ACTION Apartment Association

Two measures to appear on local election ballots

08/10/2020 9:24 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The General Municipal Election will be held in the City of Santa Monica on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and there are two prospective ordinances being proposed this year, according to city staff.

One of the two measures voters will decide on pertains to a tax on luxury properties. The measure asks if the City of Santa Monica shall increase the one-time real estate transfer tax paid on each property sale that’s worth $5 million or more by $3 for every $1,000 of the sales price before stating it will exempt affordable housing projects. The second measure residents will consider looks to enable City Council to advance equity-based hiring within the appointment and promotional processes in an effort to strengthen the City’s workforce, according to the language of the measure, which is available to see on smvote.org.

City Council, school and rent control candidates ready for November

08/10/2020 9:21 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

All but one of the local incumbents who are up for re-election this year will appear on ballots this November, meaning there will some stiff competition when voters go to decide who will hold one of the 13 seats available on City Council, School Board, Rent Control Board or the SMC Board.

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.