City Hall could distribute $2 million to hundreds of low-income seniors to help pay their rent.

The City Council approved the Preserving Our Diversity pilot program in 2017 to set aside $200,000 to subsidize rent for long-term residents aged 62 and older who live in rent-controlled apartments. On Tuesday, the council will vote to expand the program from its initial 22 participants to up to 400 struggling seniors.

“The Preserving Our Diversity (POD) pilot program was launched to help seniors live with dignity by meeting their basic needs, in order to preserve the affordability of existing housing resources and sustain Santa Monica’s economic diversity by helping low-income seniors remain in the community,” housing program manager Jim Kemper wrote in a report.

Read More: https://www.smdp.com/council-could-expand-rent-subsides-for-seniors/178479

Water bills in Santa Monica could rise by up to $36 for single family homes, $48 for multi-unit housing and $87 for commercial buildings based on new rate structures up for discussion at City Council this week.

City Hall will debate the next five-year rate structure on Tuesday and Council will hear two options. The first maximizes rate increases to pay for infrastructure improvement projects while the second delays repair work for at least three years.

Read More: https://www.smdp.com/five-year-water-rate-increases-up-for-debate/178448

POD (Preserve Our Diversity), is a program created to address the needs of very low and low-income senior’s living in rent-controlled housing for at least 20 years, in Santa Monica. The revenue stream, GS and GSH a ballot measure (2016) was created, as was the program, by Sue Himmelrich, Patricia Hoffman, Mike Soloff and others concerned with the growing need for a variety of solutions to the affordable housing crisis and homelessness. 

POD was implemented in July of 2017 and went into effect in November of that year, with 22 participants in what was called Pilot 1 Program. It provides seniors with a payment that brings their income to $747 for a single person, after their rent is paid. 

Read More: https://smmirror.com/2019/08/protecting-low-income-seniors/

The city council will soon finalize regulations that seek to preserve existing homes in Santa Monica’s single-family neighborhoods.

The city’s four single-family neighborhoods — Sunset Park, North of Montana, North of Wilshire and a small part of Pico — have seen an influx of new houses that are typically double or triple the size of existing homes. Officials have spent more than a year considering how to incentivize renovating homes rather than replacing them in response to complaints from residents that the new mansions have fundamentally altered their neighborhoods.

Read More: https://www.smdp.com/size-and-parking-rules-to-incentivize-remodels-over-new-construction/178371

Two years ago, and in the context of the Downtown Community Plan which was being discussed at the time,  we provided a few thought-provoking observations by architects, designers, and philosophers who have thought deeply about the city environment. Those thoughts are still critically relevant in today’s Santa Monica, and are worth revisiting.

“Traditional urbanism has three essential qualities: (1) a diverse population and range of activities, (2) a rich array of public spaces and institutions, and (3) human scale in its buildings, streets, and neighborhoods.” – Peter Calthorpe: Urbanism in the Age of Climate Change, Island Press 2010

“There is abundant evidence to show that high buildings make people crazy.

Read More: https://smmirror.com/2019/08/sma-r-t-column-deep-thoughts-of-real-urban-thinkers/

In response to the skyrocketing rent prices in the city, the Culver City City Council is meeting on Aug. 12 to discuss planned rent control after an urgency ordinance was called for at the June 24 City Council meeting. Staff was directed to use the L.A. County Temporary Rent Stabilization Ordinance as a model, including a rent cap enacted retroactively to June 24 or beyond if data supports the need for it.

Read More: https://www.culvercitynews.org/city-council-returns-to-review-rent-control-urgency-ordinance/

California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to spend $331 million from a settlement with mortgage lenders on legal aid for homeowners and renters.

The proposal announced Wednesday repurposes most of California’s share of a 2012 settlement between states and five large lenders related to the 2008 mortgage crisis. California had previously put some of the money toward servicing housing bonds and other general fund purposes.

Read More: https://www.smdp.com/los-angeles-newsom-proposed-331-million-for-housing-legal-assistance/178350

City Hall is seeking six community members to serve on the task force that will decide how to trim $3.5 million from its 2020-2023 budget.

The city is planning to reduce spending over the next decade as it grapples with sky-high pension costs and slowing revenues. The 2019-2020 budget it adopted in June was almost $92 million smaller than the previous fiscal year’s budget, but the city council rejected $1.2 million in proposed cuts before finalizing the budget. Now, the city is seeking input from residents on how to shrink the budget by $1.5 million in 2020-2021 and $2.5 million in 2021-2023. 

Read More: https://www.smdp.com/six-people-wanted-to-help-cut-3-5-million-from-budget/178310

 by Cynthia Renaud, Police Chief

The City of Santa Monica is down 8% in our Part I crimes (Violent Crimes - aggravated assault, forcible rape, murder, robbery / Non-Violent Property Crimes - arson, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft). At this time last year, we had 1,991 Part 1 crimes. This year, we have had 1,832, a decrease of 159 Part 1 crimes. We are seeing the most notable decreases in aggravated assaults, which are down 35%. Burglaries, both residential and commercial, are down 16%. 

Read More: https://www.santamonica.gov/blog/reducing-crime-and-connecting-with-the-community-2

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors yesterday unanimously adopted the OurCounty Sustainability Plan, one of the boldest, most comprehensive regional approach to sustainability ever issued by a county in the United States.

• Leading efforts to make sure that at least 65% of new housing is built within 1/2 mile of high frequency transit by 2035
• Supporting construction of more than half a million affordable housing units by 2045 to improve public health and community sustainability

Read More: https://smmirror.com/2019/08/la-county-adopts-one-of-nations-most-ambitious-sustainability-plans/