January 19, 2018 -- Findings from a district probe of conflict-of-interest allegations released Thursday shied away from passing judgment on the school board member who was the original target, although two others appeared to be cleared of wrongdoing.

The internal investigation by the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) determined the actions of School Board Members Ralph Mecher and Oscar de la Torre were “appropriate” using the yardstick of “best practices.”

But the findings did not include the same determination for Board Member Maria Leon-Vazquez, who was found to have voted for contractors who had employed her husband, City Council Member Tony Vazquez.

Read More:   https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2018/January-2018/01_19_2018_District_Probe_of_School_Board_Member_Shies_Away_from_Judgment.html

January 18, 2018 -- From police protection to City libraries, planning, housing and buses, the City of Santa Monica generally far outspent comparable peers in Southern California on a per capita basis in the last fiscal year, an outside audit has found.

A draft of the audit, which was presented to the City Audit Subcommittee in November, found that Santa Monica residents paid more than $900 each for policing in the past fiscal year, more than $800 for public bus service and nearly $250 for “facilities maintenance.”

Preliminary findings from the audit by Moss Adams shows the operating costs per capita for thec city of 93,834 almost always far exceed the 11 other municipalities used for comparison purposes across a wide swath of City services.

Read More:   https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2018/January-2018/01_18_2018_Outside_Audit_Finds_Santa_Monica_Far_Outspent_Peer_Cities_for_Services.html

www.kcet.org

Read More: https://www.kcet.org/shows/socal-connected/who-approved-that

Business owners and residents will see costs go up on their March water bill after the City Council approved a 5 percent rate increase for 2018 at their Jan. 9 meeting. The money will help pay for a Sustainable Water Master Plan update and other facility upgrades and studies needed for the city to reach its goal of water self-sufficiency by 2020. With the increase, the average bi-monthly residential bill rises from $91.64 to $96.27, according to staff estimates.

To date, the City has been awarded $330 million in settlement funds over the pollution of Santa Monica’s groundwater by major oil companies. The Director of the Office of Sustainability and Environment told the Council that about $120 million of the funds are unrestricted.

“It can be used by council however it wants,” Kubani said.

In last year’s budget, the Council allocated $50 million of the funds for the City Yard project and $7 for the new City Services Building.

Read More: http://smdp.com/council-approves-rate-increase/163917

January 16, 2018 – Unfunded pension liabilities for the City of Santa Monica jumped 20 percent in the last fiscal year, rising from $387 million to $461 million, according to a new report.

The rise is “primarily due to the actual returns on the investment portfolio being less than CalPERS’ (the California Public Employees' Retirement System) projected returns,” said Gigi Decavalles-Hughes, the City’s finance director.

The 20 percent leap in unfunded pension costs is detailed in the City’s newest Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, conducted by independent auditors. It goes to the City’s Audit Subcommittee tonight at a 6 p.m. meeting in the Ken Edwards Center, 1527 4th Street, Room 104.

The report covers the fiscal year that ended June 30

Read More:   https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2018/January-2018/01_16_2018_City_of_Santa_Monicas_Unfunded_Pension_Costs_Jump_20_Percent.html

January 16, 2018 -- The findings of an internal investigation into possible conflict-of-interest violations by three Santa Monica-Malibu School Board members will go to the board at its meeting on Thursday.

“This summary reflects the findings of the investigation and recommendations,” according to the agenda item. “Next steps will also be discussed.

“In order to avoid actual or perceived conflicts in the future and to continue to ensure the public's trust is earned and maintained, additional direction to conduct further review of board policies and regulations and training for board members and senior staff will be discussed.”

The public portion of meeting starts at 6 p.m. (instead of the typical 5:30 p.m. start), with the closed board session, which is not open to the public, to begin at 4 p.m., instead of 4:30 p.m.

Read More:   https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2018/January-2018/01_16_2017_Conflict_of_Interest_Probe_Findings_Go_to_Santa_Monica_Malibu_School_Board.html

Commentary

Charles Hughes

REGULATION

Rent control policies have come back in vogue for some cities grappling with higher housing rents and people worried they will not be able to live in growing, prospering cities. Perhaps no city in the country encapsulates the concerns about housing affordability and availability more clearly than San Francisco, where the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment is more than $3,000. A new paper analyzes the effects of rent control expansion in the city and finds that it reduced rental housing supply, causing a city wide-rent increase. 

Read More: https://economics21.org/html/rent-control-raises-housing-costs-2790.html

Legislation would see 95 percent of Santa Monica bypass zoning codes

When it first appeared it was almost a joke, some kind of bizarre nightmare; a State senator from San Francisco recently introduced legislation to encourage new housing production throughout the state. SB-827 would do away with all zoning restrictions within a half-mile of a train station, a quarter-mile of a frequent bus route, and a half-mile of any intersection of frequent bus routes. Any housing built in those areas would be free of any local restrictions on height, size, parking requirements, floor area ratio, or number of units.

According to SB-827, any lot, no matter its zoning, could have apartment buildings of up to 85’ or eight stories built on it (lots less than 45’ wide could go up to six stories). This includes single-family residential lots, buildings on the state historic register, and properties containing two- or three-story apartment buildings similar to those containing most of Santa Monica’s rent-controlled units. It also includes the entirety of the city’s ocean-facing neighborhood along Ocean Boulevard. None would be spared. The text of the measure can be seen here: https://tinyurl.com/y84a4l8g.

Resident input into newly redesigned development was less oppositional, but not quite accepting.

On Thursday, the 89-year-old legend himself sat in front of a skeptic audience: his own neighbors.

“We want it to be human scale,” Gehry said of the Ocean Avenue Project, a mixed-use hotel, apartment complex, cultural center and shopping center. “We don’t want it to get out of line. We want it to be pedestrian friendly.”

Public attendees were still skeptical of the project, but the reception was far more optimistic than for other recent downtown developments. 

City planners are exploring an emergency ordinance to halt the “mansionization” of Santa Monica by reducing the maximum size of new houses in residential neighborhoods by twenty percent. The planners will present options to the City Council at their next meeting, Jan. 23.

“It’s not rocket science,” City Manager Rick Cole told the City Council Tuesday. “The houses are too big. They are too energy intensive. They change the character of neighborhood and they (infringe) on the quality of life of nearby residents. There are clear ways we can block out those things.”

Read More: http://smdp.com/city-exploring-emergency-ordinance-to-decrease-the-size-of-new-homes/163888