ACTION Apartment Association

Financial Forecast Cloudy as City Prepares to Unveil New Budget

01/21/2019 9:50 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

While the forecast for the City’s General Fund calls for a "modest revenue growth averaging 2.3 annually," a projected $467 million unfunded pension liability could drive the City into increasing debt, officials warned.

The forecast -- which will be presented to the City Council next week -- lays the framework for a Proposed Biennial Budget for Fiscal Year 2019-21 that will be the subject of two study sessions on June 4 and 5, officials said.

The report's ten-year projections show annual general fund revenues dropping under a "probable case scenario" from a $1.1 million surplus in the 2019-20 Fiscal Year to $31.5 million in the red in 2028-29.

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http://backissues.smdp.com/011919.pdf

76 applicants for vacant council seat

01/18/2019 8:46 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

City Council will decide between 76 applicants Tuesday to fill the seat vacated by Tony Vazquez.

Council hopefuls had until noon Thursday to apply for the seat and a variety of people have decided they want a greater say in local politics, including members of several city boards and commissions, the co-chair of the Pico Neighborhood Association and even Vazquez’s wife, Maria Leon-Vazquez.

Political Heavy-Weights Submit Last-Minute Applications for Council Seat

01/18/2019 8:39 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A former mayor, two Planning Commissioners, two School Board members, a Rent Control Board member and a member of the College Board of Trustees submitted their applications Thursday morning for an open seat on the Santa Monica City Council.

As expected, several of the front-runners hoping to be appointed to the seat vacated by Tony Vazquez waited until the final hours before the Thursday noon deadline to submit their applications.

They were among 76 candidates who applied over the past week, easily a record number that was likely aided by the widely publicized opening
and the ease of applying online.

School Board Member Maria Leon-Vazquez Applies for Husband's Council Seat

01/18/2019 8:33 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

School Board member Maria Leon-Vazquez on Thursday submitted an application to fill the seat on the Santa Monica City Council vacated by her husband Tony Vazquez this month.

Leon-Vazquez was one of 11 candidates whose applications were posted on the final day, joining a record 54 candidates whose applications were posted before the noon deadline.

Field of Council Candidates Grows, Few Have Board or Commission Experience

01/18/2019 8:30 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

With the Thursday deadline fast approaching, a record 43 candidates had applied for an open seat on the Santa Monica City Council as of 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

And while a handful are civic or business leaders, almost all of the applicants so far have never served on City or civic boards, which the Council views as a highly desired qualification.

So far the only candidates who have served on major civic boards or City boards and commissions are Albin Gielicz, Robert Kronovet and Eddie Guerboian

Inglewood residents ask City Council for rent control

01/18/2019 8:23 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The demonstration was set in motion by a proposed 150 percent rent increase by a property investment company on East 99th Street in Inglewood that went viral on social media in late December, catching the eye of Mayor James T. Butts Jr.

“We’re not going to be pushed into somebody’s idea of what a solution is but what we’re going to do is make sure that people aren’t pushed in mass out of apartment buildings,” said Butts, who advocated on behalf of those specific tenants for a six-month moratorium on any rent increases until July 1.

After that, instead of a 150 percent increase, renters will see a 28 percent increase from $1,150 to $1,475 a month, which Butts said is still way under the market rate of $1,800 in Inglewood.

City Approves 9 Percent Water Rate Increase

01/15/2019 8:36 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Changes to go into effect on March, 1.

At the January 8 Santa Monica City Council meeting, council approved a 9 percent water rate increase for the 2019 calendar year.

The 2015 rate saw an increase of 9 percent, but due to better than expected financial performance, the rate only increased by an annual amount of 5 percent in the years 2016, 2017 and 2018. The reason staff is now trying to reinstitute the annual increase to 9 percent is a result of the council’s plan for Santa Monica to achieve water self-sufficiency by 2023.

Field of Santa Monica Council Hopefuls Grows

01/15/2019 8:27 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

With a record 35 candidates so far submitting applications for a vacant City Council seat, an activist group is weighing in on the process, while a former council hopeful looks to put the Council's criteria to a test.

Former Rent Board Commissioner Robert Kronovet and business leader Eddie Guerboian were the only well-known names among the nearly three dozen candidates listed on the City Clerk's applications page as of 2 p.m. Monday.

On Friday, the Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City (SMCLC), a slow-growth activist group, weighed in on the qualifications a candidate should have to win the appointment.

Former City Council candidate and slow-growth leader Armen Melkonians is skeptical the Council will pick a candidate, even if they have the voters' support, whose philosophy differs from the majority view.

Venice Neighbors Fight Homeless Shelter In Court

01/15/2019 8:17 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A Venice neighborhood group filed a petition Monday challenging the city of Los Angeles and the California Coastal Commission's approval of a 154-bed homeless shelter one block from Venice Beach.

The petition brought by the Venice Stakeholders Association in Los Angeles Superior Court alleges the project approval was done in violation of the California Environmental Quality Act, the California Coastal Act and other laws.

Learning garden to replacing housing on Montana Ave

01/14/2019 8:15 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Planning Commission will review Jan. 16 a plan to demolish a vacant 18-unit apartment building at 401 Montana Avenue and build the Rainbow Garden, a children’s learning center and 10,000 square foot garden. The center will employ a teacher to educate visiting pre-school through third-grade classes about growing and cooking organic produce. The vacant two-story apartment building that currently occupies the corner of Montana Avenue and 4th Street was built in 1947 and is in poor condition, staff said. Tenants were evicted under the Ellis Act several years ago.