July 10, 2017 -- Those who think Tony Vazquez is the only Latino ever to serve on the Santa Monica City Council are being asked to reconsider that commonly accepted notion.

In a voting Rights lawsuit against the City, officials are arguing there have been two Latinos on the Council, and both are currently sitting on the dais.

Read More:  https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2017/July-2017/07_10_2017_Santa_Monica_Has_Two_Latino_Council_Members_City_Officials_Contend.html

AND

http://www.smobserved.com/story/2017/07/10/news/lawsuit-alleges-santa-monicas-elections-system-is-racist/3006.html

The state Legislature on Thursday approved a bill by Assemblyman Marc Levine that extends until 2028 special treatment for Marin County, San Rafael and Novato when it comes to meeting state requirements for zoning for affordable housing.

Adoption of the bill was considered a foregone conclusion because it was an item tied to passage of the state budget.

“It’s not a surprise,” said Diane Luther, advocacy manager for EAH Housing, an affordable housing developer based in San Rafael. “It feels like it was already decided even before it became public.”

Read More: http://www.marinij.com/government-and-politics/20170706/bill-preserving-marins-suburban-status-sparks-affordable-housing-debate

Thursday, July 13, 2017

A public hearing on the following topic will be conducted at the regular Santa Monica Rent Control Board meeting on Thursday, July 13, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chamber, 1685 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401: Amendments to Rent Control Board Regulation 4400 respecting construction-related rent decreases. 

SMDP, July 7, 2017, pg.11: http://backissues.smdp.com/070717.pdf

The legislation would impose a $75 fee on documents such as deeds and notices, with a cap of $225 per transaction. t’s expected to generate between $200 and $300 million annually for affordable housing projects. It passed 27-12 with all Democratic votes and now heads to the Assembly.

Read More on page 1: http://backissues.smdp.com/070717.pdf

A culmination of years of studies, research and public input has resulted in Santa Monica City’s latest and possibly final version of, the Downtown Community Plan (DCP). The plan will dictate development guidelines for the area, and a Staff Report including recommendations for, and analysis of, the DCP was recently posted online with a Public Hearing scheduled Monday July 10, a follow up Council meeting Tuesday July 11, and the return of staff on direction, July 25.

Housing and office space appear to be the big winners, with City Planners predicting more than double the amount of current residential units to result, increasing the now downtown population by 73 percent. They also expect such an increase to have no impact on the already-grid-locked traffic situation.

Read More: http://smmirror.com/2017/07/downtown-community-plan-73-more-people-pathways-and-apartments/

One of the most important decisions our City Council will make this year could be approval of our new Downtown Community Plan (DCP). What is the DCP? It is the master plan that will define our public realm and quality of our environment for the next 13 years. It will address such issues as land use, open space, infrastructure and mobility. Its policies will have a major impact on the future development of downtown and hence its ultimate success or failure. As goes the downtown, so goes the City.

Unfortunately, the plan before Council is primarily a 300-page marketing document putting interests of developers above those of residents. 

Read More: http://smmirror.com/2017/07/sma-r-t-our-downtown-community-plan-quantity-or-quality/

Santa Monica’s Downtown Community Plan is beginning its final trip through the halls of local government with a first stop at a special City Council meeting on July 10.

The Monday meeting will be focused on public comment and City Hall wants residents to attend with feedback on the document. Council will reconvene on Tuesday for a regular meeting that will include Council’s deliberations on the plan. The first vote by the council is scheduled for July 25.

...staff have highlighted several specific issues for council consideration including housing production, building height for three specific projects and commercial office restrictions.

Read More: http://smdp.com/city-council-doubles-down-on-downtown-community-plan-meetings/161593

July 6, 2017 -- Santa Monica’s biggest business group says a plan guiding development downtown through 2030 fails to provide enough housing and is too harsh on a trio of big hotel-mixed use projects, including possible requirements for public approval.

After six years of often acrimonious debate, the Downtown Community Plan (DCP) heads to the City Council on Monday for a final public hearing. The special session starts at 5:30 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, 1641 Main Street.

The Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce is rallying its members to make a showing at the hearing, as are its rivals in the development battle -- the slow-growth movement.

The final draft of the DCP does not “responsibly address our regional housing supply crisis,” Carl Hansen, the chamber’s director of government affairs, said in an email to members this week.

Read More:  https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2017/July-2017/07_06_2017_Santa_Monica_Chamber_Opposes_Proposal_for_Voter_Approval_of_Large_Developments_Downtown.html

Read More on page 6: http://backissues.smdp.com/070417.pdf

AND on the City's website: https://www.smgov.net/portals/accessiblesm/

As part of its continued commitment to preserve and increase housing in Santa Monica, the City Council voted at its June 27, 2017 meeting to ban the use of newly constructed accessory dwelling units (commonly referred to as guesthouses) from being used exclusively as short-term rentals. 

Read More on page 3: http://backissues.smdp.com/070417.pdf

AND on the City's website: https://www.smgov.net/Departments/PCD/Permits/Short-Term-Rental-Home-Share-Ordinance/