<i>Editor’s note: This story is part of an ongoing series that tracks the city’s expenditures appearing on upcoming Santa Monica City Council consent agendas. Consent agenda items are routinely passed by the City Council with little or no discussion from elected officials or the public. However, many of the items have been part of public discussion in the past.</i>
CITYWIDE — The views of the ocean for the homeless are about to get more comfortable.
More than 35 years after purchasing a mixed-use building on scenic Ocean Avenue, City Hall is preparing to lease the property for affordable housing.
The City Council is expected tonight to authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a lease with OPCC and allocate $100,000 to the nonprofit homeless service provider for architectural, legal and consulting purposes.
The expenditure is part of an approximately $787,000 spending package the council is expected to approve tonight.
City Hall purchased the 19-unit property at 1614-1616 Ocean Ave. in 1973, leasing the rent-controlled spaces to residents and OPCC’s Daybreak Day Center, which offers social service programs to homeless and mentally-ill women. About seven units are currently vacant to make way for future building rehabilitation.
Along with affordable housing, the building will also host supportive services for homeless individuals. Community Corporation of Santa Monica, the largest affordable housing developer in the city, will also partner in the project.
“OPCC is well established in the community with a proven capacity to develop, own and operate supportive housing and provide intensive services to chronically homeless and mentally ill persons,” the city staff report stated. “The development team members are all experienced and well qualified organizations with track records in Santa Monica and with affordable housing.”
Communication is key
The Santa Monica Fire Department is looking to improve communication with its peers.
Fire officials will be asking the council to approve the purchase of a Lifeline Regional Interoperability System that will allow the department to transmit data regarding hazardous materials via wireless technology to other agencies in the county. The more than $123,300 system was developed following concerns from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for a reliable integrated program.
“The system allows wireless integration of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) instruments as well as telemetry, Internet connectivity and alert and notification systems sharing with multiple agencies,” the staff report stated.
The Department of Homeland Security initiated a pilot project testing the system in 2007. The Los Angeles Area Fire Chiefs Association subsequently authorized agencies to purchase the system. The SMFD’s Hazardous Materials Response Truck has been designated as the county’s regional responder to major haz mat events, including attacks involving weapons of mass destruction in the county.
Fixing the problem
Requesting maintenance for City Hall-owned vehicles will soon get easier.
City Hall is planning on purchasing a $164,000 computerized vehicle maintenance reporting system that will allow fleet operators to easily submit work requests and receive status updates.
The current system, which was developed in 1999, is considered to be outdated and unresponsive to the needs of City Hall.
A survey of employees showed that they were not completely satisfied with the uncertainty of the status of their work requests.
Along with the new tracking system, the council is also expected to authorize the purchase of three new CNG-fueled trucks, two of which will be used to clean the Third Street Promenade. The third vehicle will be operated by the Solid Waste Division.
The trucks will altogether cost more than $273,900.
Smooth move
Citing potential damage to parked aircraft, city officials are looking to repave the asphalt near the Barker Hangar.
The council will be asked to award a $126,600 contract to All American Asphalt to repave a surface that officials said is in poor condition.
melodyh@www.smdp.com
