A major property rights advocacy firm is seeking the repeal of an emergency rule suspending evictions in California, claiming it "creates the perverse incentive" for all tenants to refuse to pay rent.

The Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), one of the nation's most powerful public interest law firms, contends that the rule issued on April 6 by the Judicial Council of California is ripe for abuse.

The order issued by the the rule-making arm of the California court system is meant to protect tenants during the coronavirus emergency by barring landlord's from initiating unlawful detainer actions.

Read More: http://surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2020/May-2020/05_19_2020_Emergency_Rule_Suspending_Evictions_Ripe_for_Abuse.html

Rent increases for rent-controlled apartments in Santa Monica will be limited to 1.4% this year and the Rent Control Board could approve a maximum monthly increase of $32 for renters who pay $2,250 or more in rent.

The proposed rent adjustment, which will go into effect Sept. 1, is slightly less than last year’s 2% increase and $44 cap. The percentage increase the board approves each year is determined by a formula in the city charter, but the board may also choose to set a dollar increase cap based on a separate formula. The Rent Control Board will vote on the dollar increase next month.

Read More: https://www.smdp.com/rent-control-cap-2020/191105

Dear Editor,

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti recently issued an order that escalated his coronvirus mask edicts to require a mask be worn outdoors.

This was quickly followed by a similar edict for Santa Monica residents ("Santa Monica Orders Residents to Wear Face Coverings Outdoors," May 14, 2020).

We are constantly told by our political leaders that they make these authoritarian decisions "based on the science."

Yet, they do not cite a single scientific study that concludes the virus is readily transmissible in a brief outdoor encounter -- let alone in a beach city such as Santa Monica where there is virtually a continuous ocean breeze.

Read More: http://surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/letters/Letters-2020/05_18_2020_LETTERS_Enough_Already_with_the_Edicts.html

Reflecting the financial hit California is already seeing from the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday proposed cutting $6.1 billion from a variety of programs in a state budget he says prioritizes education, health and safety.

Newsom’s 2020-2021 budget estimates unemployment will climb to nearly 25 percent and overall tax revenues will drop by about a quarter, he said. It also calls for a 10% pay cut for all state workers.

Read More: https://www.smdp.com/billions-in-cuts-proposed-as-california-revenue-plunges/191010

The city of Santa Monica could streamline the approval process for large housing projects downtown as part of ongoing efforts to fulfill a state mandate for the city to accommodate about 9,000 new homes by 2029. 

The Planning Commission voted 4-2 Wednesday to consider recommending that downtown developments larger than 90,000 square feet be subject to a development review permit rather than a development agreement. The commission will vote whether to recommend the proposal to City Council next week.

Read More: https://www.smdp.com/planning-commission-to-consider-doing-away-with-downtown-development-agreements/190986

“We’re still out here, kicking and screaming,” a resident wrote to me, repeating her email to the Planning Commission about proposed changes to the city’s zoning codes. The Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City called the proposed changes “Ill-Conceived and Misguided.” The leader of Northeast Neighbors stated, “We are offended by the use of the euphemism “streamlining” to silence the community about the future of downtown Santa Monica.”

Read More: https://smmirror.com/2020/05/sma-r-t-column-out-of-chaos-rebirth/

A Manhattan judge has denied tenants class-action status in a rent-overcharge lawsuit — a decision that landlord attorneys hailed as another sign that the courts are safeguarding owners from legislative overreach.

Read More: https://therealdeal.com/2020/05/14/landlords-notch-win-as-judge-denies-tenants-in-overcharge-case/amp/

AND: https://therealdeal.com/2020/04/03/high-court-decision-has-tenants-stewing-landlords-oohing/

The sudden and drastic budget cuts the Santa Monica City Council is making were inevitable, even without a coronavirus shutdown, according to a prominent member of a disbanded citizen's budget advisory committee.

The dramatic impact of the pandemic only accelerated the layoffs and service cuts needed to address years of unbridled spending and a ballooning pension debt, said Dominic Gomez, a former member of the Community Compensation Advisory Committee. [and ACTION Vice-President]

"At the end of the day, the City was headed for a fiscal reckoning absent this pandemic," Gomez told the Lookout. "What the pandemic did was accelerate what the City had to entertain.

"We've been sounding alarm bells for not weeks or months but years, while the City is spending money at a rate that is breathtaking," said Gomez, the former CEO of Movius Interactive.

Read More: http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2020/May-2020/05_13_2020_Coronavirus_Shutdown_Forced_Inevitable_Cuts.html

ADAM BEAM

Associated Press

The government would cover rent payments for some low-income Californians impacted by the coronavirus under a proposal backed by state Senate leaders.

The Senate wants to forgive rents for low-income tenants, giving landlords tax credits equal to the value of their missed payments, which they can keep or sell for cash. Tenants would then have up to 10 years to pay back their missed rents to the state, with some not having to pay the full amount because of an unspecified “hardship exemption.”

“This is not a giveaway to anyone,” Democratic Sen. Steven Bradford said. “Our goal is to keep tenants housed and keep landlords out of foreclosure.”

Read More: https://www.smdp.com/california-senate-proposal-tackles-rents-economic-recovery/190855

IS IT TIME TO SAY GOODBYE?

What Should Housing Providers Do in Response to the Current Crisis.

So we are sitting here resting, and thinking about what every other Housing Provider in Santa Monica is thinking about: The current crisis. But this crisis is more than the virus. It is many things, the top three being: (1) the COVID19 virus; (2) inflation and the high national debt; and (3) the onslaught of new and oppressive governmental regulations which are being pressed down upon the brow of owners, like a crown of thorns. Our crisis is full. 

Read More: Is it time to say Goodbye