A coalition of state and local leaders is pressing California to lift restrictions on urban water use after the wettest winter for years.
Water regulators in Sacramento on Wednesday will decide on a recommendation to extend the drought rules, uncertain if rain and snow will continue through spring.

Read More: http://smdp.com/coalition-calls-for-end-to-california-drought-emergency/159685

February 8, 2017 -- The “Plaza at Santa Monica,” a major mixed-use project on City-owned land downtown that helped fuel a slow-growth ballot measure, is making the rounds in a new, scaled-down version.

The second level would include an 11,000-square foot-public park, a 12,000-square foot “cultural amenity” and the 48 affordable housing units.It also includes 42,200 square feet of retail.

Read More: http://surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2017/February-2017/02_08_2017_Plaza_at_Santa_Monica_Project_Scaled_Back.html

Many of Santa Monica’s older apartment buildings lack individual water meters and some local officials want to discuss new rules to force property owners into upgrading their water systems.

Read More: http://smdp.com/rent-control-board-to-debate-requirement-to-install-individual-water-meters/159675

“Ellis” evictions are reportedly on the rise in Santa Monica and throughout California in cities with rent control or eviction protections. The Ellis Act is a state law that allows owners to remove residential properties from the rental market. Landlords have used it to evict tenants from an estimated 2,100 rental units in Santa Monica since the law passed in 1986.

Read More: http://smdp.com/ellis-evictions/159671

According to a new survey of 1000 Americans aged 55+ from The NHP Foundation, a not-for-profit provider of service-enriched affordable housing, 30% experience anxiety about being able to afford where they live at least once a month, with 42% of retirees reporting such anxiety at least once daily.

Read More: http://www.smobserved.com/story/2017/02/07/news/one-third-of-boomers-report-housing-affordability-anxiety/2592.html

The following topics provide additional information about Section 8 Rental Assistance

1. What is Section 8?
2. Who can qualify for the program?
3. How much can a household earn and still be eligible?
4. Are there preferences given based on urgent need?
5. How are rent contributions determined?
6. What determines the subsidy amount?
7. What is the relationship between the City of Santa Monica Housing Authority and property owner?
8. What type of housing is eligible?
9. How can a household apply for the program?
10. Special Programs
    • The Family Self-Sufficiency Program (FSS)
    • The Shelter Plus Care Program

Read More:  http://www.smgov.net/Departments/HED/Housing_and_Redevelopment/Housing/Section_8_Frequently_Asked_Questions.aspx

See the Registry at: https://data.smgov.net/Permits-Licenses/Home-Sharing-Registry/qza6-nc9s

February 6, 2017 -- Landlords are vowing to appeal a court ruling last week that upheld a Santa Monica law banning income discrimination against the holders of Section 8 vouchers, the federal subsidies used to help low-income tenants find housing in privately owned apartment buildings.

The January 30 ruling in Los Angeles County Superior Court stemmed from a 2015 lawsuit by the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles (AAGLA) that alleges the City's anti-discrimination law is invalid.

Read More: http://surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2017/February-2017/02_07_2017_Landlords_to_Appeal_in_Santa_Monica_Legal_Fight_Over_Section_8_Vouchers.html

February 7, 2017 -- The construction of new apartments in Santa Monica earmarked for lower-income earners is dropping again in 2017, a trend that could continue over the next few years, according a new City report.

The City finished the 2015-2016 fiscal year with 19 percent of all new multi-family housing units set aside for very low income to moderate-income earners, or 34 units of a total of 175 units.

But that percentage -- down from past years -- is already dropping.

Read More: http://surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2017/February-2017/02_07_2017_Construction_of_Affordable_Housing_in_Santa_Monica_Expected%20to%20Drop_Again.html

To some, preserving a neighborhood might mean buildings. To others, it’s the trees. To Ayde Gonzalez, the new Neighborhood Preservation Coordinator for the City of Santa Monica, it’s the people.

“The goal of the role is really to keep Santa Monicans housed,” Gonzalez said in an interview at City Hall, “and right now I’m focusing on tenant protection programs that are in place.”

It’s a broad job with the possibility of big impact: about 70 percent of the City’s population rents. Right now, the City has no idea how many tenants are considering leaving their buildings – rent controlled or otherwise – because of issues with their landlord.

After just three weeks on the job, Gonzalez is still sifting through a complicated web of rules, tenant protections and regulations that spans at least five departments in the City. As she tries to understand what exactly she can do to help renters who feel like they’re being forced from their homes because of construction or poor management, she’s realizing the complicated picture they face.

Read More: http://smdp.com/city-hires-new-staffer-to-defend-renters-rights-and-keep-them-in-their-homes/159612