ACTION Apartment Association

Santa Monica Voting Rights Trial Ends

09/12/2018 9:31 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

September 11, 2018 -- After six weeks of testimony from City Council members, experts and community leaders, the voting rights lawsuit against the City of Santa Monica ended Tuesday with testimony from the defense's final witness, Councilmember Gleam Davis.

The plaintiff now have two weeks to file a closing brief, followed by 20 days for the defense (which successfully asked for an extra six days) and another ten days for the plaintiffs to submit a response.

If the two sides take the maximum time allotted, Superior Court Judge Yvette M. Palazuelos will have all the documents needed by October 25 to render a ruling.

It remains unclear what impact a ruling in favor of the plaintiffs -- Latino activist Maria Loya and the Pico Neighborhood Association (PNA) -- would have on the November 6 election.

AND

http://www.smdp.com/davis-testimony-ends-argument-phase-of-voting-rights-trial/169247

LA County Supervisors Approve Rent Stabilization Policy for Unincorporated Areas

09/12/2018 9:28 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

September 11, 2018 -- An measure authored by Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl to protect renters who could face homelessness due to escalating rents was approved by the County Board on Tuesday.

The policy stabilizes rents for an estimated 200,000 renters -- many of them elderly -- in unincorporated areas of LA County, which claim a total population of 1 million residents.

The policy sets a 3 percent annual cap on rents for six months with the base rent set as of Tuesday. The Board directed County agencies to draft an ordinance within 60 days.

OPINION: Not Waiting for Sacramento to Tackle Pension Liability

09/12/2018 9:25 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

By Rick Cole

When it comes to assets and liabilities, the City of Santa Monica has one of the strongest balance sheets among the 482 cities in California. We have consistently earned AAA (the highest) rating from all three national bond rating agencies.

So it is significant that the challenges facing CalPERS (our state’s public employee retirement system) are so stark that even Santa Monica has real cause for concern.

As City Manager, I’m responsible for submitting balanced budget recommendations to the City Council. So I’m convening a committee of 11 members to meet to understand, debate and look for answers to this sobering financial challenge.

Rent Control Board to begin debate on new rent limits

09/11/2018 3:55 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

This week the Rent Control Board (RCB) will begin discussions to potentially change the way the city calculates rent in controlled units in anticipation of changes at the state level that would radically alter landlords’ ability to increase rents on new tenants.

No action will be taken at the Sept. 13 meeting but the Board will begin initial deliberations regarding the potential repeal of the Costa Hawkins Act, a state law that allows rent control units to be set to market rates when a new tenant moves in. While the RCB has authority over year-to-year increases, it does not have authority to set rents for new tenants that move into a unit when an old tenant leaves. Voters will be asked to repeal Costa Hawkins this November and doing so will create confusion over how to set base rents (the amount first charged when a lease begins) due to the language contained in the City Charter.

Thursday night meals for the homeless will move off the Promenade

09/11/2018 3:50 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The decade-long ritual of serving a vegan meal to local homeless people on the Third Street Promenade each Thursday night will move to the Salvation Army’s Fourth Street location this fall, as part of a “delicate” compromise between the organizers, two nonprofits, the City and Downtown Santa Monica, Inc.

SMMUSD Receives Highest Credit Rating from One Agency

09/10/2018 9:02 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District recently had their ‘AAA’ rating affirmed from Moody’s Investors Service (“Moody’s”) for the second consecutive year (the highest rating assigned by Moody’s), and received an upgraded rating from S & P Global to ‘AA+,’ on existing general obligation bonds. Taxpayers will save close to $10 million over the life of the bonds through lower borrowing costs associated with high ratings.

The SMMUSD Board of Education has approved a school improvement funding measure to be placed on November 2018 ballots, with a $485 million bond for Santa Monica schools and $195 million bond for Malibu schools.

Read More on pg. 4: http://backissues.smdp.com/091018.pdf

The More We Drink, The Thirstier We Get

09/10/2018 8:44 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

By SM.a.r.t

A year ago our colleague Thane Roberts pointed out that between 2005 and 2013 the City’s commercial sector increased its water consumption enormously, while the residential sector reduced its overall use–even while the city’s population grew. Why is this important? Because Santa Monica buys part of its water–roughly a quarter of its needs–from the Metropolitan Water District. The MWD’s water is obtained from sources that are becoming increasingly scarce, and the price is going up as the sources dry up.

To reverse this problem the City has made heroic efforts to shift all of its water supply to local sources: wells and recycled water (for irrigation, for now) by 2020, in the next year or so. But Santa Monica is having trouble sticking to its goal of achieving water self-sufficiency within the next few months, despite energetic–and expensive–efforts to conserve and re-use water, and find new underground water supplies. The responsibility, as Roberts suggested, lies in part on the commercial sector and on new real-estate developments going up around town.

Santa Monica Council Expected to Seek Experts to Help Plot City's Future

09/10/2018 8:40 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

September 10, 2018 -- The City Council on Tuesday is expected to begin seeking expert advice to help tackle "disruptive" global forces that pose both threats and opportunities for Santa Monica's economy.

These include everything from online shopping that is eroding business at brick and mortar stores to robots that could take over basic tasks and cars that don't require a driver.

Santa Monica Hires "Chief People Officer" in Charge of Human Resources

09/10/2018 8:32 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

September 7, 2018 -- Santa Monica has hired a "Chief People Officer" who will assume the post of Human Resources director and work to engage and energize the City's workforce, City officials announced Friday.

Lori Gentles -- who will assume the $216,264-a-year post on December 28 -- will replace HR director Donna Peter who will retire September 21 after ten years on the job. Christina Winting will serve on an interim basis.

AND

https://www.santamonica.gov/press/2018/09/07/lori-gentles-is-selected-as-santa-monica-s-chief-people-officer-human-resources

Santa Monica Planning Officials to Embark on Pico Neighborhood Plan

09/07/2018 9:26 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

September 6, 2018 -- Santa Monica planning officials are embarking on a long-awaited initiative this fall to preserve the Pico Neighborhood from a wave of gentrification that threatens its character and affordable housing supply, City officials announced this month.

The move comes after the City Council in January voted to make a zoning plan for Santa Monica's poorest and most diverse area its top planning priority. The Council first identified the issue in May 2015.

City planners already have embarked on "understanding the existing physical conditions and zoning analysis" of the neighborhood, said a report issued this month by Planning Director David Martin and Julie Rusk, who heads the City's Office of Civic Wellbeing.