ACTION Apartment Association

Tenant initiates lawsuit against landlord after losing rent-controlled apartment

11/07/2019 7:14 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A longtime Santa Monica resident filed a complaint last month that alleges his landlords unlawfully evicted him from his rent-controlled apartment so they could raise the rent.

Frank Strick moved into his apartment at 1836 10th St. in 1989 and lived there with his son until January 2018, when the owners of the property, Assaf and Natalie Tarnopolsky, evicted him so Natalie Tarnopolsky’s sister, Denise Poon, could move in.

Proposed Downtown Development Could Reinvigorate Slow Growth Movement

11/07/2019 7:08 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Leaders of Santa Monica's slow-growth movement are taking on a major Downtown development this week after being largely inactive since a defeat at the polls three years ago.

On Thursday, the North of Montana Neighborhood Association (NOMA) will devote its monthly meeting to the "Plaza at Santa Monica," a 357,000-square-foot mixed-use hotel development proposed on City owned land.

An email invitation to the meeting promises that leaders of the slow-growth groups Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City (SMCLC) and SMa.r.t. (Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow) will go "head to head" with the developer.

Apple commits $2.5B to combat California housing crisis

11/06/2019 8:46 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Apple on Monday said it will put up $2.5 billion toward easing California’s housing crisis. The sum from Apple eclipses pledges by fellow Silicon Valley giants Google and Facebook for addressing the lack of affordable housing in a region where affluent tech workers have helped drive up the cost of homes.

LA County residents will be able to vote for 11 days

11/06/2019 8:41 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Los Angeles County is hoping to eliminate long lines at the polls and boost voter turnout in time for the most contentious Democratic primary in recent memory. In the upcoming primary, Los

Angeles County residents will be able to register to vote and cast their ballots at any vote center for 11 days, including election day. The vote centers will be equipped with machines that voters can use to vote electronically and print their paper ballots.

Community task force to help trim $4 million from city budget

11/06/2019 8:38 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Eight community members. Seven city of Santa Monica staffers. $4 million in budget cuts.

From November to February, a task force will convene to discuss how to trim $1.5 million from the city’s $756 million 2020-2021 fiscal budget.

City Council limits “mansionization” of singlefamily neighborhoods

11/06/2019 8:29 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Santa Monica City Council adopted regulations Tuesday that aim to limit the “mansionization” of the city’s single-family neighborhoods,

but some residents say the new rules will prevent them from renovating their homes to accommodate their growing families.

Installing a Home EV Charging Station Just Got Easier

11/06/2019 8:21 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Do you know that California state law (AB 1796) requires landlords to approve tenant requests to install EV charging stations in their dedicated parking spaces if they are willing to pay for them? Previously, this law required tenants to obtain a $1 million insurance policy, which often prevented tenants from being able to take advantage of this legislation. A recently passed bill (SB 638) removes this insurance requirement, making it one step easier for renters to install charging stations at their homes.

Los Angeles Enacts "Emergency Moratorium" on No-Fault Evictions of Tenants

11/06/2019 8:17 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Fearing landlords would kick out tenants in advance of AB-1482, LA City Council acts.

Fearing that mass evictions could follow after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed rent cap and stronger tenant protections into law, the Los Angeles City Council has approved an emergency moratorium on no-fault evictions.

A 2018 DoJ report says that violent crime was up in Santa Monica, 2018 over 2017.

11/06/2019 8:15 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Dept of Justice ranks Santa Monica has the 3d Highest Crime City in Calif. in 2018.

The Plaza at Santa Monica’s Groundhog Day

11/06/2019 8:12 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Last week our colleague Thane Roberts, in a reprise of an article from four years ago, said: “Insanity was once defined as doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result. Once again, our City Council has embarked on a misadventure that will likely end the same way as before with the Hines Project- a major waste of funds and time for all parties concerned, especially the developers.” This week he continues the discussion about the proposed Plaza at Santa Monica, a massive project in the very heart of downtown Santa Monica.