ACTION Apartment Association

Council approves new leasing requirements for rental units

09/13/2020 5:19 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Leases shorter than a year in length will soon be illegal in Santa Monica when a newly approved law takes effect next month.

Councilmembers adopted an ordinance Tuesday that states leases must be longer than 365 days and rental housing units cannot be furnished. Advertising any lease of a residential rental unit that does not comply with these requirements is also prohibited and violators will be subject to fines and penalties.

SMa.r.t. Column: A Clean Slate

09/13/2020 5:16 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

So there you have it! Maybe. Another win for the rich guys as the Planning Commission voted 6 to 1 to approve the design of that cruise ship sunk on Ocean Ave and Wilshire, and euphemistically referred to as the Miramar Hotel.

In case you are among those who may not follow the over-development that is devastating our town, the Miramar project will create what is essentially a 900 ft long condominium (they say hotel) that starts along Wilshire, wrapping around the corner onto 2nd street and creating a “great wall” the entire length to California, and then turns the corner towards Ocean Ave.

Proposition 21 Opposed By Governor Gavin Newsom

09/13/2020 5:14 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Governor Newsom today announced his opposition to Proposition 21, the housing freeze initiative on the November ballot.

"In the past year, California has passed a historic version of statewide rent control – the nation’s strongest rent caps and renter protections in the nation – as well as short-term eviction relief," Newsom said. "But Proposition 21, like Proposition 10 before it, runs the all-too-real risk of discouraging availability of affordable housing in our state."

Miramar project moves ahead to City Council

09/11/2020 9:15 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Fairmont Miramar project has moved to the next phase of the approval process and is set to be discussed by Santa Monica City Council following a 6-1 vote from local Planning Commissioners Wednesday night.

Commissioner Mario Fonda-Bonardi was the only dissenting vote.

Six month wait for looting report

09/11/2020 9:14 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Santa Monica residents will not see a report on the May 31 looting this year, let alone before this year’s election.

Any company hired to complete an after action report will have about six months to complete the work with the option to extend that timeline if necessary according to recently posted documents.

5 Seats, 22 Candidates – Your Vote

09/11/2020 9:05 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

By Mary Marlow, chair of the Santa Monica Transparency Project

In the November 2020 election for Santa Monica City Council, a plethora of candidates have registered to compete with incumbents to represent our city in the trying times ahead.

As voters, how do we sift through the various statements, positions, and platforms to decide which candidates deserve our support? The simplest question is the most obvious: do you like the direction the city is going?

While the pandemic has totally upset the political applecart, perennial issues of traffic, affordable housing, development, fiscal management, and the homeless challenge that affects our parks and open spaces are still bedrock concerns for most residents.

Secretary of State, Original Backers of Voting Rights Law Support Plaintiffs' Appeal in Santa Monica Case

09/10/2020 9:19 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The California Secretary of State and the original backers of the state's voting rights law have filed letters on behalf of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the City.

In an amicus letter sent last week, the former legislators asked the California Supreme Court to overturn an Appeals Court decision July 9 upholding Santa Monica's at-large election system.

McKinnon Fails to Win Reappointment to Planning Commission

09/10/2020 9:17 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Planning Commissioner Richard McKinnon -- who ran twice for City Council as a slow-growth advocate -- failed to win re-appointment on Tuesday when the City Council filled two vacancies on the powrful board.

McKinnon will be replaced by Ellis Raskin, an attorney specializing in land use and environmental law, who serves on the City's Urban Tree Task Force.

Planning Commission Chair Leslie Lambert -- considered an outspoken advocate for housing development -- was appointed to a second two-year term.

Here’s what you need to know about California’s eviction protections

09/08/2020 12:01 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Just days before courts resumed processing eviction filings after a five-month freeze, California this week enacted statewide protections through next year for tenants struggling to pay rent amid the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

More than 8 million Californians have filed for unemployment since mid-March and advocates fear a massive eviction wave as both tenants and landlords have lost income.

Here’s what you need to know about the new rules, according to the state, lawyers and housing advocates.

Commercial tenants prepare for the return of rent bills

09/08/2020 11:45 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

With the moratorium on commercial evictions set to expire on Sept. 30, the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, with the help of lawyers from Pettit Kohn, held a Zoom presentation last Thursday on landlord and commercial tenants’ rights.

While a recent state bill extended eviction protections for residential tenants, commercial tenants in Santa Monica will be expected to pay rent again starting in October.