The rule, which was supposed to be temporary and was repeatedly extended, ended Friday after a vote to extend it again failed to garner enough votes. Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, whose district includes Pacific Palisades, sounded the alarm in a motion to extend price protections that failed to pass at the Board of Supervisors’ May 19 meeting.

A landlords representative, Jesus Rojas of the Apartment Owners Assn. of Greater Los Angeles, told the supervisors during public comment at the meeting that the county’s rent-gouging rules have “long outlived the emergency they were intended to address” and are now being “wrongfully used to harm thousands of rental housing providers throughout the county.”

Read More: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/rent-hike-ban-to-protect-fire-victims-ends-despite-gouging-concerns/ar-AA24Ixke?ocid=BingNewsSerp

The measure -- which is not expected to be submitted in time to make the November 3 ballot -- would set aside 25 percent of the 192-acre site of a "Great Park" for housing after the Airport closes at the end of 2028.

Read More: https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2026/June-2026/06_04_2026_Airport_Housing_Initiative_Wont_Make_November_Ballot.html

AB 1740 -- which allows certain types of developments and activities along Santa Monica's coast without a Coastal Commission permit -- sailed through the State Assembly but is expected to face opposition in the Senate over its housing exemption.

Read More: https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2026/June-2026/06_03_2026_Opposition_to_Coastal_Bill_Grows.html

The short-term for-credit program -- developed in partnership with affordable housing nonprofit investor and lender Merritt Community Capital Corporation -- is the first program of its kind at a California Community College.

Launched through the non-profit's Rising Affordable Housing Management Professionals (RAMP) initiative, the program "empowers rising property management professionals with pathways to stable, community-centric careers," College officials said.

Read More: https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2026/June-2026/06_03_2026_SMC_to_Offer_Affordable_Housing_Management_Program.html

Brock told The Lookout he will likely run as an independent in the race for three open Council seats on November 3 and not as part of a slate, as he did two years ago.

Read More: https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2026/June-2026/06_02_2026_Former_Mayor_Seeks_to_Regain_Seat.html

Under the program, eligible renter households can receive:

– Up to $5,000 in one-time emergency financial assistance per year

– Up to $10,000 in ongoing monthly assistance annually to maintain housing stability

– Up to $20,000 in assistance for households involved in eviction proceedings, particularly those receiving services through the city’s Right to Counsel program

Read More: https://smmirror.com/2026/06/heres-how-santa-monica-will-spend-6m-to-fight-evictions-and-homelessness/

The Santa Monica Renter Aid program, funded entirely by Measure GS — the city's real estate transfer tax approved by voters in 2022 — is expected to begin serving residents this summer and will initially assist approximately 150 at-risk households annually. The council approved the contract 6-0, directing staff to execute a two-year agreement with The People Concern with three additional one-year renewal options.

Read More: Santa Monica $6M Renter Aid Program Approved to Prevent Evictions

AND
https://www.santamonica.gov/press/2026/05/27/city-to-launch-6-million-santa-monica-renter-aid-program

The amendments

Last week’s new amendments make several significant changes: the proposed bill’s sunset date moves from 2037 to 2029. The housing-related provisions remain, but confined to an area between Wilshire and Pico Boulevards, where housing projects would avoid Coastal Commission review if it does not approve Santa Monica’s new Local Coastal Plan by mid-2029. It will now move to the Assembly for a full vote.

Read More: https://smmirror.com/2026/05/sm-a-r-t-column-santa-monicas-coast-is-about-to-change-forever-most-residents-dont-know-its-happening-part-2/

The Coastal Commission requires height limits along mapped sight lines to the ocean, helping residents living further inland to see the coast and the ocean and enjoy ocean breezes. Those limits directly reduce project value in a city where added height near the water translates into real money. Local elected officials, facing pressure from developers and housing advocates alike, have never written those restrictions into law in a form the Commission would accept. Today’s Council majority favors intense densification of the areas within the city’s Coastal Zone.

Read More: https://smmirror.com/2026/05/sm-a-r-t-column-santa-monicas-coast-is-about-to-change-forever-most-residents-dont-know-its-happening-part-1/

The 77-year-old building in the Pico Neighborhood is being rehabilitated by Community Corporation of Santa Monica (CCSM) with $37.5 million in loans from the City's Housing Trust Fund to purchase, renovate and temporarily relocate the tenants.

That likely makes it the most expensive City-funded rehab project in the city's history.

Read More: https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2026/May-2026/05_26_2026_Housing_Provider_Over_Budget_Rehab_Project%20.html