1 June 25, 2024
(NOT APPROVED)
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
HOUSING AUTHORITY MEETING MINUTES
JUNE 25, 2024
A special meeting of the Santa Monica Housing Authority was called to order by Chair Brock at 10:22 p.m., on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, at City Council Chambers, 1685 Main Street.
Roll Call: Present: Chair Phil Brock
Vice Chair Lana Negrete
Commissioner Gleam Davis
Commissioner Oscar de la Torre
Commissioner Christine Parra
Commissioner Caroline Torosis
Commissioner Jesse Zwick
HAB Tenant Representative Hajar Muqtasid St. Claire
Also Present: Authority Secretary David White
Authority Attorney Douglas Sloan
Interim Authority Clerk Nikima S. Newsome
CONVENE/PLEDGE On order of the Chair, the Housing Authority convened to a joint meeting with the City Council and Parking Authority at 10:22 p.m., with all members present.
REPORT ON MEETING
COMPENSATION
Pursuant to State law, Interim City Clerk Nikima S. Newsome announced that Council will receive $50 compensation for meeting as the Housing Authority and $50 for meeting as the Parking Authority.
PUBLIC HEARINGS:
BUDGET
12.A. Adoption of the Second Year of the FY 2023-25 Biennial Budget, Adoption of the First Year and Approval of the Second Year of the FY 2024-26 Biennial Capital Improvement Program Budget, was presented.
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council, Housing Authority and Parking Authority:
1. Adopt Resolution No. 11593 (CCS) of the City Council of the City of Santa Monica adopting the FY 2024-25 Operating Budget and adopting the first year and approving the second year of the FY 2024- 26 Biennial Capital Improvement Program Budget at Attachment A, as amended by Attachment D;
2 June 25, 2024
2. Adopt Resolution No. 99 (HAS) of the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Monica adopting the FY 2024-25 Operating Budget and adopting the first year and approving the second year of the FY 2024- 26 Biennial Capital Improvement Program Budget at Attachment B, as amended by Attachment D; and
3. Adopt Resolution No. 264 (PAS) of the Parking Authority of the City of Santa Monica adopting the FY 2024-25 Operating Budget and adopting the first year and approving the second year of the FY 2024- 26 Biennial Capital Improvement Program Budget at Attachment C, as amended by Attachment D.
Staff also recommends that the City Council:
4. Adopt Resolution No. 11594 (CCS) of the City Council of the City of Santa Monica revising the City’s master fee schedule to establish and revise certain permit and user fees and charges (Attachment E);
5. Adopt Resolution No. 11595 (CCS) of the City Council of the City of Santa Monica revising the City’s master fine schedule to establish and revise the administrative citation schedule of fines for certain violations of the Santa Monica Municipal Code (Attachment F);
6. Adopt Resolution No. 11596 (CCS) of the City Council of the City of Santa Monica establishing parking rates and permit fees for all City parking facilities and resources (Attachment G);
7. Adopt Resolution No. 11597 (CCS) of the City Council of the City of Santa Monica temporarily waiving and reducing outdoor dining license fees for third street promenade to stimulate economic recovery (Attachment H);
8. Adopt Resolution No. 11598 (CCS) of the City of Santa Monica establishing new classifications and adopting salary rates for various listed positions (Attachment I) and approve the position and classification changes (Attachment J);
9. Adopt Resolution No. 11599 (CCS) of the City of Santa Monica establishing the Gann appropriations limit for FY 2024-25 (Attachment K);
10. Adopt Resolution No. 11600 (CCS) incorporating a project funded by SB1: The Road Repair and Accountability Act (Attachment L);
11. Adopt Resolution No. 11601 (CCS) authorizing the City Manager to revise the Confidential Unrepresented Employee (CUE) Pay Plan (Attachment M)
12. Maintain existing adult-use and medicinal cannabis tax rates or provide direction to staff on the desired adult-use and medicinal tax rate increases and adopt Resolution No. 11602 (CCS) increasing the adult-use and medicinal cannabis tax rates as directed effective January 1, 2025 (Attachment N);
13. Authorize the City Manager to accept a discretionary grant award in the amount of $50,000 from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and approved by Supervisorial District 3 to support the 3 June 25, 2024
City Attorney’s Office Shelter, Treatment, and Empowerment Program (STEP) Court;
14. Authorize the City Manager to accept a grant award of $4,822,406 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Continuum of Care Program to provide housing subsidies for the homeless and disabled population and to execute all necessary documents to accept the grant and any subsequent renewals;
15. Adopt a finding of no possibility of significant effect pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines; and
16. Adopt a finding that the proposed landing fee reduction project, which includes reduced rates for tie-downs, transient tie-downs, hangars, landing fees, and fuel flowage fees (Reduced Airport Fees), exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to Public Resources Code section 21080(b)(1) and CEQA Guidelines sections 15061(b)(3), and 15369.
Questions asked and answered of staff included: has research been done on the effects of the financial impacts of different cannabis tax rates; would staff have objections to keeping the lower rates; will the alley and sidewalk paving programs receive funding and if not, will the programs permanently end; apart from the medicinal marijuana shops that have converted to commercial, will any shops be opening this year; how was the cannabis tax rate determined; can an item be pulled for the purpose of conducting a study session; what changes proposed in this fiscal cycle’s budget will aide public safety; regarding the discretionary fund, will these allocations be made now or in the future; can Item 16 be pulled for the purpose of holding a Study Session at a later date to evaluate if the reduced airport fees received can be used to fund other projects; regarding the Airport, are there funds allocated specifically for environmental studies and have any studies been performed; and including the proposed four additional officers, how many total officers will the City employ.
Considerable discussion ensued on topics including, but not limited to:
concerns with public safety, recommendation to maintain the current cannabis tax rates and not suspend taxing; working with organizations to promote the expansion of the POD program through announcements made in community forums, to help mitigate the disproportionate allocation of POD funds; and developing a bi-lingual outreach programs to reach other groups in the Pico neighborhood and specifically reaching out to the Black Santa Monica Community Group and the Greater Morning Star Baptist Church for collaborative efforts.
Motion by Vice Chair/Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, seconded by Authority/Councilmember Parra, to adopt a Resolution of the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Monica adopting the FY 2024-25 Operating 4 June 25, 2024
Budget and adopting the first year and approving the second year of the FY 2024-26 Biennial Capital Improvement Program Budget at Attachment B, as amended by Attachment D. The motion was approved by the following vote:
AYES: Authority/Councilmembers de la Torre, Torosis, Davis, Parra, Zwick, Vice Chair/Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, Chair/Mayor Brock NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: Authority Board Member St Claire
ADJOURNMENT On order of the Chair, the special Housing Authority meeting was adjourned at 12:54 a.m.
ATTEST: APPROVED:
Nikima S. Newsome Phil Brock
Interim Authority Clerk Chair