ACTION Apartment Association

Cutting, Jobs, Programming for City Budget Shortfall

05/07/2019 8:09 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

After decades of being financially in the green, the City of Santa Monica is forecasted to go into the red over the next decade as it pays off $448 million in unpaid pensions to the state.

At a special Santa Monica City Council study session on Tuesday, April 30, City staff previewed the budget strategy for the next two years.

The City predicts a lack in funding for the budget if they don’t reduce expenses.

Nearly Two Dozen Homeless People Died in Santa Monica Last Year; Rate was Higher than County's

05/07/2019 7:59 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

One died of an accidental overdose on a Santa Monica sidewalk. Another was stabbed to death in a walkway. A third hung himself in a shed.

They were among the 22 homeless people living in Santa Monica who died in 2018, none of them older than 65, according to an analysis of death records provided by the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office.

City Hall considering full-time historic preservation position

05/06/2019 9:10 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

City manager Rick Cole confirmed at City Council’s Tuesday meeting that the upcoming 2019-2021 budget will include a proposal for a new historic preservation planner position. The plan, which is not yet finalized, will eliminate another vacant planner position to be “budget-neutral,” said Councilmember Ted Winterer.

Rent Board to Review $5.3 Million Budget for Upcoming Fiscal Year

05/06/2019 8:43 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Santa Monica Rent Control Board next week will review a proposed $5.3 million operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year that deviates little from the current budget.

The proposed budget for the fiscal y that begins July 1 calls for nearly $5.179 in operating expenses and revenues totaling nearly $5.312 million, resulting in a surplus of some $133,000, according to staff.

Most of the money -- $4.436 million -- will be spent on salaries and wages for 24 full-time workers, with $62,512 set aside for "as-needed employees."

City Attorney Files Multiple Charges in Tenant Harassment Case

05/06/2019 8:42 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office has filed a criminal complaint charging Miesha Charnae Grant with five counts of tenant harassment in violation of Santa Monica Municipal Code (SMMC) Section 4.56.020, one count of operating an unlawful business in violation SMMC Section 6.04.020, five counts of grand theft in violation of Penal Code Section 487, five counts of criminal contempt in violation of Penal Code Section 166, one count of vandalism in violation of Penal Code section 594, and one count of battery in violation of Penal Code section 242. The charges relate to actions taken with respect to tenants in rent-controlled units at 1914 18th Street.

Vote Center Placement Project

05/06/2019 8:38 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

In 2020, Los Angeles County will transition from polling places to vote centers. This new model will allow voters to cast a ballot at any vote center location in the County over an 11-day period.

Current Retrofit Stats

05/06/2019 8:32 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Thanks to Jay Johnson

See stats: JAY JOHNSON - RETROFIT.pdf

Santa Monica Sees Nearly 9 Percent Spike in Part 1 Crimes

05/06/2019 7:32 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

SMPD Chief Cynthia Renaud gives crime update.

On January 30, SMPD Chief Cynthia Renaud released a video updating the public on the crime statistics from 2018. Not only did SMPD officers respond to more calls from service in 2018 than in the previous year, but the city saw an increase in serious crimes.

San Francisco billionaire gives $30M to study homelessness

05/06/2019 7:30 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A San Francisco billionaire is donating $30 million to the University of California, San Francisco, to research root causes of homelessness and potential solutions.

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, a city native, has embraced homelessness as a philanthropic cause, pumping millions into a 2018 city measure to tax wealthy companies to pay for homeless services.

Who’s moving? U.S. catching up to Southern California’s lengthy homeownership

05/03/2019 10:39 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

People don’t move like they used to.

This lack of mobility is often spun negatively in California because it suggests there aren’t enough good living alternatives, so folks “age in place” instead of relocating. Staying put in turn is blamed for limiting the supply of homes for sale. That slim inventory supposedly helps nudge up prices and lower so-called affordability.