CITY HALL — Santa Monica city officials, long praised and decried for their staunch defense of renters’ rights, are looking to extend to all tenants protections guaranteed by a harassment ordinance for rent-controlled apartments, as well as mandate extra money for those forced to relocate from their
The local race for the California Assembly became a lot more interesting last week when Betsy Butler (D-53) from Marina del Rey officially announced her run in the newly redrawn 50th Assembly District.
Someone has been conducting a telephone poll about local issues over the last few weeks. Nobody seems to know exactly who is behind the survey. Pollsters have been asking general questions like, “Where do you get local news?” Participants are asked to rate the job City Hall is doing and grade City C
Racists acts allegedly committed by members of the Santa Monica High School wrestling team in May are still generating heat. While details are still being disputed, word is a prank was concocted by a couple of Samohi wrestlers that involved a black team member being chained to a locker while his whi
By now, renters have recently received their notice of the Annual Rent Adjustment allowed under the city’s rent control law. It’s one of the largest increases in rent control history and the biggest jump since 2006.
CITYWIDE — Santa Monica landlords are cheering on a bill being considered by the California State Assembly that would allow them to restrict smoking in rentals, a measure which puts renters’ rights groups in the uncomfortable position of defending a deadly habit.
CITY HALL — The mix of money and politics can create a toxic brew, and local politicians are trying to pass the poisoned cup as they debate the possibility of raising campaign contribution limits for Santa Monica elections.
CITYWIDE — A bill that extends renters’ rights passed a crucial hurdle at the State Judiciary Committee last week, and will now move onto the Assembly floor.
Former mayor Paul Rosenstein wrote a letter to this newspaper ("Let them lease,” April 27, Page 4) and to at least one online news service taking issue with my position that the Planning Commission should not give the owner/operators of the Yahoo! Center carte-blanch approval to lease out so called
THIRD STREET — Tenants are living in fear of eviction as the City Attorney’s Office and Rent Control Board fight to preserve rental units at the Embassy Hotel and Apartments on Third Street.
