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.
Top Stories of 2020 -- SUMMER
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A BAD START GONE GOOD
“Off to a Bad Start” was my headline for last week’s CURIOUS CITY column. Boy, a lot has happened since then.
The bad start I referred to was the partisan, tone deaf votes for mayor and mayor pro tem by the old Council members, which went to veteran Sue Himmelrich and brand new kid Kristin McCowan, respectively. But the meaning was in how the votes were cast.
Sue had made it clear in advance that she wanted the top post. Two years, not one, thank you. A lot of what you see done by Council members that you don’t like or understand, is done for prestige and ego, not money. For one thing, if you’re on the Council, you might become Mayor!
Santa Monica politics upended by pandemic, George Floyd protests and economic woes [Los Angeles Times]
Many of the forces that have shaken America in 2020 the pandemic, a sharp economic downturn, rising inequities and the protests fueled by the killing of George Floyd are also upending politics in Santa Monica.
In the last year, the famously liberal city, sometimes seen as a bellwether in local government, has dealt with a series of dramas culminating in a profound shift in power that will likely reshape Santa Monica for years to come.
First the city manager, then the police chief, departed amid withering criticism and a yawning budget deficit. The City Council elections attracted a slate of newcomers with a platform of slowing development in the wealthy oceanside community.
Many of the forces that have shaken America in 2020 the pandemic, a sharp economic downturn, rising inequities and the protests fueled by the killing of George Floyd are also upending politics in Santa Monica.
In the last year, the famously liberal city, sometimes seen as a bellwether in local government, has dealt with a series of dramas culminating in a profound shift in power that will likely reshape Santa Monica for years to come.
For the record:
2:56 PM, Dec. 21, 2020This article incorrectly states that Oscar de la Torre resigned from the Santa Monica-Malibu Board of Education after being elected to the Santa Monica City Council. De la Torre has not resigned from the school board, although school district officials believe the two offices are incompatible and have advertised the board vacancy.
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