ACTION Apartment Association

Santa Monica Councilmember O’Day to Run for Re-Election

07/18/2016 8:16 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

July 18, 2016 -- Terry O’Day, the only remaining Santa Monica City Council member facing re-election this fall whose intention was unknown, told The Lookout this weekend that he will run for a second full term.

Santa Monica Board Races Taking Shape

07/18/2016 8:12 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

July 18, 2016 -- The races for eight open seats on Santa Monica's three elected boards are taking shape, as candidates can begin filing nomination papers on Monday.

Is Santa Monica destined to become a Notopia? [SMa.r.t.]

07/16/2016 10:03 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

At the heart of the issue is the question: Does the increased density represented by these developments and those pushed for by some of our own city staff and politicians destroy the existing social fabric of the neighborhoods which make up our community? It is further complicated by the economics because as density increases property values escalate up forcing out those residents who have lived here 40 to 50 years.

Santa Monica Rent Board Demands Ellis Act Study

07/15/2016 9:55 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

July 15, 2016 -- Could certain factors lead Santa Monica landlords to get out of the rental business and evict tenants as allowed by California’s Ellis Act? Rent Control Board members want to know and have asked the City Council to call for a study.

On Thursday night, the Rent Board passed a resolution calling for the council to take action. Chair Nicole Phillis, who proposed the resolution, said her purpose was not to bring an end to Ellis activity.

Santa Monica Meets Water Reduction Goals, Maintains Conservation Plan

07/14/2016 2:11 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

July 14, 2016 -- Santa Monica has dramatically reduced its water use and statewide drought conditions have eased, but the City is keeping in place its water conservation plan, the City's top sustainability official said this week.

LUVE Initiative Placed on Santa Monica Ballot

07/14/2016 6:51 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

July 13, 2016 -- The first step in what likely will be an intense Santa Monica election campaign began rather subdued Tuesday when the City Council voted to place the slow-growth LUVE initiative on the November ballot with limited discussion.

Living in Santa Monica with emotional support animals [Fair Housing]

07/13/2016 7:39 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

July 13, 2016

The Law:

The Fair Housing laws bar landlords from discriminating on the basis of a tenant’s disability. This means they must make “reasonable accommodations” to their rules when necessary. As you may know, this includes allowing “service animals” — those trained to perform specific tasks — even in no-pets properties. But it also includes allowing “emotional support” animals (those that provide comfort even if they don’t do a particular task).

Santa Monica Wins First Conviction in Battle to Stop Illegal Short-Term Vacation Rentals

07/13/2016 7:33 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

July 13, 2016 -- A man who boasted that Santa Monica could never enforce a 2015 crackdown on the booming business of illegal short-term vacation rentals has become the first local operator convicted under the law, regarded as the nation’s toughest.

Lawsuit Claims Santa Monica’s Short-Term Rental Ban Unconstitutional

07/12/2016 2:32 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

July 12, 2016 -- An 81-year-old retired LAUSD teacher who says she and her husband need the money earned through renting their Santa Monica house short-term filed a lawsuit against the City for its ban on the practice, which has spiked recently worldwide because of advertising websites such as Airbnb.

Rent AIRBNB, Go To Jail...

07/12/2016 7:23 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Scott Shatford is not a property owner. He would rent several, perhaps as many as 5 apartments, by filling out forms with his own credit information. He would then use his own website and AIRBNB to rent out the apartments as vacation rentals.

In a pre-arranged plea agreement, the Santa Monica City Attorney apparently got Shatford to plead guilty to violation of the City's new anti-vacation statute. It's the first conviction under the statute.