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# Rent Control Board needs checks and balances
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/rent-control-board-needs-checks-and-balances-editor/
- Published: 2006-06-13T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T18:18:42.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By Vincent Solo Santa Monica*

I was reading with interest the 2006-07 proposed budget for the Santa Monica Rent Control Board. Its budget is funded by the fees they assess the owners of rental property. It is currently $11 per unit per month with a request to increase this to $13 per unit per month. The increase for additional funds go mainly toward increased salaries and benefits for the Rent Control Board staff. The owners are allowed to pass this surcharge on to the tenants. It is also proposed by the board staff that starting Sept. 1, 2006 property owners will not be allowed to pass this fee on to any tenant who rents after that date.

In light of what most people earn per year, the proposed rent control budget shows the following for its employees: 27.80 permanent employees with a total for salaries and wages of $2.75 million (the.80 accounts for part-time employees). This averages out to around $99,000 per employee. Add to this an additional per year $11,302 for health, dental and vision, and $15,915 for each employee for a retirement contribution. A further breakdown shows the three administration positions earning an average yearly salary of $116,720, the four legal positions earning an average yearly salary of $121,727, the 14.30 public information employees (the.30 accounts for part-time employees) each earn an average salary of $84,063\. There are also 6.5 positions — which includes part-time positions — for hearings, which are paid $109,420 a year, each.

How about your paper doing a simple public auditing? First, are such salaries justified by the work that is performed? What are the activities performed by the staff and how often? The Rent Control Board promotes itself as a “public service organization.” This seems to promote an altruistic theme for its existence, indicating that it serves the poor and needy. But in reality, is it at the expense?

The employees get great salaries, great benefits, great vacation and holidays off, plus the office is closed every other Friday. Also, how many times does the elected board not pass a recommendation submitted by the rent control staff, like this budget? It seems the staff can ask for a salary and benefit increase whenever they want, and when the board passes this request, it becomes law, with no public recourse if it is opposed by the public. Also, how much legal work is really done by the four legal employees? Do these lawyers only take cases for the Rent Control Board? Do they do any legal work on the side? In short, has there ever been an independent audit done on the workings of the board?

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 13, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/061306.pdf?ref=smdp.com)