For years, the region has been gripped by a full-fledged housing crisis with a severe lack of affordable housing for middle- and working-class families. The median cost of a house in Los Angeles County is $500,000, twice the national average, and in Santa Monica it is even worse at $1.4 million.  As more residents are unable to afford to continue to live in their home communities, we have seen a severe uptick in Ellis Act evictions. This, in turn, has lead to a large increase in the homeless population (a 23% increase in LA County since last year).

Because this issue affects us in so many different ways, organizers have convened a group of local officials to discuss the impact of the housing crisis at the city, county, and statewide levels:
– Richard Bloom, Member of the California Assembly, 50th District
– Sheila Kuehl, Los Angeles County Supervisor, 3rd District
– Rick Cole, City Manager of Santa Monica
– Kenneth Semko, Interim Chief, Santa Monica Police Department

Assemblymember Bloom and Supervisor Kuehl will join them first, from 6:30 – 8 p.m., to discuss these issues from a statewide and countywide perspective. City Manager Cole and Chief Semko will take the stage from 8 – 9 p.m. to discuss these issues as they pertain specifically to Santa Monica.
An opportunity for Q&A will follow each pair of speakers.
For first time and new members, the Executive Board of the club will be available from 6 – 6:30 p.m. for an informal meet and greet. The main program will start at 6:30 p.m.
The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided. Parking available. Handicap accessible. Please note the early start time in order to accommodate our speakers’ schedules.