Airbnb hosts in Santa Monica will be prohibited from renting to more than two groups of guests at a time and allowing more than two people to stay in each room.

The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to tighten Santa Monica’s home-sharing ordinance after a five-bedroom, landmarked home at 710 Adelaide Place was converted to an Airbnb housing up to 36 people earlier this year. The 2015 ordinance is meant to prevent permanent housing from being converted to vacation rentals while allowing residents to earn some extra income by hosting guests in their home for 30 days or less while living on-site.

Read More: https://www.smdp.com/city-council-tightens-home-sharing-law-to-allow-two-guests-per-room/179668

California moved closer to enacting statewide rent caps on apartments and some rental houses after the state Senate voted 25-10 on Tuesday, Sept. 10 to pass the so-called “anti-gouging” rent bill.

Read More: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/calif-senate-advances-statewide-caps-on-rent-hikes/ar-AAH5R6p

Night after night, Sheila Nassau hunts for a good spot to sleep in Hollywood — somewhere safe where no one will bother her.

It’s not easy, she said. Under existing rules in Los Angeles, homeless people who bed down on the streets for the night are supposed to stay away from doorways and driveways. Now a plan under consideration at City Hall could make it harder to find a spot by imposing rules that would bar people from resting on streets and sidewalks in at least 26% of the city, a Times analysis has found.

Read More: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-09-06/homeless-sleeping-ban-rules-los-angeles

by Community Corporation

Sept. 20, 9-10:30 am

See ad on page 5: http://backissues.smdp.com/090919.pdf

A three-story development will replace two Mid-City buildings occupied by Coogie’s Cafe, a barbershop and a hobby store.

The Planning Commission on Wednesday approved a mixed-use building with 46 units and 13,735 square feet of commercial space at 2906-2918 Santa Monica Blvd. The corner site at Yale Street and Santa Monica Boulevard is owned by Yale West LLC, managed by producer and director Marius Markevicius.

Read More: https://www.smdp.com/former-coogies-site-to-become-46-units-of-housing/179501

Santa Monica’s homeless outreach teams may continue to operate for at least two years with more than $2 million in new funding.

The Homeless Multidisciplinary Street Team (HMST) focuses on a small population of chronically homeless individuals, while the County, City, Community Team (C3 Team) engages with thousands of people in downtown Santa Monica.

Read More: https://www.smdp.com/more-money-possible-for-homeless-outreach/179510

The council will discuss how to electrify Santa Monica’s buildings as the city pursues an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030, a goal the council adopted when it approved the Climate Action & Adaptation Plan (CAAP) in May. To meet that target, the city may incentivize or require replacing heating and cooking equipment powered by natural gas with electric alternatives.

Read More: https://www.smdp.com/council-hopes-sustainability-discussion-will-spark-interest/179513

Santa Monica is poised to boost its homeless outreach efforts by spending an additional $2 million over the next two years.

The City Council on Tuesday is expected to modify the City's contracts with OPCC and Los Angeles County that fund two "skilled professional street teams" deployed to "consistently engage persons experiencing homelessness," staff said.

The proposed contract modifications boost funding for OPCC's Homeless Multidisciplinary Street Team (HMST) from $1.65 million to $2.85 million over the current and upcoming fiscal years.

Read More: http://surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2019/September-2019/09_06_2019_Santa_Monica_to_Boost_Homeless_Outreach_Efforts.html

Dear Editor,

I read in the Santa Monica Lookout that the Council plans to require landlords who occupy their two-and three unit buildings to give tenants relocation payments if they jack up the rents ("Council Moves to Add Tenant Protections to Small Owner-Occupied Buildings," September 4, 2019).

This may have some merit for long-term, low-rent tenants. However, market rate tenants will always take the massive relocation fees if offered -- they are way, way more than the true cost of moving across town.

Read More: http://surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/letters/Letters-2019/09_06_2019_LETTERS_Dont_Force_Landlords_Who_Move_Into_Small_Buildings_to_Pay_Relocation_Fees.html

Local officials are trying to encourage more businesses to open on Pico Boulevard without accelerating displacement in the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood.

City Hall is changing Pico Boulevard’s zoning to create a commercial district that better serves the surrounding community, which is more diverse and less affluent than the rest of Santa Monica. Although the city has conducted more than a year of outreach to the Pico community, there is still a disconnect between officials and residents around what types of businesses should be promoted and whether they will contribute to gentrification.

Read More: https://www.smdp.com/pico-planning-changes-to-allow-bars-restaurants-and-cultural-facilities/179441