To: Mr. Oscar Santiago, Finance Director
City of Santa Monica
From: Steve Mermell, Special Advisor
Suzanne Martin, Senior Consultant
Sarona Vivanco, Senior Consultant
Subject: Community Budget Outreach Results
Date: February 27, 2025
The City of Santa Monica engaged Baker Tilly to facilitate a series of budget outreach community meetings and administer an on-line community survey, to inform and engage members of the public regarding the City’s financial condition, budget priorities and the allocation of City resources. This memorandum summarizes the results of both the community meetings and the survey. City staff undertook significant messaging and distribution of materials to get the word out to the public about both the meetings and the survey, including issuing a press release, developing a flyer, and posting on the City’s blog and social media.
Community Meetings
Baker Tilly conducted three community meetings (two in-person and one virtual). The topics that were discussed at each meeting included:
• An overview of the purpose of the budget;
• The City’s budget cycle and process;
• General Fund revenues, operating expenditures, and reserves; • Factors impacting the City’s finances;
• Recent voter approved measures; and
• The City’s five adopted priority areas and performance measures for each.
City staff were available at all three meetings to answer questions from members of the public. The City staff who attended the meetings included the Deputy City Manager, Finance Director, and others.
A summary of the three meetings is provided in Table 1 below.
Table 1. Community Meeting Attendance
Community Meeting Location
Attendees from
the Public
(approximate)
Thursday, February 6; 6:00 pm (in-person) Main Library Multipurpose Room 12 Thursday, February 13; 6:00 pm (virtual) Zoom 11
Tuesday, February 18; 6:30 pm (in-person) Pico Branch Library Annex 6 Priorities
Baker Tilly deployed the on-line tool, Mentimeter, to administer group polls about the City’s adopted priorities at each of the community meetings. Participants logged into Mentimeter on their smartphone or laptop and answered ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to questions for each priority, asking whether it was still relevant, important, and appropriate. A summary of the responses received during all three meetings were consolidated and are provided in Figure 1 below.
ATTACHMENT G
Figure 1. Importance, Relevance, and Appropriateness of Existing Priorities Participants were then given an opportunity to provide one word to describe other priorities that they thought should be considered by the City. The responses that were provided are listed below. The number of duplicate responses received are indicated in the parentheses. • Aquatics
• Artificial intelligence
• Assistive technology
• Buildings maintained
• Cleanliness
• Community events
• Concerts
• Crime reduction
• Deferred maintenance (2)
• Economic recovery
• Electrification
• Help homeless population (2)
• Increase housing density
• Keep the airport
• Library (10)
• Live music
• More field space
• More housing
• Parks
• Protect small businesses
• Protected bike lanes
• Public events
• Recovery
• Restoring youth services
• Safe streets
• Safety (3)
• School funding
• Small businesses
• Spiritual counselors
• Revitalizing Third Street (3)
• Upgrade the Promenade
• Walkable areas
• Workout access at parks
• Youth (2)
Community Survey
Baker Tilly deployed a survey in English and Spanish to obtain input from community members about areas of priority focus for the City of Santa Monica. The City was interested in hearing from community members about priorities and which City services and programs are most important to them, as staff develops the budget for the next two years. The survey questions were developed by Baker Tilly and were refined with the City’s project team. SurveyMonkey™ was used to conduct the survey and compile the anonymous responses. The questions that were asked in the survey are provided in Attachment A.
The survey was open from January 29 to February 19, 2025, and received a total of 1,293 responses (1,288 in English and 5 in Spanish). It should be noted that the survey is not the same as a statistically 26 26
23 13
19 4
1 5
14 9
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Addressing Homelessness
Clean & Safe Santa Monica
Cultivate Economic Recovery & Expand
Community & Cultural Offerings
Racial Justice, Equity & Social Diversity
Sustainable & Connected Community
Yes No
ATTACHMENT G
valid voter survey conducted by pollsters; however, the response rate was very good, largely due to the City’s efforts pushing the information out to the community.
The survey was designed to elicit feedback from community members in the following areas to provide insight into the allocation and prioritization of City resources. • Quality level of City services
• City services impacted by the pandemic
• Greatest neighborhood needs
• Overarching City strategic priorities
In addition, specific questions regarding how the City can support the local business and non-profit communities were asked of respondents who indicated they were a business owner or employee of a non-profit, respectively.
Key Findings
• The three City services that received the most excellent or good quality responses include:
o Providing clean water and maintaining water infrastructure o Fighting fires and providing emergency services
o Collecting trash and recycling from homes
• The three City services that received the most fair or poor quality responses include:
o Dealing with the regional homelessness crisis
o Addressing crime
o Protecting public safety
• The top three responses for City services that were negatively impacted by the pandemic and not fully recovered include:
o Housing and homeless services
o Library services
o Public safety services
• The top three responses for neighborhood needs include:
o Addressing homelessness
o Public safety
o Affordable housing
• When asked about the City’s existing five priorities, 80% or more respondents answered that Addressing Homelessness and Clean and Safe continue to be very important. By comparison, fewer than 30% indicated that Justice, Equity, and Diversity was very important, and fewer than 40% indicated that Sustainable and Connected was very important.
ATTACHMENT G
City Services
Questions were posed to gauge respondents’ thoughts about the quality of City services that Santa Monia provides. Of the services listed, respondents were asked whether the quality was excellent, good, fair, or poor. If the respondent was neutral or didn’t know, they could indicate that as well. Responses to these questions are presented in Figure 2 below.
Figure 2. Quality of City Services
112
349
91 218
94 342
70 167
154
163
153
157
159
158
62 112
20 70
156
56 89
326
121
31 551
534
430
390
423
468
357
464
483
439
480
503
418
276
230
375
98 164
342
255
332
503
397
130
201
121
248
153
231
156
188
288
239
253
153
169
268
192
253
272
133
220
206
184
263
173
239
229
194
144
214
169
280
89 277
131
203
120
187
204
112
111
177
222
223
183
233
237
157
101
245
157
162
61 260
174
214
92 356
76 148
67 240
179
98 110
242
218
739
333
280
478
178
65 208
386
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400
Providing city services overall
Collecting trash and recycling from your home
Keeping traffic on City streets flowing smoothly
Providing library services
Maintaining and repairing streets and sidewalks
Fighting fires and providing emergency services
Keeping City streets and alleys clean
Providing cultural and arts opportunities
Keeping street trees trimmed
Providing recreation and sports programs
Maintaining City parks
Maintaining City beaches
Making Santa Monica environmentally sustainable
Responding to 911 calls
Enforcing City building, zoning, health, and safety codes Communicating with residents
Dealing with the regional homelessness crisis
Providing services for the homeless
Providing enough public parking
Addressing crime and protecting public safety
Preparing for an emergency
Providing clean water and maintaining water infrastructure Cleaning up litter and graffiti
Managing City finances
Excellent Quality Good Quality Neutral Fair Quality Poor Quality
ATTACHMENT G
Respondents were asked to indicate up to three services that they felt were negatively impacted during the pandemic and are not yet fully recovered. Responses to this question are provided in Table 2 below, and are listed in order of response rate.
Table 2. What City services do you feel were most negatively impacted during the pandemic and are still not fully recovered?
Answer Choices Response
Housing and homeless services 600 (46.4%)
Library services 468 (36.2%)
Public safety services 460 (35.6%)
Parks and recreation services (such as neighborhood parks, camps, classes, Swim Center, community gardens) 311 (24.1%)
Maintenance services (such as graffiti removal, tree trimming, street light repair, street sweeping) 310 (24.0%)
Business services (licenses and permits) 267 (20.6%)
Youth services 129 (10.0%)
Transportation services (such as Big Blue Bus, bike and scooter share) 91 (7.0%) Senior services 84 (6.5%)
Other (please specify) 252 (19.5%)
Other services indicated are included in Attachment B.
Respondents were asked to select up to five items that represent their neighborhood’s greatest needs.
Responses to this question are provided in Table 3 below, and are listed in order of response rate.
Table 3. What do you think are the areas of greatest need in your neighborhood? Answer Choices Response
Addressing homelessness 942 (73.1%)
Public safety 668 (51.8%)
Affordable housing 484 (37.4%)
Mental health services 423 (32.6%)
Mobility and safe streets 418 (32.3%)
Street maintenance and repair 347 (26.9%)
Parks maintenance and programs 301 (23.4%)
Economic development and job opportunities 292 (22.5%)
Sustainability and climate change 176 (13.6%)
Childcare 161 (12.4%)
Public transportation 142 (11.0%)
Equity and inclusion 82 (6.4%)
Healthcare 64 (5.0%)
Other (please specify) 315 (24.4%)
Other needs indicated are included in Attachment B.
ATTACHMENT G
Priorities
The survey listed the five existing strategic priorities. Respondents were asked to indicate the importance of each priority. The survey responses are summarized in Figure 3 below. The same information is presented in Table 4.
Figure 3. Please indicate how important each of these priorities is to you as it represents the interests and values of the community.
Table 4. Please indicate how important each of these priorities is to you as it represents the interests and values of the community.
Priority Very
Important
Somewhat
Important Neutral Somewhat Unimportant
Not At All
Important
Don’t
Know / Not
Applicable
Addressing Homelessness 1,001 (80.0%) 138 (11.0%) 40 (3.2%) 24 (1.9%) 43 (3.4%) 6 (0.5%) Justice, Equity, and
Diversity 356 (28.7%) 258 (20.8%) 184 (14.8%) 119 (9.6%) 317 (25.5%) 9 (0.7%) Clean and Safe 1,067 (85.3%) 151 (12.1%) 22 (1.8%) 7 (0.6%) 2 (0.2%) 2 (0.2%) Sustainable and Connected 461 (37.1%) 355 (28.6%) 203 (16.4%) 91 (7.3%) 119 (9.6%) 12 (1.0%) Economic Growth and
Cultural Vitality 668 (53.6%) 368 (29.5%) 124 (9.9%) 39 (3.1%) 38 (3.0%) 10 (0.8%) Respondents had the opportunity to provide additional priorities for the City to consider. Other priorities indicated are included in Attachment B.
1,001
356
1,067
461
668
138
258
151
355
368
40 184
22 203
124
24 119
7 91
39 43
317
2 119
38 0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
Addressing
Homelessness
Justice, Equity, and
Diversity
Clean and Safe Sustainable and
Connected
Economic Growth and
Cultural Vitality
Very Important Somewhat Important Neutral Somewhat Unimportant Not At All Important
ATTACHMENT G
Who Submitted Responses?
Tables 5 through 13 show the percentage breakdown of respondent demographics. The percentages do not always total to 100% because respondents may have indicated “other” in one or more of the responses, and in some cases, respondents were asked to select all options that apply.
Summary
• Nealy one-third of respondents are between 31 to 45 years old; one third is 46 to 60 years old, and the last third is over 60 years old.
• The majority of respondents (62%) are female.
• About half of respondents (52%) are homeowners.
• Most respondents (71%) identify as white.
• Some of the open-ended responses expressed frustration over being asked about race and sexual orientation in a budget survey.
Table 5. What is your age range?
Answer Choices Response
Under 18 years old 2 (0%)
18 to 30 years old 56 (5%)
31 to 45 years old 383 (32%)
46 to 60 years old 383 (32%)
Over 60 years old 376 (32%)
Table 6. What is your gender?
Answer Choices Response
Male 435 (36%)
Female 739 (62%)
Non-binary 10 (1%)
Not listed 10 (1%)
Table 7. Do you own or rent your residence?
Answer Choices Response
Own 626 (52%)
Rent 548 (46%)
Currently occupying without paying monetary rent 17 (1%) Not sure 9 (1%)
Table 8. Are you of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin? Answer Choices Response
Yes 155 (13%)
No 1,006 (87%)
ATTACHMENT G
Table 9. What is your race?
Answer Choices Response
White 880 (71%)
Black or African American 42 (4%)
American Indian or Alaska Native 14 (1%)
Asian 103 (9%)
Other (please specify) 125 (11%)
Table 10. What is your sexual orientation?
Answer Choices Response
Heterosexual (straight) 943 (85%)
Homosexual (gay or lesbian) 46 (4%)
Bisexual 25 (2%)
Pansexual 12 (2%)
Asexual 4 (0%)
Other (please specify) 73 (7%)
Table 11. Are you a member of Santa Monica’s LGBTQIA+ Community? Answer Choices Response
Yes 97 (9%)
No 997 (91%)
Table 12. Including yourself, how many people currently live in your household? Answer Choices Response
1 237 (20%)
2 419 (36%)
3 203 (17%)
4 226 (19%)
5 67 (6%)
More than 5 23 (2%)
Table 13. Which of the following best describes your relationship with the City of Santa Monica? Answer Choices Response
Business owner in Santa Monica 264 (21%)
Employee of a non-profit in Santa Monica 60 (5%)
Resident of Santa Monica 1,134 (90%)
Student 51 (4%)
ATTACHMENT G
Work in Santa Monica 400 (46%)
Shop/do business in Santa Monica 583 (46%)
City of Santa Monica employee 53 (4%)
Member of a board, commission, or committee 112 (9%)
Other (please specify) 97 (8%)
Other relationships with the City of Santa Monica mostly fell into the following categories: parent of SMMUSD students, homeowner, volunteer, member of an organization or group in Santa Monica.
Santa Monica Business Questions
The survey asked business owners to indicate their type of business. Of the 264 respondents who indicated they are business owners, 234 responded to this question. The major categories of businesses that were provided are listed below.
• Arts and entertainment
o Acting coach
o Art
o Entertainment
o Film production / animation
o Music
o Photography
o Talent management and production
• Health and wellness
o Acupuncture clinic
o Beauty/personal care
o Counseling
o Dental practice
o Fitness
o Health and wellness
o Medical care
o Physical therapy
• Business and professional services
o Advertising
o Book marketing
o Business manager
o Consulting services
o Copywriting and marketing communications
o Finance / investment services
o Legal services
o Marketing agency
o Notary public
o Professional services
o Real estate /property management
o Technology
o Writing services
• Construction and home services
o Architecture and planning
o Construction
o Custom window treatments
o Electrical
o Landscaping
• Retail and e-commerce
o Clothing originals
o E-commerce
ATTACHMENT G
o Gift store
o Retail
• Food and hospitality
o Clothing originals
o E-commerce
o Gift store
o Retail
• Freelance and creative/technology services
o Freelance digital artists
o Freelancing writing/producing
o Graphic design
o Interactive media
o Media - travel writer - concierge
o Media tech: interactive, streaming, startups
• Community/miscellaneous services
o Coaching
o Community classes instructor
o Youth programs
o Childcare
o Environmental
o Hobby/community place
o Housing provider
o Pet care
o Taekwondo school
o Trapeze school
o Travel
Business owners were asked to provide the number of employees in their business. Half of the business owners have just one employee. A summary of the responses is provided below.
Table 14. How many employees does your business have?
Answer Choices Response
1 114 (50.0%)
2 to 10 88 (38.6%)
11 to 50 21 (9.2%)
51 to 100 1 (0.4%)
Greater than 100 4 (1.8%)
The survey asked business owners how the City can best support the local business community.
Responses to this question are provided below.
Table 15. How can the City best support the local business community? Please check all that apply.
Answer Choices Response
Restore funding to the Capital Program to provide things like better maintenance, lighting, and other improvements to public spaces. 98 (41.4%) Develop a more robust economic development program to help promote the city as an attractive choice to open a business. 134 (56.5%) Create more flexibility in the payment of city fees over time. 52 (21.9%)
ATTACHMENT G
Invest in technology to improve online services for permitting and business license. 84 (35.4%)
Other (please specify) 110 (46.4%)
The 110 open-ended responses to other ways the City can best support the local business community are summarized into categories below.
• Public Safety & Homelessness
o Reduce crime and clean up the city to make it more attractive for businesses and residents.
o Improve the cleanliness and safety of public areas like parking structures and freeway exits.
o Increase police presence, enforce laws, and ensure public safety in streets, parks, and public spaces to make the city feel safer for residents and visitors. o Ensure protections against fires in older areas and improve disaster preparedness. • Business and Economic Development
o Make it easier for retail and entertainment businesses to exist by reducing red tape, providing business incentives, and offering grants or rent vouchers for small businesses. o Encourage new real estate development, lower city taxes, and provide affordable leases and commercial rental space options.
o Promote business incubators and startup funding, prioritize hiring local businesses for City projects, and provide fast payment options for City suppliers. o Support small businesses through grants and financial assistance, and streamline the permitting process to make it easier to open and maintain businesses in Santa Monica. • Infrastructure and Services
o Improve street safety and cleanliness.
o Install citywide fiber internet.
o Provide more parking options with fewer restrictions. o Enhance public infrastructure by maintaining working-class housing and preventing overdevelopment.
o Ensure proper tree trimming and urban forest maintenance. • Community Engagement and Support
o Become more active in the tech startup community.
o Support local businesses through Chamber of Commerce programming. o Promote the current businesses of residents.
o Encourage community well-being programs and provide safe meeting spaces for businesses.
• Miscellaneous Suggestions & Comments
o Terminate DEI programs.
o Abandon sustainability initiatives.
o Focus on fiscal responsibility over ideology.
Santa Monica Non-Profit Questions
The survey asked non-profit employees to indicate their organization’s primary mission, the 39 responses provided fell into the categories listed below.
• Healthcare
• Community support and development
• Education
• Arts and culture
• Environment and sustainability
• Childcare and youth services
• Animal welfare
• Business and research
ATTACHMENT G
Non-profit employees were asked to indicate whether their non-profit receives any City grant funding. The answers to this question are provided below.
Table 16. Do you receive any grant funding?
Answer Choices Response
Yes 20 (42.6%)
No 22 (46.8%)
Other (please specify) 5 (10.6%)
The five “other” responses are listed below.
• My workplace does, not me as an individual.
• No funding has ever been received. It is urgently needed and would be appreciated. • Not sure.
• Have gotten art of recovery grants.
• I don't know.
The survey asked non-profit employees how the City can best support the local non-profit community.
Responses to this question are summarized below.
• Increase funding and grant opportunities.
• Create more opportunities for city engagement and support for cultural events. • Provide free community events to foster joy and neighborly connection. • Continue to restore sustainability programs.
• Help connect businesses to non-profits for additional support. • Address homelessness with clear information about local resources and expand support beyond residency restrictions.
• Improve library services, support cultural events, and provide spaces for grantees to collaborate.
ATTACHMENT G
Conclusion
Responses to the survey indicate that homelessness, public safety (which is highly correlated to homelessness) and affordable housing are top concerns. That this is the case is not surprising, as these issues are ubiquitous throughout the state’s major metropolitan areas.
Respondents rated several City services highly particularly, the provision of clean water and maintaining water infrastructure, fighting fires and providing emergency services, and collecting trash and recycling from homes.
There was recognition that many City services had been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and had yet to fully recover to pre-pandemic levels. Given the importance respondents placed on homelessness and public safety in general, it is not surprising to see these two categories mentioned in this regard. The fact that library services were mentioned as the second most impacted service that has yet to recover is an indication of how valued the services are to the community.
Members of the business community who responded to the survey, are most interested in the City developing a more robust economic development strategy and increasing investments in maintaining the City’s appearance so as to create a welcoming environment which would support business activities.
The non-profit community would like to see an expansion of the City grant program as well as more opportunities to engage with the City and community at large. This could take the form of more Citysponsored community events.
ATTACHMENT G
Attachment A – Community Survey Questions
City Services 1. Thinking about the City services listed below, indicate the level of service quality that the City of Santa Monica provides.
Services Excellent
Quality
Good
Quality Neutral Fair Quality
Poor
Quality
Don’t Know /
Not
Applicable
a. Providing city services overall
b. Collecting trash and recycling from your home
c. Keeping traffic on City streets flowing smoothly
d. Providing library services
e. Maintaining and repairing streets and sidewalks
f. Fighting fires and providing emergency services
g. Keeping City streets and alleys clean
h. Providing cultural and arts opportunities
i. Keeping street trees trimmed
j. Providing recreation and sports programs
k. Maintaining City parks
l. Maintaining City beaches
m. Making Santa Monica environmentally
sustainable
n. Responding to 911 calls
o. Enforcing City building, zoning, health, and
safety codes
p. Communicating with residents
q. Dealing with the regional homelessness crisis
r. Providing services for the homeless
s. Providing enough public parking
t. Addressing crime and protecting public safety
u. Preparing for an emergency
v. Providing clean water and maintaining water
infrastructure
w. Cleaning up litter and graffiti
x. Managing City finances
2. What City services do you feel were most negatively impacted during the pandemic and are still not fully recovered? Please select your top three.
• Business services (licenses and permits)
• Housing and homeless services
• Library services
• Maintenance services (such as graffiti removal, tree trimming, street light repair, street sweeping)
ATTACHMENT G
• Parks and recreation services (such as neighborhood parks, camps, classes, Swim Center, community gardens)
• Public safety services
• Senior services
• Transportation services (such as Big Blue Bus, bike and scooter share) • Youth services
• Other (please specify)
3. What do you think are the areas of greatest need in your neighborhood? Please select your top five.
Need First Priority Second
Priority
Third Priority Fourth
Priority
Fifth Priority
Addressing homelessness
Affordable housing
Childcare
Economic development and job
opportunities
Equity and inclusion
Healthcare
Mental health services
Mobility and safe streets
Parks maintenance and programs
Public safety
Public transportation
Street maintenance and repair
Sustainability and climate change
Other (please specify)
Priorities
The City Council’s five strategic priorities highlight the City’s values, inform recommendations on new investments, and focus staff efforts and projects. The five existing strategic priorities are listed below. • Addressing Homelessness Preventing housed Santa Monicans from becoming homeless, increasing the supply of affordable housing, and advocating for regional capacity to address homelessness.
• Justice, Equity, and Diversity Advancing racial equity, justice, and social diversity to improve the well-being of people who live, work, learn, play, and do business here. • Clean and Safe Commitment to maintaining and enhancing an atmosphere marked by clean and safe public spaces and neighborhoods.
• Sustainable and Connected Enhancing our resources, preventing and remedying harm to the natural environment and human health, and benefiting the social and economic wellbeing of the community. • Economic Growth and Cultural Vitality Cultivating economic opportunity and recovery and investing in amenities and programs for all community members.
4. Please indicate how important each of these priorities is to you, as representing the interests and values of the community.
ATTACHMENT G
Priority Very
Important
Somewhat
Important Neutral Somewhat Unimportant
Not At All
Important
Don’t Know /
Not
Applicable
Addressing
Homelessness
Justice, Equity, and
Diversity
Clean and Safe
Sustainable and
Connected
Economic Growth and
Cultural Vitality
5. If you think other strategic priorities should be considered, as the City develops the next budget and allocates resources, please list those items in the spaces below.
Demographic Questions
Please note, all demographic questions except #14 on this page are optional.
6. What is your age range?
• Under 18 years old
• 18 to 30 years old
• 31 to 45 years old
• 46 to 60 years old
• Over 60 years old
7. What is your gender?
• Male
• Female
• Bon-binary
• Not listed
8. Do you own or rent your residence?
• Own
• Rent
• Currently occupying without paying monetary rent
• Not sure
9. Are you of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin?
• Yes
• No
10. What is your race? Please check all that apply.
• White
• Black or African American
• American Indian or Alaska Native
• Asian
• Other (please specify)
11. What is your sexual orientation?
• Heterosexual (straight)
• Homosexual (gay or lesbian)
• Bisexual
ATTACHMENT G
• Pansexual
• Asexual
• Other (please specify)
12. Are you part of Santa Monica’s LGBTQIA+ community?
• Yes
• No
13. Including yourself, how many people currently live in your household? • 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• More than 5
14. Which of the following best describes your relationship with the City of Santa Monica? Please check all that apply.
• Business owner in Santa Monica
• Employee of a non-profit in Santa Monica
• Resident of Santa Monica
• Student
• Work in Santa Monica
• Shop/do business in Santa Monica
• City of Santa Monica employee
• Member of a board, commission, or committee
• Other (please specify)
Santa Monica Business Questions
15. Please indicate your type of business in the space provided.
16. Please provide the number of employees in the space below.
17. How can the City best support the local business community? Please check all that apply. • Restore funding to the Capital Program to provide things like better maintenance, lighting, and other improvements to public spaces.
• Develop a more robust economic development program to help promote the city as an attractive choice to open a business.
• Create more flexibility in the payment of city fees over time. • Invest in technology to improve online services for permitting and business license. • Other (please specify)
Santa Monica Non-Profit Questions
18. What is the primary mission of your nonprofit?
19. Do you receive grant funding?
• Yes
• No
• Other (please specify)
20. How can the City of Santa Monica best support the local non-profit community?
ATTACHMENT G
Attachment B – Open Ended Responses
The electronic survey included a number of open-ended questions, and opportunities for respondents to other options than the answer choices provided. The raw open-ended responses were provided to the City in a separate document. The open-ended responses that have been summarized into overarching themes for city services, greatest needs, and priorities are presented below.
City Services
What other City services do you feel were most negatively impacted during the pandemic and are not fully recovered? (251 responses)
1. Public Safety and Crime
• Addressing crime, drug abuse, gang presence, and ensuring safety in public spaces. • Increasing police presence, improving police response, training, and accountability. • Enforcing traffic laws, loitering, sleeping on streets, EV use on bike paths, speed limits, etc.
2. Homelessness
• Addressing homelessness with a focus on treatment programs, housing solutions, removing encampments, aggressive behavior, etc.
• Separating housing issues from homelessness.
3. Urban Development and Infrastructure
• Streamlining permitting processes, improving infrastructure (roads, sidewalks), addressing overdevelopment concerns.
• Planning for adaptive reuse of commercial properties, strategic urban planning. • Addressing poor city planning, dangerous lane markings.
4. Community Cleanliness and Environment
• Code enforcement
• Maintaining clean streets, alleys, parks; addressing litter, hazardous waste. • Protecting urban forest, planting more trees.
• Addressing climate change impacts, sustainability efforts.
5. Education
• Supporting early childhood programs
• Public school funding, quality education.
• Providing programs for kids (afterschool care).
6. Economic Development
• Supporting small businesses
• More affordable parklets
• Attracting new businesses to empty storefronts.
• Restoring closed businesses, lowering rent (residential/commercial).
7. Public Services
• Improving animal control/shelter services.
• Enhancing library services (hours), community events/programs. • Providing social services for disabled/unhoused/elderly/youth.
ATTACHMENT G
8. Government Transparency and Accountability
• Ensuring fiscal responsibility (cutting waste), government transparency. • Monitoring landlords (slumlords), enforcing ordinances/laws.
9. Community Engagement
• Organizing arts events/local festivals.
• Revitalizing public spaces (promenade), creating communal locations.
10. Health and Well-being
• Providing mental health services/crisis intervention. • Ensuring safety near evacuation zones (toxin risks).
Areas of Greatest Need
What do you think are the areas of greatest need in your neighborhood? (314 responses)
1. Homelessness and safety
• Stop needle distribution in parks
• Address open drug use and remove homeless encampments • Increase safety and crime prevention
• Improve street safety with more stop signs and better traffic law enforcement
2. Funding and finance
• More funding for public schools, libraries, and non-profits • Better financial management
• Reducing taxes
3. Community and infrastructure
• Address issues like alley repaving and streetlight installation • Cleaner streets, parks, and beaches
4. Development and housing
• Concerns about overdevelopment and high commercial rents • Need for affordable housing
• Stop new apartment constructions and preserve single-family neighborhoods
5. Public services
• Improved communication from city services
• Better emergency preparedness
• Enhanced public education
• Better code enforcement
• Streamlined permitting processes
6. Environmental concerns
• Sustainability programs and clean water initiatives
• Proper tree maintenance to prevent diseases
7. Community engagement
• More community events
• Better support for local businesses
• Increased opportunities for city engagement
ATTACHMENT G
Additional Priorities
If you think other strategic priorities should be considered, as the City develops the next budget and allocates resources, please list those items in the spaces below. (1,593 responses) The top 20 priorities that were mentioned most frequently are listed below. • Address empty commercial space
• Address homelessness
• Affordable housing
• Balance the City budget/financial management
• Clean up streets and beaches
• Code enforcement
• Drop DEI programs and spending
• Early childhood education
• Economic development
• Enforcing traffic laws; bike/pedestrian safety
• Expand library services/open hours
• Increase policing
• Keep the Santa Monica airport
• Manage development of apartments and condos
• Mental health services
• More funding/resources for our public schools
• Public safety and crime
• Revitalize downtown
• Street lights, pavement, repair
• Youth programs
ATTACHMENT G
Attachment C – Additional Comments
Some members of the public called or emailed with additional feedback for the City. The comments that were submitted are provided below verbatim.
• To be brief the 'community participation' is required for planning but is a complete waste of time because the decisions by the folks in charge are sometimes good and sometimes bad like the single lane for cars and the bike lane where the car that is parking opens their door in traffic and against the bike lane. The city is going to do what the city does. Like when my wife was sent by ambulance four blocks to St Johns and the bill was $2,400.00 because the city has a contract arrangement with McCormick! We all know that our input is a total waste of time and the council will do whatever they chose! I’m not shooting the messenger! • Whatever you do, please do NOT shut down the airport. It is absolutely needed and generates enormous income for the City. Do NOT close the airport. An absolute community necessity and huge source of income for the city. If closed, the cost to remediate will bankrupt the city. • Last night at the Ocean Park Neighborhood Association a member of the Board and Main Street Merchants Association said that the city is broke. Is that true? Alarming. If possible I would like to have a conversation with the finance department lead before the February 13, 2025 event. • Only if I have full control over the budget....I can do this and do it right! • Thank you for the information.
• I respectfully ask why would you need to provide interpreters for Spanish speakers? If they are doing business in Santa Monica, they should speak English or have someone to represent them who speaks English. Why should the city of Santa Monica sustain the expense of a Spanish interpreter? Will the city of SM also have Chinese and German, and Vietnamese interpreters? Santa Monica city taxes are already too high and this added expense will surely e passed on to us residents.? Please don't enable people who've come to our country to not blend into the American culture. I came from Italy and my parents did not speak English and we, the children had to interpret for them, which forced us to learn to speak English much faster. I AM COMPLETELY AGAINST HAVING SPANISH INTERPRETERS FOR BUSINESS OWNERS and I hope you will reconsider your decision.
• Homeowners pay so much in taxes in Santa Monica. It costs a LOT to live here, and some people are being forced out due to the cost. Not everyone has the right to live here. Yes, we need to address homelessness, but not the way the left-wing City Council thinks we should. We should not be spending more resources on the homeless population and encourage them to stay here, and more to come here. We need to discourage them from being here, make it inhospitable here.
Downtown used to be nice, but now it is dangerous due to crime.
ATTACHMENT G