February 1, 2017 -- Water-logged by recent storms but still not drought-free, the City of Santa Monica announced Tuesday it is maintaining the big cuts in water use, and fines, it imposed in 2015 as California entered its fourth year of drought.

Read More:  http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2017/February-2017/02_01_2017_Santa_Monica_to_Maintain_Cuts_in_Water_Use_Despite_Recent_Storms.html

and: 

http://smdp.com/drought-conditions-stubbornly-persist-in-santa-monica-despite-rainfall/159519

February 1, 2017 -- Rent hikes in Santa Monica are starting the new year with a minus sign, although the cost of living in an apartment is still the second highest in metropolitan Los Angeles, outdone only by Westwood, a new study released Tuesday found.

The median price for a one-bedroom apartment in Santa Monica was $2,920 a month, a tiny decrease of 0.70 percent compared to December, according to a nationwide study by Apartment Rents of data received from those who use the popular service to find apartments and to list availability.

Read More: http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2017/February-2017/02_01_2017_Santa_Monica_Rent_Increases_Slow_But_Prices_Still_Among_Highest_in_Metro_L.A..html

January 31, 2017 -- With the March 7 special election nearing, a proposed measure to hike the sales taxes by a quarter cent countywide to help the homeless will get an airing Saturday in a community "conversation" hosted by the City of Santa Monica. ...Measure H

Read More: http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2017/January-2017/01_31_2017_Tax_to_Help_Homeless_Gets_Airing_in_Santa_Monica.html

At their Feb. 1 meeting, the commission will revisit rules for ancillary dwelling units, sometimes known as “granny units.”

Hearing: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2017, AT 6:30 P.M

Read More on page 1 & 5: http://backissues.smdp.com/013117.pdf

and on page 6: http://backissues.smdp.com/020117.pdf

The City of Santa Monica released its list of buildings that may require a seismic retrofit to ensure their safety in the event of an earthquake. This comes in advance of the Feb. 14 Santa Monica City Council meeting on the Seismic Retrofit Ordinance. The buildings on the list were identified through building permit records and/or visual identification. 

The list of buildings is available online at: http://www.smgov.net/Departments/PCD/Programs/Seismic-Retrofit/

January 30, 2017 -- With the agreement to close Santa Monica Airport (SMO) at the end of 2028 receiving City Council approval by the narrowest possible margin, it shouldn’t be surprising that community reaction was also divided.

Read More:  http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2017/January-2017/01_30_2017_Reaction_to_Santa_Monica_Airport_Closure_Deal_Mixed.html

New rules in Santa Monica will soon require many older buildings to be inspected, and then reinforced to make them less vulnerable to earthquakes. The City has compiled a list of about 2,400 buildings that may require reinforcing.

One challenge the City will face: how to deal with the flood of building permit applications that will result from this effort.

Read More: http://smmirror.com/2017/01/sma-r-t-reinforcing-the-future-part-2/

Individuals that want to receive federal housing subsidies will have a 12-hour application window beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 31.

Santa Monica will open applications for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program next week but this year’s system will have accept fewer individuals and implement more stringent qualification priorities.

Read More: http://smdp.com/12-hour-window-to-apply-for-section-8-vouchers/159445

For the City of Santa Monica, the “probable” scenario shows the General Fund experiencing a potential shortfall of $0.2 million in the 2017-2018 fiscal year that rockets to $16.4 million by the fiscal year of 2021-2022.

The City’s unfunded pension liability of $387 million...

Read More:  http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2017/January-2017/01_26_2017_Forecast_Predicts_Slowing_in_Santa_Monica_Economy.html

and

http://smdp.com/employee-benefits-and-uncertain-economy-threaten-city-surplus/159447

On Tuesday, the Santa Monica City Council unanimously approved a 50,000-square-foot project that will cost $141 million, including finance costs. The excuse given for the extremely high cost ($2820/square foot) is that the building will be "sustainable" and be a candidate to win Green awards. $100 to $200 a foot are common figures for construction estimators.

Read More: http://www.smobserved.com/story/2017/01/26/news/city-approves-141000000-city-hall-annex/2538.html

and

http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2017/January-2017/01_26_2017_Council_Rejects_Appeal_of_75_Million_Santa_Monica_City_Hall_Annex.html