2025 Priority Initiative Survey Responses
To facilitate community input on the City’s Budget Priority Initiative proposals, staff composed a survey listing each Priority Initiative Proposal, with a brief summary of their components and questions to gauge general support and feedback. From February 12, 2025, to March 3, 2025, 94 responses were recorded to the survey. This survey was advertised on the City’s website, social media channels, the Weekly Briefing, targeted emails to key stakeholders and community groups, and a City Talk Zoom meeting hosted by the City Club.
The attached summary is organized by Priority Initiative Proposal and lists the overall votes of support along with the individual comments provided by each one. Comments submitted by survey respondents are included exactly as they were provided with no editing by staff.
Survey Response Methodology and Results Key
For each proposal, participants were asked to rank the prioritization of each proposal on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being a lower priority and 5 being a higher priority. Example below.
For each proposal, staff has provided a chart that shows the exact votes for each category of the ranking. Example below.
For each proposal, staff has also provided a chart that shows the combination of both the lower ranking and the higher ranking votes for each proposal, with the middle prioritization left as a medium priority. Example below. 10 5
20 10
15 0
5 10
15 20
25 Lower Priority Medium Priority Higher Priority
Initiative Title
Medium Priority
(All "3" Rankings)
33%
Lower Priority
(Combined "1 & 2" Rankings)
25%
Higher Priority
(Combined "4 & 5" Rankings)
42%
Initiative Title
Overall Results Summary
The following chart shows the combination of both the lower ranking scores and a combination of the two the higher ranking votes for each proposal, with the middle prioritization left as a medium priority.
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Lacy Park Arboretum Accreditation
Lacy Park 100th Anniversary
General Plan Update
Showcase Local Commerce
Ensure Fiscal Stability Through Revenue
Housing Element Implementation
Explore Pedestrian and Traffic Safety…
Streamline Brick and Mortar Openings
Improve Cellular Coverage
Maintain Local Control of Sales Tax
Financially Self-sustaining Sewer System
Higher Priority Medium Priority Lower Priority
Public Safety Excellence: Improve Cellular Coverage
Investigate cell tower site locations in order to support better cell phone coverage across the city, particularly to support emergency response and minimize life safety issues.
• Address residents’ inability to call 911 due to lack of cellular coverage • Address gaps in coverage for Police, Fire, Public Works and other City staff. • Provide redundancies to Public Safety radio communications systems.
Please indicate your prioritization of this proposal.
Comments:
• It's hard to assign a priority # to the above item without first having seen the rest of your survey. Maybe subsequent items will be relatively more or less important, but I don't have any way of knowing that yesterday. So, your overall survey results may not be as accurate as they could be.
13 9
19 20
33 0
5 10
15 20
25 30
35 Lower Priority Medium Priority Higher Priority
Public Safety Excellence: Improve Cellular Coverage
Medium Priority
20%
Lower Priority
24%
Higher Priority
56%
Public Safety Excellence: Improve Cellular Coverage
• Eliminating overhead high tension lines in favor of buried utilities should be a higher priority from a safety perspective.
• We've been through this before. Has new technology changed the options? • I haven't noticed an issue, except at the elementary and middle school where this could be a major issue
• We need more cell towers in San Marino. The service at our house off of Sierra Madre Blvd., is not good and we drop calls all the time. When we had cell towers at the high school it was much better. Maybe the towers could be put in the middle of Huntington Gardens property far away from any housing. (maybe there is one there already.....I do not know. Maybe one could be placed in the medium strip somewhere on Huntington Drive where there are no houses.
• I dont want ugly cell towers in our city. We have a land line for this purpose. When I do call 911 from my cell it does not go to our police station it goes to the Sheriff • I don’t want cell tower in the city. It’s not necessary • I have had no problems with 911
• no cell towers near schools
• Gaps in coverage area for calling 911 should be identified. • I live half a block south of the high school and cell reception is only one bar at best • Also provides some additional options for Internet services that can be cheaper than current wired options
• it is important to keep wired telephone service
• Addressing gaps in coverage should be a high priority • Service is reliable now and it is covering such a limited area neither myself or my neighbors have ever seen or mentioned this as a concern • Police/fire have to reach out to the elderly and homebound in emergencies. This service is not about cell service. It is about a list of names, numbers and addresses - and a system to make sure it gets assigned and done. I work in healthcare and public health. It is easy, bit it often fails.
• The major carriers should both add a few towers and equip them with emergency electrical power, as demonstrated during the Eaton fires. • San Marino has suffered from having weak cellular signal throughout the city for years.
Any and all efforts to improve the situation are welcome. • We don’t need a cell tower
• Any additional towers should be placed on City-owned land so that the City benefits from rental revenue for the cellular equipment.
• It is important not to have gaps in cell phone coverage especially with the recent wild fires and high winds disrupting electrical power
• I recently had a power outage and reduced power due to damage to electrical lines in my neighborhood. U urge the city to prioritize burying electric utilities to prevent fires. I have noticed that several neighborhoods in the city have buried lines while others do not. Over the years, I have had several outages, somelasting over a week related to downed lines and failed transformers. These situations could have caused fires.
Public Safety Excellence: Explore Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Improvements Continue to utilize smart traffic engineering practices and recommendations from the city’s Traffic Task Force and Public Safety Commission to improve traffic and pedestrian safety. • Annual traffic striping, marking and signage program
• Traffic control device improvements
• Continued implementation of traffic safety recommendations Please indicate your prioritization of this proposal.
Comments:
• Need to focus on the recommendations from traffic and saftey. • I don't see many pedestrians, but would love more bike safety programs. • Need to have traffic safety measures. However, I do not like that one can no longer go east on Robles across Sierra Madre. It would have been better to put a traffic stop sign on Sierra Madre going north and south. That would slow down the traffic on Sierra Madre
6 11
29 22 26
0 5
10 15
20 25
30 35
Lower Priority Medium Priority Higher Priority
Public Safety Excellence: Explore Pedestrian and
Traffic Safety Improvements
Medium Priority
31%
Lower Priority
18%
Higher Priority
51%
Public Safety Excellence: Explore Pedestrian and
Traffic Safety Improvements
• Continue current programs. If this includes creating bulb outs to make the city more walkable and shopable, I would rank this higher.
• The Polcie are doing great with enforcement
• It’s safe already
• esp along Winstone Ave which has become a highway for commuters • I think that the city is on track of this
• why don't we have cameras on Huntington dr? people are speeding daily down that street.
• This is very important. Should focus on making City Pedestrian friendly. Increase number of 4 way stops and Circle 4 way on Lorain and San Marino Ave. I have not seen any improvements in this area. Many studies and focus groups but no implementation. • Please prioritize pedestrian safety projects first. City crosswalks and streets should be safer for people walking, especially children and older adults • The actual number of accidents in town is very low. No one can ever eliminate 100% of accidents. The focus should be on high visibility/reflective traffic signs and street markings.
• I would like it if we prioritized making streets less "highway" like. Smaller lanes, more trees so there is reduced visibility, make drivers feel the need to slow down more. So many drivers fly down San Marino Ave. A big concern is also West Drive near the Crowell, during school drop-offs/pick-ups there are so many reckless drivers not stopping/yielding, speeding, etc.
• more traffic lights to replace stop signs. have non sworn traffic enforcement during rush hours
• The pedestrian crossing on Mission Street at El Molino needs improvement. The crossing is unnecessarily long.
• Especially important for kids traveling to school
• Small community with families and schools
• I would Prioritize this if we have a lot of walkers/cyclists or if there are a lot of injuries. • All of the surrounding cities are installing traffic mitigation except San Marino. We are literally getting run over by everyone else.
• Speeding on Los Robles is abusive, creating unsafe conditions. • Daylighting the intersections on Mission St to stop illegal parking in near the intersections increasing the risk to pedestrians and relieving police the burden of increased ticketing
• There are so many cars that run the red lights at Del Mar and Huntington dr. This is at all times of the day. Usually driving on Huntington Dr., passing Del Mar. It's way too many and after the light has turned green (for a while) for cars to proceed from Del Mar. • The reduced traffic speed on Sierra Madre have had a small but important impact on the speed of the traffic. Thank you
Preserve our Residential Neighborhoods: Housing Element Implementation Continue implementation efforts of the Housing Element in order to maintain certification.
Begin programs outlined in Housing Element
• Request for Proposals for Stoneman Property
• Outreach for Accessory Dwelling Unit Construction
• Implementation of Outreach Programs, etc.
Adoption of the Safety Element
Compliance with Annual Progress Reporting Requirements
Please indicate your prioritization of this proposal.
Comments:
• There isn't enough information here for me to thoughtfully reply in full.... But, Stoneman is a major underutilized asset for San Marino. Investments to improve usability for the community would be terrific. Its should be protected as a community asset. I have no idea what "Implementation of Outreach Programs" refers to. 6 11
29 22 26
0 5
10 15
20 25
30 35
Lower Priority Medium Priority Higher Priority
Preserve our Residential Neighborhoods:
Housing Element Implementation
Medium Priority
31%
Lower Priority
18%
Higher Priority
51%
Preserve our Residential Neighborhoods:
Housing Element Implementation
• I think we need to keep San Marino as a single home city. I do not want apartments built here. It will devalue our property values. I do not want 4 unit buildings built next to my property. ADU's are okay, I guess, but not multiunit buildings. Residents work very hard to be able to afford to live in San Marino and our city is not for everyone must because they want to live here. Many of us lived in multiple areas and houses in order to afford to live here
• We need to do something with the Stoneman property. And we need to encourage people to upkeep their properties. SM used to have strict rules to keep our streets and homes looking beautiful. But when I drive around I’m incredibly disappointed with so many streets and homes. Most of the homes are old and likely benefit from low property taxes and minimal mortgage payments. Citations should be issued if they’re not maintaining their properties.
• I don’t think we have even achieved an approved housing element yet! • The Housing element implementation is critical to preserving our city’s culture as much as possible.
• I am very sad about turning San Marino into a public housing project or moving in that direction.
• Important to maintain certification at minimal requirements • The Stoneman site is perplexing. The whole reason the city bought it was so the school district could not turn it into residences. I support outreach for ADU construction, for second units on larger properties, eg conversion of pool houses. Priority should be given to properties that abut an alley, Huntington Drive, or the city of San Gabriel (e.g. south side of Lorain)
• I don't like the ambiguity of the proposed elements, what specifically is going to be done?
• Stoneman should continue to be owned by City. Have concessionaire develop and operate residential units
• Offer to Pasadena and other School districts FIRST
• Sacto agendas irrelevant to San Marino
• This is a high priority due to potential litigation
• This needs a vote!!! Many schools lost their buildings in the fires. Rent these to help local children and families.
• We must follow the law to avoid implementation of “the builder’s remedy” if we don’t comply.
• Communication is mandtory
• It is appalling that San Marino is already so far behind in complying with state directives.
Hurry up.
• Not familiar enough with these items to comment.
• Speed up the approval process. I have many neighbors that complain about the time it takes to get a home renovation approved.
• Development of objective design standards for two unit housing developments in the R1 zone is way overdue • I am concerned with the traffic implications of the stoneman site • It is important to continue to monitor the implimentation of this initiative in order to comply without lessening property values.
Preserve our Residential Neighborhoods: General Plan Update • Engage a general plan specialist to assist the City
• Convene a General Plan Advisory Committee of community members • Engage in outreach related to the General Plan
• Begin updating elements of the General Plan to guide a vision for San Marino’s future Please indicate your prioritization of this proposal.
Comments:
• Do not hire outside consultant.
• Why pull in a consultant? There are more cost effective ways to do this. • I think that community members should serve on this committee. I do not support paying thousands of dollars to an outside firm since we have limited resources • Haven’t we done this? I believe it’s important with new state mandates, but we keep talking and planning and not doing anything. It would be nice to see some actual progress for the time and money spent.
• We dont want ADU'S or Apts in San Marino
18 13
30 16 17
0 5
10 15
20 25
30 35
Lower Priority Medium Priority Higher Priority
Preserve our Residential Neighborhoods:
General Plan Update
Medium Priority
32%
Lower Priority
33%
Higher Priority
35%
Preserve our Residential Neighborhoods:
General Plan Update
• I applied to be a member of the General Plan Advisory group years ago and never received a reply. Would be happy to participate.
• Protect many of the historic properties from potential future development. • Without a general plan update the county or state may find SM in non compliance which could make serious impact on us.
• We need to recruit more goods based businesses into the city. There are very limited businesses for residents on Huntington Dr, Instead we have a million empty store fronts or fake businesses that offer no services to residents. Other cities have coffee shops, bakeries, delis, restaurants, retail stores.
• Although I think advisory groups are good, I do have issues with follow up. I have seen many focus groups and studies but no implementation. Need to focus on making Pedestrian safety a priority.
• Empower residents, yes. Hire another very expensive consultant, especially one with a pre-ordained bias towards apartments etc. as we've done before, absolutely not. Why does the city presume that the residents of our own fine city are in a worse position to evaluate the needs of San Marino over some paid consultant who lives in an apartment? • do not hire any more staff. have a committee of volunteer citizens perform planning functions.
• Have open hearings on General Plan
• Why do we not have someone on staff that is capable of planning? Are you talking about an urban planner?
• We have plenty of bright citizens to study these issues. • Enough with the advisors, consultants and specialists and town halls already -- let's get something done
• Preservation of "character" and single family housing is unimportant in the face of the state's unprecedented housing crisis.
• General Plan Advisory Committee is a good idea.
• We need to improve the retail environment on Huntington Drive. Culver City is a good example of having a small but vibrant retail corridor.
• The General Plan now has to include In order for energy and water conservation efforts to work, San Marino needs to put its own policies into place. The reason the local action plan works is because it is a community document that establishes guidelines for our city to implement, following California state law. These guidelines are developed and adopted by the residents of the community, resulting in a Climate Action Plan. The GHG emissions are calculated by our consultant, so the numbers are based upon the requirements used by the state. Once this plan is finalized, it is then adopted by the City Council as part of the General Plan. Per California Land Use Law, this is a final document that has to be respected by the state, and would represent our own methods for reducing the necessary GHG emissions. That's why the process is set up that way. • It is important to monitor the plan using community members whenever possible.
Build Upon our Fiscal Health: Financially Self-sustaining Sewer System Establish a financially sustained sewer system and funding necessary to on-going capital maintenance.
• Complete the ongoing sewer rate study
• Conduct outreach on maintenance needs of the sewer system • Conduct outreach on the unfunded liability the sewer system presents • Implement a sewer rate to operate a sustainable sewer system Please indicate your prioritization of this proposal.
Comments:
• I'm 72 and have lived here since I was 10. Sewer maintenance has been in the sewer the whole times. City staff have shined me on many times when I tried to warn of imminent problems. This item doesn't mention doing any work on the actual sewers.. • Hard to opine without more information about the gaps • Important to have a good sewer system- every time it rains our land line goes dead so the utilities need to be upgraded, too
3 6
28 37
20 0
10 20
30 40
Lower Priority Medium Priority Higher Priority
Build Upon our Fiscal Health:
Financially Self-sustaining Sewer System
Medium Priority
30%
Lower Priority
9%
Higher Priority
61%
Build Upon our Fiscal Health:
Financially Self-sustaining Sewer System
• This should be factored into the current budget w/o an assessment/rate. • We should have this in place now.
• I don’t think any incremental taxes or fees should be implemented for sewer updates.
There should be enough money on our budget for city sewer upgrades. • Putting a "Project" into San Marino will have a negative impact on utilities. • City infrastructure needs to be maintained. Not familiar with Cities current studies in this area. Public education would be good.
• Evaluation of current facilities and needs is important • What is the total or annual cost?
• You have not made the case that it is inadequate
• Since its founding in 1913, our City must place utility functioniung high on the agenda • Our infrastructure is aging. This is a high priority project. • A sewer rate study shared with residents is needed.
• It smells awful at times, in the vicinity along Sierra Madre Bl/ San Marino Ave and Huntington Dr
Build Upon our Fiscal Health: Ensure Fiscal Stability Through Revenue Evaluate revenue enhancement opportunities to ensure we are able to provide for the long-term stability of services.
• Identify and rectify potential inequities in payments for City services and taxes • Begin work to place the renewal of the Utility Users Tax on the 2026 ballot Please indicate your prioritization of this proposal.
Comments:
• Newer San Marino residents are paying a significantly higher property tax than the prior residents. (I believe we pay 4x vs. prior owners). I get Prop 13 creates issues here, but am often frustrated to learn much larger homes are taxed at a much lower rate. Additionally, tax burdens are often pushed on to families with working parents with exceptions for retirees. Opting out of contribution is also unjust.
• Not fair that it is based on accessed value. Those of us with higher access values pay way more than those with lower accessed values. Needs to be a flat fee so everyone pays the same amount
13 16
27 25
13 0
5 10
15 20
25 30
Lower Priority Medium Priority Higher Priority
Build Upon our Fiscal Health:
Ensure Fiscal Stability Through Revenue
Medium Priority
29%
Lower Priority
31%
Higher Priority
40%
Build Upon our Fiscal Health:
Ensure Fiscal Stability Through Revenue
• Where is that money going now. Before we try to keep it on you should tell us where the money is helping.
• What’s the utility users tax??
• I am most uncertain what you are driving at Prop 13?
• Yes, need to make sure city is in good position to sustain city services. But not at the cost of changing our single-family neighborhoods. Need to place renewal of Utility Tax on 2026 ballot.
• What does this even mean? Residents already pay several parcel taxes. We are also losing businesses. The businesses that are thriving are the private mailboxes, that out of town residents use to get residency for their kids to attend school here. • What is the user utility tax?
• it is more important to reduce spending by eliminating unnecessary staff. solving financial problems by raising taxes and fees will get resistance from the citizens. • Charge for Lacy Park entrance on weekends and holidays • We cannot depend on Sacramento to fund our needs. Enhancing local revenue from multiple sources is a high priority.
• What are funds from the Utility Users Tax currently allocated? • Time to put ALL of San Marino electric lines underground- not just some areas! Build Upon our Fiscal Health: Maintain Local Control of Sales Tax Ensure local sales tax is reinvested in San Marino and controlled by the residents who pay it. • Keep sales tax dollars for services in San Marino rather than allowing other agencies to use them for services that San Marino may not benefit from • Explore the viability of placing a local sales tax measure on the ballot in 2026 to capture • Explore the benefits to San Marino by keeping sales tax dollars local • Protect available sales tax revenue from being garnished by outside agencies Please indicate your prioritization of this proposal.
Comments:
• Re: "allowing other agencies to use them for services that San Marino may not benefit from" - what benefits our larger community also benefits us • Do a campaign to help residents to understand that shopping in SM keeps money home.
Get serious for the first time in decades about making it easier for businesses to do business here.
8 12
18 23
33 0
5 10
15 20
25 30
35 Lower Priority Medium Priority Higher Priority
Build Upon our Fiscal Health:
Maintain Local Control of Sales Tax
Medium Priority
19%
Lower Priority
21%
Higher Priority
60%
Build Upon our Fiscal Health:
Maintain Local Control of Sales Tax
• San Marino needs to address the attractiveness of expanding retail, restaurants, and other commercial establishments to expand the sales tax base vs. tax at a higher rate or try to retain more of the revenues. Too many buildings are under utilized • NO LOCAL SALES TAX. But, try to keep our sales tax dollars in San Marino • We should do this with property taxes too. Our city and schools struggle due to funds being redistributed.
• The tax should stay in San Marino so yes do this.
• With the vacancy on Huntington Sales taxes revenue has been impacted. I was unaware that sales tax collections were going to provide services for folks who did not live in San Marino
• We need services in order to get sales tax. I don't do any shopping in San Marino. There is NOTHING to purchase!
• Yes. Keep our local sales tax dollars local. I am not a fan of additional tax's but open to exploring how new funds would be used. Need to focus on improvements that make City more Pedestrian friendly.
• Protecting sales tax revenue is important. Having an added sales tax for San Marino makes no sense and can be counterproductive. There isn't any unique good or service in San Marino that can't be purchased or obtained elsewhere. • no increase of sales tax like other neighboring cities • As long as this isn't an additional tax, but only funneling our existing taxes into SM, I'm in favor.
• imposing local sales tax is contrary to San Marino principals • Not sure what this means
• Make sure you bring things to a vote
• San Marino has to assume that we need to use local revenue to fund our local needs. • shouldn't we be doing that as a matter of course
• No NEW taxes
• And revitalize Huntington Drive retail to promote better business which will drive higher sales tax. "Everyone" in San Marino shops outside of the City because there are better vendors in the surrounding neighborhoods.
• There's already a 10% sales tax on cannabis products. • more tax, we have hardly and businesses here
• It seems we would need to entice more businesses to San Marino in order to benefit from a sales tax; that should be the first step.
• So few stores are patronized that this is not a priority. • It would seem that with the many vacant store fronts, incentives for new business should be the way to increase revenue.
Foster Investment in Economic Development: Streamline Brick and Mortar Openings Review zoning and municipal code sections for possible amendments that would streamline the opening of new retail establishments.
• Review parking requirements
• Review condition use permit requirements
• Review alcohol license regulations
• Review tenant improvement permit requirements
• Modernization of the City’s land use table
Please indicate your prioritization of this proposal.
Comments:
• Yes! San Marino need to encourage the establishment of meeting places that help build strong communities. The Mission District in particular is a gem where locations like Pizzanista and Cielo are much welcome. Helping expand on Huntington is valuable as well, as long as dangerous parking is addressed.
9 6
27 18
34 0
10 20
30 40
Lower Priority Medium Priority Higher Priority
Foster Investment in Economic Development:
Streamline Brick and Mortar Openings
Medium Priority
29%
Lower Priority
16%
Higher Priority
55%
Foster Investment in Economic Development:
Streamline Brick and Mortar Openings
• Just do not increase fees to such an extent that no one can afford to upgrade their properties. Also do not make the rules to stringent that people cannot reasonably improve what they want to do
• Haven’t we done this many times over? We have economic development plans that keep being revisited and have made it easier for businesses. The harder part is drawing businesses in. Investing in bulb outs and beautifying the retail areas could help draw new businesses in. And people need to be ok with change and chains going on. I’m so for limiting them (my home town does not allow them). But that only works when you have a bustling retail area. Right now we can be that picky. Chains should have to adhere to our design standards, but we need companies with money to invest in San Marino.
Huntington drive looks like any other thoroughfare when it should look charming and inviting.
• Mixed used development and walkability is vital to revive local retail. No foot traffic means businesses will keep suffering.
• Based on previous response and the fact that San Marino is to have a state mandated "project" we need to maintain our city services.
• We have spent enough time and money on Mission.... the cities main area is Huntington Dr. Where we have 4 schools and the majority of residents live. Last year the funding that was originally meant to spilt for Huntington and Mission was given solely to Mission for "beautification"! Huntington is a blight on my very expensive neighborhood. • My main concern with this is too much economic development could change the City's character. Needs to be targeted. Dont want to encourage more traffic within the city and change the single-family focus.
• "Modernization" of "land use table" is very vague...allowing more commercial into residential? What does this even mean? Is there already a consultant on board with preconceived plans for massive change in the city? Why can't this survey properly identify what CUP means? It's Conditional Use Permit, not condition use. Is the plan to make CUP requirements more lax, at the expense of our unique residential character? • There is so much that could be done here to help revitalize Huntington Blvd! • Our retail areas are dying
• We need more retail businesses on Huntington Dr.
• Our retail districts are full of service providers that don’t generate sales tax. But citizens object to retail shops or food providers that generate traffic and sales tax, so this may be a hopeless dream unless we build some parking structures. • We definitely want to attract and retain small businesses to fill vacant retail spaces. • we NEED more retail. I wish Huntington Dr. was more lively, similar to old town monrovia for example
• Blanket streamlining is a mistake, certain projects require resident input and advisory board oversight
• What do we do about the huge number of vacant homes
Foster Investment in Economic Development: Showcase Local Commerce Develop and implement a policy that would allow the showcasing of San Marino Businesses through the City’s media channels.
• Prepare a policy for Council review
• Implement the policy to support local businesses
• Aim to drive higher business traffic to our local service businesses Please indicate your prioritization of this proposal.
Comments:
• What media channels????
• Maybe? Businesses also have the ability to market themselves? How does the City determine which businesses to feature (or not?)
• we need more businesses in San Marino. Do not make it so hard for new businesses to come into the city
• This is great but the city has bigger issues. If businesses want coverage, call the paper and pitch a story.
13 17
29 21
14 0
5 10
15 20
25 30
35 Lower Priority Medium Priority Higher Priority
Foster Investment in Economic Development:
Showcase Local Commerce
Medium Priority
31%
Lower Priority
32%
Higher Priority
37%
Foster Investment in Economic Development:
Showcase Local Commerce
• My answer on the last few questions should be considered responsive to this question • HUGE priority. to the vitality of our community. We can be recruiting new families and local residents to shop in San Marino.
• Yes, we should support our local business.
• I try to patronize local businesses wherever I can. I think we would get more restaurants if we eased up on off street parking requirements. It would be nice to have a dinner restaurant in the Mission District, as the City had for decades until it cracked down on parking.
• How do we even know when a new business comes in?
• Supporting businesses that generate sales tax is a great goal but may be a hopeless cause.
• again shouldn't this be something that is done every day and not a special expense or study or cost
• We do not want advertisements in our City media. If business don't have enough traffic, it's because they are not the best option for residents. Residents shop outside of San Marino because other business are simply better. We need to recruit better businesses, not help market the ones that are here but failing.
• Business owners and C-1 property owners need to be held to a higher standard of cooperation with the needs of the city, this is more directed at C-1 zones on Huntington than on Mission
• First we need local businesses…
• Get property owners to lower rents so businesses could come in - you can’t encourage businesses if rents are too high. Give owners some kind of incentive.
Celebrate San Marino: Lacy Park 100th Anniversary
Commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Lacy Park with a large community event. • Plan and market a large local serving event to commemorate the anniversary of the park.
Please indicate your prioritization of this proposal.
Comments:
• We don't think there's any need to raise awareness of Lacy Park, or to attract larger numbers of visitors. Therefore, although the community event is a very nice idea, it is not a funding priority
• It could be an expensive 1 time event. What concepts can be introduced that create a sustainable outcome from the celebration?
• Provide an improved sewer system so the bathrooms can be used during large functions.
Do not discourage people from using the park by not doing improvements. A 100 year celebration is nice
13 19
29 19
14 0
5 10
15 20
25 30
35 Lower Priority Medium Priority Higher Priority
Celebrate San Marino: Lacy Park 100th Anniversary
Medium Priority
31%
Lower Priority
34%
Higher Priority
35%
Celebrate San Marino: Lacy Park 100th Anniversary
• This sounds nice, but most of the big events at Lacy Park draw mainly non residents.
Community building events are great though.
• As was a popular commercial years ago posed the question "where is the beef" How is this paid for?
• Charge for the event don't spend money on a one time event when the city needs money spent on long lasting investments.
• This should be focused on local residents. We should make maintenance and support of Lacy Park a priority.
• I am in support, and this would be a great way to achieve the goals of promoting local businesses.
• Protect the park, not hawk it
• This should NOT be an expensive event! This can be parades and club talks and a community picnic
• The park is a great resource. A celebration is warranted but should focus on fundraising for the park’s infrastructure and maintenance.
• The park should seek accreditation as an arboretum, botanical labels on the plants should be restored and increased
Celebrate San Marino: Lacy Park Arboretum Accreditation Explore and apply for arboretum accreditation for Lacy Park to add to our preservation and promotion of the vibrant tree population there.
• Pursue arboretum accreditation to recognize the diversity of ecology within Lacy Park Please indicate your prioritization of this proposal.
Comments:
• This is a not-too-expensive way to make a positive effect on the natural environment/help for the climate/help biodiversity
• Sounds expensive and to what benefit? Does it reduce flexibility to manage the park and its trees?
• Good idea as long as it is not restrictive and too expensive • Keep our park safe and healthy
• Will be added to the Arboretum designation at the Old Mill, making two Arboretum’s in the city.
• What does arboretum certification get the city here? This is an interesting idea. 24 21 18
23 8
0 5
10 15
20 25
30 Lower Priority Medium Priority Higher Priority
Celebrate San Marino:
Lacy Park Arboretum Accreditation
Medium Priority
19%
Lower Priority
48%
Higher Priority
33%
Celebrate San Marino:
Lacy Park Arboretum Accreditation
• I am uncertain what you are describing as an arboretum • Yes, this is a great idea.
• Why? Accreditation from whom? What is the benefit? More money from outside sources for maintenance? What would be the use restrictions or conditions related to accreditation? Would we now have to have a Lacy Park Arboretum governing board? Do we have time to put together a strategic plan, etc.? It seems we can just go ahead and prepare name signs for our interesting trees without going through the effort. It seems as if this would be a massive waste of time, with no appreciable upside. Lacy Park is a gorgeous park. We already have the Huntington in town, and are close to THE Arboretum in Arcadia, as well as Descanso Gardens.
• This seems like spending money for a status symbol that would not significantly improve the lives of our residents
• The park should seek accreditation as an arboretum, botanical labels on the plants should be restored and increased
• I support gaining accreditation only if it benefits Lacy Park. The park is a truly wonder resource for the city.
Additional Comments:
• Need to finish resurfacing the streets in San Marino. Sherwood is in horrible shape and needs attention. Followed by Lorain.
• From a fire safety perspective the city should bury utility electric lines throughout the city. Our neighborhood has suffered several severe outages that could have led to fire.
Why do some neighborhoods have buried utilities and others do not? This seems like an inequity.
• The Library is a GHOST of itself!!!!! It looks like it's being stripped for a fire sale. Hours have been cut. Current staff on the whole seem to lack confidence, lack of training? I wouldn't recognize the head librarian if he or she sat down next to me. Today, Monday 3/5, I'm filling this out from the library because my systems are down. I was in the South Pas Library about the same time Friday, around 2. It was bustling. We used to have more people in the library than them even though they're much bigger. An uncared for library is the sign of a city which isn't serious about its citizens' intellectual or mental health or its children. Finally, regarding this input, given the 4 day notice from the article in the back pages of the Tribune on Thursday which I didn't happen to read until Friday it's difficult for me to think that you seriously care about the answers or how many people answer it. I have heard, months after the fact, that you have run surveys before. I have never seen a whiff about them in time to participate. Finally finally. In the last 52 years I have never seen any indication that I remember that the city has the slightest interest in being earth friendly except to look pretty to protect real estate prices. It's humiliating, especially when our rivals SP work so hard at it and have for decades. Thank you for running this survey.
• Community is so important and you can see it reflected in the commitment to schools, little league, scouts, youth sports, etc. There are programs in place for seniors and nonEnglish speakers... but not much for working adults. I'd love to see programs and investments that encourage connection between residents in venues that help connect people and families: adult recreation, restaurants that are family friendly (and open after 7pm), outdoor meeting spaces, etc. Stoneman in particular is an under-tapped resource for recreation and community building. The grass yard in back would be a great place for youth sports, basketball, or other activities. On safety, there are some areas where street lighting can be improved, particular at the El Molino and Huntingon Intersection. Bike safety and routes along Huntingon would also be helpful. • Be open to residents wanting to do projects/events/ etc. in the City. In the past there was a "no"mentality. Be open and positive to different ideas • I’d like to see time and resources being put toward beautifying the city. Ideas include:
updating the medians on Huntington Drive, adding bulb outs and parklettes on Mission and Huntington, drawing brands with money to redo buildings on Huntington and open stores (like what Starbucks wanted to do), fining residents for not keeping with their properties (chipping pain, dead plants, broken shutters and awnings), etc. When you drive around a city and see pride of ownership from retailers and residents, it creates pride for the city. It makes people and businesses want to move in. I don’t get that feeling lately.
• Safety both of the theme (burglary) and while walking the streets (dangerous driving). • Provide for regular improvement. Evaluation at The Old Mill. I have a spreadsheet for a 10 year capital plan that I will be sharing with Philippe. • We need to respond to the impacts of vacant properties on our city and schools. Actual residents are unfairly bearing all of the impacts. This is destroying our community. • Fund police and fire departments with competitive retirement 2.7% @ 55 • When is the city going to engage a city treasurer? Why is the city not retaining an investment management professional to assist the city finance director in keeping the city’s budget balanced?
• Please prioritize the long term viability of our tax base and population by focusing on building more dense housing and making our city more bike and walking friendly. We have an incredible potential to create a walkable vibrant community if we choose to make use of it.
• Land use and first responder coverage is key. Let us keep this in mind while the State and County appears to be more concerned with forcing San Marino to have a "project" in the city.
• Number one priority for my family and our friends (most of whom have moved here in the last 5 years and pay A LOT in property taxes) is to have goods and services along Huntington Dr. We do NOT need another escrow company, real estate office, or business that is NEVER open (what is the Alice and Wonderland store, what's in the yoga building, no sign up and its never open?) Do any members of this board walk our neighborhood? I never see them on Huntington Dr.! If you did walk you would see HUGE potential NOT being utilized. Have you been to Lincoln in AltaDena or Figueroa in Highland Park or Larchmont in Larchmont Village? They all have delicious restaurants, Coffee Shops, speciality stores, etc for their local residents to enjoy. Homeowners are expected to maintain their front yards in accordance with city "park like" aesthetics... but businesses on Huntington look like crap! Dead plants, broken lights, trash, no cohesiveness, no style and no reason to shop. We need to get Huntington back to the glory of the 80's when it was a destination not only for residents but also for neighboring communities. • I strongly believe the city should focus on making our neighborhoods as pedestrian friendly as possible. The city needs to add more 4 way stops in our neighborhoods to provide pedestrian walking and our children riding bikes to school as safe as possible. To many drivers speeding on our streets. Total disregard to pedestrians. • The City should have a priority initiative regarding improving city-wide readiness for extreme weather events, especially extreme heat, via increased planting of native and drought tolerant trees, the addition of shade structures to public spaces, investment in additional water refill stations, implementation of cool roofs, replacement of excess asphalt with natural and permeable surfaces, education around high-efficiency heat pumps, etc.
• Some of these questions are concerning, and create questions as to what direction the city wants to go...is it where the residents want to go, or where certain consultants and so-called experts think the city should be going
• Raising taxes at this time makes things more difficult for home and business owners.
Choose only the things that are gong to make the city run physically better i.e. infrastructure problems that need taking care of, smoother traffic flow over Huntington Drive. Question? What can be done about houses that really have no one living in them full time? I feel they have security risk for neighbos around them. I.E. Vagrants? Coyotes settling in? condition of some houses deteriorating?
• Very concerned about electrical grid and infrastructure— two windstorms in last 15 years have wreaked havoc on San Marino citizens — affecting many many people in my neighborhood
• I would love a small initiative to build up a community "walk to school" day once a week, where kids walk or bike instead of being driven, as it's usually no more than a mile or two. We could have more crossing guards/police presence on that day, and with "everybody" doing it parents would feel safer. I think it could benefit children's health as well as traffic, and build a stronger community as more people are interacting with their neighbors, like we used to.
• The city is very strict on building codes and tree removal that it is very hard to satisfy the city requirements. The city needs to loosen the codes so that it will be easier to pass inspections as well as getting permits.
• learn to spend less
• Keep Lacy Park for residents only as much as possible • Highest priority is to maintain streets and roadways in excellent condition • Follow Pasadena in outlawing all leaf blowers gas and electric and enforce this law - in particular in light of all of the ash and particulate matter caused by the Eaton fire and its unknown effects on our community strongly believe not a good idea to spread it around and make airborne.
• Bury Electrical lines to prevent fires.
• Safety and crime.
• The city has too many vacant and unoccupied houses. We should re-consider a ballot measure to impose a vacancy tax to pay for the services and city expenses associated with a totally vacant house.
• San Marino really needs to do something about the traffic. It's getting unmanageable, impacting all of the residents' quality of life and lowering property values. • Place a high tax on (1) failure to maintain property, and (2) failure to have the property inhabited. See 1285 Belhaven Road (I think that is the address). • San Marino suffers from having access to only ONE high speed internet provider:
Spectrum Internet. There is no option for gigabit fiber internet in San Marino and no alternative to Spectrum unless users wish to downgrade to slower, obsolete technology.
Please take measures to improve Internet Service Provider availability in San Marino. • Repair the roads.
• Please find out why we have so many Poweroutages on Coniston Place--At least Once a month. I appreciate the commitmment to taking care of the sewers but we also need functioning electrical power!
• No cell tower and no sewer line parcel tax!
• As a 24-year resident of the city, I appreciate how well managed it continues to be in the face of many challenges. My highest priority is addressing the lack of speed control on streets like ours, where drivers continue to ignore speed limits, as well as stop signs and the Keep Clear signage.
• Pedestrian Safety
• No initiatives on improving San Marino schools?
• SMUSD additional funding via a REAL farmer's market like La Jolla has. It creates a couple of hundred thousand dollars of annual revenue. Set it up in front of the High School. • Keep unwanted people out
• You keep raising property taxes is there a time when there is a cap or a limit to how much you can charge
• Charge empty house owners huge payments to cover police, fire protections, street maintenance, schools(lack of ada) . Basically San Marino is a bank where out of country investors can park their money. The community suffers from it and deserves recompense. • I urge the city to prioritize burying electric utilities to prevent fires. I have noticed that several neighborhoods in the city have buried lines while others do not. Over the years, I have had several outages, some lasting over a week related to downed lines and failed transformers. These situations could have caused fires and with many elderly residents create a health hazard.