ACTION Apartment Association

Goodbye, California Zoning Laws

07/24/2020 11:55 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Between the State Senate and the State Assembly, nine bills are under consideration that would drastically change the balance of power regarding land use and zoning in California. Each bill seeks to solve the state's "housing crisis" with attacks against local zoning ordinances, in particular those that restrict some areas to single-family homes.

Phil Brock and 20 Other Residents Pull Papers for Santa Monica City Council Seats

07/24/2020 11:53 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Twenty-two people as of Wednesday have pulled papers for potential campaigns for five open council seats. They have until August 7 to gather 30 signatures from Santa Monica residents to make their campaigns official.

Public Safety Reform Advisory Committee: Community Listening Session

07/24/2020 11:34 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Join Santa Monica community members, members of the Public Safety Reform Advisory Committee, and members of City of Santa Monica staff on Thursday, July 30, 2020, at 7 p.m. for a community listening session.

City Expands Resources to Support Residents and Businesses During Economic Recovery

07/24/2020 11:32 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Six new resources are available today to support community members on our road to recovery. Resources include:

Expanded access to personal protective equipment
Online job resources
Local retail, dining and hotel specials
New outdoor dining, retail and services
Below market housing options

YOU Are the Heart of the City! SMa.r.t.

07/24/2020 11:24 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The members of SMart wrote a credo for Santa Monica in late 2013. The majority of the original members were architects, a profession whose purpose is to facilitate development. As long-term residents of Santa Monica, the architects were dismayed by the direction our city’s sunlit image had taken. Their city’s future had always seemed bright, but there was a dark turn on the horizon. An enormous prospective development loomed at 26th at Olympic (Hines) that would upend thousands of lives. Seven thousand car trips a day; intersections jammed from Brentwood to Mar Vista and no benefits for existing residents. Citizens pulled together to mobilize and beat back this unwanted development.

As they beamed with pride over their victory, SMart realized that Hines wasn’t the only pending project of alarming density.

Bloom’s Bills: Just Developer Giveaways

07/23/2020 8:37 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

State Assemblymember Richard Bloom could be working on creating more affordable housing in Santa Monica. Instead, when the California legislature returns from recess July 27, Bloom will be advocating for dense luxury housing, attacks on single-family zoning, and developer loopholes to avoid building affordable housing.

Kristin McCowan Appointed as Santa Monica’s Newest Councilmember

07/23/2020 8:33 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

For the first time in history, Santa Monica has a female-majority City Council following the appointment of Kristin McCowan, the city’s first Black councilwoman who said Tuesday she is already hard at work despite being just a few days into the job.

The Santa Monica City Council unanimously appointed McCowan to fill a position that was vacated by councilmember Greg Morena in June. The product of SMMUSD and Santa Monica College was selected from a pool of 109 eligible candidates, but McCowan will have to impress locals if she is to retain her seat in the November election and continue to serve through November 2022.

New Chamber Chair Steps Aside to Pave Way for Santa Monica Resident

07/23/2020 8:30 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Land use attorney Dave Rand will no longer chair the Chamber of Commerce board, paving the way for a Santa Monica resident to take the helm during the city's economic recovery.

All Five City Council Incumbents Running in November

07/22/2020 9:56 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

All five Santa Monica City Council incumbents whose terms expire in November have pulled nominating papers to run, according to the candidate list on the City Clerk's website.

The two incumbents in the race for two seats on the Rent Control Board -- Anastasia Foster and Caroline Torosis -- have pulled papers.

LA County approves $1.2B for coronavirus relief, testing, help for small business

07/21/2020 5:16 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Los Angeles County is adding another $1.2 billion to funds being spent for coronavirus relief services, from help for small businesses to more testing and contact tracing.

• Rent Relief Program—$100 million