ACTION Apartment Association

Conflicting reports seek to guide voters on Prop 10

09/24/2018 8:48 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Two recent reports out of Berkeley further muddy the water for voters considering whether to vote for Proposition 10, the grassroots initiative that would repeal a state law limiting rent control. If Prop 10 passes, cities like Santa Monica could potentially expand rent control to newer buildings or once again cap rents for new tenants.

Star City Attempt to Solve California Housing Crisis with New Solutions

09/24/2018 8:41 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Despite a severe housing shortage in California, Jon Dishotsky noticed that 60 percent of living spaces was not being used. Living rooms are not actually being lived in. Kitchens are empty most of the time. At the same time, he recalled his father, a Stanford psychology professor, renting rooms to students. From these observations, he came to an idea for a revolutionary new mode of housing, the community-based living experience.

Dishotsky's startup, Starcity, takes underutilized buildings, particularly multi-family, hotel, and office buildings, and converts them into "residential co-living properties."

Incumbents racking up endorsements

09/18/2018 4:38 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A flurry of endorsements for local races was announced today with three organizations taking positions on candidates and/or ballot measures.

Incumbents were generally favored across all races but in some cases, the number of endorsed candidates didn’t match the number of open seats.

Sign up or view your E-Sample Ballot today

09/18/2018 8:44 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

E-Sample Ballot is simply an electronic version of your sample ballot that is accessible via email. Voters who would like to sign up for the E-Sample Ballot subscription may do so by clicking the link.

Santa Monica Forward Endorses Two Incumbents, Challenger

09/17/2018 8:56 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

September 17, 2018 -- City Councilmember Kevin McKeown, long considered a slow-growth advocate, has received the endorsement of Santa Monica Forward, a political group largely backed by developers.

The pro-growth group also endorsed incumbent Pam O'Connor and challenger Greg Moreno for three open seats on the City Council, the Lookout has learned.

The endorsement by the group -- which spent nearly $744,000 to defeat slow-growth Measure LV on the 2016 ballot -- is expected to come with a hefty developer warchest to independently back the three candidates.

Chronicle Recommends: No on Prop. 10

09/17/2018 8:48 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

By suppressing the supply of homes through restrictive zoning and other means, local government officials have done more than most to plunge California into the current housing crisis. Proposition 10 would entrust another vast swath of housing policy to the very same officials — and probably yield similar results.

Prop 10 threatens California’s ability to fix the affordable housing crisis

09/17/2018 8:45 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The most immediate threat to a housing solution is Prop 10, the well-intentioned but flawed rental housing initiative that will be on the ballot this November. If passed, this initiative will make the housing crisis worse, not better. Most importantly, it doesn’t increase the number of affordable housing units in the state, nor does it make it easier to build affordable housing in communities of color. It provides incentives for landlords to convert rental units to condos or short-term vacation rentals, further reducing the number of rental units available drives up costs even higher.

PLF asks Supreme Court to give homeowners meaningful protection from excessive fines

09/14/2018 10:20 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Our friends at Institute for Justice have convinced the Supreme Court to soon decide in the case Timbs v. Indiana whether the Constitution restrains states (and not just the federal government) from imposing excessive fines.

When a Missouri city fines a homeowner $180,000 for choosing to plant flowers instead of grass, or a Florida city fines a homeowner $58,000 for failing to register a burglar alarm with a local bureaucrat, alarm bells go off in most people’s minds. Government violates a natural right when it responds to minor violations of the law with such excess. Yet in both cases, the respective courts just shrugged.

The lack of meaningful protection from excessive fines should trouble every responsible American.

Attorneys: Voting rights case verdict will likely come after November election

09/14/2018 10:17 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Despite the end of oral arguments in the local California Voting Rights Act lawsuit Tuesday, the verdict regarding the legality of Santa Monica’s government will
likely come after the Nov. 6 election, according to attorneys on both sides of the case. An attorney for plaintiffs Maria Loya and the Pico Neighborhood Association told the Daily Press they have not decided whether to ask the judge to throw out the election results, should they win the lawsuit.

Staff report: what the Rent Control Board may do if Prop 10 passes

09/12/2018 10:18 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Administrative item to consider regulatory approaches to the establishment of base rents, to avoid economic dislocation; to remain in effect only until the Charter may be amended in 2020; and to go into effect only if the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act is repealed at the November 6, 2018 statewide general election.

Number of controlled units: 27,375