July 13, 2025 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Santa Monica City Housing Trust Fund Loans Forgiven, Extended:

Council members unanimously approved last week a consent calendar item forgiving one Housing Trust Fund (HTF) loan and extending another attached to a pair of properties in Santa Monica.

The item was pulled from the consent calendar by Council member Bobby Shriver and considered as a separate item. Shriver was concerned whether the loan forgiveness of about $125,000 could be taken as providing a public gift to a private party.

However, City Attorney Marsha Jones Moutrie pointed out loan forgiveness is a normal course of action when it comes to public housing. The loan in question was attached to Mountain View Mobile Home Park at 1930 Stewart Street; the specific amount forgiven was $124,977.01.

“It’s very typical for the City (of Santa Monica) to forgive housing loans when the funds are used to provide particularly very low income housing,” Moutrie said. “In this case because the purpose is providing affordable housing within the community, I don’t think it’s a problem.”

The city staff report stated that it “recommends forgiving the loan … because the goal of acquiring the property and preserving it as affordable housing has been achieved.”

In addition to the loan forgiveness, another loan was authorized to be extended until December 2014. The loan is in the amount of $1,161,185 and allocated to be used “for an existing acquisition and predevelopment loan to Community Corporation of Santa Monica (CCSM) … for 1342 Berkeley Street.”

City Hall issued a loan in 1996 to the Mountain View Mobile Inn Residents Association to the amount of $272,000, according to city staff, “for the purpose of performing due diligence associated with the conversion of the property to cooperative housing and the anticipated acquisition of the mobile home park by residents.”

However, city staff said the plan was “not feasible” and City Hall ultimately purchased the property and maintained it as an affordable housing location.

Still, a portion of the $272,000 loan agreement – specifically, $124,977 – was actually dispersed.

“Since Mountain View served mostly very-low and low-income households, the City Council supported the effort toward resident ownership and maintaining affordability of this housing resource,” city staff told council members of the original plan to allow residents to ultimately acquire the mobile home park.

In 2000, the City purchased Mountain View and made more than $5 million in infrastructure upgrades. During the past 12 years, City Hall reports 19 travel trailers and mobile homes “have been replaced with affordable and sustainable manufactured homes.” Just the same, a financing program was approved two years ago for the installation and manufacture of nine new homes.

The loan extension to CCSM was, according to City Hall, issued in 2004 “for the acquisition and predevelopment of a small lot in conjunction with a larger, adjacent lot that has since been developed as 47 affordable residences.”

City Hall seeks an extension “to allow sufficient time to create an approach to developing this site for affordable housing.”

CCSM currently owns a vacant parcel at 1342 Berkeley Street. A financing application was approved in 2004 for $1,161,185.

“Since executing the acquisition/predevelopment loan in February 2004, the development of 1342 Berkeley Street was given low priority to allow CCSM and the Housing Division to focus on several other affordable housing developments that were in the pipeline,” city staff said. “The low priority reflected the fact that the small lot would only accommodate a very small project (5-8 units) that could be difficult to finance.”

in News
<>Related Posts

County Health Leaders Decry Federal Policy Barring Undocumented from Programs

July 12, 2025

July 12, 2025

The officials argued the policy jeopardizes care for all residents, noting it could deter people—regardless of status—from seeking treatment  Leaders...

County Supervisors Move to Preserve Measure J Amid Charter Error

July 12, 2025

July 12, 2025

Measure J mandates that at least 10% of the county’s locally generated, unrestricted funds be allocated to community investments like...

LA Medical Center Seeks Help Identifying Unconscious Patient

July 12, 2025

July 12, 2025

He has been unconscious since admission, and staff have been unable to determine his identity Los Angeles General Medical Center,...

Mayor Bass Issues Directive to Protect Immigrant Communities

July 12, 2025

July 12, 2025

The order expands access to city resources for affected families and requests records from ICE, including details on arrests Mayor...

Downtown Santa Monica CEO Andrew Thomas to Step Down

July 11, 2025

July 11, 2025

Thomas, who rejoined DTSM, Inc. in 2022, oversaw the introduction of a private security program, expanded homeless outreach, and boosted...

Conservancy to Tour Historic Miles Playhouse at State of the City Event

July 11, 2025

July 11, 2025

Built in 1929, the Miles Playhouse serves as the centerpiece of Lincoln Park The Santa Monica Conservancy will offer 15-minute...

Sen. Ben Allen Highlights Challenges, Economic Gains for LA28 Olympics

July 11, 2025

July 11, 2025

The remarks came during the first informational hearing of the Senate’s Special Committee on International Sporting Events State Sen. Ben...

(Video) Summer Camp at School of Rock West LA Turns Kids Into Rockstars

July 11, 2025

July 11, 2025

To Sign Up Now, Go To Schoolofrock.com Summer Camp at School of Rock West LA Turns Kids Into Rockstars To...

L.A. Louver Marks David Hockney’s 88th with Exhibit

July 11, 2025

July 11, 2025

Hockney, a British artist born in 1937, gained fame with the British Pop Art movement and later became known for...

Suspect Arrested in Shoe Retail Theft Spree Across LA County

July 11, 2025

July 11, 2025

During the search, police recovered two firearms and a significant quantity of merchandise The Los Angeles Police Department’s Organized Retail...

Suspect Arrested in Santa Monica Pier Arson Incidents

July 10, 2025

July 10, 2025

The suspect, matching video footage from an arcade, was taken into custody Santa Monica Police Department officers arrested a suspect...

SMPD Launch New Recruitment Website Amid High Vacancy Rates

July 10, 2025

July 10, 2025

The site features multimedia content, including day-in-the-life videos and officer profiles, highlighting the impact of serving the community The Santa...

Father-Daughter Authors to Host Book Signing to Aid Fire-Affected Women

July 10, 2025

July 10, 2025

Ten percent of proceeds from book and art sales will benefit the Pacific Palisades Rebuilding Fund, a nonprofit initiative created...

Metro Reports Crime Drop, Higher Rider Satisfaction, and Progress on Major Projects

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The Authority said the drop in violent incidents—down to the lowest level since May 2019—coincided with more uniformed personnel and...

Santa Monica Joins Regional Lawsuit to Halt Unconstitutional ICE Raids

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The motion to intervene seeks to ensure that Santa Monica and other plaintiff-intervenors can advocate for their residents’ rights in...