ACTION Apartment Association

Santa Monica Council Tweaks Public Input Rules

03/01/2019 11:15 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Worried about curtailing public testimony, the City Council on Tuesday rejected any major changes to its public input polices.

Instead, it unanimously voted to allow speakers who cut their comments from 2 minutes to 1 to choose to speak first on an item.

AND: https://smmirror.com/2019/03/council-changes-rules-on-public/

Letters to the Editor: Who represents us?

02/28/2019 8:55 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

by Stephen Lancaster

Having attended the special council meeting on Thursday night (Feb.21) as a listening member of the audience. I was appalled by the arrogance of council members to allow this pre-determined charade to take place at all. Their decision to appeal the courts ruling favoring district elections was decided days if not weeks before this needless meeting took place. It was obvious by the lack of interest, eating and texting by council during public comments that none were relevant to their pre-determined decision to appeal.

Council approves Pico housing project

02/28/2019 8:41 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

55 affordable apartments are coming to the Pico neighborhood.

Community Corporation of Santa Monica (CCSM), a nonprofit that owns and operates 1,719 affordable residences throughout the city, is building a new apartment building on 14th Street between Pico Boulevard and Michigan Avenue for households that earn between 30 and 80 percent of Santa Monica’s median income. 27 units will have one bedroom, 14 will have two and 14 will have three.

Santa Monica Council Votes to Spend $100,000 on 'Wellbeing Summit'

02/28/2019 8:29 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

It's won global awards for the City and grants totaling well over $1 million.

The City manager's office has a $200,000-a-year "czar" and staff dedicated to improving it.

But what is wellbeing?

On Tuesday night, the City Council approved spending $100,000 in discretionary funds to explain the concept to Santa Monica residents.

The money will be used to "create a local 'Wellbeing Summit,' describing and demonstrating our important work around community wellbeing," according to the council member item on the agenda.

AND: https://www.smdp.com/santa-monica-votes-to-organize-international-wellbeing-summit/173131

City Seeks Public Input on "Climate Action" Plan

02/28/2019 8:28 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Members of the public have until April 1 to weigh in on the City's plan to dramatically reduce Santa Monica's carbon footprint.

The Climate Action & Adaptation Plan -- which is tentatively scheduled to be approved by the City Council at its meeting May 14 -- will help the city "reduce carbon emissions and become climate resilient," City officials said.

Santa Monica City Council Doesn't Want to Hear From You

02/28/2019 8:25 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A proposal by the Santa Monica City Council to halve public speaker time from two minutes to one minute has roused vigorous criticism. The current Rules of Order for council meetings allows a speaker 2 minutes per item with a total of 6 minutes per speaker. Speakers are allowed to accept one donation of 2 minutes from another speaker. However, certain items already restrict a speaker to 1 minute. A further proposal is to limit multiple applicants/appellants to a time of 10 minutes total.

AND: https://www.smdp.com/short-comments-given-priority-by-city-council/173110

Is This What We Have Become?

02/27/2019 2:00 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

by Charles Andrews

SO, VOTE BY DISTRICTS

Big deal. About one quarter of all CA cities do, with 57 more switching this past election and many more coming. None have fallen into ruin. Some switch as soon as it’s proposed. Others do so without a fight, perhaps through clenched teeth, to avoid crushing legal costs. But not SM.

The lengthy court trial has so far cost us, the taxpayers, some $22M (estimated) and it will go higher by millions because the Council voted, unanimously, to appeal. They have been spouting baloney rationalizations but there is only one reason, really: the people in power want desperately to stay in power, they have worked for decades to put a machine in place that guarantees that, and they will fight to the bitter end because they can and because Santa Monica will pay for it,. They are doing it on our dime. No consequences.

Major Santa Monica Landlord Dealt Two Critical Rulings in Quest to Regain Properties

02/27/2019 1:47 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

February 26, 2019 -- A major Santa Monica apartment owner won't get back the properties he claimed had been fraudulently taken and sold by investors, two Superior Court judges ruled in separate cases on Friday.

The rulings could put an end to a five-year quest by Neil Shekhter and NMS Properties, Inc. to reclaim nine properties included in a portfolio that boasted some two dozen apartment buildings, most of them in Downtown Santa Monica.

30% of Angelenos with $100K salaries now rent—rather than own

02/27/2019 7:25 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The number of high-income renters has swelled 33 percent

In the Los Angeles metropolitan area, where home prices are close to an all-time high, even those making six-figure incomes may be struggling to enter the real estate market.

According to new report from Apartment List, one-quarter of high-income households rented in 2008. By 2017, that share had jumped to 30 percent, and the LA area had more than 450,000 high-income renters.

Letters to the Editor: Multi Million Dollar City At Large Voting Appeal

02/26/2019 9:36 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

by Robert Gomez

On February 21, 2019, the Santa Monica City council had an open hearing for residents to voice our opinions regarding district verses at large elections. The city of Santa Monica lost its fight to preserve the current election process and was ordered to hold district elections this July. After several residents spoke in opposition to an appeal the council retreated to closed doors to hold what appeared to be a predetermined position to use more tax payer monies to fight on appeal. The city council voted unanimously to continue this appeal.