Adding 4,411 new daily car trips to Santa Monica by approving more massive development projects is our City Council’s idea of solving the jobs housing imbalance ratio. That’s what they did one and a half weeks ago on May 10^th, 2016. Unanimously, arrogantly, and with no reservation, the council buttoned down the hatches and stuck to their guns. They’re at it again. Another six-zip vote as Mayor Tony Vasquez puts it. 

Read More: http://smmirror.com/articles/LUVE/Luve-is-the-Answer/45532

POSTED: 05/17/16, By Brenda Gazzar, Los Angeles Daily News

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to pursue a potential ballot measure that would tax top-income earners to combat rising homelessness. 

Read More: http://www.dailynews.com/government-and-politics/20160517/la-county-moves-toward-possible-millionaires-tax-to-fight-homelessness

May 17, 2015 -- It is about to get more expensive for Santa Monica landlords to disregard maintenance needs and reduce tenants' amenities.

The Rent Control Board last Thursday raised by approximately 45.5 percent the amount of money the City can require in rent reduction if a landlord disregards needed maintenance or reduces amenities.

Read More:  http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2016/May-2016/05_17_2016_Santa_Monica_Rent_Board_Raises_Penalty_for_Neglected_Maintenance.html

Los Angeles County is reportedly considering a local income tax to raise funds towards addressing the city’s homelessness crisis.

Read More:  http://www.breitbart.com/california/2016/05/17/will-income-tax-be-next-for-los-angeles-residents/

By Matthew Hall on May 17, 2016

City Hall wants property owners to keep their vacant buildings clean, safe and fully built.

At the May 10 Council meeting, Councilmember Sue Himmelrich and Mayor Tony Vazquez asked staff to return with proposals for regulating vacant buildings including registering vacant buildings, regulating the maintenance of vacant buildings, and requiring that the owner of a building with a valid permit for rehabilitation, repair, or construction, complete the rehabilitation, repair, or construction within eighteen months or a specified time certain from the date the permit was issued.

Read More: http://smdp.com/council-seeking-rules-for-vacant-buildings/155274

We see such fear sold in Santa Monica fanned by developer interests in the form of large-scale commercial projects that mix in small micro apartment units, or a token number of what are presented as ‘affordable’ units. Of course the question is, affordable to whom? The developers and their advocates seek required development agreements and present their projects, most of which exceed current base line zoning regulations, with negotiated “public benefits”. 

Read More: http://smdp.com/whats-it-all-aboutsanta-monica/155244

Step by step, City Hall is working toward a clearer, stronger, more robust set of anti-corruption laws.

Council approved clarifications and guidelines for its rules as their May 10 meeting and previewed some of the more substantial changes that will likely become a ballot initiative this November.

Read More: http://smdp.com/council-tweaks-anti-corruption-rules/155249

May 16, 2016 -- Downtown Santa Monica will soon feature a seven-story, mixed-use development with 249 residential units in a range of sizes and ground-floor commercial space that includes a grocery store.

The City Council voted 6-0 in favor of the project at 500 Broadway that will replace a Fred Segal complex just a block from the Expo Light Rail station set to open next week.

Read More:  http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2016/May-2016/05_16_2016_Council_Approves_Downtown_Santa_Monica_Mixed_Use_Project_Near_Rail_Station.html

The City Council wants new locally funded rent subsidies to be an option when considering affordable housing protections.

At their May 10 meeting, the council approved a request from Mayor Pro Tem Ted Winterer and Councilmembers Sue Himmelrich and Kevin McKeown that staff explore expanding affordable housing policies to include a local rent-subsidy program that would target severely rent burdened low-income renters currently living in rent-controlled apartments.

Read More: http://smdp.com/council-greenlights-exploration-of-new-rent-subsidies/155238

he hotly-contested 500 Broadway mixed-use development was back before Santa Monica City Council Tuesday evening, with the project set to soon be on its way to the Architectural Review Board (ARB).

In addition to market-rate housing at 500 Broadway, the project would include the development of 64 deed restricted affordable housing units to be provided off-site at 1626 Lincoln Boulevard.

Read More: http://smmirror.com/articles/News/500-Broadway-Edges-Forward/45489