ACTION Apartment Association

State attempts to facilitate housing may be moot in Santa Monica

08/13/2018 8:50 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A group of new laws targeting California’s housing shortage will have limited impact in Santa Monica according to a recently released staff report. According to the report,Governor Brown signed 15 housing-related laws last year. While all State laws will be enforceable locally, Santa Monica’s existing rules are either stricter than the state versions or the city will receive limited benefit from the changes.

Read More on pg. 7: http://backissues.smdp.com/081318.pdf

Pro Con pier series continues with rent control debate

08/13/2018 8:45 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Pier’s one-hour debate series Pro Con is back this summer, an event where experts from separate sides of an issue argue for their position while a neutral moderator keeps things civil.

Pro Con has three events left: Rent Control, August 13; Water Desalination, August 20; and Immigration, August 27. All events are from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the west end of the Pier.

Read More on page 1 and 5: http://backissues.smdp.com/081118.pdf

Voting Rights trial heads into third week

08/13/2018 8:24 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

While the City of Santa Monica heads into the third week of defending its election system against a lawsuit alleging it is illegal under the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA), a separate case is challenging the constitutionality of the law itself. The former mayor of Poway brought the case after his city settled and formed districts rather than face litigation from the same group of attorneys suing Santa Monica.

The lawsuit filed in federal court argues the CVRA violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution because it makes race the deciding factor when drawing electoral districts. The case was brought by the Project on Fair Representation, the same conservative legal defense fund that brought affirmative action in college admissions before the Supreme Court in Abigail Fisher v. University of Texas.

City of Santa Monica Paid for Study Damaging to City's Voting Rights Act Position

08/13/2018 8:21 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Presumably, if the study supported the City's defense of the Voting Rights case, it would have been revealed. Could it be that the study was damaging to the City's defense case? If so, has the City been spending millions on a high priced legal team from Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, knowing that their defense of the case is doomed to fail?

Two Santa Monica Ballot Initiatives Draw No Opposing Arguments

08/13/2018 8:12 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

You wouldn't know Santa Monica was embroiled in a development war from the reaction to a ballot initiative that addresses the height of new buildings.

The measure -- which would require a super-majority vote of the City Council to make changes to the City's zoning standards -- will appear on the ballot with no opposing argument.

The development initiative isn't the only measure on the November ballot that failed to draw an argument from opponents.

A measure that would amend the City Charter to allow non-citizens to sit on three City boards and commissions also will appear only with the argument from supporters.

Rent Control, Fast Food, Water to go before City Council

08/10/2018 12:18 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The agenda for the August 14, Santa Monica City Council meeting has been posted and among topics up for consideration is rent control, water and the future fast food restaurants on the third street promenade. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m.

During the regular Santa Monica City Council meeting on Tuesday, June 26, Councilmember Kevin McKeown requested City Staff to prepare for a possible repeal of the Costa-Hawkins Act, the 1995 California law that limits cities’ ability to impose rent control. A statewide initiative on the 2018 ballot, however, seeks to repeal the Costa-Hawkins Act and if voters approve this repeal, rents in Santa Monica will be rolled back to 1978 rates. The staff report on measures the City can take in the event of a repeal occurs is not yet available but City Council is slated to continue the discussion about this item on Tuesday evening.

Councilmembers Seek Changes to Strengthen Santa Monica's Tenant Protections

08/10/2018 12:03 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

August 9, 2018 -- Worried that long-time rent control tenants will be increasingly displaced in Santa Monica's heated real estate market, two Councilmembers are recommending that staff revisit local renter protections.

The item placed on Tuesday's agenda by Councilmembers Sue Himmelrich and Kevin McKeown asks staff to look for "outdated definitions and compensations, in light of rapidly intensifying market pressures on local rents."

If directed by Council, staff would explore a range of issues, including compensation for tenants evicted "through no fault of their own" and the use of rent-controlled units as corporate rentals.

O'Connor Submits Nominating Papers for Santa Monica Council

08/10/2018 12:01 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

August 9, 2018 -- Councilmember Pam O'Connor submitted her nominating petitions Thursday afternoon, becoming the final incumbent to do so in the race for three open seats.

O'Connor said she submitted "a bit over 150" signatures to the City Clerk late Thursday afternoon.

Incumbents Kevin McKeown and Sue Himmelrich have already qualified for the ballot, having gathered the necessary 100 signatures from registered Santa Monica voters.

Costa Hawkins, California’s rent control law, explained

08/10/2018 9:38 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Supporters of a state ballot initiative to expand rent control options for cities across California announced Monday they had gathered enough signatures to qualify the measure for the November 2018 ballot.

If passed, the measure would repeal the 1995 Costa Hawkins Rental Housing Act, which sets limits on the kind of rent control policies cities are able to impose. Right now, 15 California cities have rent control policies. In the LA area, that includes the cities of Los Angeles, West Hollywood, and Santa Monica.

Costa Hawkins is a state law that sets some requirements for the 15 cities in California with rent control—Los Angeles included.

There are three main provisions:

It protects a landlord’s right to raise the rent to market rate on a unit once a tenant moves out.
It prevents cities from establishing rent control—or capping rent—on units constructed after February 1995.
It exempts single-family homes and condos from rent control restrictions.

Voting Rights Suit Vs. City Underway, Challengers Drop out of Council Race

08/10/2018 9:30 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A coalition of voting rights advocates have taken the City of Santa Monica to court, claiming the City’s at-large election system dilutes the Latino vote in City Council elections and is in violation of the California Voting Rights Act.

The outcome of this ongoing voting rights lawsuit,” Pico Neighborhood Association et al. v. City of Santa Monica,” not only will have a lasting impact on the future of elections in the City but has already laid its mark on the upcoming 2018 elections by causing two City Council two candidates to end their bid for office.

Kate Bransfield and Armen Melkonians, co-founders of the Facebook page “Residocracy,” announced last weekend that they were dropping out of the race for City Council.