsom last week -- includes $10 to help modernize the City yards and $4.8 million to improve a stretch of Lincoln Boulevard.

Another $1.5 million is earmarked to help fund the Santa Monica Behavioral Health Center project that will initially focus on the homeless.

Election Season Begins in Less than Two Weeks

07/06/2022 1:14 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Nomination Period for three (3) seats on the City Council, three (3) seats on the Rent Control Board, four (4) seats on the Santa Monica-Malibu School District Board, and four (4) seats on the Santa Monica College District Board starts on Monday, July 18.

Most Oppose Rival Tax Measures, Poll Finds

07/05/2022 4:57 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Rival ballot measures that would hike the local transfer tax on high-end properties currently lack the support needed for voter approval, according to a local monthly poll of select residents.

The monthly push poll of nearly 200 "civically engaged" Santa Monica residents concerned with crime and safety issues also found little support for Downtown's safety ambassador program.

Revised budget offers more hope for restoration of City services

07/05/2022 12:37 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Tweaks to the City’s Fiscal Year 2022 to 2033 budget have leveraged one time funds and new revenue sources in an effort to restore sorely desired resident services such as after school care, sports field access and library services.

SMa.r.t. Column: A Tale of Two Cities

07/05/2022 12:26 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The City of Santa Monica is surrounded on three sides by the City of Los Angeles. Therefore, while the jurisdictions are different, the development processes, pressures and outcomes are very similar. This article by a SMart guest columnist, Dick Platkin, explains what is happening in Los Angeles as both these cities struggle to implement the implausible and impossible affordable housing numbers required by the State of California’s Housing and Community Development mandates to be built over the next 8 years.

City Council Approves Ballot Measure That Would Increase Hotel Bed Tax

07/05/2022 12:25 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

In a vote on June 28, the Santa Monica City Council approved placing a measure on the November ballot to raise the city’s hotel bed tax to fund measures to address homelessness.

Campaign Mounted to Cut 9/1 Rent Increase from 6% to 3%

07/01/2022 9:04 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A major campaign has been mounted to cut in half the 9/1/2022 rent increases recently approved by the Rent Control Board.

Santa Monica Extends Local Emergency to December 31, 2022

07/01/2022 9:01 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

In addition, this order maintains the City’s existing protections against eviction for reasons other than nonpayment of rent. One exception is that the protection for evictions based on a tenant’s denial of a landlord’s entry into the unit will not be extended.