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City Releases Proposed Plan for Santa Monica’s Future

05/02/2020 10:09 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Last night, the City of Santa Monica posted its staff report outlining a proposed plan for restructuring City operations in response to the public health emergency and related economic impacts caused by COVID-19. The plan will be considered by the City Council at a special meeting on Tuesday, May 5 at 3 p.m.

AND: https://www.smdp.com/city-hall-to-lay-off-337-permanent-employees-cut-77-7-million-in-ongoing-costs/190393

Costa Hawkins: the California law renters want repealed, explained

05/02/2020 9:59 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

For for first the time in history, California has implemented rent control statewide. But it has an old law on the books that curbs how individual cities and counties implement rent control at the local level.

That law is known as the Costa Hawkins Rental Housing Act. Established in 1995, it sets limits on the kind of rent control policies cities are able to impose. Right now, more than a dozen places statewide have their own rent control policies—many of them stricter and more comprehensive than the new state law.

City Plan Eliminates Nearly 500 Jobs, Scraps Programs

05/02/2020 9:58 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Slammed with a projected deficit of $224 million by July 2022, the City Council on Tuesday is expected to eliminate nearly 500 positions, shutter facilities and drastically scale back programs and services.

The elimination of 337 full-time and 144 temporary positions will help Santa Monica absorb the impact of a coranavirus shutdown that resulted in a $48 million budget gap through June alone.

The proposed cuts the City Council will take up on Tuesday are only an initial step to prevent further cutbacks, but they will alter the daily lives of Santa Monica's 93,000 residents.

AND: https://www.smdp.com/city-hall-to-lay-off-337-permanent-employees-cut-77-7-million-in-ongoing-costs/190393

Cronavirus Crisis Fuels Development Debate

05/01/2020 1:37 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The financial crisis triggered by the cornavirus shutdown is reigniting a longstanding debate between pro-development and slow-growth forces in Santa Monica.

Developers and their allies argue that planning and zoing impediments must to be immediately lifted for the city to recover from a financial blow that, according to City officials, has resulted in the loss of $72 million in revenues over the past six weeks.

Critics question the revenue bounty promised by new projects and counter that developers are exploitng the crisis "to accomplish long sought but unpopular goals."

Santa Monica Extends its Temporary Eviction Moratorium

05/01/2020 8:15 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

On April 30, 2020, the City of Santa Monica issued a revised supplemental emergency order that extends the City’s eviction moratorium to June 30, 2020.

City Gives Tenants Strapped by Coronavirus Shutdown One Year to Pay Back Rent

05/01/2020 7:52 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Santa Monica tenants who can show they were unable to pay rent due to the economic fallout of the coronavirus crackdown will have a year to come up with the back rent.

The extra six-month grace period is part of a revised order issued Thursday by Interim City Manager Lane Dilg that extends the City's temporary eviction moratorium from May 31 to June 30.

Headlines Show How Santa Monica Overspent

05/01/2020 7:51 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

As Santa Monica prepares to make the most radical cuts in staffing and services in its 145-year history, here are some of the headlines that help explain how it got into such a deep financial hole before the coronavirus pandemic struck.

SMa.r.t. Column: The Budget Hits The Fan!

05/01/2020 7:51 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Wow! Our city faces unprecedented amounts of high drama over the next seven weeks as a byproduct of the COVID-19 crisis. Our city manager “offered” his resignation. It was accepted, and our “wise” city government bought him out for $200,000. Oh, and as an extra perk, they kept him on the payroll until July 1. As a result, he finished with five years of employment in Santa Monica. That benchmark allowed his lifetime pension amount to skyrocket. Our city manager bails from the city’s COVID-19 related budget issues and walks away with a fistful of cash, from our town’s depleted treasury. Residents are incensed, and the axed city staff livid.

The Shock Doctrine in Santa Monica

05/01/2020 7:40 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Victor Fresco

Recently, pro-development group Santa Monica Forward sent a letter to our City Council suggesting what they would like the City to do in response to our budget crisis.

Reading it we were reminded of Naomi Klein’s seminal work, The Shock Doctrine, wherein Ms. Klein posits that crises are often used as tools by those with power to push through agendas they had long sought but were unable to achieve through democratic means. A crisis provides the disruption and turmoil powerful interests need to accomplish long sought but unpopular goals.

Renters will have 12 months to repay unpaid rent

04/30/2020 5:52 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The city of Santa Monica extended its moratorium on residential and commercial evictions to June 30, city officials announced Thursday.

The order also extends from six to twelve months the time tenants have to pay rent they were unable to pay. City spokesperson Constance Farrell said the city extended the moratorium and deadline in response to the deep economic impacts of COVID-19 and public health projections that indicate people will be required to remain at home.