Santa Monica City Council
March 11, 2025

Meeting: March 11, 2025
1 16 ITEM BY COUNCILMEMBERS DAN HALL AND NATALYA ZERNITSKAYA 2 Request of Councilmembers Hall and Zernitskaya that the City Council approve City 3 Sponsorship of the LGBTQ+ SaMo Pride community festival on June 21, 2025 and the 4 Santa Monica Pier Pride Event taking place on June 22, 2025 using $10,000 in previously 5 allocated Council discretionary funds for these events from the FY2024-2025 Budget. 6 The City Council has allocated some amount of funding from its discretionary budget to 7 sponsor SaMo Pride most years since 2019. In past years, this funding has helped fund the initial 8 Pride on the Promenade, establish a Trans Equity Scholarship, and fund Queer Prom. Last year, 9 in the absence of the SaMoHi GSA organizing Queer Prom, Staff worked with former 10 Councilmember Gleam Davis to sponsor a Pride “Story-echtomy” Writing Workshop and 11 Performance Night organized by Crow Comedy, Inc., a local 501(c)(3) “serving artists and cultural 12 communities by providing education, mentorship, career development, and workshops to foster upward mobility and meaningful relationships.” 13 1 Crow Comedy, Inc., has been a big supporter of 14 Pride and helped produce the Santa Monica Pier Corporation’s Pride programming in 2024. 15 In 2024, at the beginning of the FY 2024-2025 budget cycle, the City Council allocated 16 $10,000 towards sponsoring Pride month but did not specify the purpose for the funds. Therefore, 17 this allocation is already accounted for when looking at the remaining available funds in the 18 Council discretionary budget for this budget cycle. Waiving of City fees is an additional lever 19 Council has available to make cultural events financially viable when additional financial 20 sponsorship is not feasible.
21 Finally, on February 13, 2025, Mayor Lana Negrete, on behalf of Council, reaffirmed the 22 City’s commitment that “Santa Monica is a city for everyone… together, we will continue to build 23 a community rooted in safety, inclusion, and dignity for all.” This is more important than ever as 24 the federal government rolls back recognition and sponsorship of Pride events across federal 25 departments and the military.
26 In order to promote our city as welcoming and inclusive, supportive of local artists and cultural 27 events, and promote the dignity of LGBTQ+ persons,
28 WE THEREFORE MOVE THAT THE COUNCIL:
29 1. Direct the Interim City Manager to purpose the previously allocated $10,000 of Council 30 discretionary funds to sponsor the LGBTQ+ SaMo Pride community festival on June 21, 31 2025 and the Pride Pier Event sponsored by the Santa Monica Pier Corporation on June 32 22, 2025 and to waive any City imposed fees associated with the events. 33 34 # # #
1 https://www.comedyreflectsourworld.org/