ACTION Apartment Association

Letter to Editor: Smokefree laws are not enough

06/21/2017 7:10 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Santa Monica Smokefree Housing Ordinance passed in 2012 allows all residents who smoked to continue to smoke in their units. Only when those residents move out, are their units required to become smokefree.

Our group, Smoke-Free Living Santa Monica, is hoping that residents of apartments and condominiums in Santa Monica, especially those who are still suffering from a neighbor’s tobacco smoke, will contact the mayor and/or their favorite council members. Tell the City Council that it’s time to review the Santa Monica ordinance and take action to strengthen it.

How to Live Safely with Urban Coyotes

06/21/2017 6:53 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Coyotes can be very active this time of year. During spring and into early summer, coyote cubs will emerge from their dens along with other members within their pack in search of food. The loss of pets can become more prevalent as mother coyotes attempt to teach their young how to hunt.

We’ve received numerous calls about coyote sightings, some that have resulted in a loss of a pet. In response to this, Santa Monica’s Animal Control unit has increased its effort to “haze” coyotes within the city. The term “haze” consists of using air horns, water guns, tennis ball sticks, or simply walking towards coyotes in an attempt to instill fear of humans. Ultimately, our goal is to reduce the prevalence of coyotes in the community.

More than half of LA residents are paying too much for rent

06/21/2017 6:50 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The city is fifth in the nation in terms of renters

stretched thin by housing costs

The high cost of housing in Los Angeles is very well documented, and so is the lack of affordability for many area residents. But a new report from apartment listing site Abodo yields some surprising results about how stretched thin LA renters are compared to those in other U.S. cities.

Recreation and Parks Commission Calls for Downtown Park on Proposed "Plaza at Santa Monica" Site

06/20/2017 8:59 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

June 20, 2017 -- Santa Monica’s Recreation and Parks Commission is recommending a public park be created over two-thirds of the nearly three-acre site slated for a 12-story, 357,000-square-foot mixed-use project anchored by a hotel.

The Plaza earmarks 12 percent of the project, or 42,000-square feet, for 48 “affordable” apartments -- a key selling point for the City Council as it tries to live up to a 1990 mandate that 30 percent of new housing be earmarked for low-income earners.

Santa Monica Planning Commission to Consider Largest Lincoln Project

06/20/2017 8:55 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

June 20, 2017 -- The Santa Monica Planning Commission on Wednesday will consider a five-story mixed-use apartment complex on Lincoln Boulevard that is the largest project in the City's effort to re-makes the commuter thoroughfare into a community of apartment dwellers.

The propose 155,435-square-foot development by FSTAR LLC at 1613-1637 Lincoln Boulevard includes 191 apartments on the upper floors, anchored by 12,477-square feet of commercial space at ground level.

In the mix are 15 units (or about 8 percent of the total units) reserved for low- income earners, a range which in this case means those earning 30 percent of the area’s median income.

Santa Rosa’s rent control law fails by fewer than 800 votes

06/19/2017 7:00 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Santa Rosa’s controversial rent control law was defeated this month by just 781 votes out of more than 33,000 cast, according to final results released Friday by Sonoma County election officials.

City leaders put $45 million toward employee pensions

06/17/2017 8:42 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Santa Monica is about to shell out $45 million toward tackling its biggest threat to long-term fiscal sustainability: its long-term unfunded pension obligations for staff members under CalPERS. The money will add up to about an 11 percent decrease in the City’s unfunded liability, according to estimates from PERS cited by the City.

The City Council approved the decision Tuesday to pay down a chunk of the City’s more than $380 million unfunded liability in order to save costs overtime.

Council Appoints Neighborhood Activist to Santa Monica Financial Oversight Panel

06/16/2017 2:16 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

June 16, 2017 -- Earlier this year Santa Monica neighborhood activists complained they didn’t have a representative on the Audit Subcommittee, charged with overseeing audits of the municipal budget.

Now they have one.

On Tuesday, the City Council appointed Elizabeth Van Denburgh, board member and treasurer for the Wilshire Montana Neighborhood Coalition (Wilmont), to the subcommittee.

Corruption case against NMS Properties on hold but allowed to continue

06/16/2017 8:05 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

A federal judge has allowed a RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) case to move forward against Santa Monica’s largest developer, NMS Properties, its CEO Neil Shekhter and his wife, Margot. The RICO case is currently on hold while a dueling lawsuit makes its way through local courts but will resume when it’s over.

Bergamot plans move forward

06/15/2017 7:12 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Plans to redevelop the Bergamot Station arts complex remain track once following approval of a plan at the June 13 Council Meeting.

On Tuesday, the City Council voted to approve a preliminary plan that preserves several existing buildings, protects current tenants and extends an exclusive negotiating agreement with the developer, the Worthe Real Estate Group. A controversial hotel remains part of the project.

AND

https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2017/June-2017/06_15_2017_Santa_Monica_City_Council_Approves_Hotel_in_Redevelopment_Plan%20for_Bergamot_Station_Arts_Center.html