ACTION Apartment Association

City Council Enacts Moratorium on Permits for Micro Apartments in Downtown Santa Monica

03/29/2019 11:39 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The City Council is concerned about the apparent proliferation of small apartments in downtown Santa Monica. At the 3/26 Meeting, the Council banned construction permits for more apartments less than 375 square feet, unless they are "affordable." Which in Santa Monica means, you know, less than $2000 a month for one room.

AND: https://www.smdp.com/council-votes-to-prevent-micro-apartments-from-becoming-major-housing-supply/173823

Assembly Democrats want lower threshold to raise local taxes

03/28/2019 9:03 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

California voters could decide next year whether it should be easier for their local governments to raise taxes and issue bonds for public projects.

Such actions currently require support from two-thirds of local voters. A constitutional amendment proposed Wednesday would lower that to 55 percent.

Appeals Court Rules City Council Can Remain Pending Voting Rights Appeal

03/28/2019 8:30 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The California Court of Appeal on Wednesday issued a ruling that allows the current City Council members to cotinue serving while the City's appeal in a voting rights lawsuit is heard.

As a result of the ruling, the City is also not required to hold a special election for all seven Council seats on July 2.

AND

https://smmirror.com/2019/03/court-of-appeals-puts-special-election-on-hold/

AND

https://www.santamonica.gov/press/2019/03/28/california-court-of-appeal-confirms-stay-on-special-election-pending-disposition-of-the-appeal

AND

https://www.smdp.com/court-allows-council-to-stay-pending-results-of-cvra-appeal-2/173802

Changing demographics seen as a challenge to reducing homelessness

03/28/2019 8:29 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

City Hall will prioritize mental health treatment and building new housing in its efforts to reduce homelessness.

City Council voted Tuesday to follow a four-pronged strategy to address homelessness that staff recommended, emphasizing the City should explore opening a behavioral health center and operating a van for field-based mental health services, create permanent supportive housing for homeless Santa Monica and develop a cohesive homelessness strategy with neighboring communities.

Santa Monica Sets New Goals To Address Homelessness

03/28/2019 8:28 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

At the Tuesday night City Council meeting, an annual report on homelessness detailed that Santa Monica's "multi-pronged" investment in homelessness has resulted in relief and a road map towards sustained change, the City of Santa Monica announced.

The Homeless Count numbers also affirmed the progress, the press release said. In 2017, Santa Monica allocated an additional $1.4 million one-time general fund as homelessness grew to become one of the region's "most pressing humanitarian issues," the City said.

"In the last year, immense groundwork was laid to re-examine the City's approach, realign resources, expertise and effort to impact homelessness in our community," said Alisa Orduña, the City's Senior Advisor on Homelessness.

Santa Monica temporarily bans micro-apartments that aren’t affordable

03/28/2019 8:10 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The ban applies to studios smaller than 375 square feet

Apartments smaller than 375 square feet are now temporarily banned in Santa Monica under an emergency ordinance adopted Tuesday night by the City Council.

The ban will only be in effect until May 10, giving city leaders 45 days to mull a permanent measure to deal with a sudden boom of market-rate micro-apartments in downtown Santa Monica.

Another Boondoggle by Charles Andrews

03/27/2019 9:21 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS

That’s where you’ll be heard and have real input. (Unless you live in Ocean Park, like I do.) Then you can speak collectively, as a neighborhood, to City Council.

Rent control, long shunned, is back on the table in Massachusetts

03/27/2019 8:55 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A battle is brewing on Beacon Hill over a longstanding contentious issue in housing: rent control.

A group of House lawmakers is getting ready to file a bill that would allow cities and towns in Massachusetts to impose rent control — which voters in 1994 banned statewide — and a variety of other measures to protect renters from eviction and steep hikes in their monthly payments.

Bloom discusses pending rent control legislation

03/26/2019 8:44 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The state assemblymember representing Santa Monica introduced a bill earlier this month to expand rent control to all buildings older than 10 years old, including single family homes, with an exception for small landlords.

Richard Bloom revealed Assembly Bill 36 alongside a suite of other tenant protection bills that call for policies that Santa Monica has already put into effect, such as just-cause evictions and a rental registry. The proposals follow last year’s defeat of Proposition 10, which would have repealed the Costa-Hawkins Act and paved the way for rent control across California.

Annual Report on Homelessness

03/26/2019 8:26 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Executive Summary

Homelessness has been a challenge in Santa Monica for decades. As the numbers of people experiencing homelessness throughout Los Angeles County has dramatically increased in recent years, the City Council in 2015 focused on Santa Monica taking regional leadership on this shared crisis.

Much has been accomplished, yet the latest numbers indicate that community public health, wellbeing and safety concerns remain unresolved. Despite progress in matching people experiencing homelessness to services and permanent supportive housing in Santa Monica and elsewhere in the County, there has also been an unprecedented increase in the number of housed residents at risk of becoming homeless.

See Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Aj7bl61m4