Some Santa Monica City Councilmembers Unhappy With Housing Element Update
Local leaders are challenging state-mandated affordable housing requirements for the 2021-2029 cycle. February 3, 2021, 8am PST | Diana Ionescu |
Thomas Barrat
In ongoing discussions in the city council, Santa Monica is deciding how to respond to the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) s affordable housing requirement for the 2021-2029 cycle. Some local leaders argue that SCAG s mandate of 9,000 new affordable housing units is unrealistic and doesn t take into account local needs or funding availability, writes Brennon Dixson in the Santa Monica Daily Press.
The Housing Element, a mandatory element of Santa Monica’s General Plan, is basically a housing needs assessment that features updated demographic data, data on housing stock, identifying barriers to the production of housing both for market-rate and affordable housing, according to Santa Monica Planning Director Jing Yeo.
Canyon News
SANTA MONICA On Monday, December 14, the Santa Monica City Council announced that Former Mayor Bob Holbrook died on Friday, December 11 after battling a long illness. Holbrook was a native-born Santa Monican who served on the City Council for 24 years from 1990-2014.
Mayor Holbrook was involved in building Tongva Park in the Civic Center and a memorial at Woodlawn Cemetery to honor local veterans. Before joining the Santa Monica City Council, Holbrook served on the Board of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District for seven years.
“As a lifelong Santa Monica who attended local schools, he remained a passionate advocate for education,” the city of Santa Monica said in a statement. In 2018, City Council contributed funding for a scholarship in honor of Holbrook to support the education of Santa Monicans pursuing careers in public service.