Venice’s temporary housing discussion is fraught with anxiety and political theater

In Venice there is a widespread consensus about “the homeless problem” among longtime residents, more recent transplants, community leaders and even the homeless themselves: Yes, there is a problem here, and that problem needs to be addressed.

But that’s where agreement tends to stop. Ask Venetians about potential remedies for homelessness and responses can be as multifarious, cacophonous and eccentric as the characters you’d find holding court along the boardwalk on a late summer afternoon.

Read More: https://argonautnews.com/a-house-divided-over-homelessness/

Projects funded by the city would have to allow pets

Los Angeles pet owners could have an easier time finding affordable housing if a proposal moving through the city council becomes law.

On Wednesday, the council’s housing committee approved a motion authored by Councilmember Paul Koretz asking the city’s housing department to require developers of publicly funded affordable housing projects to allow pets in those developments.

Read More: https://la.curbed.com/2018/8/23/17774024/los-angeles-pet-rules-affordable-housing

The fourth week of the California Voting Rights Act trial challenging Santa Monica’s election system continued to be a battle of experts, with detailed questioning regarding regression formulas, statistics and margins of error, dragging the contentious bench trial into late August and likely well into September. A similar trial in Palmdale lasted only 8 days.

Read More: http://www.smdp.com/dueling-experts-testify-in-voting-rights-case/168743

The social network is said to have violated the Fair Housing Act with targeting advertising, including allowing ads to be limited based on a user's religion.

Read More: https://www.inman.com/2018/08/17/housing-dept-files-discrimination-complaint-against-facebook/?utm_source=newsflash&%3Butm_medium=email&%3Butm_campaign=newsflash&%3Butm_content=20180817_readmore

Read More: https://hanfordsentinel.com/opinion/columns/huge-risks-to-mom-and-pop-landlord-in-california/article_f4ef1631-5bef-5e50-b8c4-6182a40593c2.html

Council formally backs Costa Hawkins repeal as part of position statements for November election

The Santa Monica City Council has taken positions on a pair of state ballot measures, formally supporting a proposal to expand rent control protections and opposing an effort to repeal a statewide gas tax. Council has also voted to support a new county tax to support clean water efforts.

The six-person council also unanimously voted to expand rent control protections throughout the state.

Read More: http://www.smdp.com/council-formally-backs-costa-hawkins-repeal-as-part-of-position-statements-for-november-election/168636

In the waning days of summer, SMa.r.t. (Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow) turns its thoughts to the fall which means the upcoming elections where residents will elect a City Council that might actually try to help solve the important issues confronting the residents of our City.

Read More: https://smmirror.com/2018/08/a-city-crying-for-change/

California progressives think that price controls will fix the state’s housing shortage, but it will do immeasurable damage to the state.

Liberal activists think they’re helping the poor, but if Proposition 10 passes in November, then those poverty rates will spread across the state as more municipalities embrace extreme forms of rent control. Recent reports suggest that Santa Monica, which has some of the toughest rent controls in the nation, also has the highest rents in the nation. Median home prices there have topped $1.7 million. Hey, how has rent control been working there so far?

Read More: https://spectator.org/cei-study-remove-tariffs-and-trade-barriers/

August 16, 2018 -- The California Legislature had a busy year in 2017 addressing the state's housing crunch, but few of the bills signed into law will have an impact on Santa Monica, according to the City's top planning official.

Of the 15 bills Governor Brown signed last year, only a handful will make a dent in Santa Monica, where the issue is largely being addressed at the local level, said David Martin, the City's director of Planning and Community Development.

In a 14-page report to the City Council this month, Martin " highlights bills that have particular relevance to Santa Monica (and) provides an assessment of their expected impacts."

The bills address the state's "housing affordability crisis" by providing funding, streamlining the development process, increasing local accountability, preserving affordable housing and encouraging inclsionary zoning.

Read More: http://surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2018/August-2018/08_16_2018_New_State_Housing_Laws_Will_Have_Little_Impact_on_Santa_Monica_City_Planning_Director_Says.html

The City Council appointed Shawn Landres to the Planning Commission at its meeting on August 14th.

Landres is a Senior Fellow at the UCLA Luskin School of Public affairs. He already serves on several boards and commissions, including the Innovation Technology Task Force, and the City's Social Services Commission.

A developer will break ground this month on a mixed-use development at the former Fred Segal store in Santa Monica.

The project, located at 500 Broadway, will consist of a seven-story building containing 249 studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments atop nearly 55,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space

Read More: https://www.smobserved.com/story/2018/08/16/news/shawn-landres-appointed-santa-monica-planning-commissioner/3595.html