ACTION Apartment Association

Wary Council Discusses Ways to Tweak Housing Plan

02/27/2023 10:59 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Council knew first hand that if its Housing Element falls out of compliance, it could open the floodgates to development that would be largely beyond the City's control.

Suggestion to Transfer Housing to Palmdale "Immoral and Repulsive," Former Mayor Says

02/23/2023 11:41 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Former mayor Sue Himmelrich -- whose transfer tax measure would generate some $40 million a year to prevent homelessness and build affordable housing -- said the proposal undermines the voters' will.

Palmdale Council Votes to Explore Housing Deal With Santa Monica

02/22/2023 1:19 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The "new business" item on the agenda called for exploring a "possible partnership" between the "land poor" beach city and "land rich" Palmdale, said City Manager Ronda Perez.

The proposal is "very much in its infancy stage" and involves the "potential transfer of some housing units in exchange for money," Perez added.

Eight story hotel sandwiched between apartments heads for Planning Commission

02/21/2023 10:35 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The project at 516 Colorado would pack 74 guest rooms, a ground floor restaurant, outdoor seating area, lobby, guest drop-off area, rooftop bar and two subterranean levels with a fitness area and business center into an eight-story building on the 41.75 ft wide former site of Angels Attic dollhouse museum.

Santa Monica City Council Targets Montana Avenue for Effective Transformation and Destruction.

02/21/2023 10:30 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Letter to the Editor from Houman David Hemmati, M.D., Ph.D.

I join thousands of my neighbors and fellow Santa Monica citizens and residents to say that I am absolutely outraged by the proposal to change the zoning on Montana Avenue and other quiet, beautiful, pedestrian-friendly avenues in our iconic, seaside city, to allow five and six-story buildings.

SMa.r.t. Column: Santa Monica City Council – Planners, Politicians, or Developers?

02/20/2023 9:48 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

It’s truly unbelievable that our city council next Tuesday is voting to increase existing heights from 1, 2, & 3 story development on the four neighborhood boulevards and avenues to 5 stories. Replacing 1, 2, & 3 stories with 5 stories is very visible in the transformation of Lincoln Boulevard. It’s stunning to realize city council is considering changing neighborhood commercial into the density, character, and height of downtown boulevards –affecting demand on public transportation, school safety, parking, and other social, ecological, and economic systems.

Column: The Fantasy World of California Housing Policy

02/20/2023 9:44 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Some of that housing is needed, but there’s no hard evidence backing the state’s claims that 1.8 million new units must be built by the end of 2030 both to avert a disastrous rise in homelessness and fill the needs of first-time home buyers looking for something they can afford.

In fact, the state auditor last April reported that estimates of need from the state Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) are unreliable because they’re based on information inputted to state computers by workers who never vetted it at all. Devastating as this report should have been, it was completely ignored by both lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom; no one in any office that deals with housing said a single public word about it.

Definitely not too late - by Charles Andrews

02/16/2023 11:00 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

For those of you who have despaired of politicians ever making things better, you won’t like my answer. But – corrupt politcians got us into this mess, and ones who will put the interests of residents first will get us out.

North of Montana 7th Most Expensive Zip Code in U.S.

02/16/2023 10:59 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

North of Montana was the 7th priciest zip code in the U.S. last year with a median home sale price of $4.378 million, according to a ranking released this week by PropertyShark.com.

Rent control denies economic reality

02/16/2023 10:57 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Rent control in fact makes affordable housing less available. It raises rent for everyone who isn’t in rent-controlled housing. And if a community imposes rent control on most or all rentals, construction will grind to a halt. The rental properties that exist, meanwhile, will decay as landlords no longer can afford to keep them up.