ACTION Apartment Association

Appeals Court Orders Santa Monica Landlord to Return Units to Rent Control

08/02/2019 9:51 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The owner of a 13-unit Santa Monica apartment building must return the units to rent control a quarter century after the Rent Board gave the go-ahead to remove them from the market, a California Appeals Court ruled Tuesday.

The Court's ruling overturned a trial court decision last year that found the owner had relied on the Board's decision to spend nearly $500,000 in improvements and renovations.

The Appeals Court found that the lower court had erred last year and ruled that the Board was not authorized to permanently exempt the units from rent control.

Appeal ruling brings disputed building back into rent control

08/01/2019 8:06 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The California Court of Appeals has overturned a trial court verdict against Santa Monica’s Rent Control Board (RCB) in a what has become a two-decade debacle over regulating an apartment building on 20th Street.

Under this month’s ruling, the property will be returned to the rent control inventory and the RCB will not have to pay any fees associated with the original judgment.

The building in question was built more than 20 years before the establishment of rent control and while the building was initially subject to the rules, the owners applied for a permit to take the rent-controlled building off the rental market in 1993 on the grounds the property was uninhabitable and would be too expensive to maintain.

LA will explore inclusionary zoning citywide

08/01/2019 8:02 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

City planners are about to start exploring options to ensure affordable housing is built in every part of Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles City Council instructed the planning department today to come up with recommendations on how to “establish a fair share distribution of affordable housing on a citywide basis.”

The request was made by Councilmember Gil Cedillo, who says “certain parts of the city should not be responsible for meeting the entire city’s affordable housing goals.”

Options may include incorporating “inclusionary zoning” in community plans, which would require residential developers to make a portion of new units in their buildings affordable to low-income renters.

Los Angeles City Council votes to extend vehicle dwelling law

07/31/2019 12:28 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Living in cars, vans and RVs is once again illegal in residential areas of Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to reinstate a law that prohibits sleeping overnight in a vehicle in residential areas and near schools and parks. The council decided to extend the law, which expired earlier this month, after hearing testimony from dozens of activists that the law unduly punishes people who have no choice but to live in their vehicles.

Venice homeless housing project draws lawsuit

07/31/2019 8:46 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A group of Venice residents filed an opening brief last Friday in a lawsuit to stop the construction of a temporary facility that would house 154 people experiencing homelessness.

The Venice Stakeholders Association’s lawsuit asks Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff to declare the city’s of Los Angeles approval of the project invalid and halt construction on the site. Beckloff denied a similar request in May, saying the facility is necessary to provide adequate shelter for Venice’s homeless residents. More than 1,100 people experiencing homelessness live in the neighborhood, according to the 2019 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, a 33% increase over last year.

Westside Homeless Population Sees Dramatic Jump, Venice Tops List

07/31/2019 8:42 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Westside communities saw a 20 percent rise in homelessness in 2019, with Venice's homeless population surpassing 1,000, according to census figures released by the Los Angeles County Homeless Service Authority (LAHSA).

Venice with 1,128 homeless persons counted in January -- up from 847 last year -- topped the list of 16 Westside cities and communities analyzed by the Lookout, accounting for 37 percent of the area's total homeless population.

Landmarked home listed online for up to 36 guests

07/30/2019 1:48 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A historic, five-bedroom house on the north edge of Santa Monica has been converted into an Airbnb housing up to 36 people.

The 1924 Pueblo Revival home at 710 Adelaide Place has been listed on Airbnb since March, when it was sold for about $2.9 million, according to the Multiple Listing Service. Neighbors say the home, a local landmark known as the Zuni House, is being operated as a de facto hostel and disturbing nearby residents.

Santa Monica's Tree Task Force Branches Out

07/30/2019 1:39 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Santa Monica's Urban Forest Task Force will be expanded and its role made more significant as the City prepares to craft a citywide tree ordinance.

Last Tuesday the City Council unanimously voted to add two seats to the seven-member panel and authorized it to act as an "advisory body" for an ordinance that will help determine which trees on private property are protected.

Downtown Target plans return to ARB in August

07/29/2019 10:39 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A revised plan to open a Target store in Downtown will have a new hearing before the Architectural Review aboard in August.

At the August 19 meeting, Commissioners will see a revised plan from the company after its initial plans were for using cheap looking materials and including too much store branding.

As originally proposed, the project will occupy the former Fred Segal building at the corner of 5th and Broadway with a goal of opening in 2020.

Downtown sales surge while other shopping districts falter

07/29/2019 10:26 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Total taxable sales on the Third Street Promenade rose 4.2% last year while the city’s other shopping districts, Main Street and Montana Avenue, both saw a roughly 3% drop in sales.

The Promenade’s sales increased every year between 2010 and 2015 as the retail market recovered from the recession, but the growth of online shopping precipitated 5.5% and 2.9% drops in 2016 and 2017. Sales last year were the highest they’ve been since 2015, indicating that the district is adapting to consumers turning away from traditional retail.