ACTION Apartment Association

Anger from business owners over homelessness inaction dominates Downtown meeting

08/23/2023 9:09 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The collective frustration went up a notch when the room was reminded of the new “zero bail” policy. Just one month ago, the Los Angeles County’s court system approved a new set of bail schedules aimed at releasing low-level, non-violent and misdemeanor suspects before their arraignment. The practical upshot of which is that if a homeless individual is arrested for a non-violent crime, they could potentially — and probably will — end up back on the streets in 24 hours.

Thousands of California tenants could face obscure tax bill for living in subsidized housing

08/23/2023 7:32 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The discount was the result of a unique program catering to middle-income earners in a state trying to chip away — project by project, program by program — at its housing crisis. And the legal knot it is tied in reflects the difficulties in taking even small steps forward.

In this program, government agencies known as joint powers authorities, or JPAs, partner with private companies to purchase apartment buildings and lower the rent. The agencies say this works because, as the government, they don't need to pay property tax, allowing them to pass along that savings to tenants.

But, under an obscure tax rule, thousands of tenants like Wright may need to cough up some of the lost revenue and pay individual tax bills upwards of $1,000 a year.

As Rents and Evictions Rise, More Cities Are Debating Rent Control

08/22/2023 8:46 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Naturally, affordable housing experts are strongly advocating for more rent stabilization laws, but there is also strong resistance in some of the most expensive cities in the U.S. In Seattle, where rents are skyrocketing, the City Council recently voted against implementing rent regulation policies. And this summer, two New York City landlord groups filed a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn New York City’s rent stabilization law, which limits rent increases for more than one million units in the city, according to USA Today.

As LA Evictions Rise, City Controller Releases Map Showing Where Renters Are Getting Pushed Out

08/22/2023 8:39 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

With many of L.A.’s COVID-19 renter protections now gone, evictions in 2023 have been rising well above pre-pandemic levels. Due to new rental housing regulations put in place by L.A.’s city council earlier this year, City Controller Kenneth Mejia is now able to track where those evictions are playing out across the city.

Retirement of Finance Director Gigi Decavalles-Hughes

08/21/2023 12:21 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Decavalles-Hughes has led the City’s Finance Department for the past 12 years, overseeing the management of the city investment portfolio, preparation of the budget, financial reporting, purchasing, payroll, accounts payable, business and revenue operations, internal audit, and risk management.

Site for 210-Unit Development Cleared on Lincoln Boulevard

08/21/2023 12:16 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The cleared site at 1527 Lincoln Boulevard is poised for the erection of a novel eight-story establishment that will encompass 210 residential units including 21 that qualify as affordable housing. The structure will also feature ground floor commercial space and a three-level parking facility capable of housing 321 automobiles and 270 bicycles.

Latest Santa Monica Assessment Roll Shows 5.3% Increase in Taxable Property Values

08/21/2023 12:15 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Locally, Santa Monica for 2023 came in at $48.95 billion for taxable values, which is a 5.3% increase over last year’s numbers. That includes 16,821 single-family homes, 4,068 apartment complexes, 2,672 commercial-industrial parcels for a grand total of 23,561 taxable properties. Yes, it’s a solid growth at $48.95 billion.

Councilmember Items Crowd Tuesday's Agenda

08/21/2023 12:13 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The City Council will take up nine items placed by Councilmembers on Tuesday's agenda, with most tackling hot-button issues.

The items include revisiting ways to force LA County's needle exchange program indoors and test the loyalty of Councilmembers to striking hotel union workers

Hundreds Of LA Apartments Built To Ease Homelessness Are Sitting Empty

08/17/2023 7:45 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Nearly 300 apartments built for unhoused people are sitting empty in the city of Los Angeles more than two months after being declared ready for move in, largely due to longstanding bureaucratic rules.

A Sustainable, Affordable, and Compassionate Solution for Our Homeless Crisis

08/16/2023 11:30 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

By Houman Hemmati MD PhD

Instead of spending potentially $1 billion or more to house our approximately 1,000 homeless (1000 X $1 million/homeless) in Santa Monica by building new ocean-adjacent condos on the most expensive land on earth, imagine if we used a fraction of that sum to provide permanent fully-OWNED housing for our homeless in Detroit, offering them the dignity of homeownership, immediate housing security, and a fresh start.