Notice is hereby given that the Board of Education of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District will conduct a public hearing on the matter of the 2017-18 Special Parcel Tax (Measure R) regarding applying a Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) adjustment. The public hearing will be held on May 4, 2017 

Subsequent to the public hearing on May 4, 2017 at the regularly scheduled meeting, it is the intention of the Board of Education to adopt a resolution to levy the tax at the rate of $396.23 per parcel, which includes a 2.7% CPI adjustment. 

Read More at SMDP, April 6, pg. 11: http://backissues.smdp.com/040617.pdf

Two years after passing one of the most restrictive vacation rental ordinances in the nation in order to curb neighborhood AirBnbs, the City finds itself defending the ordinance on two legal fronts.

Last week, a District Court judge allowed an 82-year-old senior citizen to continue with her lawsuit against Santa Monica’s restrictive vacation rental ordinance based on an alleged violation of the Coastal Act. Meanwhile, rental giant AirBnb has also challenged the ordinance based on Federal Laws.

Read More: http://smdp.com/restrictive-vacation-rental-ordinance-heads-into-uncertain-waters/160442

The Zumper Los Angeles Metro Report analyzed over 30,000 active listings in March across 20 metro cities to show the most and least expensive cities and cities with the fastest growing rents.

Read More: http://smmirror.com/2017/04/zumper-analysis-shows-santa-monica-as-most-expensive-city-to-rent-in/

MASTER PLAN OR CHAOS?

For example, I recently had a member of the SMRR Steering Committee tell me, “The majority [of SMRR membership] and on the Steering Committee don’t believe we should be allowing more and more housing as a way to solve the high rents.” So I asked, “But if the majority at SMRR do not believe in building more and more, then why is it happening, from City Council members handpicked by SMRR?”

ECEC - Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC)

What would be the reasons for building a large Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) not in a residential neighborhood but on the edge of Downtown, taking up space at the CIVIC Center we are trying to re-imagine, that will serve mostly children who do not live in Santa Monica (employees of City Hall and Rand Corporation), leased to Santa Monica College (SMC) for $1/yr (a giveaway of at least $25M of our money), kicking in additional millions of City cash to boot...

Read More: http://smdp.com/no-foolin/160418

UPDATE - Breaking News: ACTION Files Lawsuit against SMRCB re: clarify the vacancy decontrol law as applied to water utility rates.

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Council Approves Zero Net Energy Ordinance

Council Approves Seismic Refit Program

Council Approves Seismic Refit Program

Read More:  http://www.smobserved.com/story/2017/04/03/news/council-approves-extensive-seismic-retrofitting-zero-new-energy-law/2794.html

Read Rosario's Perry's List here: 10 great things to do as a housing provider by Rosario Perry..pdf.pdf

L.A. housing advocates say the city desperately needs a new law, proposed by Santa Monica–area Assemblyman Richard Bloom, that would strengthen rent control statewide by expanding the pool of housing eligible for it. The law would allow cities to restrict rent increases for single-family homes as well as for apartment units built after 1995 (Los Angeles' cutoff is 1978), neither of which is allowed today.

AB 1506 also would allow cities to limit rent increases even after a unit has turned over and a new tenant has started a new lease. Under current law, landlords can reset those units to market rates. The legislation would do all this by overturning the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act,  which put those limits on rent control in place in 1995.

Read More: http://www.laweekly.com/news/legislation-to-expand-rent-control-in-california-inspires-political-battle-in-los-angeles-8071915

The City’s newly formed Vacation Rental Enforcement Task Force has scored a major win against a Los Angeles-based vacation rental operator.

Early last year the Task Force began investigating Globe Homes for operating illegal vacation rentals in Santa Monica. City code only allows homeowners to share homes in which they reside and prohibits turning a house or apartment into a vacation rental.

Read More: http://smdp.com/santa-monica-wins-court-victory-over-vacation-rentals/160341

See also: http://surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2017/March-2017/03_30_2017_Vacation_Rental_Company_Violated_Santa_Monica_Law_Judge_Rules.html

See also: http://smmirror.com/2017/04/vacation-rental-clampdown-trial-court-finds-35-counts-of-violation-against-vacation-rental-company-globe-homes-llc/

March 29, 2017 -- When it was created almost two years ago, a special panel to act as a watchdog of public spending at Santa Monica City Hall inspired some high hopes.

“A movement is now afoot,” said Tricia Crane of Northeast Neighbors, one of many neighborhood organizations that have been going head-to-head with the City over issues ranging from development to the cost of employee compensation and -- in particular now -- soaring costs for pensions.

Crane said “many residents (insist) that the City must account for the high salaries we pay City staff compared with other cities in our state.

Read More: http://surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2017/March-2017/03_29_2017_Audit_Subcommittee_Meant_to_Ease_Public_Distrust_of_Santa_Monica_City_Hall_Faces_New_Challenge.html