6.Creating affordable home ownership programs.
Santa Monica renters are in a crisis. Santa Monicans United understands their worries and proposes to strengthen their housing security far beyond the hollow promises of politicians who claim to be pro-renter but are, in reality, anything but.
Santa Monicans United is absolutely committed to rent control and strengthening its protections as much as is legally possible. But much more than that, we want to empower residents to find security and to grow wealth through owning the apartments they currently live in. And by increasing their wealth, today's renters may be able to right-size if they choose – something that today's trapped-in-place renters can only dream of.
Rent control renters are stuck, at risk of Ellis-act eviction, and many are desperate to own their own homes. We propose to make that seemingly impossible dream reality by allowing non-profits to buy apartment buildings, which may then convert to condos. By using deed-restricted affordability and financial support, even the lowest-income families will be able to buy their units. And those renters who prefer not to buy can continue renting forever under rent control but with complete protection from Ellis-act and owner-move-in evictions.​
Furthermore, many new, high-priced apartments in the city are completely exempt from rent control, leaving renters impoverished and insecure and sending their future housing appreciation wealth to already wealthy landlords.
These new apartments should be built as condos instead, thus ensuring residents' stability and returning future housing wealth from landlords back to residents.
Supposedly, pro-renter politicians may talk about renters' protections and home ownership. Still, every action they have taken has further distanced home ownership, trapped renters, and given more of their future housing wealth to landlords.
Today's massive construction of apartments in our city that are routinely exempt from rent control seems to be a deliberate ploy by politicians whose loyalty to developers appears greater than their loyalty to renters. Past actions by developer-friendly politicians, like choosing not to appeal against onerous state housing requirements, have only left more and more of our residents renting, impoverished, and without stability.
Judge not from their words but from their deeds, and look at where we are today. We can clearly see that those politicians in our city who most loudly claim to be pro-renter are, in fact, the most pro-developer, pro-landlord, and anti-renter.
Santa Monicans United brings fresh, new ideas that can free Santa Monica renters from desperation, fear, and poverty. Those ideas can usher in a new age of security, wealth, and pride for even our lowest-income residents.
