ACTION Apartment Association

SMa.r.t. Column: Budget Reform and the New Normal

09/04/2020 8:18 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The City has high structural costs. These costs include large in-house staffing as well as very high compensation (e.g. our City attorney earned $440K in 2019 pay and benefits compared to Santa Barbara’s $347K). Beverly Hills outsources its entire legal function. In a 2016 analysis by Transparent California, Santa Monica’s compensation costs per resident were tied with Beverly Hills. At the time, paying employees ten percent less would have saved $30M, almost twice as much as the sales-tax hike to 10.5 percent provided at the time.

O'Day Appeals SMRR Endorsement Vote

09/04/2020 8:16 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Councilmember Terry O'Day on Wednesday challenged actions by Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights (SMRR) leadership he said illegally denied him the powerful group's endorsement.

In a hard-hitting letter that in large part reads like a legal complaint, O'Day claims SMRR Co-Chair Michael Soloff intentionally prevented the membership from voting to endorse him.

Southern California cities can soon object to giant increases in housing goals

09/03/2020 5:47 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Southern California cities facing enormous increases in the number of homes the state wants them to build over the next decade soon will be able to appeal their “RHNA allocations” under a massive transportation and land-use plan adopted Thursday, Sept. 3.

What You Need to Know About the COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act of 2020

09/03/2020 8:28 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

he COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act of 2020 was signed by Governor Newsom on August 31, 2020. The new state law provides that residential tenants who are unable to pay rent during the COVID-19 emergency cannot be evicted for rents that became due between March 1, 2020, and January 31, 2021, if certain requirements are met. The law’s eviction protections apply only where the evictions are based on nonpayment of rent.

The City of Santa Monica already has an Eviction Moratorium that addresses nonpayment of rent during the COVID-19 emergency period. The following FAQ explains how the state law’s eviction protections work in conjunction with the City’s Eviction Moratorium, and how the two laws protect residential tenants in Santa Monica from evictions during the COVID-19 emergency.

New State Eviction Moratorium Sets Guidelines

09/03/2020 8:23 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Under a law signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday, California renters are protected from eviction through January 31, as long as they pay at least 25 percent of their rent and show financial hardship due to the COVID-19 emergency.

The law -- which only applies to residential evictions for non-payment of rent -- went into effect immediately and works in conjunction with Santa Monica's eviction moratorium, which lasts through September 30, City officials said.

California Legislature Passes New COVID-19 Eviction Protection Bill

09/02/2020 8:46 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

On Monday, one day before the statewide eviction moratorium was set to expire, Governor Newsom signed AB 3088 protecting tenants from evictions due to the financial impacts of COVID-19 until February 1, 2021. Santa Monica’s eviction moratorium was not set to expire until September 30, but the passing of this legislation provides clarity on landlords and tenants rights as California waits in hope of future federal rental assistance.

Under this Bill, tenants cannot be evicted for a failure to pay rent owed due to COVID-19 related hardships between March 4 and Aug. 31, until Feb. 1, 2021. For back rent accrued from Sept. 1 to Jan 31, 2021, tenants will have to pay at least 25 percent to avoid eviction. The legislation does not forgive missed payments and tenants will still owe this money to their landlord.

AND: https://apnews.com/8be5770f4398c52f72dc51dfcd00d680

Community members tackle Bay St. homeless encampment

09/02/2020 8:44 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Neighbors living on Bay Street and nearby businesses joined forces to tackle a growing encampment of homeless people who they believed were involved in drug dealing operations in the alley behind the Walgreens on Lincoln. By working with an array of local services the community members reduced the number of people living in the alley from 12 to zero during the past two months, without arresting the unhoused or removing their possessions.

Council declares support for three propositions

09/02/2020 8:42 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

When Californians head out to complete their ballot this November, they will decide on a number of propositions pertaining to public education funding, rent control and affirmative action, which could all affect the residents of Santa Monica.

These 2020 bills are up to California’s governor

09/01/2020 11:17 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Avoiding an "eviction tsunami"

AB 3088 would give renters financially impacted by COVID-19 a reprieve from eviction until February 2021. In order to avoid being evicted in February, renters would have to come up with 25% of the rent they owe from September through January. Landlords could collect all missed rent payments — including the remaining 75% — in small claims court starting March 2021.

Bid to allow duplexes on most California lots dies

09/01/2020 11:15 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A bill that would have allowed for duplexes on most single family lots in California passed the Assembly late Monday night, but died when the year's legislative session came to an end before the Senate could take it up for a vote.