ACTION Apartment Association

Will California "cure" the housing crisis by repealing both Costa-Hawkins and the Ellis Act? Nope.

07/09/2018 9:09 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

One of the more depressing tricks employed by people who favor more government control of everything is this: Put government controls on a business, which causes problems, and then use the problems as a justification for more government controls.

It's like trying to reverse a case of alcohol poisoning with a jug of moonshine.

Nowhere is the "here, drink this," cure more discouraging than in the housing market. Just recently, Assembly member Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica) and two co-sponsors introduced AB 1506, a bill to repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act.

The Costa-Hawkins Act put statewide limits on the rent-control ordinances that local governments are allowed to enact. The law, passed in 1995, prohibited rent control on newly constructed residential housing starting in 1999. It also guaranteed owners of rent-controlled buildings the right to raise the rent to market rate for new tenants when former tenants moved out voluntarily.

Homeless crisis needs thoughtful response

07/08/2018 8:57 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

By the editor

Money from the voter-approved Measure H has begun flowing into county coffers and is funding a variety of programs to address the Countywide homeless crisis. Those projects are taking a variety of forms but the rollout hasn’t been without critics and at the local level, it’s easy to find people who think more should be done right now.

What “more” is varies wildly, from arresting people en masse to building government-funded shelters, but when it comes to opinions on the public safety response the reality is that change will be slower than anyone would like.

Santa Monica Voters to Decide Term Limits for Council in November

07/05/2018 3:11 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

July 5, 2017 -- Santa Monica voters will decide in November whether to limit the length of time members can serve on the City Council, which has seen only two incumbents defeated in the past 24 years.

Measure TL, which was certified by the City Clerk Thursday morning, would amend the City Charter to limit each of the council’s seven members to three terms ("Proposed Ballot Measure Calls for Term Limits for Santa Monica Council Members," February 1, 2018).

The measure would become effective after the November election, which includes two incumbents, Pam O’Connor and Kevin McKeown, who have served 24 and 20 years on the Council respectively. Both oppose term limits.

In Los Angeles, Where the Rich and the Destitute Cross Paths

07/05/2018 7:49 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

In Santa Monica, case workers and doctors visit the streets every day, offering medical aid and guidance on how to get help. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has called homelessness the “moral crisis of our time,” and voters have approved millions of dollars to tackle the issue.

Proposed San Diego law would prohibit landlord bias against people with federal housing vouchers

07/03/2018 8:06 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

San Diego would be following the lead of San Francisco, Santa Monica and several other cities by passing such an anti-discrimination law, which would only force landlords to consider applicants with vouchers, not require them to be chosen as tenants.

Gimme Shelter podcast: The rent control war

07/02/2018 9:31 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

One housing issue will overshadow all others this election: Rent control. Matt and Liam discuss why renewed negotiations to remove a controversial rent control initiative from the ballot went nowhere, and what the campaigns will look like this fall. First, Matt proposes a solution to the Los Angeles Clippers’ battles with the California Environmental Quality Act in the Avocado of the Fortnight (3:30). Then a discussion about why negotiations over rent control have been so fruitless (11:23). Debra Carlton, senior vice president of public affairs for the California Apartment Association, stops by the studio to talk about the landlords’ perspective (24:00). And Amy Schur, campaign director for Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, calls in to give the tenants’ side (47:30).

Podcast: https://calmatters.org/articles/gimme-shelter-podcast-the-rent-control-war/

Development Wars Heat Up

07/02/2018 9:06 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Ballot initiative would reduce the City’s power over development.

Santa Monica voters will be asked in November to choose how much control Santa Monica City Council has over new developments under a voter initiative approved by the Council on Tuesday, June 26.

The initiative would require a supermajority approval by City Council for any projects within either the Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) or Downtown Community Plan (DCP) that would exceed the existing height or floor area ratio limits specified in the City’s zoning code. Exempt from this supermajority requirement would be 100 percent Affordable Housing Projects and developments on property owned by the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified District (SMMUSD).

and http://smdp.com/development-will-be-back-on-the-ballot-in-november/167210

Safeguard Against Rent Control Chaos

07/02/2018 9:04 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Possible repeal of Costa-Hawkins Act could roll back rents to 1978 rates.

The 1995 Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act is a California law that limits cities’ ability to impose rent control. Santa Monica is one of 15 cities in the state with rent control policies that are curtailed by this act. A statewide initiative on the 2018 ballot, however, seeks to repeal the Costa-Hawkins Act. If voters approve this repeal, rents in Santa Monica will be rolled back to 1978 rates.

Three Bills by Santa Monica Lawmaker Pass Key Committees

07/02/2018 8:55 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

June 29, 2018 -- Three bills by Santa Monica Assemblymember Richard Bloom -- tackling fishing, toxic chemicals and affordable housing on the coast -- passed out of key committees this week, his office announced.

AB 2797 -- which passed the Senate Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday -- assures projects are not found to be inconsistent with the California Coastal Act merely because they receive a density increase under state law.

The bill addresses a recent court decision that undermined the application of density bonus law in the coastal zone, Bloom said.

The decision upheld the City of Los Angeles' denial of a project that contained two low-income units on the basis that the increased density made it visually incompatible with the surrounding neighborhood.

Council Approves Ballot Measure Requiring Super-Majority Vote on Development

06/29/2018 11:11 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

June 28, 2018 -- In an effort to quell Santa Monica's development wars, the City Council on Tuesday voted to place a measure on the November ballot that would require a super-majority vote to make changes to the City's zoning standards.

The proposed Charter Amendment -- which would sunset in 10 years -- would have no impact on proposed developments currently in the planning pipeline ("Super-Majority' Ballot Measure Would Have No Impact on Proposed Developments," June 21, 2018).