ACTION Apartment Association

SMA.R.T.-HOMELESS CRISIS: TOWARD SOLUTIONS

01/19/2018 12:35 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

By Samuel Tolkin for SMa.r.t. (Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow)

Although we all know that the issue of homelessness is a national crisis, we here in Santa Monica and in all of Southern California experience it on a daily basis.

There are now, by some estimates, more than a 100,000 chronically homeless in the United States. Roughly, 6 percent of those live in California, and 900 to 1,000 by some counts are in Santa Monica. (While body counts, such as the Annual Homeless Count scheduled for Jan. 24, are meaningful up to a point; they don’t suggest solutions.)

HOMELESS COUNT WEDNESDAY NIGHT

01/19/2018 12:33 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The City of Santa Monica is holding its annual street-by-street homeless count Wednesday evening from 10.30 p.m. The City is joining the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and communities across the county in conducting the count.

State of the City 2018: Economic Sustainability Summit

01/19/2018 9:34 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

February 1, 2018

5:00pm – 7:30pm

Soka Gakkai World Peace Auditorium

525 Wilshire Blvd

District Probe of Santa Monica-Malibu School Board Member Shies Away from Judgment

01/19/2018 9:23 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

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.

Outside Audit Finds Santa Monica Far Outspent Peer Cities for Services

01/18/2018 5:18 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

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.

Who Approved That?: Residents in L.A. Question the Highrises Popping Up

01/17/2018 1:22 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

www.kcet.org

As new developments pop up all over L.A., many residents are asking, 'Who approved that?'

Council approves rate increase

01/17/2018 7:40 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

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.

City of Santa Monica's Unfunded Pension Costs Jump 20 Percent

01/16/2018 7:47 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

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

Conflict of Interest Probe Findings Go to Santa Monica-Malibu School Board

01/16/2018 7:42 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

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.

Rent Control Raises Housing Costs

01/16/2018 7:33 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

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.