Santa Monica
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Traditional Reporting for a Digital Age

By Jorge Casuso

January 5, 2026 -- New laws are taking effect this month that dictate everything from what appliances landlords must provide to how much motorists must pay for parking in Santa Monica.

Local laws also require those who own or manage market-rate and vacant properties to register them with the City.

Meanwhile, new California laws kicked in on January 1 that increase penalties for vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and update plastic bag regulations.

Starting last Thursday, a local law requires landlords of market-rate apartment units in Santa Monica -- including single-family homes, condos, and accessory dwelling units (ADUs) -- to register them with the City.

The information required includes the occupancy status of each rental unit, the date the current tenant moved in, what the tenant is paying and when and why the prior tenant moved out.

The property owner or manager must also list the amenities provided and the party responsible for paying the utilities ("Rent Registry to Kick in for Market Rate Units," November 13, 2025).

Landlords who fail to register their units are "subject to injunctive relief and be liable to the City in a civil action for a civil penalty" of $200 a month per unit.

Previously, only the owners of rent controlled buildings were required to register their units with the Rent Board. Buildings constructed after the law took effect in 1979 had remained outside of government oversight.

The rental registry enables the City to maintain a "single, comprehensive database" that allows "more effective monitoring and enforcement" of tenant protections under City, County and State laws.

Under a State law that also kicked in on January 1, landlords must provide working refrigerators and stoves in rental units, including single family homes.

Under the previous version of the law, the list of "characteristics" required for the dwelling unit included adequate heating and hot water systems.

A new Santa Monica law requiring a separate registry for vacant properties will take effect on Friday, making it easier for the City to enforce everything from a missing fence to a broken security light.

When registering a property, the owner must provide "a description of the most recent legal use of the property before it became vacant" and "any future plans."

The owner also must pay "a vacant property monitoring fee, in an amount established by resolution of the City Council" ("New Law Requires Owners to Register Vacant Properties," November 18, 2025).

It was anticipated the law -- which currently covers more than 150 properties -- would kick in on January 1, but the effective date was pushed back after the ordinance "inadvertently" listed January 1 as the deadline to register the properties, instead of July 1.

Next Monday, new parking rates will take effect that generally make it more expensive to park as part of an ongoing effort by the City to generate more revenues for the cash-strapped local government.

The new rates, which are expected to generate up to $9 million more a year, include paying an extra 25 cents per hour at City meters and an average of $2 to $5 more at flat rate beach lots.

In addition, Downtown structures will begin charging after the first 30 minutes, instead of providing 90 minutes free, while those who stay more than three hours will pay less than they do now.

Also starting Monday, under the ordinance approved by the Council on August 11, parking transactions using a credit card will include a fee to cover processing ("City Hikes Parking Rates," August 18, 2025).

A State law that took effect on January 1 "authorizes local governments to waive or reduce parking fines when a person demonstrates an inability to pay and requires agencies to offer payment plans upon request," according to Governor Gavin Newsom's office.

Other State laws that took effect last Thursday include AB 1087, which significantly extends the probation terms for vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated (VMI) -- from a maximum of one or two years to a standard of three to five years.

The law aligns the terms with regular DUI probation "to allow for more rehabilitation and accountability for drivers causing fatal DUI accidents," according to the Governor's office.

Meanwhile, SB 1053, co-sponsored by State Senator Ben Allen, who represents Santa Monica, closes loopholes in California’s plastic bag ban that allowed thicker plastic film bags to be distributed as "reusable" bags.

According to the Governor's Office, "The law eliminates plastic film checkout bags altogether and requires retailers to transition to truly reusable bags that meet higher durability standards or to paper bags with recycled-content requirements, reducing plastic waste and improving statewide recycling efforts."