ACTION Apartment Association

Council Paves Way for All-Electric Future

10/03/2022 9:10 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Santa Monica took major strides toward an all-electric future Tuesday when the City Council approved policies that ban gas energy in all new construction and require developers to add EV chargers in multi-family buildings.

Candidates crack $50,000 mark in latest campaign finance filing

10/01/2022 11:27 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Candidates for local elections continue to rake in impressive donation amounts as Election Day draws nearer.

The latest filing deadline for campaign contributions was Thursday, Sept. 29, and the latest numbers show some candidates more than doubling their donation amounts over their July numbers.

No on SMC

10/01/2022 11:26 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Santa Monicans join Malibu residents in opposing Measure SMC, the $375 million Santa Monica College (SMC) bond measure that is slated to fund the construction of more buildings.

Dem Club Membership Breaks with Tradition in 'Surprising Upset'

09/30/2022 5:04 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Club's endorsement threatens to divide Santa Monica's most liberal Democrat voting block, paving the way for Council member Lana Negrete and slow-growth activist Armen Melkonians to gain two of the open seats.

The case for pretrial diversion

09/30/2022 9:10 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The legal jargon may not be intuitive, but it essentially means landlords charged with misdeeds — from tenant harassment to price gouging — are compelled to meet some criteria to avoid a potential guilty verdict.

SMa.r.t. Column: City Council Endorsements

09/30/2022 8:27 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Lana Negrete is the very model of a homegrown renter, small business owner and entrepreneur. Ms. Negrete, appointed a year ago to a vacant City Council seat, was born and raised in Santa Monica, has long owned a widely-admired local small business, and has experienced the benefits and challenges of a resident who is committed to supporting local schools, preserving neighborhoods, solving the homelessness crisis and increasing public safety.

Armen Melkonians, a civil and environmental engineer, is a former member of SMa.r.t. In his work, Mr. Melkonians’ problem-solving approach is highly focused, with an engineer’s attention to detail. He is deeply familiar with the way that cities (and Santa Monica in particular) use rules to help approve or block projects, and is expert at navigating the complex pathways that lead to successful projects.

LA council committee recommends end date for city's COVID eviction moratorium

09/29/2022 1:20 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The council's Ad Hoc Committee on COVID-19 Recovery and Neighborhood Investment voted 4-0 to sunset protections for tenants unable to pay rent due to COVID-19 financial impact. The committee's recommendation follows the council's Housing Committee discussion earlier this month, in which it approved an amendment to the Los Angeles Housing Department's report that would extend eviction protections beyond LAHD's Dec. 31 recommendation.

L.A. County supervisors propose adopting permanent rental protections

09/29/2022 9:16 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday proposed permanently adopting several rental assistance programs, as rental protections — many of which were put in place during the early days of the pandemic — are set to expire at the end of the year.

Some of the proposals would be the first of their kind in L.A. County, including allowing tenants to avoid being evicted if they fall behind on about a month's rent.

California governor signs laws to boost housing production

09/29/2022 9:10 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two laws Wednesday that would open up much of the state’s commercial land for residential development. It’s a long-sought victory for affordable housing advocates, who say such sites are ready-made for apartments because they are often near populated areas and come with ample parking.

New study reveals fault zone off Santa Monica coast could cause up to 7.8 magnitude earthquake

09/29/2022 9:08 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Instead of a 7.4 magnitude earthquake, which is already considered severe, scientists now say the fault system is capable of triggering up to a 7.8 quake. While the difference may not seem major, it is an increase of close to four times the amount of energy being released, according to calculations by the United States Geological Survey.