According to a press release from the City of Santa Monica issued Friday, June 15, a” federal district court has upheld the City of Santa Monica’s home-sharing law in the face of a challenge brought by Airbnb and Homeaway.com.”

Airbnb and Homeaway.com filed a lawsuit seeking to invalidate those portions of the City’s “Home-Sharing Ordinance” that penalize online platforms for booking short-term rentals of unlicensed properties. 

Read More: https://smmirror.com/2018/06/homesharing-update-in-santa-monica/

Eight big challenges the City must address right now.

Read More: https://smmirror.com/2018/06/sm-a-r-t-santa-monica-must-prepare-for-future/

June 15, 2018 -- The campaign to repeal California' vacancy decontrol law and allow cities like Santa Monica to expand rent control was certified for the November ballot Friday.

The certification by the California Secretary of State’s office comes two months after sponsors of the Affordable Housing Act submitted 595 signatures, far more than the 365,880 signatures of certified voters needed to make the ballot.

If approved by California voters in November, the Affordable Housing Act will repeal the 1994 Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, which allows landlords to raise the rents to market rates when most rent control units are vacated.

The law also prevents cities and counties from applying rent control to apartments built after 1995 or to single-family rental units and condos.

If approved, the Affordable Housing Act will also allow cities such as Santa Monica -- where voters approved rent control in 1978 -- to expand their law to single family homes and new construction.

Read More:  http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2018/June-2018/06_15_2018_Statewide_Measure_to_Repeal_Vacancy_Decontrol_and_Expand_%20Rent_Control_Makes_Ballot%20.html

AND

http://smdp.com/calif-rent-control-measure-qualifies-for-november-ballot/166920

June 14 | The Rent Stabilization Commission will discuss cost-sharing for seismic retrofitting. Caring for residents and protecting housing are top priorities. Many older apartment buildings are not retrofitted to withstand earthquakes, which is why the City developed a seismic retrofit program, to protect residents and lessen damage to our housing.

Read More: https://weho.org/residents/rent-stabilization-housing/seismic#Meetings

Effective January 1, the ITPA (now Civil Code §1940.05) prohibits a landlord from several types of exploitation based on a person’s immigration or citizenship status. Under the law, immigration or citizenship status includes the following:

1. a person’s actual immigration or citizenship status;
2. a perception that a person has a particular immigration or citizenship status; or,
3. a person is associated with a person who has, or is perceived to have, a particular immigration or citizenship status.

The third type of status is to prevent landlords from threatening to report a tenant’s family member or friend, even if they do not live in the unit.

The types of landlord conduct now prohibited include the following:

• asking tenants about their immigration status.
• threatening to disclose immigration status of anyone in unit or anyone associated with tenant in an attempt to induce tenants to move out.
• threatening to report or report immigration status in retaliation for complaint.
• evicting based on anyone’s immigration status.
• reporting tenants’ suspected immigration status.

Back in June 2017, the Santa Monica Homeless Steering Committee (SMHSC) was created to leverage the strengths of Santa Monica’s community solutions network. The committee is a gathering of more than 50 individuals who live or work in Santa Monica, representing residents, business associations, faith partners, local and regional service providers, regional elected officials, City Council, City departments, people with lived experience and other local associations impacted by homelessness.

Homelessness Steering Committee Meeting

Have your voice heard by joining the community-led Steering Committee on Homelessness on June 20, 6 p.m. at Santa Monica’s Church (725 California Ave, 90403).

Read More: https://www.santamonica.gov/homelessness-steering-committee

A. Proposed amendments to the Santa Monica Rent Control Charter Amendment
To take effect only if the state-wide Affordable Housing Act is passed in November 2018 by California voters, thereby repealing the contrary provisions of the Costa Hawkins Act.  1. Set the base rent for all rent controlled units as the lawful rent in effect on January 1, 2018, in order to create greater certainty for property owners in the event the Affordable Housing Act is passed in November 2018 by California voters;

Read More: SMRR-Proposal-06-11-18.pdf

June 11, 2018 -- The City of Santa Monica's upcoming fiscal budget is in large part driven by looming pension costs that will force difficult spending choices the community will help make, according to the staff report for Tuesday's budget hearing.

The City has made voluntary advance pension payments totaling $76 million over the past seven years -- including $45 million last year -- but still faces a projected $461 million in unfunded long-term pension obligations, according to staff.

The proposed $734.1 million budget for fiscal year 2018-19 attempts to match resources with programs, services and projects that" help achieve community-focused outcomes, staff said.

Read More:  http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2018/June-2018/06_11_2018_Upcoming_Santa_Monica_City_Budget_Tackles_Pension_Costs.html

By putting in a down payment of $182 million, Los Angeles County has leveraged $1.7 billion in public and private funds towards the construction of 3,362 affordable apartments over the last five years, two-thirds of which were reserved for people struggling with homelessness, mental illness and physical disabilities.

Read More on pg. 4: http://backissues.smdp.com/060918.pdf