The City Council increased the maximum allowable size for Accessory Dwelling Units on large lots Tuesday, increasing the allowable floor area from 650 square feet to 800 square feet on lots larger than 6,000 square feet. The Council also removed a 250 square foot restriction for second floor ADUs to allow homeowners to build apartments above their garages.

Read More: http://smdp.com/council-amends-rules-to-allow-bigger-adus/166433

Community Corporation of Santa Monica (Community Corp.) has announced the biannual opening of the 2018 Housing Opportunity List.  Joining the Housing Opportunity List offers the opportunity to apply for affordable housing with their organization. Beginning May 29, visit 502 Colorado Avenue; select the date and time for the onehour seminar you would like to attend during the week of June 4.

Read More on pg.3: http://backissues.smdp.com/052518.pdf

Tara Barauskas is the Executive Director of Community Corporation of Santa Monica

Community Corporation’s waiting list is opening for one week on May 29th. Many believe it’s impossible to obtain affordable housing here in Santa Monica.

As the Executive Director of the Community Corporation of Santa Monica (Community Corp.), one of the largest developers of affordable housing in Southern California – I hear many different reasons why potentially eligible individuals and families don’t apply to become residents in our properties.

Some say that there is an endless waiting list. Others believe that it requires overwhelming paperwork and a perfect credit score, or that you need inside connections.

So many of these perceptions are incorrect. I’d like to set the record straight about a few common myths about affordable housing in our community.

Read More: http://smdp.com/your-column-here-17/166393

Facing ballooning pension costs, the City is reorganizing public employees by shuffling vacant positions and eliminating certain jobs. On Tuesday, the City Council approved a proposed operating budget that alters 69 public positions to realign operations.

While the City will add a total of six full-time positions in the next year, seven positions in the airport and broadband departments will be eliminated. Even with the departmental shuffling, the city will need to raise fees to keep up with a 4.4 percent rise in compensation costs for Fiscal Year 2018-2019.

Read More: http://smdp.com/city-moves-to-control-public-employee-costs/166385

With resident rumblings centering on the efficacy of Santa Monica City and its Councilmembers in recent months, a bold move to shake up the voting system and limit sitting terms saw almost 20 thousand petition votes lodged at Santa Monica City Hall Monday morning, May 21.

Read More: https://www.actiontakesaction.com/admin/website/system-pages/?pageId=1837908

Section 2.
Intent to Form a School Facilities Improvement District - Santa Monica Schools.  The Board hereby declares it is necessary and in the best interests of the District to form a school facilities improvement district in the area serving Santa Monica schools. 

Section 4.
Estimated Cost of the Improvement Projects. The Board estimates at this time that the Improvement Projects will cost approximately $650 million

Section 5.
Levy of Taxes Only Within Improvement District. If the issuance of general obligation bonds is approved in accordance with California law by the voters of the Improvement District, all taxes levied for the purpose of paying principal of and interest on any such general obligation bonds shall be levied exclusively upon the lands in the Improvement District...

Read More on page 11: http://backissues.smdp.com/052418.pdf

The Rent Control Board (RCB) is an agency uniquely focused on the financial with analysis of expenses and revenues baked into their DNA. However, it will be their own cash flow up for discussion this week when the RCB meets to discuss their annual budget.

After hearing an update on the current budget, the Board will consider is operating budget for the 18/19 fiscal year at their Thursday meeting.

Staff estimates the department will spend $5,241,630 and take in $5,286,312. The Boards revenue is derived from an annual registration fee of $198 per unit and that fee is not expected to increase this year.

The largest expense for the department is staff.

Read More: http://smdp.com/rent-control-budget-up-for-discussion-this-week/166333

Rent control policies on the east and west coasts is causing a housing crisis. And California seems prepared to make things worse.

A 2018 California initiative likely to make the November ballot called the “Affordable Housing Act” would expand state and local government power to control rent prices.

“In many cases rent control appears to be the most effective technique presently known to destroy a city — except for bombing,” Swedish economist Assar Lindbeck said. While the comparison is extreme, Lindbeck makes a good point.

Read More: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/rent-control-is-killing-the-coasts

May 22, 2018 -- Santa Monica’s City government will require “tangible and likely painful” changes in the coming years as it shudders under $461 million in red ink for unfunded employee pensions and other costs continue to outpace revenue, a new fiscal update warns.

The report by City staff updates the 2017-2019 $1.57 biennial budget and begins looking ahead to its two-year successor, which is likely to face a deficit of about $7.1 million in the 2020-21 fiscal year and, as it now stands, a shortfall of $15.2 million the following fiscal year.

“Health insurance and workers’ compensation costs continue to be cost drivers, although the largest challenge is the significant rise in the cost of pensions,” said the report by the Finance Director Gigi Decavalles-Hughes, the Human Resources Director Donna Peters and Public Works Director Susan Cline.

Read More:  http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2018/May-2018/05_22_2018_New_Report_Finds_Santa_Monica_City_Government_Might_Require_Painful_Fiscal_Changes.html

May 21, 2018 -- Organizers of a proposed measure mandating terms limits for Santa Monica City Council members have a date this morning with the City Clerk to submit petitions with more than 19,000 signatures.

The number of signatures submitted was almost twice as many as needed to win a place on the November 6 ballot, said Mary Marlow, the activist who with Council member Sue Himmelrich proposed the ballot measure.

“We’re excited,” Marlow said. “We’re gonna get this baby on the ballot.”

Marlow, who heads the Santa Monica Transparency Project, said about 10,500 valid signatures – or 15 percent of the City’s registered voters -- are needed to receive a spot on ballot in the election next fall.

Read More:  http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2018/May-2018/05_21_2018_Organizers_to_Submit_More_Than_19000_Signatures_for_Santa_Monica_Term-Limits_Measure.html

AND

http://smdp.com/more-than-19000-signatures-gathered-to-support-term-limits/166326