ACTION Apartment Association

SMRR Coronation Moves Online

08/10/2020 8:52 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Santa Monicans for Renter's Rights has run this town since 1979. Will that continue during Coronavirus?

SMRR endorsees are four of the seven council members, six of the seven SMMUSD board members and the entire Santa Monica College and Rent boards.

At one time, the SMRR Convention was an occasion for progressive people to choose their candidates. More recently, it has been a bi-annual event to see which candidate can bring in the biggest crowd. Some adjustments have been made to the rules in recent years to curb that a little, but it still happens. If you are a Santa Monica resident and pay the SMRR dues, you can vote at the convention. But this year, like everything else, the convention will be an online affair.

40 million Americans are at risk of eviction

08/07/2020 12:56 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Up to 40 million Americans could be evicted by the end of this year, according to a new report published Friday by the Aspen Institute. The report warns that the United States may be facing the most severe housing crisis in history if conditions do not change, with up to 43% of renter households facing eviction this year.

Where Oh Where Is Our City Council? SMa.r.t.

08/07/2020 9:59 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

OUR STATE

No city can afford a 20-25% increase in population. But Sacramento lawmakers are currently voting on a package of land-use and housing bills that will alter Santa Monica’s character and future forever. This has been referred to as “the great California land grab.” And while the state is selling us down the river, where’s the resistance? These nine bills, simply stated, void all land-use constraints!

Appeals Court Rejects Petition to Rehear Voting Rights Lawsuit

08/07/2020 9:56 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The voting rights lawsuit against the City of Santa Monica is headed to the California Supreme Court after an Appeals Court on Wednesday rejected the plaintiffs' petition to rehear the case.

Attorney Kevin Shenkman, who represents Latina activist Maria Loya and the Pico Neighborhood Association (PNA), said he plans to ask the State's highest court "on or about August 18" to review the Appeals Court decision.

Evictions begin for 1,000 LA County renters with pre-COVID judgments

08/06/2020 5:32 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

L.A. County sheriff’s deputies had a backlog of 996 pre-COVID eviction orders at the time lockouts for all tenants were halted in mid-March so residents could shelter in place, a sheriff’s sergeant said in May.

This week, landlord and tenant attorneys said, the Sheriff’s Department is ending its freeze on enforcing those pre-COVID evictions. The head of a Los Angeles landlord group said he confirmed the decision to resume lockouts with a deputy in the sheriff’s Courts Division.

Santa Monica Property Owners to See Lower Tax Bills After School District Refinances Bonds

08/06/2020 5:17 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Santa Monica and Malibu taxpayers will save more than $6 million after the School District refinanced nearly $75 million in general obligation bonds, District officials announced Thursday.

The reduced property tax rate on future tax bills comes as interest rates have dropped to record lows "due to the coronavirus pandemic and overall economic uncertainty," officials said.

Santa Monica to Crack Down of Face Mask Violators

08/06/2020 7:46 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The City of Santa Monica issued a warning Wednesday that it will begin enforcing its face covering order this week, with those in violation facing an initial fine of $100.

"Beginning this week, we’ll be doing targeted enforcement for face coverings in business districts and parks in Santa Monica," City officials announced on Tweeter.

Backers of Prop 21 Sued Over False Arguments in Ballot Argument

08/05/2020 9:06 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Opponents of Proposition 21 today filed suit today in Sacramento Superior Court seeking to strike and revise three different “false and misleading statements” made by the Yes on 21 campaign in its ballot statement. The suit, filed by Los Angeles Realtor Malcolm Bennett against Secretary of State Alex Padilla and the signers of the ballot and rebuttal arguments, notes that State law expressly requires that the statements made in such arguments not be false or misleading.

Council agrees to adapt transportation services

08/05/2020 8:57 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

In response to recent budget cuts and the Covid-19 pandemic, Santa Monica City Council approved changes to the municipal code that relate to a number of transportation services in the city.

Plaza at Santa Monica Representative

08/05/2020 8:49 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A representative of the proposed “The Plaza” development and the President of Santa Monica College (SMC) are among the new members of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors.

The Chamber announced its new 2020-2021 Board of Directors on July 31, coming from a mix of large and small employers and non-profits.