Written Comments — Santa Monica City Council, May 27, 2025

1 David Yakobson
From: Alex Lazar <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 4:02 PM
To: Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; councilmtgitems; [email protected] Subject: Support Santa Monica Forward's 2025 Budget Recommendations (7A)

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
As a Santa Monica resident, I support the budget recommendations submitted by Santa Monica Forward and urge you to adopt them in the final FY 2025–2027 budget.

Measure K was passed to support public safety and safer streets—not to backfill general expenses.

Please use these funds as voters intended by prioritizing smart, effective programs like automated bike lane enforcement, enhanced mobility safety, and expanded lighting in high-need areas.

I also urge you to freeze vacant positions and require a zero-based budgeting review for any future hiring.

Every role should be tied to current city priorities and approved by the incoming City Manager.

Transparency and accountability are more important than ever. Please:
-Post the full draft line-item budget in Excel format by May 30 -Share data on remote staffing and presence
-Focus new spending on programs that benefit the community directly Let’s build a Santa Monica that is safer, more efficient, and more prepared for the future.

Thank you for your leadership.

Sincerely,
Alex Lazar
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2 David Yakobson
From: Ray and Dina Johnson <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 1:34 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Jesse Zwick; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Elaine Polachek; Douglas Sloan; [email protected]
Subject: More police

EXTERNAL
May and councilors,
Los Angeles is decreasing police.

Therefore, Santa Monica will need more police.

Please vote to increase our police force.

Thank you,
Ray and Dina Johnson, Yale St
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3 David Yakobson
From: Arthur Jeon <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 1:27 PM
To: Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Jesse Zwick; councilmtgitems
Cc: [email protected]; Douglas Sloan; City of Santa Monica; Jeanette Gant; Micah Akerson; Erika Aklufi; Danielle Noble; Ramon Batista; [email protected]; Roberto Lucio; Thomas McLaughlin; Jose Rodriguez; Annette Farmer; Maryanne LaGuardia; Albin Gielicz; Alisha Brady; [email protected]; Arati Desai Wagabaza; Lori Brown; John Smith; John E. Alle; Evan Meyer; [email protected]; Luke Cain; Peter Bosen; [email protected]; Elaine Golden-Gealer; Eric Sedman; Michele Aronson; Aisling Winders; Julia Ladd; Peter TRINH; Anuj Gupta; [email protected]; dominic gomez; Jenna Grigsby; Attorney Mailbox; Shawn R.

Kehoe; Andrew Thomas (Downtown Santa Monica); SMDP Editor; Susan Cline; Third District; Michele A Wittig; [email protected]; Attorney Mailbox; Joe; Jenny Rush; Stan Epstein; Gary Tsai; [email protected]; Zina Josephs; Leah; Phil Brock; Lauren Howland; [email protected]; Matthew Hall; Richard Drapkin; [email protected]; [email protected]; councilmtgitems; MK; Dan Charn.; [email protected]; Gerardo Leyva; Carlos Jaen; Brandon Capiro; Kelly Simon; Mario Fonda-Bonardi; Jing Yeo; [email protected]; Scott McGee; Gerardo Leyva; Ryan Gradle; Roy Brown; Frank Marnell; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Robert Coleman; [email protected]; [email protected]; Alyssa G; [email protected]; Lewis Gilmour; Lowell Watson; Rudy Flores
Subject: Summer (drug) Tourism is back!

EXTERNAL
Dear Council,
Please excuse the shocking photo, but it’s a mere taste of what I and my neighbors see every day (for those of you living in leafy streets unperturbed by what this snapshot reveals—two transients, one completely naked).

I understand you are voting on 5 new police officers tonight. We need them for the following reasons:

1. Downtown is still out of control with disorder, undercutting every effort to recover, because people don't to want to witness depravity when they are trying decide where to have fun. They will go to the Grove or Century City.

2. Downtown is dangerous. And even if you are not attacked, you have to be aware of your surroundings because extremely unstable people are lurching all over the place. Tourists don’t want to be around it, and they certainly won’t send their tween to hang out, which used to be the lifeblood of the scene. I see it every day on my walk to the gym on the promenade where I routinely cross the street to avoid a person screaming at trees because of drug psychosis.

3. This picture is what happens with our current and weak “push them out of downtown” policy using ineffectual private security. They end up in my neighborhood. That photo was taken on Item 7-A
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4 Friday by my wife who had to walk by a zonked out naked man to get to her doctor’s appointment.

Why should we have to put up with this? What are you doing?

4. There are drug dealers all over my neighborhood, downtown, and Reed Park. The five new officers should be hired with the understanding that they will free up the undercover narcotics officers transferred to regular duty due to shortages. The transients are going where the drugs are being dealt (the parks, the Wilshire 7/11, and several empty storefront doorways, which give them cover). Get rid of the dealers, and you will get rid of the addicts because they are here due to a permissive atmosphere and the easy availability of drugs.

5. More police will help the department institute an aggressive “broken windows” policy of zero tolerance of public drug use and disorder. It’s illegal and arresting people for it often reveals outstanding warrants, which helps with the danger and disorder issue. This will become even more important with the open container policy just initiated.

This is NOT rocket science. This is a solvable problem that requires will, attention, and resources. The downtown will not recover until we can honestly say that people are safe from violence and depravity. If you can’t get the county to play ball by cleaning up the Metro, Mayor Negrete, you should get out front and center and call attention to this. Do a press conference at the train at midnight and let people see what we are dealing with. We can’t solve this without regional partners.

As for the inevitable “we can’t afford it right now" response, well, we can’t afford not to do it. We need to revive the tax base brought in by a thriving tourism shopping/dining downtown. Hiring more officers will more than pay for itself.

Memorial Day weekend was just a sad echo of its former glory, when you couldn’t even walk down the promenade it was so busy. Those of you who are from here, remember those days? Arthur Jeon
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1 David Yakobson
From: Jim Harris <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 12:44 PM
To: councilmtgitems; [email protected]; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Natalya Zernitskaya; Barry Snell; Ellis Raskin; Dan Hall
Cc: Misti Kerns; Carter Rubin; Nicholas Rolston; Julieta Giner; David Newberg; Peter Trinh; Randi Parent
Subject: Agenda Item 7.A. - Proposed FY2025-27 Biennial Budget and FY2025-26 CIP Budget; Letter from Santa Monica Pier Corporation Board of Directors Attachments: City Council Budget RAD and Services.pdf
Honorable Mayor Negrete and Members of the Santa Monica City Council; Attached please find a letter from the Santa Monica PIer Corporation Board of Directors expressing support for protecting and expanding investments in the Pier and Beach.

Thanks, and all best regards,
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200 SANTA MONICA PIER, SUITE A, SANTA MONICA, CA 90401
1 May 27, 2025
Mayor Lana Negrete and Members of the Santa Monica City Council Santa Monica City Hall
1685 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Re: Agenda Item 7.A – Proposed FY2025-27 Biennial Budget and FY2025-26 CIP Budget; Support for protecting and expanding investments in the Pier and Beach Dear Honorable Mayor Negrete and Members of the Santa Monica City Council:

On behalf of the Santa Monica Pier Corporation, we write to share input on the Proposed FY 2025-27 Biennial Budget. At our May 19, 2025, board meeting, the Board identified two items in the Measure K Enhancements section which we wish to express input on:
• Support for the Recreation & Arts Department’s request to add 2 FTE to activate the Beach and Pier;
• Protecting custodial services by not undertaking proposed cost savings by reducing various custodial services at the Beach, Pier and City Parks.

The Pier Corporation is eager to partner more with the City to activate the Pier and Beach in order to attract more events that support community enjoyment of the Pier and Beach, while simultaneously generating revenue for the City.

Enhancing staff capacity to partner with the Pier Corporation to deliver successful events, while protecting clean and safe services, will ensure that we can work together to deliver on our shared goals.

Sincerely,
Carter Rubin
Chair, Santa Monica Pier Corporation Board of Directors Jim Harris,
Executive Director, Santa Monica Pier Corporation
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2 David Yakobson
From: Elan Glasser <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 12:00 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Cc: Council Mailbox
Subject: Item 7-A on 5/27/25 Agenda - City Budget

EXTERNAL
Dear City Council,
As a longtime city resident, I have been dismayed by the understaffing and prolonged reduced budget of our beloved city libraries.

Many of you were not on the Council during Covid, but the Library budget was slashed by 65%—the ONLY department to face such severe cuts, and it is the only one to not be substantially restored, now 5 years later. 2 library branches are now completely unstaffed, and open only a few hours a week for self service. The Main Library is only open 5 days a week, and the Montana Branch is open only 3 days a week. Staffing is at paltry levels, compared with 2019. This is an embarrassment to our vibrant city. Covid is long over.

Seniors, low-income children and families, and many other groups rely on our libraries for access to books, to the internet, and to a (formerly) myriad of services.

Every City Council since the pandemic expresses a desire to restore library funding, but to date this has unfortunately lacked follow up. A few million dollars, in a city budget of hundreds of millions, would restore our library services and hours. Now is the time for our elected officials to guide the city staff, rather than having library budget decisions made by unelected officials. I am confident that a creative solution can been found. For example, trimming other city departments by only 0.5% across the board would generate millions for the library. If there is a will, there is a way!
I urge you to find the will to come up with a solution to library understaffing and funding.

Yours truly,
Elan Glasser
Santa Monica Resident for 26 years
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3 ’21/'22, ’22/'23, ’23/'24. As part of this plan, fees in ’24/'25 and beyond were expected to plateau for a number of years. In fact, our fees are already remarkably higher than those of other community gardens from nearby Ocean View Farms, which has a $100 plot fee, to throughout Los Angeles County where the fees range from $40 to $120.

We empathize with Council diligently working to resolve the significant budget crisis that the City faces. However, the budget proposal to triple the community garden fees with virtually no notice and with no collaboration is not tenable. Such an increase would be an unacceptable burden to impose on community gardeners.

We will explore options, in collaboration with City Staff, through a study in the upcoming FY to understand the full story of the community gardens program cost recovery and impacts of any fee adjustment on our garden community. We will identify our meaningful contribution to the City’s well-being.

We are asking the City Council to exclude the proposal to increase the community garden fee when the budget comes for adoption in June. We trust that Mayor Negrete and City Council Members will join us in the community gardens and delight in Nature and in the beauty, foods, flora and fauna that abound.

Sincerely,
Santa Monica Community Gardens Advisory Committee
Cris Gutierrez - Chair (Main Street CG)
Ken Hansen - Vice Chair (Park Drive CG)
Martha Bardach (Ishihara)
Alina Bezdikian (19th Street)
Tim Bowler (Main Street CG)
Nancy Desser (Euclid Park CG)
Linda Glasser (Marine Park CG - Co-Rep)
Antony Lewis (Main Street CG)
Susan McCorry (Main Street CG)
Cordula Ohman (Main Street CG)
James Renn (Marine Park CG - Co-Rep)
Cynthia Rose (Park Drive CG)
Traci Takahara (Main Street CG)
Frankie Lou Thorn (Park Drive CG)
Billy Yost (Main Street CG)
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1 David Yakobson
From: Natalya Zernitskaya
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 12:52 PM
To: David Yakobson
Subject: FW: CG Advisory Committee Motion regarding Agenda Item for May 27 Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Completed
This was the email that I think was intended for tonight’s meeting. Could you please remove the other one that I forwarded in error?
Natalya Zernitskaya
Santa Monica Councilmember
(310) 458-8201
From: Teague Weybright <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 9:52 AM
To: Barry Snell <[email protected]>; Caroline Torosis <[email protected]>; Dan Hall <[email protected]>; Ellis Raskin <[email protected]>; Jesse Zwick <[email protected]>; Lana Negrete <[email protected]>; Natalya Zernitskaya <[email protected]>
Cc: Council Mailbox <[email protected]>
Subject: CG Advisory Committee Motion regarding Agenda Item for May 27 To our City Council Members,
The Community Gardens Advisory Committee held an emergency meeting on Friday, May 23, 2025, to discuss a proposed increase of Community Garden Fees which is coming before you tonight as part of Item 7, Exhibit A. The following Motion was passed unanimously by those Advisory Committee Members in attendance. We expect at least one representative from the CGAC to speak tonight with others in attendance and/or submitting comments online or via phone.

Motion to the Santa Monica City Council
The Santa Monica Community Garden Advisory Committee has reviewed the budget proposal to significantly increase community garden fees and does not recommend it to move forward.

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2 The proposed garden fee increase is not in keeping with the purpose of the community gardens as a sustainability program established to grow food and create habitat. Our gardeners are primarily renters, seniors, young families, people without access to garden space at their homes, and diverse community members, many of whom are vulnerable or on a fixed income.

Teague Weybright
Community Gardens Program Coordinator
Office of Sustainability & the Environment
1685 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310-458-2201 x2405

Think Globally, Garden Locally

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5 voters through 2022 Measure GS added to the Santa Monica Municipal Code section 4.90.30(c) which provides: “In enacting this Initiative, it is the intent of the voters than any funds allocated to the Homelessness Prevention and Affordable Housing Fund should be additional to, and not a replacement of any funds the City otherwise provides for the purposes described above, including any funds provided in accordance with prior advisory measures regarding city funding for affordable housing.” This provision was called out to the voters in the Ballot Title and Summary Prepared by the City Attorney for 2022 Measure GS.

Fortunately, page 114 of the FY 2025-27 Proposed Biennial Budget states with respect to the housing portion of the GSH revenue: “this housing set aside was temporarily suspended during the pandemic-induced economic downturn and is anticipated to resume in FY 2025-26.” Thus it appears that Staff is recommending the City Council direct the resumption of the depositing of the housing portion of the GSH funds into the Housing Trust Fund. For the same reasons as already described, please proceed to issue that direction.

Thank you
Michael Soloff
Signatory of Official Ballot Arguments in favor of 2016 Measures GS and GSH Official Proponent of 2022 Initiative Measure GS
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7 To be clear, the pictures below are not of calls for service, the non-sworn officers staffing the PD kiosk routinely park illegally on Santa Monica Boulevard and I have also seen PD park here and then go get snacks at Ugo; PD also routinely does similar on Broadway. You can see the illegal parking on Santa Monica Boulevard causing a traffic jam here (this is the video the second picture is taken from):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ntr1uu9jJ4Y
Second, license plate laws effectively do not exist in Santa Monica. It's a daily occurrence that you see multiple cars with no license plates at all (including dealer logo inserts where the plates should be), fake paper plates, expired (and likely also fake) paper plates, intentionally defaced plates, and registration that expired multiple years ago. And that's not including that around half of cars have a legitimate current rear plate but no front plate attached, which has also demonstrably caused unnecessary police expense, such as when there was the fatal hit and run in December where there was extremely clear dashcam footage of the front of the vehicle, but there was no front plate attached so instead of simply running the plate and going to arrest the owner it took multiple days of police investigation to figure out who the owner was.

I'm unclear how the license plate readers are supposed to work while PD continues to refuse to enforce these blatant license plate violations. I've even tried to call in cars for no license plates parked directly in front of city hall, including shortly after the meeting where additional police security was required due to violent threats being called in, and was explicitly told that they weren't interested unless another violation had occurred, such as not paying the meter—and I'm sure they would have only issued the meter ticket had they come. The pictures below are just a selection of pictures I've taken since January of this year, and don't include other license plate violations I witnessed while driving (and thus couldn't photograph), nor missing front plate violations, which would be literally thousands of pictures if I took one each time I saw that.

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19 Finally, the suggestion to use K funds for routine sidewalk repair is particularly galling given that staff and PD regularly drive on the sidewalk—recently, staff even spent money paving themselves a concrete path around the bollards at the Tongva Park entrance across from city hall. Meaning they spent city money to actively undermine pedestrian safety.

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20 When staff is not driving on the sidewalks themselves, they're giving city contractors and farmer's market vendors permission to do it. Instead of misappropriating Measure K funds, and exposing us to massive cut and dry liability when they inevitably hit someone on the sidewalk or there's a trip and fall due to the resulting massive potholes in the sidewalks, perhaps we can simply start with seeing how much money it saves if they stopped destroying our sidewalks by driving SUVs and pickup trucks on them.

The videos of the DTSM staff driving on the sidewalk (as we learned when outdoor dining was removed from the street portion of the Promenade, despite being pedestrianized the Promenade is still legally divided into street and sidewalk) I took the pictures below from are available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G5JzaOsipg
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Ec3_VHDQDTo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMmU2gI86OU
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From: Brian Stedge-Stroud <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 8:56 AM
To: Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; councilmtgitems; [email protected] Subject: Support Santa Monica Forward's 2025 Budget Recommendations (7A)

Measure K was passed to support public safety and safer streets—not to backfill general expenses. Please use these funds as voters intended by prioritizing smart, effective programs like automated bike lane enforcement, enhanced mobility safety, and expanded lighting in high-need areas.

I also urge you to freeze vacant positions and require a zero-based budgeting review for any future hiring. Every role should be tied to current city priorities and approved by the incoming City Manager.

Transparency and accountability are more important than ever. Please:
-Post the full draft line-item budget in Excel format by May 30 -Share data on remote staffing and presence -Focus new spending on programs that benefit the community directly Let’s build a Santa Monica that is safer, more efficient, and more prepared for the future.

Thank you for your leadership.

Sincerely,
Brian Stedge-Stroud
90405
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From: Caro Vilain <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 8:24 AM
To: Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; councilmtgitems
Subject: Item 7A

EXTERNAL
Dear City Council,
As a Santa Monica resident, I support the budget recommendations submitted by Santa Monica Forward and urge you to incorporate them into the final FY 2025–2027 budget.

Here are some of my recommendations for the Measure K portion of the budget:

License Plate Recognition (LPR) cameras should not be funded from the "Safe Streets" portion of this measure, especially if the revenue they generate goes to the general fund rather than to safety-related programs. Instead, we could allocate those funds to initiatives like automated bike lane enforcement, which would meaningfully improve safety. The recent pilot program already demonstrated its effectiveness by capturing a significant number of violations.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I experienced a dangerous situation where a driver became aggressive toward another cyclist and me simply because we had to briefly enter the general traffic lane to avoid a car parked in the bike lane, right behind an open loading zone. Incidents like this are common, and we’ve already seen that the police department does not prioritize or adequately address them. Automated bike lane enforcement, paired with a strong public awareness campaign, is a proven solution that actually tackles the issue.

After redirecting funds to this program, you’d still have an extra $153,000 that could go toward genuinely impactful projects such as Safe Routes to School, e-bike voucher programs, or quick-build infrastructure,… all of which align more closely with the goals of this measure.

Please also remove the Z-gates item from the budget. These gates are already problematic, and the proposed item would worsen the situation. We have far more pressing safety needs. Making the Expo bike path even less accessible will only discourage its use, which runs counter to our shared mobility and sustainability goals. That’s another $200,000 that could be redirected to high-impact safety improvements.

Regarding staffing, let’s make sure that the positions that we fund with this measure make safety their priority. Too often, safety improvements are delayed or diluted out of concern for driver convenience. It’s time to stop treating these as equal priorities. Everyone’s safety, especially that of our most vulnerable road users, must come first.

Thank you,
Caro Vilain
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From: Steve Tarzynski <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 26, 2025 10:19 AM
To: Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; councilmtgitems; [email protected] Subject: Support Santa Monica Forward's 2025 Budget Recommendations (7A) Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
As a Santa Monica resident, I support the budget recommendations submitted by Santa Monica Forward and urge you to adopt them in the final FY 2025–2027 budget.

Measure K was passed to support public safety and safer streets—not to backfill general expenses.

Please use these funds as voters intended by prioritizing smart, effective programs like automated bike lane enforcement, enhanced mobility safety, and expanded lighting in high-need areas.

I also urge you to freeze vacant positions and require a zero-based budgeting review for any future hiring.

Every role should be tied to current city priorities and approved by the incoming City Manager.

Thank you for your leadership.

Sincerely,
Stephen Tarzynski
Santa Monica resident since 1975
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From: Kathryn Boole <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 26, 2025 8:56 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: PLEASE FUND MORE SMPD OFFICERS

EXTERNAL
We need more police in Santa Monica to keep our streets safe for residents.

It’s the only way we can attract businesses and visitors back to our city.

Please fund more police!
Kathryn Boole
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From: Leslie Neale <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, May 23, 2025 10:33 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Raising Community Garden Fees

EXTERNAL
I oppose tripling or even doubling fees for the community garden plots.

Raising rates this high will discourage participation and eventually lead to deteriorating the gardens and program.

Leslie Neale
Sent from my iPhone
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From: Elizabeth Lutz <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2025 6:09 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Cc: Elizabeth Lutz PhD
Subject: Comment on budget Tuesday May 27 (?) Proposed increase in Garden fees in Community Garden Program

EXTERNAL
I have been resident Santa Monica since 1995. When I moved here, I put myself on the waitlist for the gardens. My name apparently was lost several times as it was updated to the digitized program with a manager that we currently have.

My circumstances also have changed. Through a violent workplace accident in 2011 I became low income and disabled.

I started helping at the gardens about 10 years ago and it’s been extremely healing for me to be able to participate in the community. For the last few years, I have been the steward of the Garden plot and I have several millennial Santa Monica residences who volunteer and are learning about gardening there.

It’s a priceless community effort. None of us can afford to have any more fees. Many people are on fixed income and I depend upon my garden for food.

The rate rate hike last year was difficult for people and to triple it is simply unaffordable for many of us.

The majority of us are renters. We are already dealing with major cost-of-living and rent increases in our area.

Please don’t raise these Garden rates out of hand. If it’s absolutely necessary then base it on income to try to keep some equity. Gardening something that helps the whole community as opposed to fee for something like tennis courts.

I spend many Saturday morning and Sunday morning, talking to people who come through the garden as tourists or residents who want talk about Santa Monica and local gardening efforts it’s a huge Public relations unsung champion of the best parts of our City. Please don’t make it inaccessible to low fixed income disabled and seniors.

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From: Chris Bessounian <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2025 4:13 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Proposed increase of Santa Monica Community Garden fees.

EXTERNAL
Hello,
I strongly oppose the proposed increase of Santa Monica community garden fees. The proposed increase would effectively triple the cost of maintaining a garden, which I’m sure many gardeners would be unable to afford.

Please reconsider this proposal.

Thanks in advance,
Chris Bessounian
3105622729
Sent via my mobile device.

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1 David Yakobson
From: Helene Zimmerman <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 7:03 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Fund more police

EXTERNAL
Sent from my iPhone
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3 David Yakobson
From: Gigi de Pourtales Davis <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2025 4:19 AM
To: Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; councilmtgitems; [email protected] Subject: Support Santa Monica Forward's 2025 Budget Recommendations (7A)

Transparency and accountability are more important than ever. Please:
-Post the full draft line-item budget in Excel format by May 30 -Share data on remote staffing and presence -Focus new spending on programs that benefit the community directly Let’s build a Santa Monica that is safer, more efficient, and more prepared for the future.

Thank you for your leadership.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Sent from my iPhone
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5 David Yakobson
From: Jonathan Hale <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 26, 2025 10:30 PM
To: Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; councilmtgitems; [email protected] Subject: Support Santa Monica Forward's 2025 Budget Recommendations (7A)

Transparency and accountability are more important than ever. Please:
-Post the full draft line-item budget in Excel format by May 30 -Share data on remote staffing and presence -Focus new spending on programs that benefit the community directly Let’s build a Santa Monica that is safer, more efficient, and more prepared for the future.

Thank you for your leadership.

Sincerely,
Jonathan Hale
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6 David Yakobson
From: Quinn Vaughn <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 26, 2025 10:29 PM
To: Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya
Cc: councilmtgitems
Subject: Support Santa Monica Forward's 2025 Budget Recommendations (7A)

Transparency and accountability are more important than ever. Please:
-Post the full draft line-item budget in Excel format by May 30 -Share data on remote staffing and presence -Focus new spending on programs that benefit the community directly Let’s build a Santa Monica that is safer, more efficient, and more prepared for the future.

Thank you for your leadership.

Sincerely,
Quinn Vaughn
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7 David Yakobson
From: Ирина Истомина <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 26, 2025 9:41 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Re: Support item 7A

EXTERNAL
There is a typo in my prior email.

Please HIRE 5 new SM police officers.

Thank you,
Iryna Sill
Sent from my iPhone
> On May 26, 2025, at 9:38 PM, Ирина Истомина <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> I am writing in support of agenda item 7A to fire 5 new Santa Monica police officers. >
> Thank you,
>
> Iryna Sill
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8 David Yakobson
From: Ирина Истомина <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 26, 2025 9:38 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Support item 7A

EXTERNAL
I am writing in support of agenda item 7A to fire 5 new Santa Monica police officers.

Thank you,
Iryna Sill
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9 David Yakobson
From: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, May 26, 2025 9:30 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Support item 7A

EXTERNAL
I am writing is support of agenda item 7A to fund 5 new SM police officers.

Thank you,
Mike Sill
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13 David Yakobson
From: Mary Beth Woods <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 26, 2025 7:22 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Support 7a

EXTERNAL
We decided purely need the additional police!
Please please help our city feel safe
Mary beth woods
Sent from my iPhone
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14 David Yakobson
From: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, May 26, 2025 6:40 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Support item 7A

EXTERNAL
Please fund the 5 needed SM police officers.

We need all the support we can get to make SM safer for residents, businesses and tourists! Thanks, SM 30 year resident and homeowner
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15 David Yakobson
From: Colin Warn <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 26, 2025 6:23 PM
To: Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya
Cc: councilmtgitems
Subject: Support Santa Monica Forward's 2025 Budget Recommendations (7A)

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
I support the budget recommendations submitted by Santa Monica Forward and urge you to adopt them in the final FY 2025–2027 budget.

Let’s build a Santa Monica that is safer, more efficient, and more prepared for the future.

Thank you for your leadership.

Sincerely,
Colin Warn
Sent from my iPhone
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18 Agenda: https://santamonicacityca.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail Meeting.aspx?ID=1436

The FOSP Board has two requests regarding the proposed budget:

1. Fairview Library -- Our local library has been closed except for self-service 2 days per week since 2019.

Before closure, it had about 80,000 patron visits per year.

Library staff has projected it would require an additional $600,000 to $650,000 to open the Fairview and Ocean Park branch libraries for 2 days per week, and continue the self-service another 2 days.

This small amount of the $480.9 million General Fund expenditures (0.00125 of the total) would complete the re-opening of the branches that was begun in the FY 2023-25 budget and restore service to the 28,000 residents of Ocean Park and Sunset Park.

We request that you fund re-opening our Fairview Branch Library 2 days per week.

************************************************************************

2. Public Safety funding -- In 2024, Measure PKS was approved by 30,409 voters (67% of the vote cast) It was a City Council advisory measure to Measure K, asking whether half of the additional revenues from increasing the city parking facility tax by 8% should be used to protect public safety in Santa Monica.

The FOSP Board supports the funding of 5 additional police officers as described on page 30/353 of the Proposed Biennial Budget digital document, which lists initiatives funded with Measure K revenues.

On 2024 FOSP membership forms, some of our members wrote the following comments for "My greatest concerns are":

1. Crime, safety on our streets, in our parks, inability of City to deal with drug addicts on the streets.

2. Criminals not taken off streets -- random acts of violence committee by drug users

3. Crime. I could walk by myself at night, but not anymore.

4. No street lights (Ocean Park Blvd.) between 10th Street and Euclid avenue. Night times too dark.

5. That it becomes unsafe for my kids.

6. Homeless people around my kids

7. Being safe if chaos starts

8. Homelessness -- very concerning. Creates fear.

9. Safety - closeness of the homeless

10. Strangers with drug problems, i.e., vagrants

11. Vagrancy, blight, petty crime

12. Safety -- public & private residence safety, less crime, more residential crime prevention

13. The homeless -- I fear for them and am afraid of some.

14. Homeless/crime (garage & home broken into multiple times)

15. Crime. We have had our garage broken into.

16. Theft -- Several break-ins to cars on our street (including ours); streets are too dark at night.

17. Safety and blight -- although Sunset Park is so much better than DT and Promenade.

18. The Pavilions Motel on Ocean Park Blvd. & Cloverfield -- the drug activity, which we all feel is bringing down the overall safety of the surrounding neighborhood.

19. Pavilions/Holiday motels
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19 20. Pavilions Motel, crime

21. Crime and the homeless situation which includes cars/campers parked on Marine Street.

22. Crime and parking in my area now.

23. Unhoused people and crime

24. People sleeping in the park

25. Crime, safety & homelessness

26. Preventing crime and break-ins

27. Spillover crime

28. Neighborhood Watch

29. Neighborhood Watch

30. Security

31. Impinging crime

32. Increasing crime

33. Increase in crime

34. Crime, break-ins

35. Crime, gangs

36. Crime, hate mail

37. Crime & public safety

38. Crime & safety.

39. Crime and safety

40. Crime and safety

41. Crime and safety

42. Crime/safety

43. Crime/safety

44. Crime; safety

45. Crime, safety

46. Safety, crime

47. Safety, increased crime

48. Safety issues

49. Safety

50. Safety

51. Safety

52. Safety

53. Safety

54. Safety

55. Safety

56. Safety

57. Safety

58. Safety

59. Crime, crime

60. Crime

61. Crime

62. Crime

63. Crime

64. Crime

65. Crime

66. Crime

67. Crime

68. Crime

69. Safety

70. Crime
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20 71. Crime

72. Crime

73. Crime

74. Crime

75. Crime

76. Crime

77. Crime

78. Crime

79. Crime

80. Crime

81. Crime

82. Crime

83. Crime

84. Crime

85. Crime

86. Crime

87. Crime

88. Crime

89. Crime

90. Crime

91. Crime

92. Crime

93. Crime

94. Crime

95. Crime

96. Crime

97. Crime

98. Crime

99. Graffiti

An additional 191 members checked off that they were interested in "Crime/Safety/Graffiti"

Again, the FOSP Board supports the funding of 5 additional police officers, as described on page 30/353 of the Proposed Biennial Budget digital document, which lists initiatives funded with Measure K revenues.

Thank you for your consideration.

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22 On 2024 FOSP membership forms, some of our members wrote the following comments for "My greatest concerns are":

1. Crime, safety on our streets, in our parks, inability of City to deal with drug addicts on the streets.

2. Criminals not taken off streets -- random acts of violence committee by drug users

3. Crime. I could walk by myself at night, but not anymore.

4. No street lights (Ocean Park Blvd.) between 10th Street and Euclid avenue. Night times too dark.

5. That it becomes unsafe for my kids.

6. Homeless people around my kids

7. Being safe if chaos starts

8. Homelessness -- very concerning. Creates fear.

9. Safety - closeness of the homeless

10. Strangers with drug problems, i.e., vagrants

11. Vagrancy, blight, petty crime

12. Safety -- public & private residence safety, less crime, more residential crime prevention

13. The homeless -- I fear for them and am afraid of some.

14. Homeless/crime (garage & home broken into multiple times)

15. Crime. We have had our garage broken into.

16. Theft -- Several break-ins to cars on our street (including ours); streets are too dark at night.

17. Safety and blight -- although Sunset Park is so much better than DT and Promenade.

18. The Pavilions Motel on Ocean Park Blvd. & Cloverfield -- the drug activity, which we all feel is bringing down the overall safety of the surrounding neighborhood.

19. Pavilions/Holiday motels

20. Pavilions Motel, crime

21. Crime and the homeless situation which includes cars/campers parked on Marine Street.

22. Crime and parking in my area now.

23. Unhoused people and crime

24. People sleeping in the park

25. Crime, safety & homelessness

26. Preventing crime and break-ins

27. Spillover crime

28. Neighborhood Watch

29. Neighborhood Watch

30. Security

31. Impinging crime

32. Increasing crime

33. Increase in crime

34. Crime, break-ins

35. Crime, gangs

36. Crime, hate mail

37. Crime & public safety

38. Crime & safety.

39. Crime and safety

40. Crime and safety

41. Crime and safety

42. Crime/safety

43. Crime/safety

44. Crime; safety

45. Crime, safety

46. Safety, crime

47. Safety, increased crime
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23 48. Safety issues

49. Safety

50. Safety

51. Safety

52. Safety

53. Safety

54. Safety

55. Safety

56. Safety

57. Safety

58. Safety

59. Crime, crime

60. Crime

61. Crime

62. Crime

63. Crime

64. Crime

65. Crime

66. Crime

67. Crime

68. Crime

69. Safety

70. Crime

71. Crime

72. Crime

73. Crime

74. Crime

75. Crime

76. Crime

77. Crime

78. Crime

79. Crime

80. Crime

81. Crime

82. Crime

83. Crime

84. Crime

85. Crime

86. Crime

87. Crime

88. Crime

89. Crime

90. Crime

91. Crime

92. Crime

93. Crime

94. Crime

95. Crime

96. Crime

97. Crime

98. Crime
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24 99. Graffiti

An additional 191 members checked off that they were interested in "Crime/Safety/Graffiti"

Thank you for your consideration.

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28 newsletter and printed materials highlighting program updates, childcare options, and parenting tools; strengthening alignment with SMMUSD, PTAs, and Santa Monica College to ensure a continuum of support from birth through kindergarten; fostering cross-sector collaboration across libraries, health providers, city departments, and nonprofit organizations; using population-level data such as the Early Development Instrument (EDI) and the National Neighborhood Equity Index to guide priorities and inform resource allocation; and promoting culturally responsive, inclusive practices that reflect the diversity of Santa Monica families.

The Task Force has asked for a grant from the We Are Santa Monica Fund but the small amount of money available through that program (along with the uncertainty of whether the Task Force will even get a grant) means that we must ask for the City to step up and reaffirm its commitment to its youngest constituents and their families. The benefits of quality, accessible early childhood care and education are indisputable with study after study showing better educational and social outcomes for youth when it is available.

While the Task Force will continue to do as much substantive work as possible, City support over the next two years will give the Task Force the time to adopt a more independent model that likely includes working with an existing non-profit or establishing an independent non-profit that will be more financially robust and a vital partner for the City. This ultimately would reduce the need for City funds.

The Task Force looks forward to building on its past accomplishments and collaborating with the City to create an even better environment for young children and their families. Please make that possible.

Gleam Davis
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31 David Yakobson
From: JOHN PRINDLE <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 26, 2025 3:19 PM
To: Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; councilmtgitems; [email protected] Subject: Support Santa Monica Forward's 2025 Budget Recommendations (7A)

Transparency and accountability are more important than ever. Please:
-Post the full draft line-item budget in Excel format by May 30 -Share data on remote staffing and presence -Focus new spending on programs that benefit the community directly Let’s build a Santa Monica that is safer, more efficient, and more prepared for the future.

Thank you for your leadership.

Sincerely,
John Prindle
Sent from my iPhone
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33 David Yakobson
From: Mama Bear <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 26, 2025 2:00 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Support Item 7A

EXTERNAL
I am a citizen of Santa Monica and I support Item 7A.

We need more police presence in our already ruined city.

Thank you.

Anna Alexis.

Sent from my iPhone
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35 David Yakobson
From: Shari Phillips <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 26, 2025 11:02 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Support Item 7A

EXTERNAL
Dear SM City Council,
Please support the hiring of 5 new Santa Monica police officers by supporting Item 7A. We all want to see our crime rates reduced and the presence of more police officers will help. Especially with the influx of more citizens as we build more housing, the police infrastructure needs beefing up.

Thanks,
Shari Phillips
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36 David Yakobson
From: Bryan Scott <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 26, 2025 10:55 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Support Item 7A

EXTERNAL
Please support item 7A
Sent from my iPhone
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37 David Yakobson
From: wendie olshan <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 26, 2025 10:49 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Support Item 7A -

EXTERNAL
Please Support Item 7 A - we need more police!
Our public safety is a priority.

W. Olshan
50 yr resident of SM.
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ogs.google.com/widget/account__;!!OfuUnHCITYtmmjM!r3BueQbEPW2IgI W0Skpbz0KXc2ZKOctWfloCQBLAvyINWjaDLbR4zJvUWap8O7Lwyozwsrf2G58b-YqFVGBPhSgu1Nk$ Sent from my iPhone
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40 David Yakobson
From: Carol Dickinson <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 26, 2025 9:49 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Item 7A-Support Funding of More Police Officers

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Council Members,
Please fund more police officers. We desperately need them on the streets and in our neighborhoods. Too much petty and dangerous crimes are taking place. Tourism will increase if tourists feel that Santa Monica is a safe city to visit. Please support 7A.

Sincerely,
Carol Dickinson
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41 David Yakobson
From: Valerie Hiss <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 26, 2025 9:40 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: I support Item 7A!

EXTERNAL
I support Item 7A ! We desperately need more help on the streets! Sincerely,
Valerie Jean Hiss
310-600-0255
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42 David Yakobson
From: Janet Carter <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, May 25, 2025 10:28 PM
To: Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; councilmtgitems; [email protected] Subject: Support Santa Monica Forward's 2025 Budget Recommendations (7A)

Transparency and accountability are more important than ever. Please:
-Post the full draft line-item budget in Excel format by May 30 -Share data on remote staffing and presence -Focus new spending on programs that benefit the community directly Let’s build a Santa Monica that is safer, more efficient, and more prepared for the future.

Thank you for your leadership.

Sincerely,
Janet D Carter
2803 Kansas Ave
Santa Monica CA 99404
Sent from my iPhone
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Subject: FY 2025–27 Budget Recommendations: Aligning Measure K with Voter Intent and Building Fiscal Resilience
Dear Mayor Negrete and Councilmembers,
Thank you for your work navigating a difficult fiscal landscape while continuing to support essential public services. As you finalize the FY 2025–2027 budget, we urge you to consider a set of recommendations that will help Santa Monica remain financially resilient, responsive to its residents, and faithful to the commitments made through Measure K.

Santa Monica Forward represents newer and younger residents who believe this city’s best days are still ahead. To get there, we must govern with both discipline and vision.

1. Use Measure K as Voters Intended
Measure K was passed with a clear directive: support public safety and safe streets. Its funds should be directed toward initiatives that visibly and measurably deliver on that promise. We urge you to prioritize programs like automated bike lane enforcement and mobility safety projects that improve outcomes for everyone who moves through our city.

At the same time, the City should avoid using Measure K as a general-purpose backfill.

The Automated Bike Lane Enforcement Program is an essential Measure K expenditure, as it will generate much-needed revenues and allow the police Police Department to perform its duties at a reduced cost.

Projects with minimal safety impact—such as Z-gate modifications—should be reconsidered unless they are part of a broader, coordinated redesign with responsible state agencies.

2. Restructure Staffing Through Strategic Reform
We recommend a citywide freeze on vacant positions and a requirement that any new or restored position be evaluated through a zero-based budgeting process. Every role should be clearly tied to present-day priorities and approved by the incoming City Manager.

Additionally, Santa Monica’s public servants should experience the city the way residents, workers, and visitors do. Presence in the community enhances service delivery and Item 7-A
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Item 7-A
May 27, 2025
Item 7-A
May 27, 2025
responsiveness. We ask the city to bring transparency to remote roles to understand the percentage of time employees in each bargaining group and department are earning compensation without being physically present in the City.

These changes can be accomplished without layoffs. They would modernize the City’s workforce structure through natural attrition and better align staffing with our shared goals.

3. Invest in Effective Public Safety Outcomes
Measure K allows the city to maintain the current level of staffing at 232 officers and provides funding for force multipliers like Public Service Officers in Downtown Santa Monica and an expanded drone program that can be staffed by the current level of officers. Measure K also allows the city to invest more in restoring street lighting, a proven effective public safety measure. This will make the city safer within the constraints of the city’s current structural budget deficits.

4. Pursue Sensible Revenue Adjustments
The City should consider modest revenue enhancements such as adjusting parking and permit pricing, and reviewing vehicle replacement cycles and capital expenditures that may no longer reflect urgent needs. These adjustments can ease pressure on reserves without affecting core services.

5. Focus New Spending on Community Impact
Where new investments are made, they should deliver clear and visible community benefit. We support focused spending on:
● Expanding the presence of Public Services Officers in parks and commercial areas ● Enhancing street safety through signal upgrades and mobility improvements ● Supporting youth and early childhood initiatives
● Strengthening local business districts and community activation

6. Commit to Budget Transparency
The City’s ongoing budget deficit will affect existing programs, such as funding to Santa Monica Schools for weekend playground access. Those who rely on these programs will expect increased transparency in the budgeting process to understand the city’s fiscal trade-offs. To promote civic engagement and accountability, we request that the full line-item draft budget be posted in downloadable Excel format on the City’s website no later than May 30, 2025 and a full line-item adopted budget posted no later than July 15, 2025.

Item 7-A
May 27, 2025
Item 7-A
May 27, 2025
Item 7-A
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May 27, 2025
This moment is an opportunity—not just to preserve what we have, but to strengthen the foundation for the Santa Monica we want to become. We urge you to move forward with discipline, clarity, and a focus on the long-term health of our city.

Sincerely,
Brad Ewing and Carl Hansen
on behalf of Santa Monica Forward
Item 7-A
May 27, 2025
Item 7-A
May 27, 2025
Item 7-A
May 27, 2025
Item 7-A
May 27, 2025
Item 7-A
May 27, 2025
Item 7-A
May 27, 2025
Item 7-A
May 27, 2025
Item 7-A
May 27, 2025
Item 7-A
May 27, 2025
Item 7-A
May 27, 2025
3 David Yakobson
From: Kathryn Boole <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 26, 2025 8:56 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: PLEASE FUND MORE SMPD OFFICERS