ACTION Apartment Association

County Tells All Residents to be Prepared for Isolation, Quarantine

03/26/2020 10:43 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The director of public health for Los Angeles County is advising every resident to prepare for the possibility of isolation or quarantine.

“We are asking every single resident in LA County to be prepared to isolate and or to quarantine. And that means have your plans in place because when you are quarantined or isolated you cannot go to the grocery store, you cannot go the pharmacy,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) Director at a daily briefing Wednesday announcing three new deaths and an additional 138 cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total number of cases in the county to 799.

Santa Monica volunteers protect seniors with new grocery delivery service

03/25/2020 10:21 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact the most vulnerable, new grocery delivery options are rapidly becoming available.

One community-based delivery service was just created last week by Santa Monica resident, Lorena Camarena.

Santa Monica Announces Fines for Violating Stay at Home Orders

03/25/2020 10:06 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Santa Monica has announced that its police officers are authorized to issue citations to violators of stay at home orders in place to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

“Our first priority is to remind and educate the public when they are not following our local orders,” said said Santa Monica City Manager Rick Cole. “However, it’s important for people to know that our local orders include the ability to fine individuals and businesses that do not abide voluntarily.”

California’s renters and landlords are ‘just scared’

03/25/2020 9:29 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

In recent weeks, the spread of the novel coronavirus has prompted public health officials to close businesses and force Californians to stay in their homes, leading to economic devastation for those who’ve lost jobs and hours at work.

A key date is just a week away: April 1. Many renters are worrying how they’re going to pay their landlords. And many landlords are worrying how they’re going to pay their mortgages.

State Housing Officials Find "Plaza" Project Exempt from Surplus Land Act

03/25/2020 9:20 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

California housing officials on Tuesday paved the way for the City to resume negotiations with developers of the proposed "The Plaza at Santa Monica" project, saying it is exempt from the State's recently expanded Surplus Land Act.

The City qualifies for an exemption because it orally entered into an exclusive negotiating agreement (ENA) with the developer before September 30, 2019, the cut-off date set by the amended law, according to Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).

Helping tenants the wrong way could push landlords over the brink — and harm everyone

03/24/2020 8:38 PM | Angelica Jue (Administrator)

Tenants and landlords alike are facing a true emergency, and we need our state and local leaders to act like leaders — instead of politicizing the situation or caricaturing one camp, landlords, as evildoers.

April 1 is fast approaching, and with it a potential disaster. Many of New York City’s commercial and residential renters won’t be able to pay their rent — understandable, owing to circumstances that were far beyond their control. And while these tenants won’t be evicted, their non-payment of rent could set off a calamitous cascade that could collapse an industry relied upon by millions of people.

City to Fine Those Who Violate Emergency Coronavirus Orders

03/24/2020 10:07 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Those who violate orders to stay at home, shut down non-essential businesses, halt tenant evictions or keep away from the Santa Monica Pier during the coronavirus emergency face fines of as much as $1,000 per citation.

AND: https://smmirror.com/2020/03/santa-monica-announces-fines-for-violating-stay-at-home-orders/

Community comes together to help seniors combat COVID-19

03/23/2020 8:04 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

“So that led me to start an organization called Santa Monica Community Helpers (https://www. santamonicahelpers.org). And I want to say that I think that word ‘community’ is super important because that is a core idea to the mission statement, which is to bring a group of people around Santa Monica together to make a difference,” Camarena said. “I think we’re so much more powerful together and that’s really the basis of this organization.”

The goal of the helpers, according to Camarena, is to assemble a task force of volunteers across Santa Monica who will deliver groceries, medication, toiletries, and anything else that locals who are seniors or ill may need.

Read more on page 1 and 11: https://s3.amazonaws.com/smdp_backissues/032320.pdf

Property manager threatens tenants with eviction

03/21/2020 2:39 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Santa Monica put a temporary moratorium on evictions Saturday to prevent people financially impacted by coronavirus from losing their homes during the worst public health crisis in 100 years.

One property manager didn’t get the message.

What to do if you get an eviction notice during the coronavirus outbreak

03/21/2020 2:13 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

More businesses are closing due to the novel coronavirus at the same time that rent is coming due—and renters across Los Angeles are trying to figure out how to move forward.

What type of evictions are not covered under the moratorium?

The COVID-19-related protections only cover a very specific kind of eviction—for non-payment of rent stemming from a host of reasons related to the virus—but there are other types of evictions that aren’t covered.

Ellis Act evictions, for instance, which allow for landlords to clear out units or buildings to remove them from the rental market, are still allowed. At fault evictions are too. Some cities, including Santa Monica, have temporarily banned at-fault evictions. But the city of Los Angeles has not. Advocates including those at SAJE are pushing for expanded protections that include temporarily halting at-fault evictions.