Council could roll back water rates to 5% for 2016.

Read More on page 6: https://issuu.com/smdp/docs/021916

With the California Coastal Commission under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, Santa Monicans are being asked to take part in shaping Santa Monica’s coastal zone, the first Local Coastal Plan Workshop scheduled for February 29.

Read More: http://smmirror.com/articles/News/Coastal-Zone-Set-for-Planning/45088

Residocracy, a relatively new player in Santa Monica's decades-old development wars, on Thursday submitted a ballot measure that would give voters the ultimate say on future large-scale construction projects in the City.

Read More: http://surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2016/February-2016/02_19_2016_Online_Residents'_Organization_Submits_Ballot_Measure_Tying_Development_To_Electorate.html

Alert regarding Owner Occupant Exemption for Duplexes and Triplexes

...Amended regulations regarding establishment and registration of the maximum allowable rent for a unit upon the lapse of an exemption.

Read More on page 4, top left column: https://issuu.com/smdp/docs/021816

The annual re-certification letter should be sent during the month your exemption was received. To confirm the anniversary date, or to request a letter, contact RCB Information Manager Neil Wessel (neil.wessel@smgov.net)

Many Santa Monica residents received a Valentine’s Day greeting in their email Sunday morning from slow-growth activist group Residocracy.

Included in the email is a statement that Residocracy plans to launch its petition “very soon” to gather signatures so it can get a measure on the ballot that would dramatically rein in growth.

Read More: http://surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2016/February-2016/02_18_2016_Santa_Monica_Activists_Seek_Change_Through_Ballot_Measure.html

February 16, 2016 -- Less than 15 percent of Santa Monica's already “built-out” Downtown will be redeveloped in the next 20, with most new projects adding more open space, affordable housing and infrastructure and mobility improvements, according to a planning document released Friday.

But in the future described in the plan, most Downtown Santa Monica residents live, work and play within their community and “use their cars infrequently.”

“Some live car-free.”

Read More: http://surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2016/February-2016/02_16_2016_New_Planning_Guide_For_Downtown_Santa_Monica_Envisions_No_Major_Redevelopment.html

March 1, 2016, 9:30 to Noon at the Santa Monica Public Library.

Sponsored by Santa Monica Rent Control Board

Read More: https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.smgov.net%252FuploadedFiles%252FDepartments%252FRent_Control%252FHome%252FFlyer_Images%252F2016_Owner_Seminar_Flyer.pdf

Read More: http://surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2016/February-2016/02_12_2016_Santa_Monica_Rent_Board_Picks_New_Commissioner.html

This document, which must be finalized by the City Council to go into effect, addresses various issues about the future of this part of Santa Monica that is known worldwide for its tourism features, but is also home to the many people who reside in the more than 2,500 housing units.

That housing number is expected to expand further, with an independent analysis from consultant Robert Charles Lesser and Co. determining as many as 2,000 new apartments an up to 500 new condos will be needed in the next 15 years to meet the area's housing demand.

Read More: http://surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2016/February-2016/02_11_2016_Revised_Downtown_Santa_Monica_Plan_Set_for_Friday_Release.html

We all know it's illegal to deny housing to a person on the basis of their race or religion. But there are a lot of less obvious situations that also violate the fair housing laws.

Read More on page 5: http://issuu.com/smdp/docs/021016