ACTION Apartment Association

Proposed California law would require landlords to own property for at least five years before evicting tenants

01/13/2022 10:36 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A new bill is headed for a committee hearing on Wednesday that could change the process for evictions.

AB 854 is a new piece of legislation meant to protect renters from serial evictors and is being introduced by Bay Area Democratic Assemblymember Alex Lee.

The main change it would make is that landlords must own a property for at least five years before they can use the Ellis Act to evict someone.

Newsom’s proposed budget brings more local funding to address homelessness

01/13/2022 10:24 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Of key interest to Santa Monica is the Governor’s continued commitment to addressing homelessness in light of last year’s history investment of $12 billion, which he seeks to bolster this year with additional funding for increasing shelter capacity, building supportive and affordable housing and clearing encampments.

Housing Partner Selected for Future Affordable Housing on City-Owned Fourth Street Parcel

01/13/2022 10:21 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

At last night’s meeting, the Santa Monica City Council green lit an exclusive negotiation agreement to negotiate the terms and conditions for development of affordable housing on the City-owned parcel at 1318-20 Fourth Street, which is currently occupied by public Parking Structure 3 in Downtown Santa Monica.

THE INFORMATION WARS - Charles Andrews

01/12/2022 1:23 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The neighborhood folks especially, Ocean Park, Sunset Park and Pico Neighborhoods, have watched patiently and mostly silently as our City Fathers, and … Mothers, have given piece by piece approval to the Great Wall of Lincoln, of which this will be another (huge) brick in the wall, a piece needed to hop down the street to the block-long gaping open pit that will become – more apartments.

Santa Monica to Begin Accepting Applications for Families Displaced

01/12/2022 1:14 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Santa Monica will soon begin accepting applications for families displaced from the city in the 1950s and 1960s due to the construction of both 1-10 Freeway and Civic Center.

Beginning January 18, 2022, the City of Santa Monica is opening applications for the Below Market Housing (BMH) pilot program for historically displaced households.

California getting additional $68 million in federal rent relief dollars

01/11/2022 10:29 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The U.S. Treasury Department approved an additional $68.7 million for California rent relief programs as part of a $239.9 million reallocation from states that have been slow in distributing assistance to pandemic-impacted tenants, state and federal officials said Friday, Jan. 7.

Council to review plans for housing development at Parking Structure 3

01/10/2022 9:56 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Opponents of the new development argued PS3, located at the intersection of 4th Street and Santa Monica Boulevard, was a pivotal piece of visitor-serving infrastructure, providing access to area businesses and the farmers market. Proponents said the aging structure required millions of dollars worth of repairs and parking spaces were already accounted for in the 2013 rebuild of Parking Structure 6, which includes 400 additional spaces.

In June, SMBOA filed a lawsuit in an attempt to keep the structure from being demolished.

A New Years Glimpse Into Santa Monica’s Future

01/10/2022 9:49 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

SMa.r.t.

It’s a New Year, a make-or-break year for Santa Monica!! How much do you care about your city and it’s beachfront environment?? This future includes the development industry that now rules our state legislature, the governor, and our local Santa Monica governance – including our planning staff, planning commission, architectural review board, and the pro-development members of our city council! This article is the 1st of a 5 part series outlining the future of Santa Monica – a future dominated by our ever-growing corporate economy and it’s development industry.

Rents Drop in Santa Monica Again

01/10/2022 9:48 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Rents in Santa Monica dropped for the second straight month in December after posting gains through the first 10 months of 2021, according to Apartment List's latest monthly report.

The 2.8 percent decrease in December comes after rents dropped by 1.8 percent in November and reflects a nationwide trend that saw the "first measurable price decline since 2020," according to the report released last week.

Santa Monica is poised for a strange and significant 2022 election

01/08/2022 9:21 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

At the local level a lot is also up in the air, including the question of whether Santa Monica will have at-large or district-based elections as a California Voting Rights Act lawsuit is still awaiting final judgment in the California Supreme Court.