The city has a goal to be fully independent of the state’s water system, which supplies about a third of the city’s water needs and is under severe and increasing climate-change pressure. But a Public Works staff report to City Council last June suggested that the State’s new housing requirements would cause the city to fall short of that goal [link: https://tinyurl.com/2p862b4p]. A real, comprehensive master plan would plan for that eventuality, and start orienting the city toward a drier, hotter future with fewer resources. This would include guidelines for the design of buildings and courtyard-enabled city blocks similar to the methods developed by Professor Knowles.

Read More: https://smmirror.com/2022/04/sma-r-t-column-planning-the-real-future/

Dear Editor,

For anyone wondering if certain City Council members willingly attract more homeless people to our City, note Sue Himmelrich’s recent radio comments.

The Mayor stated she’d “happily house” homeless who migrate here, and that attracting more homeless is “a risk that I personally am willing to take." No word on whether she cares if residents and local business owners aren’t waving pom-poms to support her “personally” cheerleading the risks to the rest of us.

Read More  https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/letters/Letters-2022/04_22_2022_LETTERS_Council_Members_Must_Denounce_Notion_City_Wants_More_Homeless.html

Santa Monica must strike out in a new direction if it hopes to make significant inroads in addressing its longstanding homeless problem, a new report concludes.

The report authored by attorney Elizabeth Mitchell -- who recently reached a groundbreaking settlement with the City of Los Angeles over its homeless policies -- lays out a number of legal and policy options the City can use.

Read More: https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2022/April-2022/04_21_2022_Santa_Monica_Needs_Radical_Shift_in_Homeless_Policies.html

While previous Councils balked at the idea of such increases, some Council members on Tuesday viewed the proposed hike from the current $340 to the approved $410 as not nearly enough.

Read More: https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2022/April-2022/04_20_2022_Council_Hikes_Campaign_Contrbution_Limit.html

So, this week, we focus on the proposed transfer tax itself, the rationale, implementation  issues and why it’s a bad idea for Santa Monica.  

Read More: https://smmirror.com/2022/04/sma-r-t-column-new-city-financial-plan-the-resident-homeowner-bank-part-ii-who-pays-the-proposed-transfer-tax-and-where-does-the-money-go/

The Santa Monica Rent Control Board has released its 2021 Annual Report summarizing developments during the year and presenting detailed information about the status of controlled rental housing in Santa Monica.

Read More: https://www.santamonica.gov/blog/santa-monica-rent-control-board-releases-2021-annual-report

The Public Rights Division of the Santa Monica City Attorney's Office invites you to the 2022 Virtual Fair Housing Workshop on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

The workshop presenters are Deputy City Attorneys Gary Rhoades, Autumn Rindels, and Jonathan Erwin-Frank. Topics will include:

• Reasonable accommodations for tenants with disabilities
• Santa Monica’s Right to Return program
• Pandemic-related issues in fair housing
• Source-of-income discrimination laws which protect Section 8 voucher-holders and users of rental assistance

Read More/Register: https://www.santamonica.gov/press/2022/04/13/santa-monica-to-host-virtual-fair-housing-workshop-on-april-26

Since vacancy decontrol began in 1999, rent controlled units reset to market rate whenever they are newly leased. In 2021, there was robust rental activity as 3,693 units entered new leases and median initial rent rates were significantly lower than those in 2020. 

The average price drop was most pronounced for rent controlled units of three or more bedrooms, which fell by more than 13 percent from a $4,600 median initial rent in 2020 to a $3,995 median initial rent in 2021. 

Read More: https://www.smdp.com/new-rent-control-leases-saw-dramatic-price-decline-in-2021/216871

A former assistant City Attorney, Perry became a champion of Santa Monica property owners after Rent Control was ushered in by local voters in 1979.

Read More: https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2022/April-2022/04_08_2022_Longtime_Santa_Monica_Landlord_Activist_Attorney_Dead_at_75.html

AND: https://www.smobserved.com/story/2022/04/11/news/longtime-santa-monica-attorney-rosario-perry-dead-at-75/6668.html

The Board will hold a public hearing on the feasibility of certain amendments to the City Charter during the Santa Monica Rent Control Board meeting on Thursday, April 14, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. via teleconference:

1)Whether the Board should recommend that the City of Santa Monica adopt an amendment to the City Charter requiring the registration of all non-rent-controlled rental units;

2)Whether the Board should recommend that Section 1806(a)(8)(iv) of the Rent Control Charter Amendment (RCCA) be amended to require that an owner intend to occupy the unit for at least three years instead of one year;

3)Whether the Board should recommend that Section 1806(a)(8)(v) of the RCCA be amended to require an owner to re-offer the unit to the displaced tenant if the owner fails to reside in the unit for at least three years and to allow an owner 60 days, instead of 30 days, to take occupancy of the unit.

4)Whether the Board should recommend that Section 1803(e) of the RCCA be amended to allow Commissioners to be elected to a maximum of three full terms to align with City elected officials; and

5)Whether the Board should recommend that Section 1803(d) of the RCCA be amended to state that an election need not be held if the number of qualified candidates does not exceed the number of open board positions. Instructions on accessing the meeting and speaking to the Board are provided in the agenda. The agenda and staff reports are available on the Board’s website at:  www. santamonica.gov /rentcontrol.

See Agenda on page 3: https://s3.amazonaws.com/smdp_backissues/041122.pdf