ACTION Apartment Association

City Wins Legal Victory in Case Against Landlord Who Unlawfully Evicted Tenant

04/27/2017 6:47 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The City of West Hollywood prevailed in court against West Hollywood landlord Anne Kihagi, who has been ordered to serve five days in Los Angeles County Jail and to pay the City’s attorney fees and costs. Kihagi was held in contempt of court on Tuesday, February 21, 2017, for violating a preliminary injunction that prohibited her from re-renting certain units at her property, located on N. Crescent Heights Boulevard.

Battle Pits Residents Against Big Hotels Slated for Downtown Santa Monica

04/25/2017 12:57 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

First in a series

April 25, 2017 -- Residents see the three big luxury hotels proposed for downtown Santa Monica as towering massive structures that will erase what is left the City's quaint beach-town feel.

Proponents and City officials, however, see them as sustainable economic engines that generate less traffic than housing or commercial development and will pump millions of dollars a year into the City's coffers.

The battle over the trio of hotels in the heart of downtown -- which total 1,264,635 square feet of new building within blocks of each other -- will enter a new phase Wednesday when the often-changed final blueprint for new downtown development goes before the Planning Commission ("Santa Monica Downtown Plan Seeks to Strike a Compromise, Officials Say, But Some Remain Skeptical," April 13, 2017).

DCP debate to begin on April 26

04/25/2017 9:29 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The first stop in the Downtown Community Plan (DCP) discussion tour will be the April 26 Planning Commission meeting for an introductory overview of the city’s latest zoning document.

As agendized, the discussion this week is framed as an overview of the final plan and adoption of some technical/administrative paperwork necessary to facilitate the larger process.

Future Santa Monica Ballot Could Feature Parks-Funding Tax Measure

04/24/2017 9:21 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

April 24, 2017 -- Santa Monica does not have enough parks, and there is not enough money in the budget to increase the number or to upgrade the existing ones.

That is the current state of affairs, according to Karen Ginsberg, Santa Monica’s director of community and cultural services.

What could alter this situation is a new tax, or “local funding measure,” as Ginsberg called it in a report that will be reviewed by the City Council at its meeting on Tuesday.

First Hearing on Santa Monica Downtown Community Plan Set for Wednesday

04/24/2017 9:19 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

April 24, 2017 -- Expect a big crowd in Santa Monica City Council Chambers on Wednesday.

That is when the Planning Commission will hold the first hearing on the Downtown Community Plan, a proposed document that sets the rules and vision for development in the area over the next 20 years.

The hearing, scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., could take so long that City staff has proposed the possibility of adding a second session Thursday night.

Who’s Running Our City? Less Than 18% of City Staff Live in Santa Monica

04/21/2017 9:05 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Managing an annual budget of $621.7 million this financial year, City of Santa Monica staff have a sizeable task in front of them, and a small army of employees is required to enable smooth operations. However, with significant planning decisions often a hot headline, and residents calling to take charge of their city, it’s pertinent to note that a vast majority of City staff live somewhere else.

According to the City, 2,705 people are employed by the City of Santa Monica. Only 479, or 17.7 percent, live here. Of the 19 City-employed executives who fall under the Executive Pay Plan (EPP), seven live in the city.

SMa.r.t.-A Conversation About Santa Monica’s Future, Part 2

04/21/2017 9:00 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

This week we continue with our review of important issues facing our community.

Housing and affordability: How much do we need and how best to accommodate it? With the influx of millennials, how many will become permanent residents and/or able to afford housing.

Proposed Change Sparks Worries Over Lobbying Law for Santa Monica

04/20/2017 12:20 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

April 20, 2017 -- City officials said they were only trying to clarify -- even strengthen -- a law designed to shine a bright light on the scores of paid lobbyists who jockey for influence at Santa Monica City Hall.

By the time the item reached the council Tuesday night, a clear exemption to the lobbying law was included that covered neighborhood groups, non-profit organizations and the chamber of commerce -- as long as no hired representatives lobbied on their behalf.

The council approved the changes unanimously.

L.A. stiffens rules for replacing rent-controlled units

04/20/2017 11:00 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Los Angeles lawmakers voted Wednesday to stiffen city rules surrounding the demolition of rent-controlled apartments, aiming to ensure that more affordable housing is built.

But business groups have challenged whether the plan is fair — and whether it will stand up in court.

10 Los Angeles renters' rights your landlord doesn't want you to know

04/20/2017 10:56 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

WARNING! Some of the contents pertain to LA only, not Santa Monica

Los Angeles has the fourth-highest percentage of renters of any major U.S. metro area at nearly 54 percent, according to a study by Abodo, which looked at 2015 Census Bureau data. And how many of those renters know their rights as tenants, from the basic to the more obscure?