ACTION Apartment Association

The Top Four Reasons California Is Unsustainable

05/14/2019 6:59 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

California is a place unlike any other on the Globe. It boasts perhaps the greatest natural resources of any state along with shining high-tech industries. However, like many good economic stories, government policies threaten its future.

Indeed, its government has made California unsustainable.

Rent Control Board asking for restrictions on renovations

05/13/2019 10:09 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Landlords could no longer renovate occupied apartments without a tenant’s consent and would be prohibited from subdividing rent-controlled units under a resolution the Rent Control Board is recommending to City Council.

Landlords are renovating and subdividing apartments to displace long-term tenants, said board member Anastasia Foster. They can then charge higher rents to new tenants or take in even more rent if they subdivide rent-controlled units and rent them as medium-term, furnished vacation rentals or corporate housing. Foster said many tenants believe they have to leave their apartments either temporarily or permanently or take illegal buyouts.

Beach-front housing appeal heads to Council

05/10/2019 4:00 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A group of residents are continuing to fight plans to build a five-story apartment building near Santa Monica State Beach.

City Council will vote Tuesday whether to deny appeals filed by South Ocean Avenue Residents (SOAR) and UNITE HERE Local 11 that claim that the hoteliers behind the developments at 1828 Ocean Ave. and 1921 Ocean Front Walk will treat the buildings as an extension of their two adjacent hotels, Shutters on the Beach and Hotel Casa Del Mar. SOAR also argues the five-story 1828 Ocean Ave. building will box in the low-slung homes along Vicente Terrace.

SB 50: Zombie 2.0 (SM.a.r.t.)

05/10/2019 3:32 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Once again Sacramento is trying to destroy our City and our State. The current Godzilla is Senate Bill 50 (SB50) introduced by the same real estate industry con artist Scott Weiner who tried to destroy our City last year with SB827. That previously defeated bill would have allowed four to eight story buildings anywhere in our City. The current bill, SB50, does the same thing, only this zombie is more cleverly disguised in a 20-page confusing patchwork of carve-outs for counties of less than 600,000 population and other special interests in a cynical attempt to get the political support sufficient for passage in spite of its patently flawed

The first flaw is the bill allows 45‘ (four-five story) buildings within 1/2 mile of transit stops and 55’ (five-six stories) buildings within 1/4 mile of transit stops that meet specific 10 minute weekday rush hour bus times and 20 minute weekday (6 a.m.-10 p.m.) bus times.

City to Hire Company to Administer Homeless Database

05/10/2019 3:23 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The City is expected to hire a company that specializes in administering social service databases to maintain the system that tracks the progress of homeless clients in Santa Monica.

Staff is asking the City Council on Tuesday to authorize an $85,000 annual contract with Pathways MISI with four one-year renewal options for an amount not to exceed $425,000.

Visitors Pumped Nearly $2 Billion into Santa Monica Economy

05/09/2019 8:06 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Santa Monica's thriving tourism industry pumped $1.93 billion into the local economy last year, with more than $58 million in bed taxes going directly into the City's coffers, tourism officials reported Wednesday.

The annual figures were unveiled at Santa Monica Travel & Tourism’s (SMTT) 10th annual summit, which highlighted "the sustained growth of Santa Monica’s travel industry," agency officials said.

More than 200 apartments pass through Architectural Review Board

05/08/2019 11:04 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Four new proposed buildings will add 124 affordable apartments and 92 market-rate apartments to downtown and Ocean Park.

Three buildings restricted for low-income households will rise at 2120 Lincoln Blvd., 1514 7th St. and 1238 7th St. A market-rate building will be constructed at 1425 5th St., with its required affordable units included in the 1514 7th St. project. The buildings on 5th and 7th Streets will include stores or restaurants on their ground floors.

Appeals Court Grants City's Request to Expedite Voting Rights Case

05/08/2019 10:32 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The California Court of Appeal on Monday granted the City of Santa Monica's request to expedite its ruling in the voting rights lawsuit filed by Latino plaintiffs against the City.

The decision comes one week after the City asked the Court to grant "calendar preference" for the case to assure a ruling is made by July 10, 2020, so a City Council election can be held in November 2020 as scheduled.

The three-judge panel issued a short decision granting the ruling.

AND: https://smmirror.com/2019/05/court-of-appeal-to-make-cvra-decision-in-time-for-2020-election/

Seat to Open After Planning Commissioner Submits Resignation

05/08/2019 10:30 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Santa Monica Planning Commission will have an unscheduled vacancy after its former Chair submitted her resignation last month.

Amy Anderson, one of the seven members on the City's most visible and powerful board, submitted her resignation last month effective June 30.

Planning Commission rebuffs council proposal to ban small apartments

05/07/2019 8:17 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A proposed ban on tiny apartments in Santa Monica is dividing opinion within City Hall.

City Council voted in March to temporarily prohibit apartments smaller than 375 square feet, with exemptions for affordable or supportive housing projects, after a developer filed applications to build six buildings entirely composed of micro-apartments. A proliferation of tiny apartments would shift the city’s limited housing stock away from family housing, councilmembers said.

After Council voted, City of Santa Monica staff drafted an ordinance to permanently ban apartments between 220 and 373 square feet, or single-room occupancy units (SROs) for the Planning Commission to review.