The LWV Santa Monica submitted the following public comments regarding Santa Monica City Council Meeting 9/28/2021 Agenda Item 13C: 

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September 28, 2021

Re: Agenda Item 13C

Dear Mayor Himmelrich, Mayor Pro Tem McCowan, and City Councilmembers,

The League of Women Voters of Santa Monica is opposed to the proposed action presented in Agenda Item 13C to direct Santa Monica’s representatives to the Westside Cities Council of Governments (WSCCOG) to seek a determination regarding whether the WSCCOG should join as a party in the lawsuit brought by the Orange County Council of Governments (OCCOG) against the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) regarding the calculation and allocation of number of homes that our community must plan for as part of the Regional Housing Needs Determination (RHND) and Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) process. 

We urge the Council to reject the proposal in Agenda Item 13C. 

Although Santa Monica’s RHNA numbers are higher than in previous RHNA cycles, the process by which they were allocated accounts for many variables, including the number and type of jobs in our city, the availability of transit within Santa Monica, and the fact that we are a well-resourced area, especially as compared to other communities in California. Additionally, the currently assigned number of new homes that Santa Monica must plan for over the next 8 years already includes concessions and reductions that were incorporated throughout the RHND process. Recommending or encouraging the WSCCOG to participate in a lawsuit against HCD would not be in the best interest of the City of Santa Monica or its community. 

For these reasons, we urge the Council to reject the proposal in Agenda Item 13C. 

Sincerely, 

Natalya Zernitskaya
President 
League of Women Voters of Santa Monica