ACTION Apartment Association

Two Housing Bills, Sponsored by Santa Monica Lawmaker Signed into Law

10/02/2018 8:20 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

October 1, 2018 -- Two housing bills and a bill banning toxic chemicals were among the measures sponsored by Santa Monica lawmaker Richard Bloom signed by the Governor last week.

The housing measures address inconsistencies in applying housing density bonuses on the coast and reform the process used for determining and apportioning regional housing needs.

The State's most recent report found that Santa Monica built more than four times its allocation of housing units between 2008 and 2014, said former Mayor Denny Zane.

Residents prepare to battle Ocean Park developments

10/01/2018 9:07 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Neighbors fighting a five-story apartment complex planned for 1828 Ocean Avenue have vowed to appeal a Development Review Permit if it clears the Planning Commission this Wednesday, hoping to find sympathy from the City Council. The neighbors along San Vicente Terrace worry the 47-foot building will create a canyon facing the low-slung homes on the opposite side on the narrow, one-way street.

At the moment, a row of ficus trees obscures the property, which serves as a valet parking lot for guests staying at Casa Del Mar. The hoteliers behind the luxury hotel and Shutters on the Beach submitted plans for two mixed-use complexes to add more than a hundred apartments beachside neighborhood.

Both lots used to be owned by the city. The most recent sale came in 2012, when the City sold the lot at 1921 Ocean Front Walk to Edward Thomas Hospitality Companies for $13.5 million. The money from the sale went to the Citywide Housing Trust Fund to pay for affordable housing elsewhere.

Fundraising figures reflect quiet election season

10/01/2018 9:02 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Fundraising for candidates and issues in this year’s November election is off to a slow start with most campaigns reporting a few thousand dollars in donations for the first reporting period.

City Council challenger Ashely Powell was the exception, reporting more than $63,000 in donations in the first few months of the season, but most campaigns reported significantly less.

In the race for Rent Control Board, Incumbent Nicole Phillis was in first place with $5,700 in fundraising and no expenses. Her 58 donors included several current RCB Commissioners, School Board members, College Board candidates and SMRR officials. She also received a donation from Sonya Sultan, the mother of fellow candidate Naomi Sultan.

Challenger Lori Brown raised $5,128 and had no expenses. Her 21 donors included property management companies and several realtors.

The Need for Supportive Housing

10/01/2018 8:58 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

By Scarlett Yingvorapant, Communications Manager at The People Concern

Everyone should be housed, healthy and safe.

But for many, ending homelessness is not simply about finding a home. It is about being comfortable in that home, maintaining that home, and having the tools and support to rebuild your life.

There are individuals experiencing homelessness who struggle with mental illness, substance addiction, acute and chronic medical conditions, histories of trauma, or a combination of these issues. In the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority Homeless Count for 2018, 26% reported a serious mental illness, 15% reported a substance use disorder, 10% reported both substance use disorder and serious mental illness, and 6% of people report experiencing homelessness because they are fleeing domestic/intimate partner violence.

Bridge Housing for Homeless Vets

10/01/2018 8:41 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Homeless veterans in Santa Monica will soon have a place to live while waiting for permanent housing with the opening of a Bridge Housing facility on the West Los Angeles VA campus. This will be the first bridge housing facility to open on the Westside.

Bull in China Shop, or Wrecking Ball? SM.a.r.t.

10/01/2018 8:39 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

I was lamenting the turn our beach town has taken in the last few years. Sadly, not for the better. Crime is up significantly. Homelessness seems to have increased, and from reading various comments made on local social media and news sources, has produced a more violent group within. And the freeze frame traffic. One wonders and speculates about the root causes of what I would define as the decline in our quality of life.

In ruminating, I recalled that our police vehicles were once blue and white, seemingly representative of a more peaceful beachfront town. Then along comes a decision to change them to a more aggressive urban/authoritarian look and the cars became the large city black & whites. Why the shift? The change occurred about the time the City started re-writing it’s General Plan and LUCE (Land Use Circulation Element), which was also the beginning of the over-development that we are experiencing.

If Prop. 10 passes, cities will be able to regulate what tenants pay

10/01/2018 8:34 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

If voters approve Proposition 10, cities up and down the state will instantly regain broad authority to regulate rents as they see fit, including placing rent controls on apartments built after 1995, which are exempt under state law.

But the crux of the debate is a polarizing policy banned by Costa-Hawkins called “vacancy control,” which Berkeley, Santa Monica and the smaller cities of East Palo Alto and West Hollywood once used to keep a cap on rents even after a tenant moved out.

Now, vacant apartments can be reset at the market rate — a situation that creates a patchwork of rents in the cities’ apartment buildings, with rent levels depending on when an apartment last changed hands.

Rent control: What we can learn from Berkeley and Santa Monica

10/01/2018 8:22 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

If voters approve Proposition 10, cities up and down the state will instantly regain broad authority to regulate rents as they see fit, including placing rent controls on apartments built after 1995, which are currently exempt under existing state law. At the crux of the debate is a polarizing policy banned by Costa Hawkins called “vacancy control,” which Berkeley, Santa Monica and the smaller cities of East Palo Alto and West Hollywood once used to prevent property owners from charging market rate for apartments even after a tenant moved out.

With the repeal of Costa Hawkins,“I think you’ll see people organizing all over the state to get or strengthen rent controls, and that would have an enormous ripple effect through the rest of the state’s politics,” said Stephen Barton, a former Berkeley city housing official and rent-control expert who is supporting the Proposition 10 campaign.

But critics of such strict rent control, including most economists, argue it will stymie housing development, worsening the state’s already severe housing shortage. Some landlords, they say, will simply sell their properties if it becomes far less profitable to rent them — as many did in Berkeley and Santa Monica decades ago.

Political newcomer nabs key endorsements

09/28/2018 10:41 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Both the powerful hotel workers’ union Unite Here Local 11 and the Santa Monica Democratic Club have endorsed incumbents Sue Himmelrich and Kevin McKeown, and political newcomer Greg Morena for the City Council.

SMDC President Jon Katz told the Daily Press incumbent Pam O’Connor “just blew off the whole thing” and did not seek an endorsement, though she is running for reelection.

Challengers for Santa Monica City Council Lead Fundraising Race

09/28/2018 10:36 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

September 27, 2018 -- Two challengers have far outraised incumbents in the November 6 race for three seats on the Santa Monica City Council, with Ashley Powell easily topping the list with more than $63,000 in contributions.

Combined, the three incumbents -- Sue Himmelrich, Kevin McKeown and Pam O'Connor -- have raised approximately $38,000, according to campaign finance disclosure statements submitted by Thursday's deadline.

AND

http://www.smdp.com/ashley-powell-pulls-ahead-after-first-fundraising-deadline/169632