Santa Monica’s recent updates to its rental assistance program have allowed 29 households that were previously denied support to become eligible, city officials said. On October 27, 2026, the City Council unanimously approved changes to the Preserving Our Diversity (POD) cash-assistance program for low-income, longtime renters. The revised eligibility rules now include residents of deed-restricted affordable housing and lower the minimum applicant age to 62 from 65. The required length of residency in a rent-controlled home drops to 10 years from 15. These adjustments aim to ease affordability pressures on older tenants and residents whose housing costs keep climbing despite rent restrictions or affordability covenants.
Housing and Human Services Director Aileen Reynolds said staff will contact households whose applications were rejected under the previous criteria. All 29 households that applied in the past year but were turned away are now expected to qualify under the new rules. The Preserving Our Diversity program, now covering more residents, will also see annual benefit increases tied to inflation as measured by the Los Angeles County Consumer Price Index. This approach helps assistance keep up with rising living costs.
Broader affordability measures and funding
Millions have been set aside for affordable housing as part of a larger affordability package approved by the City Council. The council’s recent $360,000 budget amendment for POD-related implementation and expansion includes $250,000 for cost-of-living benefit increases through fiscal year 2027–28, $10,000 for outreach, and up to $100,000 for a study on extending assistance to families and households with disabilities. Affordable-housing developers will be able to apply for city funding again in January 2027, once revised Housing Trust Fund guidelines are finalized. These revisions will govern up to $23.5 million in Measure GS housing production revenue, supporting new affordable projects through the city’s affordable-housing financing process instead of direct tenant payments. The council’s 6–0 vote also set January 2027 as the main milestone for reopening the affordable-housing funding process for developers, as reported by Patch.
Additional support is planned for food and childcare assistance, with $300,000 per year proposed for the Human Services Grants Program in the 2027–29 budget cycle. Reynolds said each $100,000 in funding could provide childcare subsidies for about five children, with the annual cost per child ranging from $18,000 to $20,000. This means the proposed annual funding could cover roughly 15 children, depending on program design and individual subsidy amounts.
Tenant protections and council actions
As some residents in deed-restricted housing report annual rent increases of at least 8%, Councilmember Natalya Zernitskaya has asked staff to check whether rents are being compared to mandated limits and to look at more protections for affected tenants. This concern about significant rent increases within deed-restricted properties set the regulatory context for extending POD eligibility to residents of such housing. The council also approved work on proposed changes to the Tenant Harassment Ordinance, aiming to clearly prohibit landlord interference in tenant organizing. Outreach is underway to bring an affordable grocery retailer to 1318 Fourth Street, a city-owned affordable housing property, instead of pursuing a city-run grocery store.
The city attorney has been directed to present options for adding final-paycheck rights into Santa Monica’s new internal wage-enforcement initiative. All six council members present supported this approach, while Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Zwick was absent. The council declined to introduce a separate final-paycheck ordinance. Mayor Caroline Torosis questioned the city’s wage-recovery results, challenging a staff report that showed only about $115,000 in unpaid wages had been recovered locally since 2020, stating, "Let's do better." For context on how local government decisions can shape renter protections, see this earlier breakdown.
Separately, on October 27, 2026, City Attorney Heidi von Tongeln reported enforcement activity involving disabled veteran voucher holders and affordable-housing tenants. Von Tongeln said the city’s proactive enforcement of source-of-income nondiscrimination laws covers VASH vouchers, Section 8 vouchers, and other sources of rental assistance. This ensures that voucher nondiscrimination is a practical right for families of all backgrounds and financial circumstances.
Statewide context
Santa Monica’s expanded rental aid comes as renters across California continue to face rising housing costs and expiring assistance programs. Recent stories have highlighted the challenges of expiring FEMA aid for fire-displaced renters, the impact of housing pilot programs on student attendance, and new rent stabilization rules in cities such as Santa Barbara. For more details on the city’s rental assistance expansion, see this coverage.
