Written Comments — Santa Monica City Council, July 8, 2025 (part 2 of 3)

EXTERNAL
Dear Council Members,
I write today to ask you to move forward an LC-compliant plan for Airport Conversion.

As a Santa Monica resident, I and my husband have taken part in three phases of the SMAC Project, most recently the Co-Maps survey, through the lens of someone who regularly visits our parks with our dogs and our daughter. Santa Monica is seriously under-parked, even in comparison to other beach cities, with 3/4 of our residents living in multi-family housing without yards or gardens of their own. Adding housing and/or commercial development to this one expansive piece of land that could be set aside for recreation, habitat restoration, arts, gathering spaces, sports, etc would be a huge mistake as our city population grows and grows, and open space dwindles.

As a Nurse Practitioner, I am well aware of the studies showing how immersion in nature, and regular exercise help with mental health and physical well-being. Please prioritize the need for balance in our densifying region.

I realize that more phases are coming, and I encourage you to stay strong in your commitment to a Great Park without housing or development. I will be watching, and supporting leaders that put the health and wellbeing of our residents first, and who shepherd our 192 acre Great Park plan through to completion!
Thank you,
Alexandra Beverly
Sunset Park Resident
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95 David Yakobson
From: Joanne Leslie <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 4:51 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Item 7A - Santa Monica Airport Conversion, Preferred Scenarios Review Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
To: Santa Monica City Council Members
From: The Rev. Dr. Joanne Leslie
Re: July 8 City Council Meeting, Agenda Item #7A

Dear City Council Members,

As input to the Tuesday evening Santa Monica Conversion Project Preferred Scenarios Review, I am pleased to express my strong support for using part of the Santa Monica airport land to build Below Market Rate Housing. I believe affordable housing at the airport, accessible to young families and those who work in Santa Monica, is the only way to maintain the vibrant, diverse, multicultural character that I have always cherished in Santa Monica. When I moved here almost 30 years ago, as a single mother with a teenage daughter, a big part of what attracted me was that the community was welcoming and accessible to families of all types. But now, as John Raphling, my neighbor on the 1300 block of Grant Street, points out in his excellent article in Human Rights Watch, our dramatically increasing housing costs are making Santa Monica increasingly segregated by race and class.

By some measures Santa Monica may be “park poor” although I have never experienced it that way, with vast stretches of beach and the Santa Monica mountains so readily accessible.

What is undeniable, although less alliterative, is that we are housing poor. We urgently need more housing units that are affordable by the teachers, nurses, public safety officers and hospitality workers who serve our community, 80% of whom commute, many over two hours, in order to reach their work site in our beach community. Land already owned by the city would make it possible to construct a significant number of workforce housing units in one location.

I have read the staff report prepared for the upcoming meeting, and I believe the community feedback gathered so far understates the extent of public support for housing at the airport. Staff and consultants made a sincere effort to get representative feedback. However, the surveys they designed were complex and time consuming, as no doubt you discovered when trying them yourselves. It seems to me beyond doubt that people who are time burdened with multiple jobs, who have less access to technology (e.g. the surveys were almost impossible to do Item 7-A
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96 on a smart phone because of screen size) and who simply did not hear about the surveys were underrepresented among the respondents, and are likely to support building Below Market Rate Housing. In addition, I know that many people who work in Santa Monica but do not currently live here (the very people housing at the airport would most benefit) were under the impression they were not supposed to respond to the surveys.

While the staff report that the community is almost evenly divided between those in favor of a Great Park only, and those who support affordable housing on a portion of the airport land, I am almost positive this unintentionally misrepresents the real situation. Were there to be a short telephone or text survey, where every effort was made to get a representative sample of responses from people who live and/or work in Santa Monica, and a simple question were asked:
“When the airport closes would you rather see all the land used for a park or see the land used for both a park and affordable housing?” I am confident significantly more than half would choose a park plus housing.

You have a responsibility to use a variety of sources, not just the Public Works surveys, to decide what is in the interests of the people who live and work in Santa Monica now and into the future. We cannot afford to lose this opportunity to build the workforce housing we desperately need.

Thank you for giving me an opportunity to share my thoughts,

Joanne Leslie

Deacon Joanne Leslie
310-403-9353
“There is only one thing I will not concede: that it might be meaningless to strive in a good cause.” Vaclav Havel
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97 David Yakobson
From: Brodsky, Michael <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 4:44 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Item 7a - July 8 - Pop Quiz!
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
POP QUIZ #1
Q: What is the largest park in New York City?
A: New York Central Park? Nope!
Central Park doesn’t even rank in the top 5!

1. Pelham Bay Park - 2,772 acres

2. Greenbelt Park - 2,316 acres

3. Freshkills Park - 2,200 acres

4. Van Cortlandt Park - 1,146 acres

5. Flushing Meadows-Corona Park - 897 acres

6. Central Park - 843 acres
Central Park is just ONE park in an extensive network of NYC urban parks.

POP QUIZ #2
Q: How many New York City parks - were once an… airfield? A: 6! Correct! Who knew?!

1. Floyd Bennett Field - 1,300 acres

2. Jacob Riis Park - 262 acres

3. Rockaway Community Park - 253 acres

4. Miller Field - 187 acres

5. Fort Tilden Park - 98 acres

6. Governor’s Island Park - 87 acres
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98 Wow! *6* parks in NYC were once airfields. New York has consistently planned for future growth by providing essential park space to be able to support and facilitate their growing population.

POP QUIZ #3 - BONUS!
Q: Will Santa Monica plan for our future population growth by providing for essential park space as an LC compliant park?
A: Let us know at Tuesday’s City Council meeting!
Sincerely,
Michael Brodsky
Santa Monica
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David Yakobson
From: Boyd <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 4:39 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Pilatus Pilot SMO airport
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
To the Santa Monica Counsel Members, and local Residents:

Things to consider before closing Santa Monica Airport for ever.

As you all know California has its fair share of natural disasters with the most recent fire destroying lives and property in the Pacific Palisades area.

Please consider that once the airport is closed there will be no quick way of providing air support necessary to the residents or first responders who will different need the support that only the Santa Monica Airport now provides.

Stop putting increase Tax Review the city will collect on new housing projects over peoples lives when the next disaster strikes and you leave your residents with limited means to help them! Keep Santa Monica Airport Open…it’s to valuable of a community asset to have taken away…especially in this day and age.

A Pilot for Ever! Here to serve his community when the time comes! Just give me a place to land! Thanks
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David Yakobson
From: Kuangwei Hwang <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 4:36 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Fwd: July 8 City Council Meeting, Item 7: PLEASE Evolve Santa Monica Airport—Don’t Erase It
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Adding City Council clerk to count my letter.

Best,
Kuangwei
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Kuangwei Hwang <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, Jul 7, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Subject: July 8 City Council Meeting, Item 7: PLEASE Evolve Santa Monica Airport—Don’t Erase It To: <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]> Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
As a member of the community and a long-time admirer of Santa Monica’s historic role in American aerospace, I urge you to consider a path of evolution, not elimination for Santa Monica Airport.

Santa Monica was once the center of the aviation world—where Donald Douglas built the DC-3 and helped win a world war. That same pioneering spirit can thrive again if we seize this opportunity not to close SMO, but to reimagine it for the future.

This is not about preserving the status quo. It’s about leading the next chapter of clean, quiet, community-minded aviation. Electric aircraft, advanced simulators, flight schools, STEM education hubs, and green infrastructure can all co-exist alongside open space—and even a modest amount of thoughtfully integrated housing.

Here’s what evolution could mean:

A VITAL HUB IN FIRE RESCUE OPERATIONS Serving our community A world-class STEM education and training center, where Santa Monica students are inspired to pursue science, technology, and flight
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A hub for electric and autonomous aviation, already being tested at SMO and poised to reduce traffic congestion and emissions
Green space and community access, thoughtfully integrated with aviation infrastructure.

Long-term economic vitality for a city facing major fiscal headwinds Continued local control over airport operations and land use after 2028, allowing the City to shape SMO’s evolution in line with community values and future technologies Santa Monica doesn’t need to pick between a park and an airport. We can build a 21st-century innovation campus—one that honors our history, serves our residents, and inspires future generations.

Please don’t rush to erase our past. Let’s evolve it into something extraordinary.

Sincerely,
Kuangwei Hwang
Angel Flight West command pilot
SMAA, Spirit of Santa Monica, CalDART
https://smdp.com/business/all-electric-aircraft-completes-coast-to-coast-flight-landing-at-santamonica-airport/ History was made March 8, 2025 when the first-ever coast-to-coast flight by an all-electric aircraft was completed with the Beta CX300 touching down at Santa Monica Airport.

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David Yakobson
From: Clerk Mailbox
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 4:34 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: FW: Housing Our Animals in the Great Park
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged
From: Susan Jain <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, July 6, 2025 4:53 PM
To: Lana Negrete <[email protected]>; Caroline Torosis <[email protected]>; Dan Hall <[email protected]>; Natalya Zernitskaya <[email protected]>; Jesse Zwick <[email protected]>; Barry Snell <[email protected]>; Ellis Raskin <[email protected]>; Clerk Mailbox <[email protected]> Cc: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Housing Our Animals in the Great Park

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete, Mayor Pro Tem Torosis, and Esteemed Council Members-- In advance of Tuesday's meeting, I want to thank you for taking a bold stand and confirming publicly that the votes of Santa Monicans matter.

In this crazy, cruel political moment that Trump's Washington has thrust on us, it will mean a great deal that our city's leaders demonstrate their compassion for all living beings, and that you, as elected officials, are people who keep your word and honor our votes. Of course, I am speaking to your voting to select a path forward for the Airport land that is 100% Measure LC compliant.

In 2014, Santa Monicans came together and overwhelmingly passed Measure LC. After decades and decades of disruption and environmental, sound, and light pollution, the Airport is FINALLY closing and we have the rare chance to think beyond ourselves and do something truly meaningful for our community and planet.

At the July 4th parade, I had the tremendous pleasure of meeting Sergeant Jorge Zendejas (copied here), the officer overseeing the City's mounted police unit. I expressed to him my support for a Great Park and also my interest in working with him to help bring our City's horses, as well as the animals in our shelter, to a new home in the Great Park. In addition to simply housing these animals, we discussed how a public education and emergency rescue center could evolve from and around these facilities.

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To rehouse these creatures at a Great Park would be an act of compassion and would speak volumes about our values. Let's start with a first step. Next Tuesday, please vote to ensure an LC-compliant Great Park is part of Santa Monica's future.

Looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday at the rally and the Council meeting Best regards,
Susan Jain
Sunset Park Resident
Animal Rescue Volunteer
Santa Monica Arts Commissioner
Santa Monica Democratic Club Member
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David Yakobson
From: Louis Watanabe <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 4:32 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Item #7A Santa Monica Airport Conversion Project, Preferred Scenarios Review Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Members of the City Council,
Regarding Item #7A Santa Monica Airport Conversion Project, Preferred Scenarios Review, I support below market rate housing at the airport because Santa Monica has become unaffordable for those who work there whether it's school teachers, police and firemen or even hotel workers. I'm Samohi Class of '74, my mother was born in Santa Monica and would have been Samohi Class of 1944 if it wasn't for the war and my uncle Kay Watanabe retired as City Treasurer. I think there are compelling social and economic arguments for Santa Monica working to keep things inclusive with a great park that is for everyone! Santa Monica was great for my family for 100 years, I'd like it to be great for people who contribute to its success for the next 100 years. Thanks for your consideration! Sincerely,
Louis
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David Yakobson
From: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 4:29 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: I and thousands of Santa Monica Residents want the park...

Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
To all members of the current tone-deaf council
Santa Monicans are tired of your pablum and interest-sponsored sound bytes. We can see through you like a cheap suit.

It’s as simple as this: Do the right thing tomorrow night. Or find yourselves looking for a job on November 5th.

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David Yakobson
From: Suzan Filipek <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 4:25 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

As our park-poor city densifies, it is important that we plan for the creation of sufficient open space and recreational spaces that can restore habitat and meet the needs of both current and future generations.

Thank you for your consideration.

Suzan Filipek
90405
Sent from my iPhone
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David Yakobson
From: Jenna Valenti <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 4:22 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Dan Hall; Lana Negrete; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Caroline Torosis; Natalya Zernitskaya; Jesse Zwick
Subject: Santa Monica Airport
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Santa Monica benefits more from having the airport than it would having it removed. I urge you to look beyond the noise of airplanes and appeal of a park. This airport is critical for firefighting operations, search and rescue, and medical relocation flights. With fire "season" being a year-round thing now, having an airport nearby to refuel firefighting aircraft when seconds matter is something you can't put a price on. It can also be critical for supplies during other natural disasters such as earthquakes, or for emergency military use should the need arise. I know the idea of developing it is tempting, but it will also be very expensive with the history of leaded gas on the site. The airspace around Santa Monica Airport also actually keeps more planes from flying over the city of Santa Monica. With it gone, the noise from more (larger/louder) aircraft transitioning to LAX or overflying the city/beaches will actually increase. The airport generates money, sustains jobs, has historical value, and serves the people of Santa Monica and Los Angeles as a whole directly and indirectly.

Please consider development elsewhere and keep the airport.

Jenna Valenti
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David Yakobson
From: Jason Lin <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 4:21 PM
To: Dan Hall; Lana Negrete; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Caroline Torosis; Natalya Zernitskaya; Jesse Zwick; councilmtgitems
Subject: Subject: July 8 Meeting – Item 7 - Please Keep All Options Open Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
I’m writing to respectfully urge you to keep all options on the table as you consider the future of Santa Monica Airport. The Sasaki presentation scheduled for July 8 presents a narrow view focused on a single park-oriented vision, but the decision before you is far too consequential to proceed without full economic due diligence.

The city faces extraordinary financial headwinds — from budget deficits and depleted reserves to declining tourism and a possible credit downgrade. Before making a historic decision representing consequences in the BILLIONS of dollars, the Council deserves a robust comparative analysis of multiple land use scenarios, including economic modeling and site pro formas. How can you be expected to make a decision about which path to pursue when you don’t know how much each will cost? I also believe a public vote would help build consensus and legitimacy. Measure LC was not a mandate for a park. Measure LC merely requires a vote of the people for development on land formerly used for aviation purposes (with limited exceptions). Much has changed since that 2014 election, which, by the way, had historically low turnout. It’s only fair to give all voters a voice on how this land is used moving forward.

Finally, please consider the risk of unintended consequences. Closing the airport at the end of 2028 without a clear, funded path forward will result in an unmanaged, blighted site or a state-imposed solution — neither of which serves our community.

Thank you for your diligence and service.

Sincerely,
Jason Lin
Santa Monica Resident / Mid City
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David Yakobson
From: Andrew Wilder <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 4:18 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
Tomorrow night, please direct staff to work towards an inspirational, LC-compliant Great Park.

By "LC-compliant" I mean the development of parks, public open spaces, and public recreational facilities, and the maintenance and replacement of existing cultural, arts and education uses.

As you know, the vast majority of revenue at the airport is already from non-aviation activity. Once the airport closes we can leverage that funding to start the park. We can take an incremental approach, with a simple park on day one, by prioritizing existing on-site revenue sources. And of course, please do not sell or privatize our land.

As our park-poor city densifies, it is paramount that we plan for the creation of sufficient open, recreational, and regenerative spaces that can restore habitat and meet the needs of both current and future generations.

Thank you for your visionary leadership!
Sincerely,
Andrew Wilder
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David Yakobson
From: David Troup <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 4:16 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Dan Hall; Lana Negrete; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Caroline Torosis; Natalya Zernitskaya; Jesse Zwick
Subject: July 8, 2025, Agenda Item 7A: Please Support a Balanced, Sustainable Future for Santa Monica Airport
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and Councilmembers,
I urge you to support a collaborative, balanced plan for Santa Monica Airport. If SMO is closed entirely, federal protections will be lost, and state mandates could force dense, low-cost housing — not parks onto the site. That means more traffic, more density, and greater strain on infrastructure, with no clear plan for emergency access, public safety, or financial sustainability.

SMO offers irreplaceable benefits: open space, economic stability, and critical emergency response capacity which strengthens public safety. Aviation supports good jobs, public benefit flights like Angel Flight, and disaster relief operations, as seen during the recent Palisades fire. Protecting SMO is protecting public safety.

I have flown my small plane in to SMO several times over the years, including on charitable missions to transport patients in need of life-saving care they could not obtain near their homes. I hope you will see the valuable resource and economic benefits the airport provides and consider that once gone, they can never be replaced.

Thank you for your service and consideration.

David Troup
SMO Stakeholder
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David Yakobson
From: julie morris <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 4:04 PM
To: Dan Hall; Lana Negrete; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Caroline Torosis; Natalya Zernitskaya; Jesse Zwick; councilmtgitems
Subject: Subject: July 8 Meeting – Item 7 - Please Keep All Options Open Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Subject: July 8 Meeting – Item 7 - Please Keep All Options Open Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
I’m writing to respectfully urge you to keep all options on the table as you consider the future of Santa Monica Airport. The Sasaki presentation scheduled for July 8 presents a narrow view focused on a single park-oriented vision, but the decision before you is far too consequential to proceed without full economic due diligence.

Thank you for your diligence and service.

Sincerely,
Julie Morris
Santa Monica Resident of 20 years,
Sunset Park
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David Yakobson
From: Ben <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 3:49 PM
To: Lana Negrete; Dan Hall; Caroline Torosis; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Jesse Zwick; councilmtgitems; Elaine Polachek
Cc: Ben W
Subject: SMO: SM City Council Meeting — Item 7.A. SMAC Project — July 8, 2025 Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor and City Council
Members,
Please create an LC-compliant
Great Park that:
 Requires NO ballot measure.
 Is FUNDED by:
o Existing non-aviation
revenue
o Existing annual surplus
o Accumulated surplus
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o Loans secured by this
revenue and surplus
o Local, state, or federal grants
(later if needed)
o Philanthropy (later if needed)
 Is financially managed as a
self-sustaining enterprise
fund
 Prioritizes natural open
space, including:
o Native vegetation, trees, and
plants
o Walking trails and bike paths
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 Plans incrementally for future
LC-compliant amenities as
resources and time allow.

The City has the funds and can
proceed without delay starting
January 1, 2029:
 It owns the land and buildings.
 Has existing leases with nonaviation tenants.
 Generates ~$20 million/year in
non-aviation revenue by 2029.
 Produces ~$10 million/year in
surplus by 2029.
 Will have ~$19 million in
surplus capital by
January 2029.

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Thank you,
Ben Wang
-------------------------------
Ben Wang
30th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405
E-mail: [email protected]
-------------------------------
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David Yakobson
From: DTA <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 3:39 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
Please move forward, for the benefit of all, the creation of an inspirational LC-compliant Great Park with a sensible financing plan that prioritizes existing on-site revenue sources and with no sale or other privatization of the land.

Sincerely,
Duc Ra
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David Yakobson
From: Susan Alinsangan <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 3:37 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A, Airport Conversion–LC-Compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

As a long-time Santa Monica resident and voter, I ask you to please proceed with a Great Park that complies with Measure LC. Over 60% of voters asked for this when we voted in 2014 and I’m asking for this again 11 years later. I think a Great Park is achievable with a smart financing plan that uses existing on-site revenue but with no sale or privatization of park lands.

We will never get a chance at a parcel of land this large, or an opportunity like this again. I’m guessing that’s what our predecessors--the 1926 voters of Santa Monica—thought when they purchased this land with a Parks bond.

Let’s not pilfer their wishes and 99-year foresight.

As Santa Monica grows, green open space will become more precious to each and every one of us. And our decendants. Let’s look beyond this week, this year, this decade. Let’s look at what our legacy could be. Will this Great Park be your legacy?
Thank you,
Susan Alinsangan
90405
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David Yakobson
From: Grace Benn <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 3:33 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

Sincerely,
Grace Benn
President, Santa Monica Pickleball Club
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David Yakobson
From: HowTheWest Was Saved <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 3:26 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Cc: [email protected]; Housing Elements@HCD; [email protected]; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya
Subject: Santa Monica Airport Housing
Attachments: PenmarGolfCourse+SMAirportproposal.TieiraRyder.pdf Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Hello Santa Monica City Council,
We stated years ago and we are sending another email reminder again that our position for the public land at the incorrectly zoned Santa Monica airport is the same, we are in favor of housing + a park in a walkable community that supports various groups of residents and specifically foundational American citizens who are losing land and housing and essentially being locked out of towns that their ancestors helped to found.

Since our advocacy began about 5 years or so ago, we have seen no progress in the areas of land use and housing. Existing towns in Los Angeles county are dying and rightfully so.

Santa Monica city has affordable housing listed at $1900 for a studio apartment while offering wages of $17 an hour. That is nonsensical and we are no longer able to sit back to allow this disruption to continue. We are filing a class action against the state to sequester land back to build new homogenous American towns to completely move the blue collar class to a region where they are actively supported and cared for. The existing local and state government in CA has breached it's duty to American citizens.

Attached again you will find our position on the Santa Monica airport. This should be common sense but here we are today with a mass exodus happening because the government is inefficient. I'm not sure exactly what citizens are paying you for exactly! --
Best,
How The West Was Saved
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVIcR9jVUS4
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Walkable, bike-friendly communities that are affordable are the right of every single human being.

These communities are great for humanity, other species, and the Earth itself! Everything in the HUE-MANS life does NOT need to be a drive away.

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When the Santa Monica airport closes…
How The West Was Saved is
committed to structural
policy changes that benefit
the collective of humanity,
other species, and the
Earth herself.

H T W W S
Santa Monica Airport + Penmar Golf Course housing propo… Update: A Letter from HCD (Department of Housing & Community development) to Santa Monica City’s planning team regarding the upcoming housing element.

How The West Was Saved (Tieira R.), along with some other wonderful housing advocates were mentioned as consideration for the comments that HCD gave to Posted On May 30, 2021
When the Santa Monica airport closes…  2 COMMENTS  SHARE Y O U A R E R E A D I N G  Item 7-A
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Santa Monica regarding the necessary steps the city must take in order to create a compliant housing element. Thank You HCD for rejecting Santa Monica’s noncompliant housing element, we must hold cities accountable for housing production so that residents can finally have the housing that they are owed! https://www.smgov.net/
Taras Grescoe
@grescoe · Follow
“I’ve been living my life wrong.”
—literally everyone in North America.

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6:23 AM · Aug 30, 2021

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When the incorrectly zoned Santa Monica airport closes, a closure that should be happening in this upcoming housing element cycle (2021-2022), a walkable community that includes a majority of community-owned social housing should When the Santa Monica airport closes…  2 COMMENTS  SHARE Y O U A R E R E A D I N G  Item 7-A
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be developed. The location is perfect for a walkable/bike-friendly residential neighborhood that includes a variety of housing types for working-class residents, students, seniors, those living with disabilities, and many others in need of affordable housing.
(HTWWS does not own the rights to all of the photos attached) To be clear, this community would include both community-owned rental and homeownership options. This pro-housing advocacy effort should be led by a housing advocate that understands the needs of the local community, someone that When the Santa Monica airport closes…  2 COMMENTS  SHARE Y O U A R E R E A D I N G  Item 7-A
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likely falls within the working class and has the best interest of the local community in mind. When it comes to renting, rent should never exceed 20-30% of a resident’s total income after taxes. Please keep in mind, the average worker in LA makes about $39,000 a year, this rental housing would be catered to those workers but the community itself would be mixed-income meaning it would also include market-rate units (still cheaper usually than private market-rate housing). Along with market-rate rentals & homeownership opportunities, business placements would be considered throughout the community.

Housing proposal for the Santa Monica airport
(Please note that Penmar golf course is also being requested for this project. The exact community plans would need to be confirmed & this is just a proposed housing plan for the vacant land space.

The proposal was created by Tieira R.)
Affordable Homeownership
Affordable, reasonably priced homeownership for working-class residents, priority for long-term residents living or working in the Santa Monica, Venice, & Mar Vista zip codes.

Consider a set number of market-rate “for-sale” homes.

A variety of home types should be considered for development but especially multi-family housing such as plexes, condos, townhomes, and apartments.

Consider co-op ownership.

Priority consideration should also go to first-time homeowners in LA County, my recommendation is residents that have lived/worked at least 10 years in LA County.

Priority consideration for historically displaced residents from supposed marginalized communities. Consider a 30-40% “right to return”, “right to housing” for ADOS families ( When the Santa Monica airport closes… African descendants of Survivors), & for other  2 COMMENTS  SHARE Y O U A R E R E A D I N G  Item 7-A
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residents impacted by systematic housing violence. (Google the history of displaced Black families in Santa Monica, Venice, and/or Manhattan Beach if you need more info.)
The millennial generation should also receive a percentage of priority consideration, they currently own a measly 18% of the homes in Los Angeles. “Equity is defined as “the state, quality or ideal of being just, impartial and fair.” The concept of equity is synonymous with fairness and justice.” At no time would a small or large equity firm be granted permission to purchase a home within the community nor would an option be granted to purchase the community as a whole.

My recommendation on income qualifications for residents that are first-time buyers is; working-class residents making between $30,000-$130,000.

If potential owners require financing, ownership could be subject to credit union or bank approval. Consider public, city-owned bank.

The actual cost of homes should match that of the actual average wage of what most working-class residents make. There would likely be re-sell requirements as affordability for affordable homes would be protected by a trust.

Affordable Rental Housing
Community-owned rental housing in mixed-income developments.

The recommended height for apartment buildings is 6-7 stories.

Set an “affordable rental rate” based on what the average person from the bluecollar working class makes. At this moment, most workers in LA make about $39,000 a year. Affordability is usually priced for residents in the $17,000-$70,000 range.

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Community-owned market-rate rentals to be included, most likely still cheaper than the private market-rate rental housing.

No income restrictions once residents are housed.
https://www.nhlp.org/resources/lihtc-admissions-rents-grievanceprocedures/ Reserve a portion of the housing for limited to no-income residents. Consider the following; subsidize with HUD and/or new digital voucher program; subsidize low to no income residents with market-rate apartment & business rentals; consider HCID/HACLA westside chapter. Social services for housing, food, and health care should be ONE efficient program.

Affordable bachelors, studios, 1, 2, and 3 bedrooms.

As with affordable homeownership, the rental units & placements would be for various types of community members but especially keeping in mind our core working class which includes the essential workforce, students, seniors, veterans, those living with disabilities, etc. etc.

Student apartments would be bachelor-sized apartments with smaller fridges and MUST have a kitchen area sink and a small area to put a hot plate (or something similar) so they can cook if needed. (Similar to this https://urbanize.city/la/post/micro-unit-apartment-building) More info on the proposed community as a whole
priority consideration for small business placements within the community.

The land will be owned under a municipal, CLT, or co-op trust which basically means if any of the owned homes are sold in the future, a portion of that sale will go back into the respective trust.

Include an open large park and a recreation center within the walkable community. Cars can exist on the outside of the community, not within.

Consider the possibility of needing to build new schools. When the Santa Monica airport closes…  2 COMMENTS  SHARE Y O U A R E R E A D I N G  Item 7-A
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Consider a quality westside public transit system, especially for college students between SMC and/or UCLA. (cut down on car traffic congestion because students wouldn’t need to drive)
College student housing should have its own small park area that has a WIFI and outdoor/indoor workspace for them.

Consider large home space for displaced minors within the community aka a “group home” to provide stability.

Request consideration for golf course closure(s) as well as other vacant land plots and buildings that have potential use for affordable housing that is communityowned and suits apartments, condos, townhomes, small and/or tiny homes for locals. Request more interim housing and healthcare sites on the westside for residents with long-term behavioral health needs.

The overall progressive housing goal is to adopt a similar social housing policy for each city in California (all of the U.S) with pro-housing community advocates from said cities leading the efforts. The private market can obviously always exist but it can’t compete against itself, forcing residents to beg for housing that is priced much higher than most can afford. That doesn’t sound like freedom to me! California’s Housing Crisis
The current CA housing crisis is literally wiping out and pushing the blue-collar working class, students, senior citizens, and many other residents into poverty! In the last 10 years, rent has gone up well over 65% in the city of Los Angeles, in that same amount of time the number of unhoused residents increased by at least 50%! There are currently 60,000+ unhoused residents in LA County and the median income can no longer afford a rent-controlled studio in cities like Santa Monica! When the Santa Monica airport closes…  2 COMMENTS  SHARE Y O U A R E R E A D I N G  Item 7-A
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https://www.smdp.com/renters-need-to-earn-95000-to-afford-rent-controlledstudio-in-santa-monicaIt’s time to return ownership to the residents of Los Angeles, our right to clean, safe, and affordable housing is being denied!
Side notes:

Alex Lee 李天明
@alex_lee · Follow
Housing prices making it impossible to live in your
community? Distrust private developers?
Social Housing is your answer
California must become the developer. We will build
beautiful, sustainable, mixed-income neighborhoods
to solve housing crisis
noemamag.com/public-housing…
10:14 AM · Aug 31, 2021
Read the full conversation on Twitter
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https://planning.lacity.org/plans-policies/housing-element (LA City Housing Element)
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What is a community land trust?
“Starting at about $600 per month for a studio, rents in the Los Angeles Eco-Village are less than half the price of some comparable apartments nearby, and prices aren’t raised unless community members agree to it. That’s possible because the land beneath the co-op is owned by the Beverly/Vermont Community Land Trust, which has pledged to make the land permanently affordable regardless of rising housing prices.” https://laist.com/2021/02/02/community-land-trusts-los-angeles-affordable.php An email from the Santa Monica planning team regarding use of the airport in this upcoming housing element
“Hi , Thanks for sharing your proposal and thoughts for the airport. Please note that since the airport is slated to close at the end of 2028 and conversion to any other use would take time, the airport is not realistically being considered in the planning for the 6 th cycle Housing Element Update (October 2021 – July 2029). It will most certainly be a consideration in the following housing element cycle (beyond 2029).

However, to get to that point, there will need to be a public process around the future of the airport given the significant community interest and varying views on its future use so I hope you will continue on to be engaged in that separate effort.” Quotes from an LA Times article regarding the Santa Monica airport “The opening of a the 227-acre site on the Westside — in close proximity to jobs, good schools and transit — is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. Housing has to be a part of the equation.

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“Since the 1980s, Santa Monica has approved the construction of millions of square feet of office space, transforming it into a hub for both the tech and entertainment industries, with a daytime population that swells by more than 150,000 people. But this explosive job growth has not been accompanied by a proportional increase in housing units.”
“Santa Monica’s estimated population of 92,478 residents in 2019 was only a blip above what it was in 1970, when 88,289 people called the city home. This growing imbalance between jobs and housing has created a massive influx of daily commuters into Santa Monica (even well-compensated tech employees) who either can’t find or can’t afford housing near these job centers. Meanwhile, population in neighboring jurisdictions has swelled, displacing lower-income residents. The result is more and more commuters crowding the freeways from increasingly distant parts of Southern California.”
The plan to turn Santa Monica Airport into a park is irresponsible. The Westside needs housing
(By the way, most of the office buildings mentioned in the LA Times article above in Santa Monica have been empty for over a year during the pandemic, they lay empty as residents head to the streets or to their cars/vans to sleep) https://a25.asmdc.org/press-releases/20210202-assemblymember-alex-leeintroduces-bill-establish-social-housing When the Santa Monica airport closes…  2 COMMENTS  SHARE Y O U A R E R E A D I N G  Item 7-A
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How Socialists Solved The Housing Crisis
Alex Fumero
@AngryYuca · Follow
Here is @MayorOfLA Eric Garcetti without an ounce of
irony explaining that when the economy is good
homelessness INCREASES as though it’s an immutable
axiom like the Law of Fucking Gravity. (Yes, Newton calles it that.)
Watch on Twitter When the Santa Monica airport closes…  2 COMMENTS  SHARE Y O U A R E R E A D I N G  Item 7-A
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Item 7-A
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10:23 PM · Sep 19, 2020
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David Yakobson
From: Sheila Laffey <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 3:23 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
I am asking you to actively support the creation of an inspirational LC-compliant Great Park with a sensible financing plan that prioritizes existing on-site revenue sources and with no sale or other privatization of the land.

My neighborhood is increasingly dense and noisy and quality of life has become seriously hampered. Huge trucks and lines of traffic (sometimes a block long) make driving out of our condo building a risky challenge. More natural open spaces are desperately needed.

As our park-poor city densifies, it is paramount that City Council and other departments plan for the creation of sufficient open, recreational, and regenerative spaces that can restore habitat and meet the needs of both current and future generations.

Thank you,
Sheila Laffey, Ph.D.
1301 17th St
Santa Monica 90404
(Teaching at SMC for over 26 years)
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David Yakobson
From: Brian Biel <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 3:21 PM
To: Dan Hall; Lana Negrete; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Caroline Torosis; Natalya Zernitskaya; Jesse Zwick; councilmtgitems
Subject: July 8 Meeting- Item 7- Please keep options for KSMO open Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
With the upmost respect, I’m writing to urge the Council to explore more than a single, narrowly focused vision of a park for the future of Santa Monica Airport. The enormity of this decision deserves a detailed and robust analysis of the economics of different land uses. It’s been widely reported that the city faces economic challenges from declining tourism and business vitality. Given this, the Council deserves a wider range of options along with a detailed analysis of the economic impacts and potentials.

Additionally, please consider what is expected to be a revolution in quiet and clean electrified aviation. Preserving part of the airfield to benefit the desire of residents and visitors to make short distance trips free of auto traffic.

Measure LC was not a mandate for a park. Measure LC merely requires a vote of the people for development on land formerly used for aviation purposes (with limited exceptions). Much has changed since that 2014 election, which, by the way, had historically low turnout.

Please consider the risk of unintended consequences. Closing the airport at the end of 2028 without a clear, funded path forward will result in an unmanaged, blighted site while simultaneously eliminating jobs and the human flourishing that can come from general aviation.

Thank you for your diligence and service.

Sincerely,
Brian Biel
Brian Biel
2517 La Mesa Dr.

Santa Monica, CA 90402
310-779-2232 mobile
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David Yakobson
From: Ellen Hannan <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 2:44 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Elaine Polachek
Subject: Item 7A SMACP Project for July 8,2025
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
I support a fast move forward on Item 7a to complete the City's requirement by Santa Monica Voters to close the airport and return the recreational land to general use as a city park for all. Very few people need access to flying small planes but thousands of residents young and old need space for the enjoyment of our lovely environment.

ALSO STOP SPENDING MONEY ON WASTEFUL SURVEYS. Enough already.

Ellen Hannan
1218 9th St #6
Santa Monica,CA 90401
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David Yakobson
From: Barbara Inatsugu <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 2:41 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Cc: LWVSM
Subject: Letter to City Council regarding Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025 Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Please move forward, for the benefit of all, with the creation of an LC-compliant Great Park with a sensible/practical financing plan that prioritizes existing on-site revenue sources with no sale or other privatization of the land.

As you know, compared to other comparable cities, we are what is called "park-poor". It is important that we plan for the creation of sufficient open, recreational, and regenerative spaces that can restore habitat and meet the needs of both current and future generations.

As noted in a November 15, 2024 article posted by the Great Park Coalition Leadership Team, "The Great Park Coalition firmly believes that both park space and housing are essential for a sustainable city. All great cities, large and small, have great parks. It is that park space that allows for denser housing while still maintaining the quality of life in the city for all residents."
As we all know:
 Santa Monica is an outspoken and engaged community
 It is not unusual for our local debates to be just that, robust debates  Proponents and opponents often claim positions diametrically opposed to each other However, we encourage everyone to:
 Study the issues to determine real world impact
 Determine which approach(es) makes more sense for our community As I watched a previous City Council meeting, I was pleased to hear supporters of the Great Park also systematically express support during Public Comment for both the Great Park AND affordable housing/new housing in areas of Santa Monica that make more sense - some already in process. They also stated that support of the Great Park does not mean opposition to affordable/new housing in Santa Monica.

As many of you know, the League has strong policy positions supporting both a Great Park concept, as well as affordable housing.

The fact is that Santa Monica has room and need for both.

We recognize that the proposed Great Park serving all the people of Santa Monica is a once-ever opportunity, while housing will continue to be built elsewhere in the City.

Submitted by,
Barbara Inatsugu, Vice President/Program
Maria Rodriguez, President
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League of Women Voters of Santa Monica
[email protected]
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David Yakobson
From: BARRIE LEVY <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 2:39 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: July 8 Item #7A SM Airport Conversion Project
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear City Council members:

I am Barrie Levy. I worked in SM for 40 years, and I live very close to the SM airport, on the other side of Centinela. Your decisions will affect thousands of my Santa Monica and LA neighbors in the future. I am writing regarding the SM Airport Conversion Project to urge you to plan convert the SM airport to a large community that fits SM culture and values, with 3,000 units of below market rate housing as well as a large park and community centers – for a well-used and safe natural environment enjoyed by people from all over the Westside as well as the new residents of SM living on this land.

This housing will be environmentally sustainable, with green spaces, recycling of water, and reduced use of cars to reduce pollution. I’m sure you know that 70,000 people who work here commute daily in and out of SM, creating terrible traffic and air pollution. We are all losing our valued teachers, health care providers and public safety workers because of this. They, and hotel and restaurant workers, police officers and firefighters - the core of our economy - want to live close to where they work, but THERE IS NO HOUSING for them.

Below market rate housing on this land will be financially sustainable because rental income can offset maintenance costs, and there is public funding to build affordable housing. No public funding is available for parks, so to develop only a huge park would be a strain on SM tax dollars.

AND Santa Monica MUST include housing in the EIR for the Surplus Land Act and for the Housing Accountability Act! If housing is not included the process of developing a park will be extremely expensive, and extremely slow.

If you would like to learn about a vision for this new community with housing and parks, please see the Cloverfield Commons website: www.cloverfieldcommons.com.

Think of the future of our grandchildren and the future of Santa Monica – build below market rate housing on the SM airport land! Thank you!
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Barrie Levy
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David Yakobson
From: Leslie Neale <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 2:38 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

Sincerely,
Leslie Neale
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David Yakobson
From: Lance Z <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 2:33 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Caroline Torosis; Lana Negrete; Jesse Zwick; Ellis Raskin; Dan Hall; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya
Subject: Item 7.A./July 8th - Support for an LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Santa Monica City Council,
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131
David Yakobson
From: Patti Braun <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 2:19 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Amber Richane
Cc: Nicole Faries; Elaine Polachek; Sunny Wang; Jenny Rogers; Heidi von Tongeln; Jennifer Taylor; Oscar Santiago; Heather Averick; Oliver Chi; Rick Valte; Armine Chaparyan; Douglas Sloan; Nia Tang; Christopher Dishlip; Peter James; Susan Cola Subject: Item 7A Support for LC Compliance from SMMPTA COUNCIL Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete, Mayor Pro Tem Torosis, and Esteemed Council Members, You have heard from SMMPTA Council several time before, with advocacy around an LC-compliant Great Park, keeping the health and well-being of our children and youth top of mind.

As a reminder, back in 2014, SMMPTA Council, concerned about a dangerous airport in the middle of a residential neighborhood, spewing toxic particulate matter on our schools and preschools, did a comprehensive study of the issue (as is our practice) and voted to support Measure LC. We then hit the streets and the phones to pass the Measure!
Ten years later, as the Santa Monica Airport Conversion Project commenced, SMMPTA Council returned to the issue of the land, taking into consideration that our city offers only 1.4 acres of park per 1000 residents, while the national average is 10.6 acres. SMMPTA Council voted unanimously last fall to reaffirm our commitment to Measure LC and its aim to create a Great Park with no development on that land when the airport closes at the end of 2028. SMMPTA also voted to become a sponsoring organization of the Great Park Coalition.

Leadership believes that a Great Park is a necessary companion to the housing both erected and planned throughout the city, and that children and youth, particularly those without backyards or gardens, need expansive spaces run, play, garden, swim, have arts experiences, gather, bike, picnic, and generally immerse themselves in nature.

Hundreds of the families SMMPTA represents have taken part in the SMAC Project outreach surveys, listening sessions, and engagement events. We have examined the survey results. Many with whom we have spoken were shocked to see the trio of Phase 3b Scenarios released with TWO plans for a great deal of housing—much more than even Council Member Zwick requested to see. It seems that there has been behind-the-scenes direction to staff to focus on housing as a revenue generator, though a great many other options to build and sustain a Great Park exist--through the Metropolitan Water district, the California State Parks, and other public money sources, and of course, the existing lease revenues. It must be pointed out that the community has been clear. The majority do not want to see housing or commercial (non-park related) development on this land.

As Santa Monica’s population grows, and our park-poor city continues to densify, the need for a Great Park becomes more urgent than ever. There is a great deal of energy in our community behind creating this legacy Great Park for future generations. On July 8th the Great Park Coalition asks that City Council direct staff to move ahead with an LC-compliant plan AND continue to show steady Item 7-A
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support for LC-compliance on airport land in the months and years ahead, as the Airport Conversion Project moves through the upcoming SMAC planning phases. Thank you for moving forward with vision and courage.

Sincerely,
Nicole Faries, President
Patti Braun, Vice President, Community Concerns
Santa Monica- Malibu Council of PTAs
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1 David Yakobson
From: Molly Moriarty <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 2:08 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek; [email protected]
Subject: Item 7.a SMAC Project June 8
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Beautiful, useful park space is the right thing to do. We do not need a Playa Vista. You have the chance to shape what Santa Monica means for not just Santa Monicans but people around the world who visit us.

Please vote for a Great Park, for the benefit of ALL Santa Monicans, with all new uses dedicated to park and recreation, including plenty of sports fields.

My family is active and my kids enjoy youth sports. Unfortunately, Santa Monica is park-poor – with much less park space per resident than other cities. We deserve better.

The airport site is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build a 192-acre Great Park to address today's acute shortage of open and field space and to balance future density and population growth.

Please vote for a Great Park for our kids, our active community -- and for generations of Santa Monicans to come.

Thank you,
Molly Moriarty
SM AYSO Parent
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3 David Yakobson
From: Matty Wilder <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 2:01 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

Sincerely,
Matty Wilder
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4 David Yakobson
From: Soloff, Michael <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 1:55 PM
To: Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; councilmtgitems
Cc: [email protected]; SMRR - Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights Subject: Agenda Item 7.A (7.8.2025 City Councill Meeting) Attachments: 7.7.2025 SMRR letter to Council re Item 7.A (support for inclusion of affordable housing among uses of the Airport after closure).pdf
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Please find attached the comments of Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights regarding Agenda Item 7.A on Tuesday’s City Council Agenda.

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RE: Support for Evaluating Inclusion of Affordable Housing Among the Uses at the Santa Monica Airport After Closure—Item 7.A on City Council’s July 8, 2025 Agenda Dear City Councilmembers,
We are writing to express the strong support of Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights (“SMRR”) for including approximately 3,000 units of below market rate housing on a maximum of 25% of the land among the uses at the Santa Monica Airport that are to be evaluated in at least one postclosure scenario (that would require a vote of Santa Monicans before implementation) that will be studied in connection with the upcoming EIR. As explained below, SMRR believes the creation of approximately 3,000 units of below market rate housing at the Santa Monica Airport after closure is essential to ensure Santa Monica remains an economically diverse community, and does not become an economically gated community, a moral vision and moral goal that a majority of Santa Monicans have repeatedly endorsed by their votes over the last 45 years.

Indeed, the creation of affordable housing on a small portion of the land at the airport postclosure will reinforce for our children, grandchildren, and all the visitors to the post-closure great park from around the region and the world Santa Monica’s longstanding view that the best things in life are for everyone, not just for those wealthy enough to buy or rent market-rate homes in the vicinity of the post-closure great park. SMRR also believes that the creation of these units need not preclude in any way any of the park-related and other uses that the community and SMRR also wish to see at the Santa Monica Airport after closure.

Some claim they support the creation of affordable housing, just not at the airport. But available public land for affordable housing is already being used to create a portion of the affordable housing required to meet the City’s current needs under City Charter Section 630 (Proposition R) and the approved Housing Element for the Sixth RHNA Cycle. No one has suggested what other public land will be available to create affordable housing during the post-airport closure future if no land at the airport is used. Nor has anyone explained how the City can create affordable housing during that period at anywhere near the scale required by Proposition R (or likely future RHNA allocations) if the City has to fund the purchase of private Santa Monica land (which at present is worth roughly $25 million per acre) on which to build (or rehabilitate) that housing.

Of course, given Measure LC (which SMRR fully supported), the voters will have the ultimate say about whether in fact to create these units. But in order to fairly and intelligently present that choice to the voters, these units should be included in at least one scenario included in the upcoming EIR. Any decision to not even study the creation of these units would represent a complete repudiation of longstanding Santa Monica values and City Charter Section 630.

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History Demonstrates That A Majority Of Santa Monica Voters Consistently Support Governmental Efforts To Maintain Santa Monica As An Economically Diverse City Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights (“SMRR”) was founded more than 45 years ago to combat the ongoing displacement of lower income and middle class renters from our beach city due to rapidly rising housing costs. Over and over again, the majority of Santa Monica voters have embraced SMRR’s moral vision and moral goal of maintaining Santa Monica as an economically diverse city. For example, the majority of Santa Monica voters voted to add rent control to the City Charter (1979); voted to add to the Charter a mandate that the City Council ensure that at least 30% of all new multi-family housing constructed each year be deed-restricted housing affordable to and occupied by lower and moderate income households (1990); voted to add to the City Charter authorization to expend City funds for affordable housing (1998); voted to increase the local sales tax to generate new funds for affordable housing after the State eliminated redevelopment funding (2016); and voted to increase by ballot initiative the real estate transfer tax in order to expand the City’s rent subsidy and affordable housing production programs (2022).

A majority of Santa Monica voters also repeatedly have elected SMRR endorsed City Council majorities that took action to implement the moral vision and moral goal of Santa Monica as an economically diverse city. For example, prior City Councils facilitated the creation of a community-based non-profit affordable housing developer and operator, Community Corporation of Santa Monica (1982); zoned for mixed-use developments on commercially zoned properties, commercial boulevards, and in the downtown (1990s through the present); imposed by ordinance inclusionary zoning affordable housing requirements on for-profit developers that provide increased height and density in exchange for increased inclusionary requirements (1992 through the present); dedicated public land and spent public funds to create deed-restricted affordable housing (1979 through the present); dedicated close to 40% of redevelopment funds to affordable housing—twice the state mandate of at least 20% (1990s through the State’s elimination of redevelopment during the Great Recession); dedicated to affordable housing all of the one-time redevelopment loan repayments from the State (2017 through the present); and created and expanded a local rent subsidy pilot program to keep extremely low and very low income seniors in their long time homes (2017 through the present).

Finally, the majority of voters in the 2024 City Council election voted for four new SMRRendorsed Councilmembers, all of whom stated during the campaign their support for the creation of more deed-restricted affordable housing.

Creating Approximately 3,000 Below Market Rate Housing Units At The Santa Monica Airport Post-Closure Is Essential Both To Maintaining Santa Monica As An Economically Diverse City And To The Council Complying With Its Charter Obligations Under Proposition R
Tonight’s discussion of the post-closure use of the Santa Monica Airport is about the long-term future of our City. If that long-term future is to include a place for lower and moderate income households, the use of some of the public land at the Santa Monica Airport for approximately 3,000 below market rate housing units is essential.1
1 SMRR believes that it is premature at the present time to take a position regarding the precise make up of these units in terms of bedroom size or maximum income level. Both State law and Santa Monica law seek in various ways to encourage the production of units that are deed-restricted as affordable to lower or moderate income Item 7-A
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As explained in the most-recent Santa Monica Rent Control Board Annual Report, in 1998, prior to State-mandated vacancy decontrol, 84 percent of all Santa Monica rent-controlled units were affordable to lower-income households. Today, virtually no rental units are affordable to lowerincome households, except for deed-restricted affordable units. 2 As a result, HUD’s most recent
CHAS data estimates that 10,375 of the current 14,350 lower-income Santa Monica renter households (72.3%) are rent burdened (i.e., pay more than 30% and up to 50% of their limited incomes for rent and utilities), including 6500 such households (45.3% of the current total lowerincome Santa Monica renter households) that are severely rent burdened (i.e., pay more than 50% of their limited incomes for rent and utilities).3
Critically, current initial rent levels preclude any new lower-income households from moving into housing in our community, except deed-restricted affordable housing, including the many lower-income households headed by the hotel workers, restaurant workers, and retail workers households (as variously defined in those laws). SMRR recognizes that to date severe rent burden (paying more than 50% of household income for rent and utilities) is almost exclusively a problem for lower income households, and that rent burden (paying more than 30% but no more than 50% of household income for rent and utilities) is almost exclusively a problem for lower and moderate income households (with the incidence higher the lower the household income level). See Footnote 3 below. SMRR also recognizes that the consequence of rent burden is greater the lower a household’s income because at the exact same level of rent burden expressed as a percentage of household income, a household with less income necessarily has less after rent income to spend on the other necessities of life than a household with more income. However, SMRR further recognizes that the only Santa Monica housing affordable to households somewhat above moderate is a portion of the rent control stock that becomes available over time, and that the market will not create newly constructed units that are affordable to such households. See Footnote 4 below. SMRR finally recognizes that innovative financing models, including social housing, the potential to set aside units for specific types of workers (e.g., teachers), and potential continued increases in rents relative to increases in household incomes may call for including above moderate—but below market—housing among the approximately 3,000 deed-restricted units SMRR believes should be created at the Santa Monica Airport after closure.
2 See 2023 Santa Monica Rent Control Board Annual Report (“2023 SMRCB Report”) at 26 (bottom paragraph), available at
https://www.santamonica.gov/media/Document%20Library/Detail/Rent%20Control%20Charter%20Amendment% 20&%20Regulations/SMRCB%202023%20Annual%20Report.pdf.
3 See 2017-2021 HUD Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (“CHAS”) data, available at https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/cp.html.

Income by Cost Burden (Renters only) Cost burden
> 30%
Cost burden >
50% Total
Household Income less-than or= 30% HAMFI 4,620 3,780 6,820 Household Income >30% to less-than or= 50%
HAMFI 3,190 1,860 3,690
Household Income >50% to less-than or= 80%
HAMFI 2,565 860 3,840
Household Income >80% to less-than or= 100%
HAMFI 1,560 325 2,880
Household Income >100% HAMFI 1,895 40 16,115
Total 13,830 6,865 33,345
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whose labor each day is essential to our City obtaining the Transient Occupancy Tax and Sales Tax revenues that provide much of the funding for the City services enjoyed by Santa Monica residents. In particular, our rent-controlled units, which by definition are at least 45 years old, command a lower initial rent than newly constructed units. Yet, even a household earning the absolute maximum income that HCD classifies as lower income would have to spend between

35.6% of that income (for single person household renting a studio apartment) and 41.6% of that income (for a four person household renting a two bedroom apartment) in order to cover the median initial rent for the smallest possible Santa Monica rent-controlled unit that could accommodate a household of that size. And all of the lower-income households that do not make that absolute maximum income would have to pay an even higher percentage of their income to cover that median initial rent. Indeed, every household that HCD classifies as very low income would have to pay far more than half their limited incomes to cover that median initial rent. 4 These facts demonstrate that Santa Monica cannot remain an economically diverse City without creating deed-restrict affordable housing. While the City can (and in accordance with 2022 Measure GS must) address the rent-burden crisis faced by current lower-income Santa Monica households in part through expanded rent subsidy programs, new deed-restricted affordable housing also is a part of the solution. Moreover, over time life circumstances will lead long-term lower income households to leave existing long term (and therefore much more affordable) rent controlled units, and will be replaced by higher income tenants who can afford the then current initial rents for such units (thereby reducing the number of lower-income households in the City). Further, the City—in accordance with State mandates—necessarily will be significantly increasing its housing supply with very expensive market rate units, thereby reducing the share of Santa Monica households who are lower income if new deed-restricted housing for lower income households is not also created. Additional deed-restricted affordable units therefore are necessary to prevent Santa Monica from becoming an economically gated community.

The majority of Santa Monica voters long ago mandated that the City Council take action to assure the creation of newly constructed housing units affordable to lower and moderate income households. By 1990 Proposition R, Santa Monica voters added Section 630 to the City Charter.

Section 630 provides (bolding added):

The City Council by ordinance shall at all times require that not less than thirty percent (30%) of all multifamily-residential housing newly constructed in the City on an annual basis is permanently affordable to and occupied by low and moderate income households. For purposes of this Section, “low income household” means a household with an income not exceeding sixty percent (60%) of the Los Angeles County median income, adjusted by family size, as published from time to time by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, and “moderate income household” means a household 4 See 2023 SMRCB Report at 26, at Figure 24 (median initial rent level in 2023, by unit size); 2023 California Department of Housing and Community Development State Income Limits for Los Angeles County, available at https://www.hcd.ca.gov/sites/default/files/docs/grants-and-funding/income-limits-2023.pdf. The calculation presented above assumes that a single person household rents a studio apartment, a two-person household rents a one-bedroom apartment, and a four person household rents a two-bedroom apartment. (footnote continues on next page)

(footnote 4 continued)
Using the same approach demonstrates that the median initial rent is less than 30% of the income of a household earning maximum amount that HCD defines as moderate income.

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with an income not exceeding one hundred percent (100%) of the Los Angeles County median income, adjusted by family size, as published from time to time by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. At least fifty percent (50%) of the newly constructed units required to be permanently affordable by this Section shall be affordable to and occupied by low income households.

State and local inclusionary housing requirements—which require for profit developers to deedrestrict a portion of their units for low and moderate income households, in exchange for the right to build taller and denser projects—cannot by themselves meet the requirements of City Charter Section 630. At the present time, given current State and local law, 15% or less of the units in new market-rate development projects in Santa Monica are deed-restricted affordable units. Meeting the requirements of City Charter Section 630 has always required—and in the future will continue to require—that public resources be devoted to creating new deed-restricted affordable housing units, including public land.

Some claim they support the creation of affordable housing, just not at the airport. But available public land for affordable housing is already being used to create a portion of the affordable housing required to meet the City’s current needs under Proposition R and the approved Housing Element for the Sixth RHNA Cycle. No one has suggested what other public land will be available to create affordable housing during the post-airport closure future if no land at the airport is used. Nor has anyone explained how the City can meaningfully create affordable housing during that period at anywhere near the scale required by Proposition R (or likely future RHNA allocations) if the City has to fund the purchase of private Santa Monica land (which at present is worth some $25 million per acre) on which to build (or rehabilitate) that housing.

Creating Approximately 3,000 Below Market Rate Housing Units At The Santa Monica Airport Post-Closure Need Not Preclude In Any Way Any Of The Park-Related And Other Uses That The Community And SMRR Also Wish To See Created Section G of the SMRR platform has long provided that:

SMRR is committed to the restoration and expansion of our parks and our public open space and their recreational facilities and programs. Santa Monica parks should be the pride of our community.

SMRR sees no conflict between this position, and its position that approximately 3,000 below market rate housing units should be created at the Santa Monica Airport post-closure.

The Santa Monica Airport site is approximately 200 acres. If, for illustrative example only, you wanted to put 60 units per acre, which is far less dense that many current affordable housing projects in Santa Monica, 3,000 units could be accommodated on just 25% of that land.5 While
5 See, e.g., 4/17/24 Application of Venice Housing Corporation to California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (“CTAC”) regarding 1624 20th Street in Santa Monica (78 one, two and three bedroom units in a seven story building on 0.46 acre site—project approved for financing by CTAC); 2/24 EAH Housing Presentation to Santa Monica Housing Commission regarding 1318 4th Street in Santa Monica (122 studio, one, two and three bedroom units in a six story building on 30,000 square foot (i.e., 0.69 acre) site—project approved by City Council on public land); 3/2/23 Staff Report to Santa Monica Architectural Review Board regarding 1834-1848 14th Street (73 one, two and three bedroom units in a four story building on 30,060 square foot (i.e., 0.69 acre) site—project completed).

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aesthetic values, financing opportunities, a desire to maximize parkland, and/or other values might ultimately lead the voters to embrace somewhat more or less density, which in turn would require somewhat more or somewhat less of the land be devoted to the creation of approximately 3,000 below market rate units, the point remains that the creation of those units at the Santa Monica Airport post-closure need not prevent in any way any of the park-related or other uses the community and SMRR also would like to see created.

Thank you for your consideration of SMRR’s views on this important matter.

Sincerely,
Denny Zane Mike Soloff
Co-Chair, Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights Co-Chair, Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights Item 7-A
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5 David Yakobson
From: Cris Gutierrez <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 1:53 PM
To: Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Jesse Zwick; councilmtgitems
Cc: Elaine Polachek
Subject: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
Attachments: GPCSustainabilityWG_LOI_FINAL copy.pdf
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete, Mayor Pro Tem Torosis and Esteemed Council Members:

Honoring our City’s visionary, bold leader in sustainability, the Great Park Coalition’s Regenerative Sustainability Working Group has sought to uplift and strengthen the community’s understanding of what it means to be sustainable and resilient, to, in fact, “Start with Nature.” As the first Guiding Principle of the Santa Monica Airport Conversion Project, "Start with Nature” is a clarion declaration. For more than 30 years, our City has sought to recognize and respect that our way of living must be in balance with nature. Our Indigenous Gabrielino-Tongva community would say to be “in relationship” with our natural communities. Our Sustainable City Plan, the Rights of Nature-Sustainability Rights Ordinance (SRO), the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan and our Municipal Code, Article 12 - Sustainability of the City of Santa Monica demonstrate a genuine determination to live up to first principles.

With that in mind, we urge City Council to move forward, for the benefit of all, the creation of an inspirational LC-compliant Great Park with a sensible financing plan that prioritizes existing on-site revenue sources and with no sale or other privatization of the land. As our park-scarce city densifies, it is paramount that we plan for the creation of sufficient open, recreational, and regenerative spaces that can restore habitat and meet the needs of both current and future generations. Environmental and social justice require no less.

Just last Saturday, the air quality in Santa Monica was markedly poor, measuring 70 by the Air Quality Index. A vast Great Park ecosystem with trees and verdant plants connected to natural ecosystems throughout the Westside region will help filter and clean the air. An expansive Great Park actually gives people breathing space. Yes, a Great Park can act as the City’s lungs.

To that end, our working group submitted a Letter of Interest (attached) proposing that we help establish a Great Park Land Trust and to develop the roadmap for a Green Circular Economy plan for Santa Monica to propel our community into an environmentally sustainable new economy. We also have issued a position statement explaining that housing is not practically suitable for the public space at the airport site but that the density of housing being built needs a maximized 192 acre regenerative open space at the airport site for our quality of life in Santa Monica to flourish.

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6 Our intention is to support and hold our City true to embody our values and respect the Precautionary Principle that our leadership in sustainability has sought to realize. We trust that you would agree.

With respect,
Cris Gutierrez and Dean Kubani, Great Park Coalition’s Regenerative Sustainability Working Group Co-Chairs Item 7-A
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1 Thank you for the opportunity to submit this Letter of Interest to the City of Santa Monica. The known lack of public open spaces in Santa Monica (as shown in statistics) — and the urgent need to balance the present and future demand in building more housing in the city — underscores the importance of protecting the airport site from development and transforming it into a regenerative public park. Our group is responding to this moment with creative and collaborative solutions that re-integrate nature into the urban fabric, fostering resilience, innovation, mental health, economic vitality, intergenerational connection, restorative justice, food security, creativity, and more.

This letter sets forth a proposal to create a 192-acre ecological Great Park in Santa Monica, centered around four foundational elements. These features will support a range of community activities while most importantly restoring Nature to help rebalance the built environment, reduce ecological harm, and ensure a thriving future:
• The Oak Forest
• The Native Meadow
• The Regenerative Farming Innovation Center
• The Freshwater Creek and Restored Aquifer System.

This letter also intends to map a collaborative vision of how our Great Park Coalition - Sustainability Working Group can lead the formation of a Great Park Land Trust. This Trust would organize and activate mission-driven partners to:
• Reimagine and fund the 192-acre ecological Great Park. • Design programs to generate revenues.
• Adapt and reuse the existing buildings to support these programs and expand income streams.
• Steward and run operations on the model of other successful California State/County/City parks.

The model that we propose (mapped in the diagram below) is also the inherent vehicle to develop (and simultaneously be informed by) the roadmap for a Green Circular Economy plan for Santa Monica to propel our community into an environmentally sustainable new economy.

Our team of visionary and mission-driven professionals sees the urgent need and great opportunity of using the airport conversion to prioritize the development of a Green Circular Economy plan to provide support and new opportunities for our local businesses, our school system, and our growing population needs.

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2 Santa Monica’s Sustainability Leadership and Legacy
Santa Monica’s sustainability leadership has broadened and deepened with the support, knowledge, expertise and imagination of dedicated community members — from scientists, students, master gardeners, and teachers to activists, lawyers, artists, entrepreneurs, etc. – along with numerous local, regional and state environmental and climate organizations, many home-grown and typically made up of multi-generations. Over many years, people have stood with the City to take bold, profound actions in protecting our local natural ecosystems as fundamental to our human health and thriving.

Critical Points
We address key questions to help elucidate this proposal and its viability.

How does a Land Trust fund a large regional ecological project? The Great Park Land Trust will be created in partnership with a large educational organization, such as part of the UC system (or comparable institutions) to support and set the goals of the Regenerative Farming Innovation Center to be an innovative outdoor research hub in regenerative practices that will directly support and serve our local community and school system to increase food health and food security.

The Great Park Land Trust will also partner (among other likely-minded organizations in education, arts, and sustainability) with:
• the Theodore Payne Foundation to plan and implement the restoration of native plants and pollinator habitats, absolutely fundamental to regenerative farming food production, Item 7-A
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3 besides creating one of the largest and most valuable urban pollinator corridors in our region to foster biodiversity at a large scale.
• the Gabrielino/Tongva community to reintroduce Indigenous sustainable practices to steward and honor our land, but also to hold space for Indigenous artists. • The Cayton Children Museum to make the Great Park with its food production Regenerative Fields, Oak Forest, and Native Meadow a laboratory for the arts and science for the new generations.
• Multibenefit Recharge Basin Non-profit organization.
• Community Kitchen organizations like Alice Waters’s Edible Schoolyard Project. • The UCLA Institute of Environment & Sustainability.
• The UCLA Department of Ecological Medicine and Psychedelics Studies.

What is the City’s sustainability leadership advantage and how is that shared with City leaders and the community?
Sophisticated capacity and confidence come with more than 30 years of Santa Monica’s sustainability leadership and accomplishments, highlighted by the establishment of the Sustainability Rights Ordinance recognizing the Rights of Nature and the community rights as fundamental. The City of Santa Monica’s (City) forward-looking sustainability goals, actions, and leadership are set forth in Article 12. Sustainability of the City of Santa Monica Municipal Code of Ordinances, which states:

“The City of Santa Monica Sustainability Code is created and exists for the purpose of codifying Santa Monica’s commitment to achieving sustainability by among other things: (a) restoring, protecting and preserving our natural environment and all of its components and communities including, but not limited to, the air, water, soil, and climate upon which all living things depend; (b) creating and promoting sustainable systems of food production and distribution, energy production and distribution, transportation, waste disposal, and water supply; and (c) to the full extent legally possible, subordinating the short-term, private, financial interests of corporations and others to the common, long-term interest of achieving environmental and economic sustainability.”
Through the City’s Commission on Sustainability, Environmental Justice and the Environment and the ongoing education and advocacy by community members and organizations, elected leaders and diverse stakeholders are engaged in learning about the sustainability history and the expectations and opportunities of participating in or carrying out projects to accomplish the ambitious sustainability and climate goals and identify new ways of doing so.

What’s Regenerative Farming and why?
Regenerative farming is a land stewardship approach that goes beyond sustainability—it actively restores ecosystems. Through practices like composting, no-till planting, crop rotation, cover cropping, and integrating native plants, regenerative farming rebuilds soil health, increases biodiversity, captures carbon, and helps restore the water cycle.

In the context of the Great Park, regenerative farming offers more than ecological benefits. It becomes a vibrant educational hub where residents, students, and visitors of all ages can learn how food, soil, and climate are interconnected. It invites the community to participate in growing nutrient-rich food, healing the land, and reviving ancestral and Indigenous farming Item 7-A
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4 knowledge. This kind of hands-on engagement fosters ecological literacy, food justice, and a sense of shared purpose.

By including a Regenerative Farming Innovation Center at the park, Santa Monica takes a bold step toward becoming a model city for climate resilience, community nourishment, and a truly regenerative future.

Why Arts and Cultures at the helm?
Arts and culture have long been catalysts for transformation—shaping how societies see themselves, connect with one another, and relate to the Earth. Placing arts and cultures at the helm of the Great Park ensures that this space becomes not just ecologically restored, but soulfully alive. Through storytelling, music, ceremony, visual arts, and cultural expressions rooted in ancestral and contemporary traditions, we awaken a deeper sense of place, belonging, and care.

Santa Monica has long been a hub for creativity and innovation. By anchoring the Great Park in artistic and cultural expression, we position it as a visionary landmark—one that reflects the city’s identity while modeling an ecological future. Nature speaks in patterns, rhythms, and symbols—much like art. When restoration is guided by cultural wisdom and artistic imagination, the result is a park that doesn’t just look beautiful, but feels meaningful. It becomes a living canvas where diverse communities can gather to celebrate heritage, imagine new futures, and co-create stories of reconnection with the land.

By centering arts and cultures, the park becomes not just a destination, but a regenerative cultural ecosystem—where beauty, justice, and ecological awareness flourish hand in hand.

Why the Oak Forest and the Native Meadow Habitat?
Oak forests are ecological anchors—one mature oak can support hundreds of species, from birds and pollinators to fungi and mammals. As a keystone species, oaks improve soil health, sequester carbon, store rainwater, and help regulate temperature. For people, being among oaks has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, support immune function, and inspire feelings of wonder and grounding. Their towering presence evokes reverence and reminds us of our place within the web of life.

For the Tongva people—the Indigenous stewards of this land—oak woodlands were essential to cultural, spiritual, and physical well-being. The acorns from native oaks were a primary food source, harvested with care and gratitude through intergenerational practices rooted in reciprocity with the land. These groves were gathering places for ceremony, kinship, and the transmission of ecological knowledge. Restoring oak forests is not only an ecological act, but a gesture of cultural remembrance and respect.

Native meadows complement these groves by offering vibrant, open landscapes filled with native grasses and wildflowers that support pollinators and seasonal renewal. Together, the oak forest and native meadow form a living mosaic that restores biodiversity, supports climate resilience, and offers a healing, inspiring connection to the land—for present and future generations.

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5 Why food justice is fundamental and what is the current challenge to affording healthy food? Re-learning as humans how to grow our own food is fundamental to achieve social equality in the long run. Teaching members of the community how to grow their own food and providing a space where lessons on Regenerative Farming can be easily shared is a fundamental foundation for sustainable food justice. This is especially crucial for those who live in housing that lacks a yard or garden. The far-reaching health benefits penetrate deeper than recreation, impacting the nutritional, physical and mental fitness of the participants. An outdoor demonstration kitchen will also allow for preparation and instruction using the produce grown on the farm.) [not sure if this is the direction you are going but this is what is important to me after years of participation at Ishihara Learning Garden. A kitchen/lab/craft space adjacent to the garden is what I long for every time we have a community event).

How is the 192 acre Great Park going to protect our coastline and the local marine ecosystems? The park promises to confer a myriad of benefits to ocean ecosystems and wildlife through natural and technological pollution controls.

Specifically, the Great Park will help mitigate downstream effects of urban runoff by reducing runoff volume and filtering its pollutants. It will also filter the air and bio-sequester CO2, thus reducing Santa Monica’s carbon footprints-linked to both ocean acidification and climate disruption.

The Great Park can also function to help reclaim and recycle water for numerous purposes, including recharging the aquifer and bolstering purple pipe supplies for irrigation and other nonpotable uses.

Financing
Exploring the financing possibilities for a Great Park Land Trust involves drawing from a broad range of possibilities. We intend to identify priorities and feasibility of resource opportunities and commence the efforts to secure funding from sources that follow (not an exhaustive list):
• Conservancy, e.g. a Friends of the Park
• Measure V (prop tax fund)
• Public-private partnerships
• Public support (any different than the 1st one?)
• Sponsorships, e.g. adopt a grove of trees
• Measure W
• Clean Power Alliance community benefits program
• Climate fee opportunity (see state law)
• Selling carbon offsets
• Low-interest loans
• Bond measure
• Land & Clean Water Fund (state)
• CalFire grants
• Climate resilience (state)
• Statewide park development and revitalization development (state) • Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (state)
• Urban agriculture funding from state
• CA Naturalists and Climate Stewards
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6 • CA Native American Preparedness Tribal Grant
• Environmental Water Resources Projects (US Dept. of Interior Bureau of Reclamation)
Conclusion
As the capstone of Santa Monica’s park system, the Great Park will stand as a living example of a community in harmony with nature – “The Living Community” — rooted in the City’s commitments to both the Rights of Nature and human rights. Through the leadership of the Great Park Land Trust, this 192-acre ecological haven can come to life: restoring public land, revitalizing our urban ecosystem, honoring the ancestral homeland of the Gabrielino-Tongva people, and offering a place of beauty, wonder, and belonging for generations to come. —Co-Authored by Paola Vezzulli, Sylvie Rokab, Michael Brodsky and Cris Gutierrez— The Great Park Coalition - Sustainability Working Group A growing group of devoted environmentalists, sustainability leaders, climate activists, lawyers, and advocates have joined the Great Park Coalition- Sustainability Working Group. Currently, the participants include:

• Michael Brodsky, Airport2Park
Board Member, Airport2Park; Professor Emeritus, Loyola Marymount University; CA State Certified Environmental Educator; Education Staff, Resource Conservation District of Santa Monica Mountains; Santa Monica Spoke, Board of Directors • Kate Davies, Team Marine
Co-captain, Team Marine, Santa Monica High School; Member, SMMUSD Sustainability Steering Committee; Senior Student, Santa Monica High School; Speaker and Beach Captain, Heal the Bay; aspiring environmental biologist and United Nations Environment Programme member.
• Emmy Fay, Team Marine
Co-captain, Team Marine, Santa Monica High School; Member, SMMUSD Sustainability Steering Committee; Senior Student, Santa Monica High School; aspiring marine scientist, artist, and surfer.
• Stephanie Gebhardt Rath, Heal the Bay
Heal the Bay’s Senior Watershed Specialist, Central Santa Monica Bay. • Cris Gutierrez, Clean Power Alliance, Santa Monica Community Gardens Co-Chair, SaMo Safe Streets Alliance; SaMo Safe Streets Advisor to Youth Leadership Collective; Chair, Santa Monica Community Gardens Advisory Committee; Co-Founder and Advisory Board Member, Climate Action Santa Monica Climate Action Santa Monica; Community Advisor, Clean Power Alliance, regenerative gardener and eco-peace activist.

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7 • Ann Bowman Hoover, Santa Monica Great Park Coalition Co-Chair, Civic Center Task Force (advocated to realize Historic Belmar Park); Santa Monica Recreation and Parks Commissioner; former Member, SMMUSD Facilities District Advisory Committee; former Chair for Direct Donation, Santa Monica High School Orchestras Program; former Vice President of Organization, Santa Monica High School PTSA Executive Board; former Co-President, Franklin Elementary School PTA; retired attorney. • Susan Jain, UC Master Gardener, Santa Monica Arts Commission Santa Monica Arts Commissioner; Westside Co-Lead, UC Master Gardener Program (LA County); Board Member, Sounds Like LA; former Executive Director, UCLA Confucius Institute; Former Co-President, Santa Monica High School Orchestra Parents Association. • Dylan Jericiau, Team Marine
Co-captain, Team Marine, Santa Monica High School; Member, SMMUSD Sustainability Steering Committee; Junior Student, Santa Monica High School; ceramic artist. • Ben Kay, SM Clean Beaches & Ocean Parcel Tax Citizens Oversight Committee Adjunct Associate Professor, Santa Monica College Life Science Department; Life and Environmental Sciences Instructor, Santa Monica High School; Member & Former Chair, Clean Beaches Committee, City of Santa Monica; Member, SMMUSD Sustainability Steering Committee; Former Member, SMC Environmental Affairs Committee; Advisory Board Member, Climate Action Santa Monica; Co-Founder & Faculty Advisor of Team Marine, SaMoHi; Science Advisor, Surfrider Foundation Los Angeles; soccer player, surfer, angler, and activist. • Kyle Drees, Patagonia Santa Monica
Enviro Team Lead, Patagonia Santa Monica.
• Dean Kubani, SM Commission on Sustainability, Environmental Justice, & the Environment , Loyola Marymount University
Chair, Santa Monica Commission on Sustainability, Environmental Justice and the Environment; Adjunct Professor, Loyola Marymount University Department of Environmental Science; Principal, Kubani & Associates, LLC; Former Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Santa Monica; Former Assistant Director of Public Works, City of Santa Monica. • Jing Liu, Santa Monica College Geography/GIS Department Geography Professor teaching Physical Geography and GIS (Geographical Information Science) at Santa Monica College.
• Andreas Kemkes, Verdant Venice
Retired from a career in computers and software, Andreas is now busy hacking the urban environment for a happier and more sustainable future. If you don’t catch him with his hands in the dirt, you might spot him running through the neighborhood or occasionally attending Venice community meetings.
• Scott Morris, The Low Carbon Initiative
Managing DirectorManaging Director, The Low Carbon Initiative Item 7-A
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8 • James Oliver-Peña, Centre for Applied Ecological Remediation Soil Ecology and Bioremediation Researcher; Community Science Educator; former Resident Mycologist at Metabolic Studio.
• Sarah Wauters, Verdant Venice
Chair of the Venice Arbor Committee; lawyer, solar energy developer and photographer/journalist.
• Cynthia Rose, Santa Monica Spoke, SaMo Safe Streets Alliance Executive Director, SM Spoke; Co-Chair SaMo Safe Streets Alliance; environmentalist and community advocate for safe streets, and community gardener. • Joe Pertel, Santa Monica Great Park Coalition
Organizer, Santa Monica Great Park Coalition; Santa Monica Airport Commissioner; Steering Committee, Community for Excellent Public Schools (CEPS); Past President, Elemental Strings; Past Vice-President, Team Santa Monica Aquatics Swim Club; Former Board member, Santa Monica Surf Youth Soccer Club; Past Personnel Commissioner, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District; Former Member, Executive Committee, Los Angeles County Bar Association, Indigent Juvenile Defender Program; Supervising Staff Attorney, Loyola Law School Project for the Innocent.
• David Pettit, SM Sustainability Commission, Center for Biological Diversity Senior Attorney, Center for Biological Diversity; former Senior Attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council; member, Santa Monica Commission on Sustainability, Environmental Justice, and the Environment.
• Sylvie Rokab, Love Thy Nature
Filmmaker, Mentor and Founder of Love Thy Nature; certified Forest Bathing guide, mindfulness teacher, and Emmy nominated filmmaker.
• Jerry Rubin, Urban Tree Forest Task Force
Community activist; Member, Urban Forest Task Force.
• Bill Selby, Rediscovering the Golden State
Dedicated environmentalist and wildlands explorer; Author, Rediscovering the Golden State and The California Sky Watcher; Emeritus Professor, Geography and Earth Science at Santa Monica College, Advisory Board Member, Climate Action Santa Monica. • Allison Starcher
Professional illustrator specializing in plants and insects; master gardener. • Paola Vezzulli, Collective Fields, Regenerative Farming Architect and systems designer; Principal, Design Director, Founder of Collective Fields; Regenerative Farming.
• Laurene von Klan, Climate Action Santa Monica
Co-Chair, Climate Action Santa Monica.

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8 David Yakobson
From: Caroline Denyer <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 1:30 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
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EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Thank you for your consideration.

Caroline Denyer
90405
Sent from my iPhone
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13 David Yakobson
From: Sean Beck <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 1:10 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Dan Hall; Lana Negrete; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Caroline Torosis; Natalya Zernitskaya; Jesse Zwick
Subject: July 8, 2025, Agenda Item 7A: Please Support a Balanced, Sustainable Future for Santa Monica Airport
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and Councilmembers,

I urge you to pursue a collaborative, balanced plan for Santa Monica Airport (SMO), one that protects open space and builds a sustainable park on land already closed to aviation, without completely closing the airport.

Closing SMO would mean losing local control and opening the door to state-mandated dense housing. The airport land is federally protected today, but without that protection, Sacramento — not Santa Monica will decide its future. Under current state mandates, closure would prioritize dense, low-cost housing, not a park. This would bring more traffic, more density, and greater strain on our infrastructure, with no clear plan for emergency evacuation, ingress/egress, public safety, or funding.

SMO’s unique benefits can’t be replaced. The airport provides irreplaceable open space, economic stability, and critical emergency utility. Since Measure LC passed over a decade ago, jet traffic has dropped 81%, unleaded fuel is being sold, and electric aircraft are already flying: a glimpse of a cleaner, quieter future.

Let’s honor the 1926 vision where aviation revenues help fund parkland. In 2029, with no grant obligations, surplus aviation revenue can support a Great Park on land already closed to aviation, without burdening taxpayers.

A hybrid approach preserves aviation’s revenue stream while creating new public space, funded by aviation.

Aviation provides good jobs, supports public benefit flights like Angel Flight, and offers vital emergency relief for disasters, as we saw during the recent Palisades fire.

Please ensure any land use plan includes public safety studies, traffic impact analyses, emergency evacuation planning, and a realistic funding model. With a hybrid, collaborative approach, we can protect Santa Monica’s future together.

Thank you for your service to our community.

Sincerely,
Sean Beck
Supporter of Santa Monica’s future
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14 David Yakobson
From: MORRIS SALEM <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 1:10 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Please move forward, for the benefit of all, the creation of an inspirational LC-compliant Great Park with a sensible financing plan that prioritizes existing on-site revenue sources and with no sale or other privatization of the land.

Sincerely,
Dr Morris M Salem
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15 David Yakobson
From: David Pettit <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 1:05 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Agenda item 7A, July 8, 2025 Council meeting
Attachments: Park CEQA letter to Council 7-7-25.docx; 2013 SROstfrpt.pdf; 2013 DocumentSROrd.pdf Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Hi. Please see my July 7, 2025 letter re Agenda Item 7A on tomorrow's agenda, plus two attachments.

Thank you.

David Pettit
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Members of the Santa Monica City Council
Re: July 8, 2025 Council agenda item 7A: Santa Monica Airport Conversion Project Preferred Scenarios Review
Dear Members of the City Council:

I am writing to you about an issue under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) that relates to the airport park project – in particular, the relationship between the City’s sustainability rights ordinance, beginning at Municipal Code Section 12.02, and the CEQA analysis that the City is required to undertake concerning the project.

By way of introduction, I am an environmental lawyer and a long-time Santa Monica resident. I have litigated CEQA and related cases for many years. When I was in private practice, I represented a number of California governmental bodies. I am currently a Senior Attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity and a member of the Commission on Sustainability, Environmental Justice, and the Environment, but I am writing to you in my personal capacity.

In an environmental impact report (EIR) prepared under CEQA, there is usually a discussion of the regulatory background of the proposed project. Here, that should include the City’s sustainability rights ordinance, which provides in part in Section 12.02.030:
(a) All residents of Santa Monica possess fundamental and inalienable rights to: clean water from sustainable sources; marine waters safe for active and passive recreation; clean indoor and outdoor air; a sustainable food system that provides healthy, locally grown food; a sustainable climate that supports thriving human life and a flourishing biodiverse environment; comprehensive waste disposal systems that do not degrade the environment; and a sustainable energy future based on renewable energy sources.
(b) Natural communities and ecosystems possess fundamental and inalienable rights to exist and flourish in the City of Santa Monica. To effectuate those rights on behalf of the environment, residents of the City may bring actions to protect these natural communities and ecosystems, defined as: groundwater aquifers, atmospheric systems, marine waters, and native species within the boundaries of the City.

This ordinance was enacted in recognition of an assault on our natural environment, as indicated in the March 12, 2013 staff report and proposed sustainability rights ordinance Item 7-A
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attached to this email. Here, as you know, the airport property was originally purchased using public park bond financing:

The Airport land was acquired by the City in 1926 when Santa Monica voters approved a park bond ballot measure to purchase a tract of farmland at the eastern boundary with Los Angeles that had been in use as a provisional airfield since 1922.1
But, over time, most of the park uses have been eliminated in favor of commercial and industrial facilities, and the soil covered by hardscape. Native species and aquifer recharge capability have largely disappeared from the site due to human activities, and substantial soil contamination exists as a result of decades of industrial and airport activities.

In my view, both subsections (a) and (b) of Municipal Code Section 12.02.030 are implicated by these facts, and so should be analyzed in the project EIR. Importantly, Subsection (b) expressly provides for a private right of action for violations of the “fundamental and inalienable rights” of natural communities and ecosystems possess to exist and flourish in the City of Santa Monica – a right of action that may limit the future uses of former park, now airport land, through CEQA or otherwise. It would be a serious mistake, in my view, to ignore or discount this possibility.

Thank you for your attention to this letter.

Yours truly,
David Pettit
1 https://santamonicacityca.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_LegiFile.aspx?Frame=&MeetingID=1352&MediaPositio n=&ID=5303&CssClass=#History, accessed on July 7y, 2025.

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16 David Yakobson
From: Marla Berns <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 1:07 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Cc: marla Berns
Subject: LC-compliant Great Park
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
July 7, 2025
RE: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Please move forward, for the benefit of all, with the creation of an inspirational LCcompliant Great Park with a sensible financing plan that prioritizes existing on-site revenue sources and with no sale or other privatization of the land.

As our park-poor city densifies, it is paramount that we plan for the realization of sufficient open, recreational, and regenerative spaces that can restore habitat and meet the needs of both current and future generations. Additionally, as a member of the Arts Working Group of the Great Park Coalition I am particularly committed to a new park that keeps the arts and culture front and center and part of an open and inclusive design process that reflects the will of the voters.

Sincerely,
Marla C. Berns
Director Emerita
Fowler Museum at UCLA
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17 Item 7-A
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18 David Yakobson
From: Judith Davies <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 1:00 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Caroline Torosis; Lana Negrete; Jesse Zwick; Ellis Raskin; Dan Hall; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya
Subject: Item 7.A./July 8th - Support for an LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Santa Monica City Council,
My husband Larry Shapiro, and I, Judith Davies have lived and worked in Santa Monica for more than 30 years.

Larry was, in fact, a council member for the SM Arts Commission for 12 years.

We both strongly believe that the City must continue to progress toward the final phase of the Airport conversion into a Great Park. The ratio of parks to the population numbers is extremely low, perhaps even the lowest of major cities throughout Central and Southern California. With all the pressures to build low income housing, we must not forget, that as Santa Monica density and population pressures increase, we need more green spaces for us all to enjoy in as many ways possible for recreation, arts activities, and cultural events for all ages, and needs and community involvement outdoors.

As Larry and I are both artists, we are particularly supportive of maintaining the existing gallery/studio buildings currently at the site, continuing exhibit opportunities, and including other diversified, flexible places for people to gather on special occasions, concerts, outdoor exhibitions, safe places for both children, elderly, and general public. The Great Park can become a major outdoor venue for all ages, and can become a signature Great Park concept that is so unique to the special City of Santa Monica that we love and want to see develop in a green, creative, and humane way for future generations as well. Thank you, Sincerely, Judith Davies and Lawrence Shapiro
623 Marine St
Santa Monica, California 90405
Sent from my iPhone
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19 David Yakobson
From: Jonah Breslau <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 12:46 PM
To: Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; councilmtgitems; Nikima Newsome
Subject: Item 7a: 2 in 3 Santa Monica Voters Say Airport Site Is Big Enough to Include Both Affordable Housing And Parks/Open Space
Attachments: SMAC polling memo FINAL .pdf
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Honorable Mayor Negrete and Council,
Please see the attached memo. With the 191-acre Santa Monica Airport scheduled to close in 2028, the future use of this property is
the most important land use decision facing city leaders. Previously released surveys on this topic reflected the views of self-selected participants in city outreach efforts. This memo shares findings from the first random-sample survey on this topic using rigorous methods to ensure that the results are statistically valid, reliable, and representative of the views of the city’s full electorate.

This survey, commissioned by UNITE HERE! Local 11 and completed last week, finds that two in three Santa Monica voters recognize that the Airport site is big enough for both housing and for parks/open space after it closes in 2028, and support both uses. Please see the attached memo for more details.
--
Jonah Breslau
UNITE HERE Local 11
Research Analyst
He/him/his
773 603 5174
[email protected]
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20 David Yakobson
From: Sahana Lindsey <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 10:23 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
My name is Sahana Lindsey, and I’m currently at UCLA Cosmos studying carbon capture and hydrogen as a clean energy source. Even while I’m away, I deeply care about the future of Santa Monica, especially when it comes to our great parks and gardens.

I strongly support a large, LC-compliant Great Park at Santa Monica Airport.A Great Park would give people of all ages a place to rest, play, create, heal, and explore. It would also allow us to move forward with our goals in sustainability; Through native plants, educational gardens, and restored habitats we can help fight climate change and protect species like the monarch butterfly.

This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to turn a space of noise and pollution into a green, living community for all residents in Santa Monica.

Thank you,
Sahana Lindsey
Sent from my iPhone
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21 David Yakobson
From: Brodsky, Michael <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 12:42 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Item 7A - How to build a park !
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor and Council Members
Creating a park does not need to be complicated.

It does not need to cost a lot of money.

It does not need to happen all at once.

It can be simple AND spectacular!
Here is a REAL world AIRPORT TO PARK example: The transformation of Chicago Meigs Airport into the amazing119-acre Northerly Island Park.

In 2003 ,Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daily closed Miegs field by simply bulldozing and X on the runway! The FAA was not happy.

Very quickly, they removed 78 acres of runway, unearthed the runway, cleaned up the site, and created a simple but beautiful park with planted trees, native prairie grasses, including a walking/biking path AND made plans to create a future nature preserve - at a later date.

The total cost in 2003, at the time, was $2.9 million:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2004/12/15/creating-northerly-island-cost-29-million/ In 2005 they added a temporary amphitheater, which was expanded and made permanent in 2013 In 2015 they added to the park by restoring the ecology as a nature preserve. https://studiogang.com/projects/northerly-island/
https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/mayor/Press%20Room/Press%20Releases/2012/Aug ust/8.16.12northerlyisland.pdf
The total cost at the time was $9.7 million:
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2015/09/02/northerly-island-park-opens-friday-on-chicago-lakefront/ Today, Chicago ranks #11 out of the 100 largest cities.

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22 Los Angeles ranks a pathetic #90.

Santa Monica is even worse,
- Chicago has 5.1 acres per 1,000 residents.
- 10% of city land in parks.
- 98% live within a 10 minute walk.
(2025 TPL Report)
- Santa Monica has 1.4 acres per 1,000 residents.
- 2.5% of city land in parks.
- 72% live within a 10 minute walk.
(2016 LA County Parks Needs Assessment)
So choose your favorite city: San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Chicago, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Nashville, New York City. They ALL have AT LEAST one park, that was once an…airfield.

What an exciting opportunity to create an LC compliant park to address our historical lack of park space and to restore the much needed ecology for a small part of the westside, while we provide for a healthy, sustainable, and accessible park for everyone.

A legacy for generations!
Sincerely,
Michael Brodsky
Santa Monica
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23 Item 7-A
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24 David Yakobson
From: Sherri Sawaya <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 12:39 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Thank you for your consideration.

Peter Sawaya
90405
Sent from my iPad
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25 David Yakobson
From: Kristos Stavropoulos <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 12:33 PM
To: Lana Negrete
Cc: Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Caroline Torosis; Natalya Zernitskaya; Jesse Zwick; councilmtgitems
Subject: Help Shape Santa Monica’s Future
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
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EXTERNAL
To the Honorable Mayor Negrete and Councilmembers,
Having spent my career working on transformative projects across Los Angeles and its airports — alongside Robert F. Maguire III, whose vision helped shape the skyline of Downtown Los Angeles — I have seen how thoughtful planning can deliver lasting economic and community benefits. Together we advanced the Vertiport Development Initiative to help prepare our city for the future of Urban Air Mobility.

Rob Maguire and I were at the forefront of the urban air mobility movement, with companies under his leadership operating an FBO at Van Nuys Airport and an active heliport in Downtown Los Angeles near the entertainment district. Since his passing, I have continued to engage with federal, state, and local officials to lay the groundwork for Vertiports — the next evolution of urban transportation infrastructure. These Vertiports will enable quiet, zero-emission electric aircraft to connect cities, relieve congestion, and expand equitable access to regional mobility. The Santa Monica Airport site is uniquely positioned to play an important role in that future.

The Santa Monica Airport holds significant potential to contribute to the city’s economy, sustainability goals, and innovation ecosystem. I respectfully urge you to keep all options open as you consider its future — ensuring that decisions made today serve both current residents and future generations.

The concepts developed by Sasaki clearly reflect a great deal of thought and care, and I commend the team for bringing forward creative ideas that prioritize green space and community use. At the same time, I believe this moment calls for a broader conversation — one that also explores how the airport can serve as a platform for economic growth, sustainable innovation, and educational opportunities alongside open space. Keeping all options open at this stage will ensure the City retains the flexibility to make the most informed and forward-thinking decision possible.

Our offices are located at 1733 Ocean Avenue — a building we developed in collaboration with HKS Architects, the same firm behind SoFi Stadium. At one time, the building housed Uber, which advanced urban air mobility through its Uber Elevate division. While Uber Elevate was later acquired by Joby Aviation and Uber has since left the building, I continue to maintain relationships with several leading eVTOL companies as we work to promote the opportunities this emerging industry offers.

Making a decision to close the airport before a clear, funded, and comprehensive plan is in place could unintentionally limit the city’s ability to fully realize the site’s long-term potential.

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26 Thank you for your service and for your thoughtful leadership. I would be honored to contribute to this important conversation in any way that may be helpful.

Sincerely,
Kristos Stavropoulos

1733 Ocean Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310.857.1109 Direct
www.maguire-investments.com
Notice: This communication, including attachments, may contain information that is confidential and protected by the attorney/client or other privileges. It constitutes non-public information intended to be conveyed only to the designated recipient(s). If the reader or recipient of this communication is not the intended recipient, an employee or agent of the intended recipient who is responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, or you believe that you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail and promptly delete this e-mail, including attachments without reading or saving them in any manner. The unauthorized use, dissemination, distribution, or reproduction of this e-mail, including attachments, is prohibited and may be unlawful. Receipt by anyone other than the intended recipient(s) is not a waiver of any attorney/client or other privilege.

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27 David Yakobson
From: Danny Guggenheim <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 12:30 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
The passage of Measure LC was a major milestone in our city’s path toward preserving open spaces, fresh air and a connection to both nature and community for future generations, and in resisting development and densification that is effectively irreversible.

As a lifelong resident of West LA and 20-year homeowner in Sunset Park, with two kids in SMMUSD, I would say that the single most important feature of any future use of the airport land is that it be Measure LC-compliant.

Please move forward with the creation of a Great Park that is Measure LC-compliant, ideally with a sensible financing plan that prioritizes existing on-site revenue sources, and no sale or other privatization of the land.

Given all of the other development and increasing density around town, it is especially important that we plan for the creation of sufficient open space and recreational spaces that can restore habitat and meet the needs of both current and future generations.

Thank you.

Respectfully,
Danny Guggenheim
Sunset Park (90405) resident
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28 David Yakobson
From: Kristos Stavropoulos <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 12:27 PM
To: Lana Negrete
Cc: Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Caroline Torosis; Natalya Zernitskaya; Jesse Zwick; councilmtgitems
Subject: Help Shape Santa Monica’s Future
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Completed

Rob Maguire and I were at the forefront of the urban air mobility movement, with companies under his leadership operating an FBO at Van Nuys Airport and an active heliport in Downtown Los Angeles near the entertainment district. Upon his passing, I have continued to engage with federal, state, and local officials to lay the groundwork for Vertiports — the next evolution of urban transportation infrastructure. These Vertiports will enable quiet, zero-emission electric aircraft to connect cities, relieve congestion, and expand equitable access to regional mobility. The Santa Monica Airport site is uniquely positioned to play an important role in that future.

Making a decision to close the airport before a clear, funded, and comprehensive plan is in place could unintentionally limit the city’s ability to fully realize the site’s long-term potential.

Item 7-A
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29 Thank you for your service and for your thoughtful leadership. I would be honored to contribute to this important conversation in any way that may be helpful.

Sincerely,
Kristos Stavropoulos
Kristos Stavropoulos, CEO
AeroGnosis

1733 Ocean Avenue, Suite 290
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310.857.1109 Direct
[email protected]
www.aerognosis.com

Notice: This communication, including attachments, may contain information that is confidential and protected by the attorney/client or other privileges. It constitutes non-public information intended to be conveyed only to the designated recipient(s). If the reader or recipient of this communication is not the intended recipient, an employee or agent of the intended recipient who is responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, or you believe that you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail and promptly delete this e-mail, including attachments without reading or saving them in any manner. The unauthorized use, dissemination, distribution, or reproduction of this e-mail, including attachments, is prohibited and may be unlawful. Receipt by anyone other than the intended recipient(s) is not a waiver of any attorney/client or other privilege.

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30 David Yakobson
From: Andrea Villasenor <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 12:18 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: July 8th SM Airport Conversion Prioritize Reparations and Landback Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Councilmembers ,
Dear Santa Monica City Council,
As residents, descendants, and community members, we urge you to ensure the redesign of the airport land includes a meaningful commitment to Reparations and Landback.

We recognize that affordable housing is already a component in two of the three proposed design scenarios. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to repair historic harms through:

Land return and cultural stewardship for the Tongva people, the original caretakers of this land—modeled on California’s recent return of over 2,800 acres to the Shasta Indian Nation and the transfer of land in Altadena to the Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy.

Meaningful spaces for community gathering and knowledge-sharing, such as a cultural center or museum, oral history archive, or intergenerational learning site that honors and preserves local Black American and Tongva legacies.

Public green space that is accessible, restorative, and integrated. We believe in a future where parks and people coexist, and where justice and open space can share the same soil.

Some have voiced concern that building housing would derail plans for a park, but these priorities do not have to compete. Measure LC exists to prevent commercial overdevelopment, not to prevent justice. If a ballot measure is needed, Council can lead alongside community members to mobilize support for a vision rooted in equity, history, and healing.

Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
31 Santa Monica has already issued a historic apology. Now is the time to put action behind those words and become a national leader in reparative justice.

Andrea Villasenor
[email protected]
1511 Franklin Street, #C
Santa Monica, California 90404
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
32 David Yakobson
From: ANDREW DENYER <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 12:17 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Great Park at the Airport
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
A previously democratically elected city council carefully wrote and placed on the ballot Measure LC to create a great park. The measure overwhelmingly passed, and I urge you to honor that vote.

Housing and other commercial uses were on purpose left out of Measure LC.

I urge each and every one of you to honor that vote and move forward with creating a Measure LCcompliant Great Park with a sensible financing plan that prioritizes existing on-site revenue sources and avoids land privatization.

Sincerely,
Andrew Denyer
90405
+1 310-795-3084
[email protected]
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
33 David Yakobson
From: Brian ORourke <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 12:17 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. Vote for a Park-Only Airport Conversion - July 8, 2025 Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Santa Monica has a severe shortage of fields able to accommodate youth and adult soccer, rugby and lacrosse. A Great Park with an even split between passive and active uses should include 6 or more FIFAsized rectangular GRASS sports fields to relieve our current dependence on toxic and harmful artificial surfaces.

Sincerely,
Brian O’Rourke
Santa Monica Youth Rugby Coach
[email protected]
+1.310.666.8593
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
34 David Yakobson
From: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 12:16 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Re: LC Compliant Great Park
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
This is part two of our Great Park message.

The first thing to be noted is that our commitment to an LC compliant Great Park remains strong and should be seen as a necessary wall protecting us from the money of very influential developers.

The second point that we wish to make is that an EIR should study the possibility of developing lowincome housing. The development of below market rate housing would address a very urgent need.

Tim Bowler and Ishara Bailis
Main Street Gardeners
On Sunday, July 6, 2025 at 03:03:31 PM PDT, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:

Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmem
Please move forward, for the benefit of all,
compliant Great Park with a sensible finan
revenue sources and with no sale or other
As our park-poor city densifies, it is paramo
sufficient open, recreational, and regenera
meet the needs of both current and future
Sincerely,
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
35 Tim Bowler and Ishara Bailis
Main Street Gardeners
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
36 David Yakobson
From: Eric Shepnick <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 12:13 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek; [email protected]
Subject: Item 7.a SMAC Project June 8
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Please vote for a Great Park, for the benefit of ALL Santa Monicans, with all new uses dedicated to park and recreation, including plenty of sports fields.

My family is active and my kids enjoy youth sports. Unfortunately, Santa Monica is park-poor – with much less park space per resident than other cities. We deserve better. The airport site is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build a 192-acre Great Park to address today's acute shortage of open and field space and to balance future density and population growth. Please vote for a Great Park for our kids, our active community -- and for generations of Santa Monicans to come.

Thank you,
Eric Shepnick
Born and raised in Santa Monica and homeowner in Santa Monica for 15+ years SM AYSO volunteer coach and parent
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
37 David Yakobson
From: Debra Kanode <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 12:13 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Public Comment - Santa Monica Airport Conversion Project (SMACP) Preferred Scenarios Review
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
As a resident of Santa Monica, a planner and a tenant of rent stabilized housing, I want to strongly encourage council to consider supporting Scenario 3. This scenario would support all of the guiding principles of the airport conversion, including balancing economics by creating both recreational areas, gardens, cultural facilities as well as creating 48 acres of much-needed new housing and commercial development driving a financial self-sustaining development.

Santa Monica continues to have affordable and middle housing needs. And ignoring such a large available site for housing is exhibiting myopia and short term thinking. Has the council considered the knock on effects of Scenario One (Great Park) and how it would impact the surrounding Single Family neighborhoods. Has a traffic study been prepared? I suspect it would show increased traffic and parking on side streets, not only from Santa Monica Residents but from wider LA residents. Leading to increase funding needs for our Public Works and Police department budgets. I also suspect that council, to meet housing element numbers for the State in the future, may have to start approving increase density and height standards in other areas of the city.

I urge you to look at the long term financial picture and consider Scenario 3 and set aside the myopic view of the world presented in Scenario 1 (Great Park).

D Kanode
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
38 David Yakobson
From: Erin Donley <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 12:10 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor and City Councilmembers:

Thank you for your consideration.

Erin Donley
90404
Sent from my iPhone
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
39 David Yakobson
From: Gene Gilmore <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 12:06 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Item 7.1. Santa Monica Airport Conversion (SMAC) Project - July 8, 2025 Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

As residents of Santa Monica for over 23 years with a family, we urge you to please move forward, for the benefit of all, with the creation of an LC-compliant Great Park for the SMAC. Please ensure that this goal is achieved with a sensible financing plan that prioritizes existing on-site revenue sources and with no sale or other privatization of the land.

It has been a dream of ours to live and raise a family in Santa Monica. For the sake of all our families and their children, it is paramount that we plan for the creation of sufficient open, recreational, and regenerative spaces that can restore habitat and meet the needs of both current and future generations, especially as the city’s density continues to increase.

Sincerely,
Gene and Tracy Gilmore
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
40 David Yakobson
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, July 5, 2025 12:39 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: July 8th SM Airport Conversion Prioritize Reparations and Landback Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

We recognize that affordable housing is already a component in two of the three proposed design scenarios. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to repair historic harms through:

Deeply affordable housing, limited equity homeownership, and community land trusts for the Black American community and the Tongva people—prioritizing those displaced by redlining and eminent domain. At minimum, 50% of affordable housing units should be designated for Black American and Tongva households, ensuring those most impacted by dispossession have a real path home. This echoes the goals of San Francisco’s reparations plan and growing movements across California to return housing and land to impacted communities.

Public green space that is accessible, restorative, and integrated. We believe in a future where parks and people coexist, and where justice and open space can share the same soil.

Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
41 Some have voiced concern that building housing would derail plans for a park, but these priorities do not have to compete. Measure LC exists to prevent commercial overdevelopment, not to prevent justice. If a ballot measure is needed, Council can lead alongside community members to mobilize support for a vision rooted in equity, history, and healing.

Santa Monica has already issued a historic apology. Now is the time to put action behind those words and become a national leader in reparative justice. [email protected]
Santa Monica, California 90404
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
42 David Yakobson
From: Jan-Peter Flack <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 12:00 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Re: FOSP: Your help needed re July 8th City Council meeting!! Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Completed

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete, dear City Councilmembers:

As local neighbor, businessman and homeowner, I ask you to move forward with the creation of the Measure LC compliant Park and a sensible financing of the plan which should prioritize existing on-site revenue sources and prevention of any privatization and - or sale of the land.

The city is creating a recod amount of new housing units as a result of which we need more open space for outdoor recreation for our current and future generations of Santa Monica residents.

Thank you for your consideration.

Jan-Peter Flack
90405
On Jul 7, 2025, at 8:18 PM, <[email protected]> <[email protected]> wrote:
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
43 Jan-Peter Flack - (323) 821-4466

The Four Aces Movie Ranch
www.4-aces.com
Have a look at our picture cars:
https://4-acespicturecars.com
View our video:
https://www.4-aces.com/video
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
44 David Yakobson
From: Tina <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 11:58 AM
Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Thank you for your consideration.

Tina and Lewis Cox
90405
"Time spent with cats is never wasted"
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
45 David Yakobson
From: Vincent Licassi <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 11:54 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Caroline Torosis; Lana Negrete; Jesse Zwick; Ellis Raskin; Dan Hall; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya
Subject: Item 7.A./July 8th - Support for an LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Santa Monica City Council,
As long time residents of Sunset Park, we lived with the SM airport's noise and pollution, although hardly bearable, for years - thank goodness this decreased when the jets, for the most part, stopped using it; and thank you!
We have always dreamed of the airport-occupied land turning into an oasis of nature, i.e., a great park, including a center for local artists (young and old) as well as for community-owned, not-for-profit physical activities, such as pickleball (!), for the abled, and those with disabilities, who live nearby or in the regional area. Please hear the voices of your constituents. It will affect our lives in a meaningful way, day in and day out. If such a beautiful, landmark-level outcome as I describe becomes a reality, I know there are many who would join in to volunteer on a regular basis to make it viable - we will invest our time and efforts for such a community-focused juggernaut, carved out in an urban environment, a green jewel to cherish and call our own.

Each one of you will have my support and your legacies will not be forgotten.

Thank you,
Vincent Licassi, Sunset Park resident and potential volunteer 310-469-1752
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
46 David Yakobson
From: Mary Grace <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 11:47 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: 7-7-25 re: Agenda item 7-A - Airport Conversion LC - Compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

I also urge you to reject any housing or new commercial development on site and to look for more creative ways to finance the park.

One great way is to partner with nonprofit organizations like Tree People to assist in the planting of trees, just look at what they have done with the Pacific Palisades trees so far. From my understanding, grants may also be available for re-greening this area.

Thank you for your consideration, let's do the right thing! Sincerely,
Mary Grace Cancassi, 90405
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
47 David Yakobson
From: Lane, Staci <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 11:45 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

As a resident of Santa Monica and a public servant working with our city's teens at one of our high schools, I urge you to please move forward, for the benefit of all, the creation of an inspirational LCcompliant Great Park with a sensible financing plan that prioritizes existing on-site revenue sources and with no sale or other privatization of the land.

As an Associate AD and a member of Santa Monica Field Sports Advisory Council, I am affected in my processional capacity every day by the need for more recreation space for youth.

Sincerely,
To help protect your priv acy, Microsoft Office prevented auto matic downlo ad o f this picture from the Internet. Staci Lane Associate Director of Athletics
Direct: 310-795-2524
Pacifica Christian High School
1730 Wilshire Blvd • Santa Monica CA 90403
www.pacificachristian.org • 310-828-7015
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
48 David Yakobson
From: mayer davidson <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 11:42 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Affordable housing at SM airport
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Police, teachers and staff who work in Santa Monica cannot afford to live there. We should fix that by making affordable housing available at the airport when it closes Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
49 David Yakobson
From: Perrin Anderson <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 11:41 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek; [email protected]
Subject: Item 7.a SMAC Project June 8
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

This is your opportunity to create something truly special for all Santa Monica residents, and to forge a lasting and positive legacy. Seize it and leave your mark!
Please vote for a Great Park, for the benefit of ALL Santa Monicans, with all new uses dedicated to park and recreation, including plenty of sports fields.

My family is active and my son enjoys youth sports. Unfortunately, Santa Monica is park-poor – with much less park space per resident than other cities. We deserve better. The airport site is a unique, once-in-alifetime opportunity to build a 192-acre Great Park to address today's acute shortage of open and field space and to balance future density and population growth. Please vote for a Great Park for our kids, our active community -- and for generations of Santa Monicans to come.

Thank you,
Perrin Anderson (born in Santa Monica, 20 year resident and employee of a SM-based company, SM AYSO parent)
____________________________
This email may contain information that is confidential or is otherwise the property of RPA or its clients.

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Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
50 David Yakobson
From: John Given <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 11:26 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: 7A Santa Monica Airport Conversion Project, Preferred Scenarios Review Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
I am writing to ask the City Council to continue to direct Staff and Consultants to include in the Airport Conversion Project a well conceived largely affordable residential community of approximately 3000 housing units. CEQA clearance and the primacy of housing production in our local, regional and State mandates make inclusion of housing essential to the intergovernmental partnerships that will carry forward the planning and financing of the Airport Conversion Project. We are not asking to overturn the notion of a great park. This amounts to a well planned inclusion of maybe 30-50 acres. We are still talking about gross park lands of 140-160 acres. No small feat!!
Sincerely,
John Given
(A 44 year resident of Ocean Park)
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
51 David Yakobson
From: walter Zifkin <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 11:15 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Thank you for your consideration.

Barbara and Walter Zifkin
90402
Sent from my iPad
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
52 David Yakobson
From: Dawn Joyal <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 11:13 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Caroline Torosis; Lana Negrete; Jesse Zwick; Ellis Raskin; Dan Hall; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya
Subject: Item 7.A./July 8th - Support for an LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Santa Monica City Council,
For 31 years I have lived adjacent to SM Airport. Being a daily "walk" person, I circle the Airport and do a 3 mile loop.

It is noisy , and smells like car exhaust.

I look forward to a clean, clear, groomed, safe walk path inside a park.

Especially since the silent electric bikes and scooters on the sidewalks are life-threatening to a senior like me.

I RALLY FOR A GREAT PARK !
Dawn Joyal
Marine St
90405
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
53 David Yakobson
From: Lacy Wetmore <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 11:10 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item number 7A Santa Monica Airport Conversion Project, Preferred Scenarios Review Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing you today to voice my support for the Cloverfield Commons Project that advocates for the inclusion of below market housing in the plan to convert the Santa Monica Airport into public park space.

I think a park is a wonderful use for the space. However, to not include much needed housing for people who work, but cannot afford to live in Santa Monica, would be detrimental to our community.

By including accessible housing for our city’s teachers, medical staff, hospitality and hotel workers, we generate much needed income for our city in addition to growing our sense of community and lessening the environmental impact created by hours of necessary use of transportation.

The Santa Monica City Attorney has also advocated for the importance of studying below market housing for our area. I would hope that council sees the benefit in educating ourselves for how to best meet this moment wherein people are financially struggling and see housing options for themselves as difficult and limited.

Please consider Cloverfield Common’s proposed use of the Santa Monica Airport land and help us build a more united and economically healthier community.

Thank you for your time and consideration,
Lacy Wetmore
Resident of Santa Monica
Roosevelt Elementary School Site Council Member
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
54 David Yakobson
From: Tregg Rustad <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 11:07 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Please Prioritize Park Space in Sunset Park - Not housing Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
As a long-time Santa Monica (Sunset Park) resident, parent of three children in our public schools, and active member of the Sunset Park community, I’m writing to strongly urge you to move forward with a Measure LC-compliant Great Park— without housing development or privatization of the land.

This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create meaningful, lasting green space in a part of the city that truly needs it. As Santa Monica continues to densify, preserving and expanding open space isn’t just a luxury—it’s a necessity for the health, well-being, and future of our entire community.

I support a thoughtful and responsible financing plan that draws on existing on-site revenue sources and respects the will of the voters. Please keep this land public, and make this park a legacy we can all be proud of.

Thank you for your time and leadership.

Sincerely,
Tregg Rustad
Sunset Park Resident & Local Business Owner
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
55 David Yakobson
From: Katherine King <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 10:59 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Support for an LC-compliant Great Park (Item 7) Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Re: item number 7A Santa Monica Airport Conversion Project, Preferred Scenarios Review

I urge you to vote for the conversion plan that includes 3000 units of affordable workforce housing. This plan not only offers a beautiful park to those of us who live near the airport, but will also contribute to the economic and social benefit of the community..

Let's bring the workers who have been priced out of Santa Monica back home. Let's make commutes shorter and thus improve the environment along with the family life of commuters. Let's make sure that essential workers can be housed near us and thus make our lives easier and safer.

Bread and roses, housing and a lovely park. Let's do it all! Thank you,
Katherine King
Venice (airport adjacent)
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
56 David Yakobson
From: Bradley Hall <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 10:54 AM
To: Lana Negrete; Elaine Polachek; Amber Richane; Ellis Raskin; Natalya Zernitskaya; Barry Snell; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Caroline Torosis; Lana Negrete; councilmtgitems Cc: Liane Hall; Lauren Hall; Dominic Leventini
Subject: Agenda Item 7-A: Airport Conversion-LC Compliant Great Park Attachments: BH-Letter to SM Mayor & Council for Airport-070725.docx Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Mayor and Councilmembers.

Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

We urge you to move forward with the creation of Measure LC-Compliant Great Park with a financing plan that prioritizes existing onsite revenue sources and NO SALE or other privatization of the land.

The citizens of Santa Monica supported the closure of Santa Monica Airport for purposes of utilizing that land for open space and recreational space for current and future generations.

Thank you for your consideration.

Bradley & Liane Hall
Bradley M. Hall
Managing Partner
Capital Hall Partners, LLC
e: [email protected]
m: 310-883-8855
www.caphall.com
Los Angeles/Phoenix/Boston
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
July 7, 2025
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

We urge you to move forward with the creation of Measure LC-Compliant Great Park with a financing plan that prioritizes existing onsite revenue sources and NO SALE or other privatization of the land.

The citizens of Santa Monica supported the closure of Santa Monica Airport for purposes of utilizing that land for open space and recreational space for current and future generations.

Thank you for your consideration.

Bradley & Liane Hall
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
57 David Yakobson
From: Jay Johnson <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 10:55 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Thank you for your consideration.

Jay P. Johnson
90403
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
58 David Yakobson
From: SUZANNE ESCOFFIER <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 10:51 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear City Council Members:

Again, I need to write to Santa Monica’s City Council in support of closing the airport and creating a park.

I have reviewed the 3 scenarios presented and was deeply disappointed in Sasaki's efforts to obscure the addition of massive amounts housing in scenario 2 and scenario 3. By not clearly labeling the “gray” areas with numbers on which participants could comment, it was difficult to express how abhorrent it would be to add housing to land that should be opened up to the people as a park.

Santa Monica residents have been begging for a park for decades. During that time, city has grown only more dense as new housing developments and ADUs have been added throughout the city Only Scenario 1 begins to outline a way to make the former airport land available for ALL to use as a park.

Scenario 1 is the only starting point that respects the voters’ endorsement of LC.

Scenario 1 will make it possible to move forward now, without another costly ballot measure and further delay Suzanne Escoffier
Ocean Park Resident
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
59 David Yakobson
From: Kevin Wu <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, July 3, 2025 8:51 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: SUPPORT for Scenario 3 of the Santa Monica Airport Conversion – 7/8/2025 City Council meeting agenda item # 7
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged
Santa Monica City Council,
As a housing advocate with YIMBY Los Angeles, I write in strong support of the City’s visionary efforts to redevelop the 192-acre Santa Monica Airport site into a dynamic, mixeduse neighborhood with abundant housing and expansive open space. This is an unprecedented opportunity to address our region’s most urgent challenges — housing affordability, climate resilience, and sustainable land use — on public land, in one of the most desirable and opportunity-rich cities in the country.

Santa Monica is in the midst of a severe housing shortage, with the average one-bedroom apartment renting for nearly $3,000 per month. Thousands of families are burdened by high rents, pushed farther from jobs, schools, and services. Redeveloping this city-owned site with a bold vision — 48 acres dedicated to new residential or commercial development — can be a game-changer. It allows the city to plan for deeply affordable, workforce, and market-rate housing in a way that is fiscally responsible and environmentally sustainable.

Higher-density housing on this site will help activate new public spaces, ensuring parks are vibrant, welcoming, and safe. It also reduces car dependency by enabling residents to walk, bike, or use transit to access jobs, schools, and services, supporting the city’s ambitious climate and transportation goals. This kind of land use planning is not just smart — it’s essential to meeting the moment.

Some have called for a park-only future for the site, but this would be a missed opportunity and an unsustainable financial burden on the city. A mixed-use neighborhood can generate the resources needed to build and maintain world-class public parks while ensuring Santa Monica remains inclusive, not exclusive. Studies show that thoughtfully integrated parks and Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
60 housing increase public safety, improve mental health outcomes, and can raise nearby property values by 8–20%.

This project should be a model for cities across California, a showcase for how we can use public land to promote equity, inclusion, and long-term livability. As Councilmember Jesse Zwick wisely noted, “If Central Park in Manhattan had a perimeter entirely of single-family homes, it wouldn’t function and be as great as it is.” Homes and parks must work together to build a successful community.

We urge the Council to move this project forward with housing as a central pillar and adopt Scenario 3: Growing Park, Growing Community. The scale of the opportunity demands nothing less.

Kevin Wu
[email protected]
639 N Gramercy Pl
Los Angeles, California 90004
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
61 David Yakobson
From: Alex Mehringer <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, July 3, 2025 8:30 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Dan Hall; Elaine Polachek; [email protected] Subject: Item 7.a SMAC Project June 8
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged
I am a teenager living in Santa Monica. I'm writing to say that I support a Great Park that is 100% park and recreation uses at the airport site.

I play sports and am a competitive tennis player, having been ranked in the top 100 players nationally in my grade. My dad and I used to drive around Santa Monica in circles during the weeknights and weekends trying to find an open tennis court to play on in Santa Monica, and we literally could never find a court. Courts are always full and are usually booked by private instructors who can get permits from the city. My dad ended up needing to pay for private courts outside of Santa Monica so I could play tennis regularly and get better. The only time I'm able to play in Santa Monica is when my dad pays for a private instructor to hit with me, because it seems like only private instructors can book courts in Santa Monica.

How is this fair and equitable to ALL kids who live in Santa Monica? How is Santa Monica ever going to have a great tennis player like Serena and Venus Williams -- who grew up on the public courts of Compton -- if we don't have any easily accessible public tennis courts in Santa Monica? Please vote on Tuesday for an LC-compliant park with lots of new tennis courts for ALL kids to be able to learn to play tennis and follow their dreams.

Thank you for reading my email.

Alex M.

Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
62 David Yakobson
From: Kate Mehringer <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, July 3, 2025 8:46 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Dan Hall; Elaine Polachek
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Item 7.a SMAC Project June 8
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged
Dear City Council,
I am almost 16-years old and I live in Santa Monica with my family. I am writing to ask you to vote for a LC-compliant Great Park, which includes only park and recreation uses. This is exactly what we need in Santa Monica.

We don't have enough soccer fields in Santa Monica. I know this from personal experience because I have played soccer for 9 years -- starting in Santa Monica AYSO for 5 years and then moving to local clubs for the past 4 years. I want to play soccer in college and I am training every day this summer. Because there are no publicly-available soccer fields in Santa Monica that I can reliably access, my parents need to drive me outside of Santa Monica every day to a field in another city. Also, because there aren't enough soccer fields in Santa Monica, my club team (which is mostly Santa Monica kids) needs to do our 3-4 practices a week outside of Santa Monica, and even our "home" field is also outside of Santa Monica. There are so many kids like me who must leave our home in Santa Monica everyday and drive somewhere else, just to be able to play on a field. This causes more traffic and pollution, which isn't good for the environment. More personally, it means I need to waste an hour every night getting back and forth to practice in another city, and I get home from practice really late, and I still need to do homework, so I don't get as much sleep as I need. If we had more fields right here in Santa Monica, I could have a quick commute to practice and get home in time to do my homework and get the sleep I need.

People always say that "kids are our future". Please ensure that Santa Monica's kids have the sports fields and facilities we need to stay active and healthy and create a strong future for Santa Monica.

Please vote on Tuesday to support a LC-Compliant Great Park. The future is counting on you! Kate Mehringer
Santa Monica resident
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
63 David Yakobson
From: Matias Fuchs-Lynch <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, July 3, 2025 11:28 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: SUPPORT for Scenario 3 of the Santa Monica Airport Conversion – 7/8/2025 City Council meeting agenda item # 7
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged
Santa Monica City Council,
As a housing advocate with YIMBY Los Angeles, I write in strong support of the City’s visionary efforts to redevelop the 192-acre Santa Monica Airport site into a dynamic, mixeduse neighborhood with abundant housing and expansive open space. This is an unprecedented opportunity to address our region’s most urgent challenges — housing affordability, climate resilience, and sustainable land use — on public land, in one of the most desirable and opportunity-rich cities in the country.

As a high schooler who has lived in Santa Monica my whole life, I want it to be possible to live here when I'm an adult without having to move back into my parents' house. My city should have room for me.

Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
64 Some have called for a park-only future for the site, but this would be a missed opportunity and an unsustainable financial burden on the city. A mixed-use neighborhood can generate the resources needed to build and maintain world-class public parks while ensuring Santa Monica remains inclusive, not exclusive. Studies show that thoughtfully integrated parks and housing increase public safety, improve mental health outcomes, and can raise nearby property values by 8–20%.

We urge the Council to move this project forward with housing as a central pillar and adopt Scenario 3: Growing Park, Growing Community. The scale of the opportunity demands nothing less.

Matias Fuchs-Lynch
[email protected]
1068 Yale St.

Santa Monica, California 90403
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
65 David Yakobson
From: Rehan Khan <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, July 4, 2025 4:41 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: SUPPORT for Scenario 3 of the Santa Monica Airport Conversion – 7/8/2025 City Council meeting agenda item # 7
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged
Santa Monica City Council,
As a housing advocate with YIMBY Los Angeles, I write in strong support of the City’s visionary efforts to redevelop the 192-acre Santa Monica Airport site into a dynamic, mixeduse neighborhood with abundant housing and expansive open space. This is an unprecedented opportunity to address our region’s most urgent challenges — housing affordability, climate resilience, and sustainable land use — on public land, in one of the most desirable and opportunity-rich cities in the country.

Some have called for a park-only future for the site, but this would be a missed opportunity and an unsustainable financial burden on the city. A mixed-use neighborhood can generate the resources needed to build and maintain world-class public parks while ensuring Santa Monica remains inclusive, not exclusive. Studies show that thoughtfully integrated parks and Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
66 housing increase public safety, improve mental health outcomes, and can raise nearby property values by 8–20%.

We urge the Council to move this project forward with housing as a central pillar and adopt Scenario 3: Growing Park, Growing Community. The scale of the opportunity demands nothing less.

Rehan Khan
[email protected]
419 Anita St
Redondo Beach, California 90278
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
67 David Yakobson
From: Aiko Dzikowski <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, July 4, 2025 4:44 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: SUPPORT for Scenario 3 of the Santa Monica Airport Conversion – 7/8/2025 City Council meeting agenda item # 7
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged
Santa Monica City Council,
As a housing advocate with YIMBY Los Angeles, I write in strong support of the City’s visionary efforts to redevelop the 192-acre Santa Monica Airport site into a dynamic, mixeduse neighborhood with abundant housing and expansive open space. This is an unprecedented opportunity to address our region’s most urgent challenges — housing affordability, climate resilience, and sustainable land use — on public land, in one of the most desirable and opportunity-rich cities in the country.

Some have called for a park-only future for the site, but this would be a missed opportunity and an unsustainable financial burden on the city. A mixed-use neighborhood can generate the resources needed to build and maintain world-class public parks while ensuring Santa Monica remains inclusive, not exclusive. Studies show that thoughtfully integrated parks and Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
68 housing increase public safety, improve mental health outcomes, and can raise nearby property values by 8–20%.

We urge the Council to move this project forward with housing as a central pillar and adopt Scenario 3: Growing Park, Growing Community. The scale of the opportunity demands nothing less.

Aiko Dzikowski
[email protected]
925 Weyburn Pl
Los Angeles , California 90024
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
69 David Yakobson
From: Noah Schneider <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, July 4, 2025 5:44 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: SUPPORT for Scenario 3 of the Santa Monica Airport Conversion – 7/8/2025 City Council meeting agenda item # 7
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged
Santa Monica City Council,
My name is Noah Schneider, and I am an urban sustainable planning student at USC. As a housing advocate with YIMBY Los Angeles, I write in strong support of the City’s visionary efforts to redevelop the 192-acre Santa Monica Airport site into a dynamic, mixed-use neighborhood with abundant housing and expansive open space. This is an unprecedented opportunity to address our region’s most urgent challenges — housing affordability, climate resilience, and sustainable land use — on public land, in one of the most desirable and opportunity-rich cities in the country.

Some have called for a park-only future for the site, but this would be a missed opportunity and an unsustainable financial burden on the city. A mixed-use neighborhood can generate the resources needed to build and maintain world-class public parks while ensuring Santa Monica remains inclusive, not exclusive. Studies show that thoughtfully integrated parks and Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
70 housing increase public safety, improve mental health outcomes, and can raise nearby property values by 8–20%.

We urge the Council to move this project forward with housing as a central pillar and adopt Scenario 3: Growing Park, Growing Community. The scale of the opportunity demands nothing less.

Noah Schneider
[email protected]
2652 Ellendale Place
Los Angeles, California 90007
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
71 David Yakobson
From: Jason Wong <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, July 4, 2025 5:45 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: SUPPORT for Scenario 3 of the Santa Monica Airport Conversion – 7/8/2025 City Council meeting agenda item # 7
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged
Santa Monica City Council,
As a housing advocate with YIMBY Los Angeles, I write in strong support of the City’s visionary efforts to redevelop the 192-acre Santa Monica Airport site into a dynamic, mixeduse neighborhood with abundant housing and expansive open space. This is an unprecedented opportunity to address our region’s most urgent challenges — housing affordability, climate resilience, and sustainable land use — on public land, in one of the most desirable and opportunity-rich cities in the country.

Some have called for a park-only future for the site, but this would be a missed opportunity and an unsustainable financial burden on the city. A mixed-use neighborhood can generate the resources needed to build and maintain world-class public parks while ensuring Santa Monica remains inclusive, not exclusive. Studies show that thoughtfully integrated parks and Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
72 housing increase public safety, improve mental health outcomes, and can raise nearby property values by 8–20%.

We urge the Council to move this project forward with housing as a central pillar and adopt Scenario 3: Growing Park, Growing Community. The scale of the opportunity demands nothing less.

Jason Wong
[email protected]
6301 W77th Place
Los Angeles, California 90045
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
73 David Yakobson
From: Aaron Meraz <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, July 4, 2025 5:40 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: SUPPORT for Scenario 3 of the Santa Monica Airport Conversion – 7/8/2025 City Council meeting agenda item # 7
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged
Santa Monica City Council,
As a housing advocate with YIMBY Los Angeles, I write in strong support of the City’s visionary efforts to redevelop the 192-acre Santa Monica Airport site into a dynamic, mixeduse neighborhood with abundant housing and expansive open space. This is an unprecedented opportunity to address our region’s most urgent challenges — housing affordability, climate resilience, and sustainable land use — on public land, in one of the most desirable and opportunity-rich cities in the country.

Some have called for a park-only future for the site, but this would be a missed opportunity and an unsustainable financial burden on the city. A mixed-use neighborhood can generate the resources needed to build and maintain world-class public parks while ensuring Santa Monica remains inclusive, not exclusive. Studies show that thoughtfully integrated parks and Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
74 housing increase public safety, improve mental health outcomes, and can raise nearby property values by 8–20%.

We urge the Council to move this project forward with housing as a central pillar and adopt Scenario 3: Growing Park, Growing Community. The scale of the opportunity demands nothing less.

Aaron Meraz
[email protected]
1074 Stravinsky Lane
Ventura, California 93003
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
75 David Yakobson
From: Hector C. Ayala <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, July 5, 2025 3:17 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: July 8th SM Airport Conversion Prioritize Reparations and Landback Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged
Councilmembers ,
Dear Santa Monica City Council,
As residents, descendants, and community members, we urge you to ensure the redesign of the airport land includes a meaningful commitment to Reparations and Landback.

We recognize that affordable housing is already a component in two of the three proposed design scenarios. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to repair historic harms through:

Public green space that is accessible, restorative, and integrated. We believe in a future where parks and people coexist, and where justice and open space can share the same soil.

Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
76 Some have voiced concern that building housing would derail plans for a park, but these priorities do not have to compete. Measure LC exists to prevent commercial overdevelopment, not to prevent justice. If a ballot measure is needed, Council can lead alongside community members to mobilize support for a vision rooted in equity, history, and healing.

Santa Monica has already issued a historic apology. Now is the time to put action behind those words and become a national leader in reparative justice.

Hector C. Ayala
[email protected]
Santa Monica, California 90404
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
77 David Yakobson
From: Mona Recalde <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, July 5, 2025 12:53 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: July 8th SM Airport Conversion Prioritize Reparations and Landback Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged
Councilmembers ,
Dear Santa Monica City Council,
As residents, descendants, and community members, we urge you to ensure the redesign of the airport land includes a meaningful commitment to Reparations and Landback.

We recognize that affordable housing is already a component in two of the three proposed design scenarios. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to repair historic harms through:

Public green space that is accessible, restorative, and integrated. We believe in a future where parks and people coexist, and where justice and open space can share the same soil.

Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
78 Some have voiced concern that building housing would derail plans for a park, but these priorities do not have to compete. Measure LC exists to prevent commercial overdevelopment, not to prevent justice. If a ballot measure is needed, Council can lead alongside community members to mobilize support for a vision rooted in equity, history, and healing.

Santa Monica has already issued a historic apology. Now is the time to put action behind those words and become a national leader in reparative justice.

Mona Recalde
[email protected]
1833 3rd Street
La Verne, CA, California 91750
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
79 David Yakobson
From: JORDAN ELLIS <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 10:45 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Par Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Santa Monica City Council,
I urge you to move forward with the creation of a Measure LC-compliant Great Park, with a sensible financing plan that prioritizes existing on-site revenue sources, and with no sale or other privatization of the land. As our parkpoor city densifies, it is important that we plan for the creation of sufficient open space and recreational spaces that can restore habitat and meet the needs of both current and future generations.

Thank you for your consideration,
Jordan Ellis
Santa Monica resident 90405
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
80 David Yakobson
From: Mandell, Dana <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 10:20 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Dan Hall; Elaine Polachek; [email protected] Subject: Item 7.a SMAC Project June 8
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear City Council,
Our daughter is active and plays sports, but there is a shortage of park and open space because Santa Monica is park-poor and has significantly less park space per resident than other cities. This problem is only getting worse as the city gets more and more dense. The airport site is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a Great Park and make Santa Monica more livable for families, now and for generations to come. Please vote to create a LC-compliant Great Park on our public land, for the benefit of ALL Santa Monicans.

Thank you,
Dana & Bryan Coopersmith
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
81 David Yakobson
From: Beth O'Rourke <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 10:14 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. Vote for a Park-Only Airport Conversion - July 8, 2025 Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Sincerely,
Beth O’Rourke
SMRC Youth Director
[email protected]
310-729-8249
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Youth Facebook | Youth Instagram | High School Instagram Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
82 David Yakobson
From: Beth O'Rourke <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 10:17 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. Vote for a Park-Only Airport Conversion - July 8, 2025 Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Santa Monica has a severe shortage of fields able to accommodate youth and adult soccer, rugby and lacrosse. A Great Park with an even split between passive and active uses should include 6 or more FIFA-sized rectangular GRASS sports fields to relieve our current dependence on toxic and harmful artificial surfaces.

Sincerely,
Brian O’Rourke
Santa Monica Rugby Club Parent and Coach
310-729-8249
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
83 David Yakobson
From: Beth O'Rourke <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 10:16 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. Vote for a Park-Only Airport Conversion - July 8, 2025 Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Santa Monica has a severe shortage of fields able to accommodate youth and adult soccer, rugby and lacrosse. A Great Park with an even split between passive and active uses should include 6 or more FIFA-sized rectangular GRASS sports fields to relieve our current dependence on toxic and harmful artificial surfaces.

Sincerely,
Jill Dymtrow
Loyola Rugby
310-729-8249
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
84 David Yakobson
From: Mars <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 10:12 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Thank you for your consideration.
(Your name) Fernando Cimino
90405

Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
85 David Yakobson
From: Christina DerHagopian <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 10:10 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. Vote for a Park-Only Airport Conversion - July 8, 2025 Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Sincerely,
Christina DerHagopian
Santa Monica Women's Rugby
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
86 David Yakobson
From: Tracey Maye <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 10:07 AM
To: [email protected]; Barry Snell; Dan Hall; Elaine Polachek; [email protected]; councilmtgitems; Natalya Zernitskaya; Jesse Zwick; Ellis Raskin; Caroline Torosis
Subject: Item 7.a SMAC Project July 8
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

The airport site is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a Great Park and make Santa Monica more livable for families, now and for generations to come. Please vote to create a LC-compliant Great Park on our public land, for the benefit of ALL Santa Monicans.

Thank you,
Tracey Maye
Sent from my iPhone
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
87 David Yakobson
From: Lizeth Bejarano <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 10:02 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek; [email protected]
Cc: Gardner, Neal
Subject: Item 7.a SMAC Project July 8
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
I have been a Santa Monica resident for 15+ years and I have a child in SMMUSD. My kid is active and plays sports, but there is a shortage of park and open space because Santa Monica is park-poor and has significantly less park space per resident than other cities. This problem is only getting worse as the city gets more and more dense. The airport site is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a Great Park and make Santa Monica more livable for families now and for future generations. Please vote for a Great Park on our public land, for the benefit of ALL Santa Monicans.

Thank you,
Lizeth Bejarano
Parent in the SMMUSD, PTA, and AYSO member
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
88 David Yakobson
From: Bianca Suchter <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 10:01 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek; [email protected]
Subject: Item 7.a SMAC Project June 8
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Please vote for a Great Park, for the benefit of ALL Santa Monicans, with all new uses dedicated to park and recreation, including plenty of sports fields.

Thank you,
Bianca Suchter
AYSO Parent
Bianca Suchter
703.283.5899 (Mobile)
[email protected]
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
89 David Yakobson
From: Ursula Trimming <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 10:00 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek; [email protected]
Subject: Item 7.a SMAC Project June 8
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Please vote for a Great Park, for the benefit of ALL Santa Monicans, with all new uses dedicated to park and recreation, including plenty of sports fields.

Thank you,
Ursula Trimming
AYSO Parent
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
90 David Yakobson
From: Daniel A. Carpio <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 9:57 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Elaine Polachek; Amber Richane; Jesse Zwick Subject: Item 7.A. Vote for a Park-Only Airport Conversion - July 8, 2025 Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Santa Monica has a severe shortage of fields able to accommodate youth and adult soccer, rugby and lacrosse. A Great Park with an even split between passive and active uses should include 6 or more FIFA-sized rectangular GRASS sports fields to relieve our current dependence on toxic and harmful artificial surfaces.

Sincerely,
Danny Carpio
Santa Monica Business owner
--
Danny Carpio

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Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
91 David Yakobson
From: Mary Duprey <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 9:52 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

I also urge you to reject any housing or new commercial development on site and to look for more creative ways to finance the park. One way is to partner with nonprofit organizations like Tree People to assist in the planting of trees. Grants may also be available for re-greening this area.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Mary Duprey, 90405
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
92 David Yakobson
From: sylvie lovethynature.com <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 9:42 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Cc: Sunny Wang; Jenny Rogers; Heidi von Tongeln; Jennifer Taylor; Oscar Santiago; Heather Averick; Oliver Chi; Rick Valte; Armine Chaparyan; Douglas Sloan; Nia Tang; Christopher Dishlip; Peter James; Susan Cola
Subject: Item 7.1 – Santa Monica Airport Conversion (SMAC) Project, July 8 - Healing with Nature LOI
Attachments: Great Park_Forest Bathing Events 1_LOI.pdf Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
Please find attached a copy of my LOI
Healing with Nature
Forest Bathing Events
at the Great Park
Warmly,
Sylvie
"Let the beauty of what you love be what you do. There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the earth" Rumi Sylvie Rokab, M.A. (she/ela/elle/ella)
Earth-Based Mindfulness Mentor / Emmy Nominated Filmmaker P. +1-310-570-7374
Santa Monica, CA, USA
Ancestral unceded territory of the Tongva
www.lovethynature.com
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025

LOVE THY NATURE, LLC
www.lovethynature.com
1 Healing with Nature
Forest Bathing Events
Santa Monica Great Park
BACKGROUND AND NEED:

In these fast-paced times, most of us struggle with anxiety, overwhelm, and isolation.

What if the path to healing is rooted in our conscious belonging with nature and each other?
This is a proposal to offer the ancient practice of "Forest Bathing" to visitors at our already beloved Santa Monica Great Park to promote healing, regulating the nervous system, and restoring our broken bonds with one another, our community, and Earth.

PROGRAM TITLE:

HEALING WITH NATURE
Forest Bathing at the Santa Monica Great Park
PROGRAM SUMMARY:

This program is a series of weekly two-and-a-half hours Forest Bathing experience at the Great Park. Participants will have opportunities to commune with nature, each other, and themselves through a series of ancient, Earth-rooted, wisdom practices - backed by neuroscience - to promote well-being and a sense of wonder and belonging.

Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025

LOVE THY NATURE, LLC
www.lovethynature.com
2 PRESENTING ORGANIZATION:

LOVE THY NATURE, LLC.

What We Do:

Love Thy Nature offers heart-centered walks, retreats, courses, mentoring, and our award-winning movie to help transform people's lives and our world.

Our Mission:

To awaken people to the beauty and intimacy of their relationship with the natural world – to heal and transform self, collective, and nature.

Our Vision:

To guide a vast number of people to experience their belonging with the web of life for their own well-being and the blossoming of a new era: one that is inspired by nature’s synergy, wonders, wisdom and mysteries.

Our Values:

Wellness (humans and nature); mindfulness; heartfulness; inspiration; interbeing; and transformation.

Our Experience:

What started as a 27-award-winning movie narrated by Liam Neeson, Love Thy Nature has expanded into a garden of experiences, workshops, retreats, mentoring and meditations in nature (and online) that have helped transform our clients' lives. We have worked with the UCLA Dept of Ecological Medicine, 1440 Multiversity, Rocky Mountains EcoDharma Retreat Center, Esalen Institute, among others.

Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025

LOVE THY NATURE, LLC
www.lovethynature.com
3 OUR FOUNDER AND GUIDE:

Sylvie Rokab, M.A. (she/her)
Mindfulness Teacher, Forest Bathing Guide, Speaker, Mentor, and Filmmaker Born in Rio and raised by French and Italian parents who were born in Egypt, Sylvie is an MMTCP-certified mindfulness teacher, ANFT-certified Forest Bathing guide, EcoDharma advisor, and Emmy-nominated filmmaker. By blending these disciplines, she offers simple but powerful tools to help participants release anxiety, isolation, and eco-grief, accessing healing, wisdom, and a deep sense of belonging through sacred relationship with nature.

Narrated by Liam Neeson, her film Love Thy Nature earned 27 awards and launched over 300 global screening events – inspiring viewers to recognize that the delusion of separation from nature is at the root of personal and planetary suffering.

Through her retreats, Sylvie invites practitioners to rekindle loving awareness, lean into the wisdom of emotions, and awaken to their profound belonging with the natural world.

Participants often leave with a renewed sense of wonder, connection, and aliveness alongside a commitment to cherishing and protecting Earth's life systems.

Fluent in four languages, Sylvie is a compassionate and engaging guide devoted to helping others discover the beauty and power of their inner and outer nature, while deepening their relationship with self, others, and our spellbinding world. Learn more at LoveThyNature.com
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025

LOVE THY NATURE, LLC
www.lovethynature.com
4 PROGRAM OVERVIEW:

Forest Bathing is the translation of “Shirin Yoku,” the Japanese practice of mindfully experiencing nature through the senses. Scientific studies have shown that the practice has a wide array of health benefits from lowering the stress hormone cortisol, to strengthening the immune system, to improving mood. Some studies have even shown that connection with nature makes us more compassionate, cooperative, and kinder.

OBJECTIVE AND GOALS:

On Forest Bathing walks, most people feel a much deeper connection with nature than they ever have previously felt. While experiences are unique to each individual, participants often share that their stress dissolves, confusion lifts, hearts soften, emotions surface, ideas spring – taking home with them a renewed sense of connection, meaning and purpose.

MAIN ACTIVITIES:

Sylvie welcomes participants and engages them with the history (and acknowledgment) of the land: from its geological formation to its Tongva-Gabrielino Indigenous stories of stewardship. She introduces the work of Forest Bathing, its origins in Japan as “Shinrin Yoku,” the science behind the benefits of nature communion, and its global reach through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy.

Sylvie offers participants “invitations” – such as closing eyes to “sense” the smells and sounds of the forest; discovering nature’s artistry; befriending beings on the land; and joining a tea ceremony with harvested leaves in the spirit of sharing and gratitude.

Sylvie plays an indigenous flute to draw the deepening of experience and leads rounds of deep sharing / deep listening circles after each invitation.

Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025

LOVE THY NATURE, LLC
www.lovethynature.com
5 Through listening circles, each participant has the opportunity to share their thoughts with the group while others practice attentive, non-judgmental and compassionate listening.

Other invitations include discovering hidden nooks in the forest, gathering "nature art" from the land, and sharing in a large circle one word that arises from the communal experiences with one another and the beings of the land.

Sylvie ends the session with a tea ceremony with foraged indigenous plants accompanied with poetry, music, and storytelling - in a spirit of gratitude for nature, each other, and oneself.

PROGRAM FUNDING AND TIMELINE:

We will be ready to start our program as soon as the Great Park opens! Our programs are typically funded by our participants who pay a registration fee. We also offer scholarships to BIPOC and other participants under the poverty line. Other sources of funding for our programs have included:
- Foundation grants
- Corporate sponsors
- Donations
CONCLUSION:

Sylvie and the Love Thy Nature team would be deeply honored and delighted to offer Forest Bathing programs at the Great Park to help heal, inspire, and connect visitors to the wonders of our newly regenerated wild park.

By deepening visitors' connection with this land and its more-than-human beings, they will have a weekly opportunity to restore as well as anchor a deep sense of place and pride for our beloved Santa Monica Earth-based and ocean-kissed community.

For any questions, feel free to reach Sylvie directly: [email protected] Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
94 David Yakobson
From: Richard Drapkin <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 9:37 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Fwd: REMINDERS: Rally, Council Meeting, Email City Council Today Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Completed

EXTERNAL
To help protect your privacy, Microsoft Office prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet.

Santa Monica Great Park Coalition
Dear Richard Drapkin
Reminders:
 Tuesday, July 8th - Rally for a Great Park starts at 4:30PM.  Tuesday, July 8th - City Council Meeting starts at 5:30PM.

If you've already written to City Council to express your support for an LC-com Park, thank you! Now please forward this to a friend and ask them to write in. 떑떜떒떓떔떕떖떗떘떙떚떛떝 If you haven't written yet, now's the time! This is the most important moment so f journey-to-park together and it is critical that EVERYONE participate. Seriously, eve Below is a template you can use, but please feel free to start with your own story and your preferred park-related uses; for example, new recreational facilities, cultural use gardens, and/or passive and environmental uses.
跚跛跜距 SHORTCUT! Click this link to start a draft in your email client.

Subject:

Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
95 To:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Please move forward, for the benefit of all, the creation of an inspirational LC-compl with a sensible financing plan that prioritizes existing on-site revenue sources and w other privatization of the land.

As our park-poor city densifies, it is paramount that we plan for the creation of suffici recreational, and regenerative spaces that can restore habitat and meet the needs o and future generations.

Sincerely,
Gail Gordon
귊귋 Amplify The Message!
Please forward this email to a friend and ask them to write to Council as well.

To help protect your priv acy, Microsoft Office prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet.

GPC and A2P marching in Friday's Fourth of July Parade! Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
96 것겄겅겆겇 Learn More:
 What does the GPC mean when it says that it seeks an "LC-compliant Gre Park"? https://greatparkcoalition.org/faq/#lc-compliant  Here are the SMAC Project Staff Report and Attachments on which Counc recommendations..
 Email us with any questions at [email protected].

Thank you for taking action -- and we look forward to seeing you at the rally and in C Chambers on Tuesday evening!
Sincerely,
The Great Park Coalition Leadership Team
John Fairweather
Cris Gutierrez
Frank Gruber
Zina Josephs
Joe Pertel
Ann Bowman
To help protect your priv acy, Microsoft Office prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet.

JRally for a Great Park, July 8 at 4:30pm at City Hall
Santa Monica Great Park Coalition
greatparkcoalition.org
[email protected]
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The Santa Monica Great Park Coalition is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. 2801 Ocean Park Boulevard, #276, Santa Monica, CA 90405 Unsubscribe · Preferences
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Built with Kit
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
97 David Yakobson
From: Airport2Park <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 9:36 AM
To: Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Ellis Raskin; Dan Hall; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya
Cc: councilmtgitems
Subject: Item 7A - July 8th - Airport2Park - Suggested Next Steps in park planning Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
airport2park.org
Dear Mayor Negrete and Council Members,
The board of Santa Monica Airport2Park Foundation respectfully suggests that you take the following actions when directing staff and Sasaki regarding next steps in the park planning process:

1. Direct staff to develop an LC-compliant project for environmental review.

2. LC-compliant should include uses that can be made compliant with zoning changes.

3. Direct staff to include a phasing plan to cover the first 15 years after airport closure.

4. Direct staff that the primary focus for any planning activities this fall should be on the LCcompliant project, not on alternatives.

5. Direct staff to return within a month with analysis of the proposals in the LOIs, and with recommendations on how to use them, focusing on proposals that can be actualized as part of the LC-compliant project and in particular the LOI from California State Parks.

6. Call for continued analysis of the financing options preliminarily explored in the HR&A report, with a focus on existing lease revenues, potential public financing for water and other infrastructure projects, other public sources for funding for parks and habitat restoration, parks bond and/or tax-increment funding, user and permit fees, philanthropy and sponsorships, and other public financing sources so as to preclude privatization.

Include consultations with our state lobbyist where relevant.

Sincerely,
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
98 The Santa Monica Airport2Park Foundation Board
Neil Carrey, President
Michael Brodsky
John Fairweather
Frank Gruber
Cathy Larson
Mike Salazar
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
99 David Yakobson
From: Gail Gordon <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 9:33 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7 A, SMAC PROJECT JULY 8TH AGENDA
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Sincerely,
Gail Gordon
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
100
David Yakobson
From: Patrick Beattie <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 9:26 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. Vote for a Park-Only Airport Conversion - July 8, 2025 Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Santa Monica has a severe shortage of fields able to accommodate youth and adult soccer, rugby and lacrosse. A Great Park with an even split between passive and active uses should include 6 or more FIFA-sized rectangular GRASS sports fields to relieve our current dependence on toxic and harmful artificial surfaces.

Sincerely,
Patrick Beattie
To help protect your privacy, Microsoft Office prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet. 3019 Ocean Park Blvd,
Santa Monica, CA, 90405
(424) 485-3686
www.enviroplumbing.com
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
102
David Yakobson
From: Elayne Rosoff <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 9:07 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Thank you for your consideration.

Our future generations need this oasis of nature for our well being - especially in the midst of chaos that I hope will be calmer by the time the park is built.

Elayne Rosoff PhD
90403
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
103
David Yakobson
From: Anita <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 9:05 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Thank you for your consideration.

Anita Szafran
90403
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
104
David Yakobson
From: Mitchell Greenhill <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 9:06 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Caroline Torosis; Lana Negrete; Jesse Zwick; Ellis Raskin; Dan Hall; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya
Subject: Item 7.A./July 8th - Support for an LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Santa Monica City Council,
I support the big park proposal. The park, the whole park, and nothing but the park.

Mitch Greenhill
3010 7th St, 90405
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
105
David Yakobson
From: William Dvorak <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 9:01 AM
To: Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Dan Hall; Elaine Polachek; [email protected]; councilmtgitems Subject: Item 7.a SMAC Project June 8
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear City Council,
I live in Santa Monica with my family. My kids are active and play sports, but there is a shortage of park and open space because Santa Monica is park-poor and has significantly less park space per resident than other cities. This problem is only getting worse as the city gets more and more dense. The airport site is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a Great Park and make Santa Monica more livable for families, now and for generations to come. Please vote to create a LC-compliant Great Park on our public land, for the benefit of ALL Santa Monicans.

Thank you,
William Dvorak
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
106
David Yakobson
From: Joseph Hoover <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 8:59 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Sincerely,
Joseph Hoover
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
107
David Yakobson
From: Cathy Larson <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 8:57 AM
To: Caroline Torosis; Lana Negrete; Jesse Zwick; Ellis Raskin; Dan Hall; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; councilmtgitems
Subject: July 8, Item 7-A
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Councilmembers,
I commend the Airport Conversion Project Team and Sasaki Consultants on their incredible amount of work in Phase 1 and 2 but Phase 3 has turned out to be a disappointment.

AŌer all the surveys have indicated people want a Great Park with open space, nature, recreaƟon ameniƟes, adapƟve re-use of exisƟng buildings, we ended up with not one but two draŌ scenarios that focused on development.

I was also shocked that the exisƟng lease income was downplayed and low balled. We know that current lease income at the airport grosses $18 - $20 million yet the staff report is only siƟng $6-7 million from “non-aeronauƟcal” income.

The staff report was silent on zoning overlay put forth in the City AƩorney memo of Jan 28, 2025 to facilitate common park ameniƟes without triggering a ballot measure. WHY was this very important topic not deemed worthy of inclusion? In an effort to be succinct:

1. Do NOT sell any of the airport land or lease it in excess of 15 years to avoid triggering the Surplus Land Act.

2. Plan for an LC Compliant Park and focus the EIR process on an LC Compliant Park that uses exisƟng revenue resources.

3. As future funding sources are idenƟfied and become available, LC compliant park ameniƟes can be expanded.

There are many opportuniƟes for infill housing across the City and infill housing does NOT require a ballot measure. There is only ONE opportunity for a Great Park. In 1926, residents of Santa Monica funded and chose this land for a Great Park. Don’t blow this once in a 100-year opportunity. We will never get it again.

Cathy Larson
Airport 2 Park Board
Friends of Sunset Park Board
Great Park CoaliƟon Advisory CommiƩee
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
108
David Yakobson
From: Lisa Klingenberg <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 8:55 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Thank you for your consideration.

Lisa Klingenberg
90402
Sent from my iPhone
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
109
David Yakobson
From: Halina Alter <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 8:53 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Dan Hall; Elaine Polachek; [email protected] Subject: Santa Monica Airport proposal
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
I am currently a 42 year Santa Monica resident and I am 73 years old. My children grew up in the same house that I currently occupy.

I have watched Santa Monica change during all the years I have lived here, with not all changes being for the better. My daughters grew up using Douglas Park, which is no longer safe with the advent of homelessness and dirty syringes in the grass and a limited police presence. They used Memorial Park and Cloverfield Park for sports; both parks at that time were inadequate for the number of teams wanting to participate. I have two almost 11 year old granddaughters that are avid soccer and softball players and they and their parents (along with their teammates) are frightened to use the parks without significant numbers of adults being present. We need more open spaces, more playing fields, and a safe environment for everyone, not only those who may be living at a Playa Vista look-alike development that is absolutely unnecessary for our city and community.

As a city, we do not have the resources to manage our activities of daily living and certainly do not have the resources both environmental and human to allow such a project to get off the ground. I have a history with the airport, having been an intern and resident in Pediatrics at UCLA 1977-1980, and was part of many teams accepting critically ill infants and children brought to our hospital via helicopter transport from the Santa Monica Airport and with that memory in mind, along with the recent Pacific Palisades fire, I would almost prefer the Federal Government taking over the airport rather than short sighted, perhaps egotistical projects without significant consideration for impact on the residents that elected you all to office.

Sincerely yours,
Halina K. Alter, MD
734 23 St
Santa Monica, CA 90402
310-739-7520
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
110
David Yakobson
From: Greg Amato <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 8:43 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park, or keep it an airport Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

While I received this from NOMA asking for my support, I actually want the airport to remain an airport.

Thank you for your consideration.

GREG AMATO

Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
111
David Yakobson
From: Michael Trimming <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 8:42 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek; [email protected]
Subject: Item 7.a SMAC Project June 8
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Please continue to keep our word to our community by continuing Measure LC and ensure that we have a park to replace the airport, NOT housing. Our kids need space to play and enjoy organized sports, and no, the beach does not count as park space, at all. Please don't ruin the area with housing. Thanks for your consideration.

Mick Trimming, MD
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
112
David Yakobson
From: Sharon Carothers <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 8:35 AM
To: Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek; councilmtgitems Cc: Glenn Cocco
Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

I urge you to move forward with the creation of a Measure LC-compliant Great Park, with a sensible financing plan that prioritizes existing on-site revenue sources, and with no sale or other privatization of the land. As our park-poor city densifies, it is important that we plan for the creation of sufficient open space and recreational spaces that can restore habitat and meet the needs of both current and future generations.

My family and neighbors regularly use our local Ozone Park since we purchased our home in 2006.

Many of us choose to live in Santa Monica to be able to enjoy being outside and adding park space is critical to health and a thriving community.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sharon Carothers
634 Navy Street
Santa Monica, CA 90405
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
113
David Yakobson
From: Debra Moini <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 8:34 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Cc: Joy Moini
Subject: Measure LC- compliant for airport
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Hello All Council Members,
It is my understanding that you will vote on the upcoming direction of Santa Monica Airport. As a long time resident in Sunset Park I ask the council to acknowledge and adhere to the 2014 Measure LC to keep the airport restructure as a park only. We do not want any portion to be used for housing! This has already been decided by the citizens who live here and we ask that you follow through in honoring this. Santa Monica needs more open space for people to enjoy and less crowding, not more.

Thank You,
Debra Moini
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
114
David Yakobson
From: dana thame <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 8:33 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. Vote for a Park-Only Airport Conversion - July 8, 2025 Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Sincerely,
Dana Glassburn-Thame
SMRC parent
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
115
David Yakobson
From: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 8:30 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek; [email protected]
Subject: Park Option for Airport space
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Please vote for a Great Park, for the benefit of ALL Santa Monicans, with all new uses dedicated to park and recreation, including plenty of sports fields.

My family is active and my kids enjoy youth sports. Unfortunately, Santa Monica is park-poor – with much less park space per resident than other cities. We deserve better. The airport site is a unique, once-in-alifetime opportunity to build a 192-acre Great Park to address today's acute shortage of open and field space and to balance future density and population growth. Please vote for a Great Park for our kids, our active community -- and for generations of Santa Monicans to come.

Thank you,
Jon Mozenter
AYSO parent
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
116
David Yakobson
From: joenick paintworks.us <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 8:28 AM
To: Dan Hall; Lana Negrete; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Caroline Torosis; Natalya Zernitskaya; Jesse Zwick; councilmtgitems
Subject: July 8 meeting Airport
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

Thank you for your diligence and service.

Sincerely,
Joe Nicoletti
[Santa Monica Resident / Sunset Park
Keep the Airport Open!
Joe Nicoletti
[email protected]
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Chameleon Paintworks Inc.

Cal Lic # 574493 since 1980
2506 28th Street
Santa Monica, CA 90405
310-453-4444 O
310-466-5250 C
www.paintworks.us

BE GENEROUS IN WHATEVER YOU DO
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTE: This e-mail and any attachments are confidential and are protected by legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of this e-mail or any attachment is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify us immediately by returning it to the sender at [email protected] and delete this copy from your system.

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David Yakobson
From: Elizabeth Davey <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 8:26 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

I urge you to move forward with the creation of a Measure LC-compliant Great Park, with a sensible financing plan that prioritizes on-site revenue sources, and with no sale or other privatization of the land.

As our park-poor city densifies, it is important that we plan for the creation of sufficient open space, recreational spaces, cultural facilities, community gardens, and/or passive environmental uses that can restore habitat and meet the needs of both current and future generations.

Thank you for your consideration.

Elizabeth Davey
90405
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David Yakobson
From: Marc Allen (US) <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 8:20 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: FW: July 8 City Council Meeting, Item 7: Evolve Santa Monica Airport—Don’t Erase It Attachments: 2025 07 05 Santa Monica City Council Info.pdf Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
From: Marc Allen (US) <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 10:21 AM
To: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
Cc: Diana Siegel (FP-DE) <[email protected]>; Marc Ausman (US) <[email protected]> Subject: July 8 City Council Meeting, Item 7: Evolve Santa Monica Airport—Don’t Erase It Dear Mayor Negrete and City Council Members,
I am greatly encouraged that you are taking the time to consider a path of evolution, not elimination for Santa Monica Airport. We are at a wonderful inflection point in aviation, which will introduce entirely transformational capabilities for our communities. Now is the time for Santa Monica to take advantage of that.

The opportunity is for KSMO to lead the next chapter of clean, quiet aviation that needs little space and which promotes community connections. At Electra, our vision is Sustainable Aviation for Communities Everywhere. We will accomplish it by bringing to market the first-ever Ultra Short aircraft. Fixed wing, fixed-forward propeller aircraft that use hybrid electric propulsion systems to do the unimaginable: operate in the landing/take-off envelope of helicopters, quietly and affordably.

Attached is a short presentation that will explain the Ultra Short platform to you and this future of Direct Aviation. You will grasp the significant implications intuitively. Recently, the Wall Street Journal covered our program in the Future of Everything segment. WSJ on Electra You can also see our prototype, piloted two-seat Ultra Short (the EL2) fly at these links: Short flight loop; NASA Administrator Flies EL2.

In November 2024, we launched our 9-passenger product, the EL9, which will enter commercial service in 2029. Electra EL9 Launch Recap - YouTube The EL9’s customer base has 60+ operators, including a number of regional airlines who plan to offer Santa Monica residents affordable regional air travel options out of KSMO. To be clear, however, consistent with our vision and mission, Electra will never push the EL9 and Direct Aviation into any community. It is for communities to pull such advanced air mobility capabilities forward for themselves, when the capabilities promote the prosperity, thriving, and growth of those communities.

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As Santa Monica re-designs the future of its air connectivity, Electra stands ready to assist. We invite the Council to send a delegation to come see our prototype EL2 airplane fly and receive a detailed EL9 program briefing. I also would be happy to come and brief the Council if that is convenient.

We are grateful the Council is not rushing to foreclose Santa Monica’s aviation future. And we would be pleased to be a part of your efforts to evolve it into something extraordinary and best of class.

Sincerely,
Marc
B. Marc Allen
CEO
T: +1 (703) 945-6698
E: [email protected]
A: 10761 James Payne Court, Manassas, VA, 20110
www.electra.aero
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EL9 Introduction for Santa Monica City Council
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2 | t οΰμοΏŜύŀ οЭ ŀ ΩŘ / ΰΩŬŘŜΩЄŀ Ρ
person-miles between
50-500 miles

3.1T
of trips go by air
3%
Less than
Total Trips (Billions)
One-Way Trip Length (Miles)
49 - 499 500 - 749 750 - 999 1,000 - 1,499 1,500+

0.0 0.5

1.0 1.5

2.0 Direct Aviation 2.5
is the regional
connector for
dense
communities
Drive Fly
hour
trips
2-8
Trips by Mode & Distance (United States)

THE NEW DIRECT AVIATION

REFERENCE
(Trips of 50-500 miles)
Source: National Household Travel Survey, BTS, US DOT.

The EL9 Solution
Growing Direct Aviation (vs ground congestion)
Today’s Air
Segments
2 | t οΰμοΏŜύŀ οЭ ŀ ΩŘ / ΰΩŬŘŜΩЄŀ Ρ
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EL9 – the World’s First Ultra Short Aircraft
3 Characteristic Value
MTOW 12,500 lb
Useful Load 3,400 lb
Fuel Capacity 370 gal
Max Payload ~2,750 lb
Max Range ~1300 NM
Max Speed 175 KIAS
Occupants 11
Doors aft sliding cargo
(openable in-flight)

47.5 ft

14.9 ft

55.0 ft
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4 | t οΰμοΏŜύŀ οЭ ŀ ΩŘ / ΰΩŬŘŜΩЄŀ Ρ
50 ft
9° glideslope
4 | t οΰμοΏŜύŀ οЭ ŀ ΩŘ / ΰΩŬŘŜΩЄŀ Ρ
Needs Only 150ft of Ground Roll to Land and Take-off
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Promises Quiet Hybrid Electric Operations
EL9 noise footprint at KSMO (top) vs. Turboprop (bottom) Source: ANOPP2 models calibrated with test data
Source: DOT-VNTSC-FAA-10-17 DOT-FAA-AEE-2010-06
EL9 Ultra Short
Noise Profile
Conventional
Turboprop
Noise Profile
Santa Monica Airport (SMO)
Yellow: 75 dBA contour
Green: 65 dBA contour
5 Ĵ ƘÍ Ĵ ƘỀCŇẮƘỞĂẮĠÆĂẢÍ Ģ Ĵ CŇỀŇỀÍ ĠĂĻCĠĻỀŇỀỌC
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7 | t οΰμοΏŜύŀ οЭ ŀ ΩŘ / ΰΩŬŘŜΩЄŀ Ρ

OPERATING COST/SEAT-MILE COMPARISON
@ 1,500 FLIGHT HOURS / YEAR
Helicopter
Bell 429
Grand
Caravan
King Air 260
operating costs far
below a helicopter
Vehicle fixed
(lease, insurance)

OPERATING COST/SEAT-MILE COMPARISON
@ 1,500 FLIGHT HOURS / YEAR
even less than
a fixed-wing
Crew (incl. training)
Maintenance
Fuel or electricity
Battery replacement
Electra
EL9
$0.73
$2.63
-70%+
Offers Cost Reductions To Make Regional Connectivity Affordable 7 | t οΰμοΏŜύŀ οЭ ŀ ΩŘ / ΰΩŬŘŜΩЄŀ Ρ
Electra
EL9
$1.02
$0.73 $0.83
$1.91 -30%
4pax
eVTOL
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EL9 cuts DC-to-NYC travel time in half (200 miles)
Affordable Direct Aviation Saves Time
A Northeast Corridor Example
⮞ Direct from Falls Church, VA to Empire State Building, NY ⮞ Car to Dulles Airport ⮞ Go to gate ⮞ Fly to LGA ⮞ Get out of airport ⮞ Car to Empire State Building, NY ⮞ Car to Manassas Regional Airport ⮞ Fly to Teterboro ⮞ Drive to Empire State Building, NY ⮞ Drive to Tyson’s Corner, VA ⮞ Fly to Manhattan heliport ⮞ Drive to Empire State Building, NY Car
4h30
Train
3h45
Commercial
flight
4h00
Private
flight
3h00
EL9
1h45
⮞ Car to Union Station, DC ⮞ Train to Penn Station, NY ⮞ Car to Empire State Building, NY Tyson’s Corner, VA
Manhattan Helipad, NY
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9 | t οΰμοΏŜύŀ οЭ ŀ ΩŘ / ΰΩŬŘŜΩЄŀ Ρ
Range Fuel Saving
(today)
Fuel Saving
(next-gen batteries)
50nm (100km) -30% -60%
100nm (200km) -15% -30%
150nm (300km) -10% -20%
200nm (400km) -7% -15%
EL9 fuel burn benefit*
Source: wingx, 2024 flight data.
4,151
275,950
~50% of flights
Avg 25%
emissions
reductions
~50% of flights <100nm
99% of Caravan flights < 300nm
Comparable Economics
to Caravan
80nm110nm110nm135nm135nm160nm<30nm 30nm- >160nm
55nm
55nm80nm
64,109
48,203
31,843
27,982
29,349
70,313
Total

1.5% 23.2% 17.5% 11.5% 10.1% 10.6% 25.5% 100%
Count of Caravan Flights Per Segment (2024 data)
Mission length distribution of current 9 passenger a/c
Hybrid Electric Propulsion Saves Fuel
*Compared with single-engine turboprop
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Next Gen System Defines a New Safety Standard
Source: NTSB, 2012 - 2019
Top Causes of Fatal Part 135 Accidents EL9 goes further than current Part 23 last-resort parachute and emergency autoland systems:
34%
15%
11% 11%
Powerplant
Failure
Unintended Flight
into IMC
Controlled Flight
Into Terrain
Loss of Control -
Inflight
Airplane Helicopter

MULTI-LAYERED PROPULSION REDUNDANCY
Quad-redundant hybrid-electric propulsion system with
4 independent battery packs, plus turbogenerator

ADVANCED DIGITAL PILOT AIDS
Digital fly-by-wire control system with envelope
protection, auto-land, and precision landing

ULTRA SHORT LANDING CAPABILITY
Divert anywhere. Only 300’ of clearing needed to land safely, low energy 35 kt landing
PART 121 CLASS SAFETY MONITORING
Real-time maintenance and performance data downlink to
Part 135 SMS, HUMS, FOQA, and to better inform dispatch Item 7-A
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ELECTRA PROPRIETARY
The EL9 – Practical & Transformative
THE EL9 IS AN UNLOCK FOR KSMO’S NEW MASTER PLAN
Connect
Communities
Small
Access Points
No New
Infrastructure
Quiet
Operations
Affordable
Offerings
Focus on
Safety
50-500nm
Range
Cargo &
Oversize Luggage
√ √ √ √
√ √ √
√
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www.electra.aero
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David Yakobson
From: sylvie lovethynature.com <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 8:20 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Cc: Elaine Polachek; Sunny Wang; Jenny Rogers; Heidi von Tongeln; Jennifer Taylor; Oscar Santiago; Heather Averick; Oliver Chi; Rick Valte; Amber Richane; Armine Chaparyan; Douglas Sloan; Nia Tang; Christopher Dishlip; Peter James; Susan Cola Subject: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - Let’s Breathe New Life into Santa Monica—Together (July 8, 2025)
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
I kindly urge you to please move forward, for the benefit of all, with the creation of an inspirational LCcompliant Great Park with a sensible financing plan that prioritizes existing on-site revenue sources and with no sale or other privatization of the land.

Here are a few of the key reasons:

A. Santa Monicans want an LC-compliant Great Park

1. Our Great Park was dreamed into existence in the 1920s - until it was paved over for an airport during WWII

2. Santa Monica residents passed Measure LC with 60% of the votes

3. The top two principles that emerged from recent residents’ survey responses are: Start With Nature & Inspire Wonder

4. Over 60 organizations support the Great Park Coalition - reflecting the values of tens of thousands of local residents

5. Santa Monica Democratic Club: 78% of SMDC members voted for an LC-compliant park - a landslide!
B. Santa Monica is a concrete jungle - severely deprived of green spaces

1. Santa Monica has among the worst ranking in terms of public parks per 1,000 residents. While the national average is 10.6 acres, our city only offers 1.4 acres - just 13% of the U.S. average

2. 95% of our city is a sea of asphalt and concrete

3. Let’s transform the last open land into our Emerald Sanctuary, rather than pouring more concrete over our future
C. Access to natural spaces is environmental justice, social justice, and a public health imperative

1. Hundreds of empirical studies show that nature improves physical and mental health while promoting a sense of belonging- to others, community, and the natural world

2. Time spent outdoors mitigates children’s addiction to digital devices Item 7-A
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3. Most Santa Monicans live in homes with no gardens or outdoor opportunities for recreation. Our Great Park is Nature Rx for all and a much-needed breath of fresh air D. As our city grows more dense, our need for green space becomes more urgent

1. Let’s build new housing on the 95% of Santa Monica that is already paved: Concrete belongs over concrete - not over a one-and-only park opportunity

2. Building housing over our Great Park is like paving over a city’s largest reservoir to make room for condos. It may meet one need, but at the cost of another that is just as essential

3. It’s like removing the lungs in a body to make more room for a bigger liver - trading what gives us breath for what helps us function
E. Our Great Park makes economic sense

1. We already have millions in revenues from existing assets to help restore our Great Park

2. There are numerous opportunities to fund our Great Park at the county and state levels, including the highly successful 30x30 program enthusiastically championed by our Secretary Wade Crowfoot

3. The "Park Effect” generates revenues from visitors filling up our hotels, restaurants, cultural venues as well as from increased property value and property taxes F. Honoring Indigenous peoples and restoring a life-centered worldview

1. The land we now call Santa Monica is the ancestral home of the Tongva-Gabrielino peoples and the Great Park offers an opportunity for land acknowledgment and honoring.

2. We also have a chance to actively restore Indigenous values that place life, balance, interconnection, and reciprocity at the center of existence.

3. Revitalizing this land with native plants, food gardens, and ceremonial spaces can help reconnect our community with the Earth, one another, and the wisdom of those who tended this land for millennia - long before us.

G. Santa Monica is a beacon for mitigating climate change - (and not a culprit)

1. Southern California is experiencing serious climate and environmental issues - as the January fires still smolder in our collective memory

2. SM is among the first cities to adopt a Rights of Nature law - The Santa Monica Sustainability Rights Ordinance and Code. Let’s leave up to it

3. We have an opportunity to protect future generations from the unraveling of our life systems. A Great Park will restore native trees, plants, and wildlife, clean our air, mitigate heat islands, harvest rainwater, and provide fresh, organic food and medicinal herbs from our community gardens In a city that has long been suffocating under excessive asphalt and concrete, now is our one and only chance to breathe life back into Santa Monica. I trust you will honor the overwhelming will of the people—and lean on the equally compelling moral and practical reasons behind this decision— by voting unanimously, in full consensus, for the creation of an LC-compliant Great Park, with no sale or other privatization of the land. Let us bring to life our Emerald Sanctuary - an extraordinary legacy for our current and future generations of Santa Monicans.

Thank you for your thoughtful attention to this vital matter.

Warmly,
Sylvie
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"Let the beauty of what you love be what you do. There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the earth" Rumi Sylvie Rokab, M.A. (she/ela/elle/ella)
Earth-Based Mindfulness Mentor / Emmy Nominated Filmmaker P. +1-310-570-7374
Santa Monica, CA, USA
Ancestral unceded territory of the Tongva
www.lovethynature.com
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David Yakobson
From: Guille Farber Torre <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 8:15 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.a SMAC Project June 8
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Please vote for a Great Park, for the benefit of ALL Santa Monicans, with all new uses dedicated to park and recreation, including plenty of sports fields.

Thank you,
Sent from my iPhone
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David Yakobson
From: Martha H <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 8:10 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Sincerely,
Martha Hertzberg
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David Yakobson
From: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 8:05 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Great Park
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

As a resident of and business owner in Santa Monica for over 30 years, I have witnessed this process through many votes of the citizenry, many changes by the Council fan the FAA. Living next to the airport, I am eagerly awaiting the sounds of park goers taking the place of jet and propeller noises. Please, follow the will of your constituents, and stick to the plan for a great park with has ZERO development, housing or other "Density" features. If you have any doubt, please be reassured that the people you represent want and need green and recreational sport lands for the quality of life long inherent to Santa Monica.

Thank you for taking time to read this message. I look forward to seeing my representatives, at one level of government at least, follow the will of their bosses......the people.

Sincerely,
David Eby
2112 Navy Street
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 650-8687 phone/voicemail
[email protected]
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David Yakobson
From: Dan Cobbett <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 8:00 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Caroline Torosis; Lana Negrete; Jesse Zwick; Ellis Raskin; Dan Hall; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya
Subject: Item 7.A./July 8th - Support for an LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Santa Monica City Council,
I want to voice my support for an LC compliant Great Park on the Santa Monica Airport land.

I am not against eventually adding some retail and residential development, but I think we should push forward with a great park plan that is LC compliant for now, until after the airport officially closes, to avoid opening up the airport closure to another potential opposing ballot measure.

Once the airport is closed, a ballot measure could be used to create an exception for adding development.

Having said that, I think any eventual development should be limited to no more than around 25% of the land, so that most of the area would be parkland.

Thank you.

Best,
Dan Cobbett
Sunset Park, Santa Monica
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David Yakobson
From: Erika Kemmerer <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, July 3, 2025 3:52 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
I am a Sunset Park homeowner, and longtime Santa Monica resident. I attended Franklin Elementary. I’m proud to live in my home town and am passionate about creating, enhancing and protecting outdoor community resources. I am also the former chief development officer for United Way of Greater Los Angeles. I believe in building affordable and supportive housing.

It is through both lenses that I urge the city council to ensure the Great Park project is LC compliant, used for "parks, public open spaces, and public recreational facilities; and the maintenance and replacement of existing cultural, arts and education uses.” Please do not vote to allow the sale or privatizing of the land, or to include a huge event space like the proposed 20,000 person capacity amphitheater.

There are many large residential projects in development around the Expo line and in areas that can accommodate greater density. The proposed options in scenarios 2 and 3 will rob our greater community of a once-in-a-lifetime outdoor and recreation space.

The intent of the voters is clear - we want a Great Park full of natural resources. Say no to carving this project up to give to developers and commercial interests.

Thank you,
Erika Kemmerer
2344 27th Street
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David Yakobson
From: payman soltani <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 7:51 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek; [email protected]
Subject: Item 7.a SMAC Project June 8
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Please vote for recreational uses and a great park, for the benefit of ALL Santa Monicans, with all new uses dedicated to park and recreation, including plenty of sports fields.

I live in the Sunset Park area, my family is active and my kids enjoy youth sports. The only nice facility around in our neighborhood is JAMS middle school. Because of the lack of turf soccer field in this area, we ended up canceling the cosser practices many times during the rainy seasons or because JAMS had their own sport events during weekends. Even if we get to practice at the JAMS soccer field, the teams have a very small area to practice.

The airport site is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build a 192-acre sport fields (soccer, basketball, volleyball...) and a great park to address today's acute shortage of open and field space and to balance future density and population growth. Please vote for recreational uses and a great park for our kids, our active community -- and for generations of Santa Monicans to come.

Regards,
Payman Soltani
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David Yakobson
From: Joshua Uyeda <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 7:49 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Dan Hall; Elaine Polachek; [email protected] Subject: Item 7.a SMAC Project June 8
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear City Council,
My family and I live in the Santa Monica area. Our 3 kids have all played softball, baseball, and soccer in the Santa Monica rec leagues. From what we’ve seen when compared to other cities and leagues, Santa Monica has fewer fields and cages for practices and games than other cities.

This area specifically lacks a facility with enough and nice enough fields to host a tournament. This results in all of the high level softball and baseball players leaving the area to play travel ball.

Santa Monica is a great place to raise a family. There are numerous facilities, open spaces, and resources for young kids and adults, but I think fields, workout facilities, and gyms are something that this area lacks when compared to other similar areas (e.g., El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, the valley, Orange County).

Having as much contiguous space up for development that the airport provides for a relatively small city is a once in a lifetime opportunity to shape the community. I think using it to provide some field space for high level youth athletics would fill a need for this area.

Thanks,
Josh
—
[email protected]
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David Yakobson
From: Cris Gutierrez <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 7:35 AM
To: Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; councilmtgitems
Cc: Elaine Polachek
Subject: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
Attachments: SMCGAC_GreatParkMtnLtr_070125.pdf; SMCG_SMAC_LetterIntSignedCopy.pdf Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete, Mayor Pro Tem Torosis and City Council Members:

On behalf of the Santa Monica Community Gardens Advisory Committee and its commitment to helping Santa Monicans and visitors be nourished by tending the soil and habitat in ways that help them grow food, flora, friendships and the community, I am submitting the motion that we passed on July 1, 2025 as shared in our attached letter. "The Santa Monica Community Gardens Advisory Committee supports a recommendation to study an LC Compliant Great Park as the primary option that does not trigger a ballot measure before the airport closes.” Also attached is our Letter of Interest of May 3, 2025 to help create a regenerative urban agricultural hub — a vital climate solution nurturing resiliency — at the great park following the airport closure.

We trust that our City Council will move forward with the aspirations and ambitions to reclaim our public land for everyone to enjoy soon and in generations to come.

With respect and gratitude,
Cris Gutierrez
Santa Monica Community Gardens Advisory Committee Chair Cris Gutierrez
[email protected]
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1 July 2025
Santa Monica City Council
1685 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Dear Mayor Negrete, Mayor Pro Tem Torosis and City Council Members Hall, Zwick, Zernitskaya, Raskin and Snell:

As part of the process for the community to give input on the Santa Monica Airport Conversion Project, the elected representatives of the Santa Monica Community Gardens Program who comprise the Advisory Committee passed the following motion on July 1, 2025 at its regular meeting.

Our discussion centered on our regard for the vitality of Santa Monicans and their interconnectedness in relationship with our natural ecosystems.

On May 3, 2025 the Advisory Committee had also submitted a Letter of Interest (LOI) for the Great Park programming, backed with our intention to establish fundraising support. Our LOI is to bring to life a regenerative urban agricultural hub for everyone to engage in learning about and growing food and habitat, while embracing the Gabrielino/Tongva Traditional Indigenous Knowledge and practices.

As Santa Monica is now celebrating the city’s 150th year of existence and next year will recognize the community gardening program’s 50th year, our motion and recommendation serve to uplift the community and the public trust.

We urge the City Council to approve the preferred scenario for the Santa Monica Airport Conversion to be an LC compliant Great Park.

Sincerely,
Cris Gutierrez
Santa Monica Community Gardens Advisory Committee Chair "The Santa Monica Community Gardens Advisory Committee supports a recommendation to study an LC Compliant Great Park as the primary option that does not trigger a ballot measure before the airport closes.” Item 7-A
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Santa Monica’s Great Park’s Regenerative Urban Agriculture Center Brings to Life the Guiding Principles for the Future Use of the Airport Site

“My volunteer work at Ishihara has completely changed my thinking about how to live a long, good life: It really takes being part of a community that provides many things like friendship and healthy exercise. Growing older and in retirement, it’s so important to stay connected to people. I’ve found that a diverse, caring community is vital in aging well. I have had a lot of experience gardening in my landscaped home garden. I’ve gardened with family and friends in their gardens. But at Ishihara I am doing something new for me and important that benefits a neighborhood community, edible food production. Ishihara Learning Garden has been remarkably productive.” — Ishihara Park Learning Gardener
“Slow down and see what happens. A good gardener, more than being a hard worker, is a good observer. See what the birds and insects are doing in the garden, look for the first seed sprouts, and watch how the. plants in the big bed grow. Good observing takes time and patience.”
— Main Street Gardener
Start with Nature
The land that now encompasses the Santa Monica Airport was once largely untrammeled, fertile and flowing with streams fed by the Kuruvungna spring waters, home to a coastal sage community, endemic to the city’s Mediterranean climate. The land provided a food supply that included the chia (sage seed) cultivated by the Gabrielino-Tongva Indigenous communities. Settlers later grew barley and bean. From the earliest days, farming the land mattered in the region. Today, we seek to recognize and carry on traditions and stewardship of the land with regenerative urban farming.

Regenerative urban farming fosters our communal relationships and our relationships with Nature. Regenerative urban agricultural practices at the Great Park will help remediate and restore the soil to its full organic vitality and ecosystem services, including sequestering carbon and producing local and healthy food that would help the habitat to flourish. Creating the Santa Monica Great Park is an opportunity few generations have had here in Santa Monica or indeed anywhere locally. It is no exaggeration to say this is a pivotal moment in our city’s history and the decisions that are made in creating the Great Park will be felt for generations to come.

Our proposal is about creating a community space for highlighting and teaching the importance of our connection to the health of our local environment, to the health and viability of our planet, and of our connection to one another. We envision tapping the healing and regenerative power of sustainable agriculture to teach fundamental truths about health, community, personal contentment and creativity.

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2 Since 1976, the City of Santa Monica’s Community Gardening program has provided residents a means of growing food more sustainably. With increasing numbers of interested residents eager to participate — now numbering more than 900 on the waitlist — the original single site, Main Street Community Gardens, has been extended to include six additional locales, community gardens at Park Drive, Euclid Street and Marine Park, the Ishihara Park Learning Garden, the 19th street Community Farm and a planned community garden at Christine Reed Park. Exemplifying what it takes to achieve our Sustainable City Plan goals, the intention has been to support more and more individual families and neighbors to grow food, habitat and relationships:
community-building and stewardship that also promote access to healthy food to be a human right not a privilege.

A key highlight has been gardening’s mental health and educational benefits, the patience, personal and habitat growth, and a connection to Nature and with oneself.

During the pandemic Santa Monica’s community gardens gave solace and the program was actually the sole City public offering open for enjoyment.

At the Great Park regenerative farming can increase our local food supply and strengthen food justice, deepen stewardship, enhance climate resilience and help to develop community habits that begin practices of a circular economy, challenging the modern industrial farming system that is dependent on petrochemical fertilizers, which destroy microorganisms and organic matter in our soil, deteriorating biodiversity. Synthetic fertilizers end up polluting our waterways and eventually find their way into the oceans where they have created massive dead zones that can sustain no life at all. Santa Monica’s Great Park regenerative urban farming will demonstrate significant, beneficial solutions.

The Santa Monica Community Garden Program, as a collaboration of the City and community residents, has enabled thousands of gardeners and tens of thousands of visitors, hundreds of volunteers and workshop participants (of all ages), as well as organizational and neighborhood partners, to enjoy learning, planting, cultivating, growing food, habitats and friends.

Our outreach and current organizing with local and regional community gardeners, home or school gardeners, budding and master gardeners, gardening organizations is mustering the creative energy and expertise for the Regenerative Urban Agricultural Center at the Great Park to be a reality, identifying communal in-kind and financial resources to support its creation, stewardship, programs, management, operation.

New, enthusiastic supporters are emerging constantly, such as the Huntington Gardens Herb Specialist Stephen Reid and SMMUSD Will Rogers Regenerative Farm Lead Paola Vezzulli, as well as the Santa Monica Patagonia Store. We are dedicating our efforts to make it possible for a Regenerative Urban Agricultural Center help fulfill high expectations and enjoyment for generations to come.

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3 Santa Monica Community Garden Program and the Advisory Committee As expressed on the City website,
“Our Community Garden Program began with the construction of the Main Street CG in 1976. Our five Gardens provide active living opportunities to Santa Monica residents and a way to engage in Urban Agriculture and create unique, biodiverse habitats that support our efforts to be a Sustainable City through local food production, sustainable land stewardship, community composting, water conservation practices, and community engagement. Community Gardens are a source of pride for our community, and we actively look for ways to engage the greater community through our monthly programs, workshops and events. Gardens are therapeutic, energizing and engaging. We like to say Think Globally, Garden Locally, with every day being Earth Day and an opportunity to Get Dirty.”
There are currently four community garden locations with plots available for residents to rent and two communally grown learning gardens in Santa Monica. Rentable plots are open to Santa Monica residents only, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis. Plots are assigned as they become available in the order in which applications are received. Currently, there are 139 permitted community gardeners and dozens of volunteer gardeners at the shared communal space. The wait-list exceeds 900 residents. Our monthly programs and events are free and open to the public.

The Community Gardens Advisory Committee (CGAC) is made up of fifteen gardeners as Site Representatives elected from each locale’s participating gardeners, with one representative per 10 plots and one representative for the communally shared spaces.

The purpose of the CGAC is to advise the City Staff and the Recreation and Parks Commission RPC regarding the operation of the Santa Monica Community Gardens and to serve as advocates educating and promoting community gardening as a vital element of the City's sustainability goals. We work closely with the Office of Sustainability and Environment and the Community Gardens Program Coordinator to further and enrich all of our gardening and stewardship efforts. 8-Acre Community/Communal Garden: A model of Sustainability and Regenerative Farming
Maximizing the Great Park’s growing space, including vertical gardens, prevents a heat island effect (the exact opposite of an asphalt parking lot). An 8-acre communal garden will address the following:
• The foundation of a community/communal garden is the soil and all that lives therein. Healthy, life sustaining soil contains millions upon millions of Item 7-A
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4 microorganisms and fungi acting in concert with plants and air to produce food that is simple, nutritious, life giving.
• A communal garden acts as a porous sponge that soaks up and retains a great deal of moisture, takes what is needed to grow healthy fruits and vegetables and channels the surplus to the aquifer.
• A communal garden absorbs the sun’s energy during the day and slowly releases it during the night. This process eliminates heat sinks and eliminates heat spikes and extreme temperature swings.
• Communal regenerative gardening in individual allotment-plots or a shared communal area is an efficient and highly effective form of carbon sequestration. • The Gabrielino-Tongva Indigenous community could grow traditional foods and herbs demonstrating Indigenous Knowledge and Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
• Multicultural and diverse ethnic plantings, practices and foods offer the community new learning and cross-cultural experiences.
• Embedding native pollinator gardens and native gardens throughout the entire gardening space establishes waystations and flyways for pollinators and birds connected to regional ecosystem and species corridors.
• Gardeners can join in citizen -science opportunities to help collect data and study important issues, such soil vitality, Monarch species status and pollinators, etc.
• A communal garden mitigates the harmful impact of transporting food thousands of miles by growing locally, promotes healthy eating habits which directly impacts the well-being of our citizens and creates a sustainable, natural system that will benefit Santa Monica for many generations to come. • A communal garden’s harvests address food insecurity and saves people money, connecting neighbor to neighbor.
• Donating harvests serves the food insecure vulnerable individuals and families.

Ishihara Park Learning Garden has donated tons of food annually since 2017. • Composting and recycling organic matter become habits. • Environmental and civic stewardship becomes personal when people invest their time and care for individual garden plots or shared garden plots. • Everyone, particularly children and youth, finds gardens to be safe and calming.
• A communal garden builds a sense of community and provides a nonjudgmental environment to learn and grow. • A communal garden is playful and enables gardeners of all ages to experience joy, bring love and enjoy healthy, good exercise (and youthful aging). • Accessible gardening for those who are disabled or challenged is empowering. • Shared stories and practices build civil community relationships. • Literacy, music and artmaking come alive in garden realms.

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5 1-Acre Herb Garden, One Setting or Flowing Throughout Herbs are captivating in color, scents, sensation, textures, crafts, supportive of mental and physical health for everyone. The tradition of cultivating, foraging and collecting herbs for health, diet, aesthetics and art runs deep in many societies starting with our Indigenous ancestors, which brings people together. Herbal gardens foster casual and formal sharing of traditional knowledge nurturing respect and reverence for the environment that sustains this tradition and the community. • An herb garden can help restore many of the plants that were used on Kuruvungna territory and carried forth by Gabrielino-Tongva. Drawing from Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Indigenous Knowledge, the practices and application can be shared in diverse foraging experiences and workshops. • This garden can supply a variety of fresh, organic herbs for cooking and for the promotion of healthier eating and physical and emotional well-being. • An herb garden can supply a variety of seeds and seedlings for residents and visitors.
• An herb garden supports pollinators.
• Herbs can awaken all senses, feel, see, smell and experience an herbal garden.
• Herbs delight people of all ages who love to learn how to grow and use them. • Herbs inspire imagination and creativity for dye-making for fabrics or floral artmaking. • Herb gardening can occur in one place or can be integrated throughout the Great Park’s landscape.

5- Acre Community Orchard
A public orchard will be open and accessible to everyone who enjoys the Great Park. It will offer the experience of picking local fruit to eat on-the-spot that is grown with minimal impact on the environment. The orchard offers a micro-food forest and an extension of the urban tree canopy. A community orchard can provide all members of the community with fresh seasonal fruit, promote healthy eating and an alternative to store bought produce that could have travelled thousands of miles. • A community orchard will provide a model of food distribution where access to healthy food is not based on income or zip code, but rather is based on our shared commitment to realizing the full potential of each member of our community.
• A community orchard supports carbon sequestration which assists in the regulation of climate change
• A public orchard supports pollinators which assists in food production and contributes to healthier environments.
• A community orchard supports the awareness of natural beauty, including the majesty of flowering fruit trees.

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6 Wonder and Transformation through Education
The world of sustainable, organic food production is not a 30-minute neon, technicolor extravaganza, but rather it is a montage of many small miracles that come together in a complex world of interdependence. To appreciate this world, a person can become immersed and to have eyes opened to the slow and healing processes, involved in what we call regenerative urban agriculture that is re-creational. Through our partnerships with many different community groups, we will educate and inspire and transform fellow community members, neighbors, students, and visitors. • Santa Monica students and youth individually or in groups (Santa Monica CREST, YMCA, CASM Climate Corps, PALS, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, etc.) can be enriched by age-appropriate workshops, multigenerational excursions, garden tours and other learning experiences.
• Featuring Indigenous Knowledge about foods and culture would deepen the community’s respect for the rich cultural and ecological history. The GabrielinoTongva Springs Foundation as well as library and university resources would be potential sources and partners.
• School-partners can help develop garden-education to extend their general or STEAM curriculum and school gardening opportunities.
• Santa Monica College and other colleges or universities can develop curricular opportunities that could support a nursery.
• WISE and Healthy Aging Seniors or similar populations can invigorate be invigorated by gardening excursions and experiences.
• Continuous life-long learning opportunities for children, youth and adults of all ages can refresh, develop and tap new capabilities.
• Tours for school children, youth, adults and senior citizens (especially those from assisted living facilities) are nurturing.
• Building individual and communal leadership and skill sets to become docents, master gardeners, leaders of volunteers, mentors of beginning gardeners, etc. • Providing opportunities for cultivating a passion for gardening and landscape design that could lead to individuals pursuing educational and work opportunities in these fields.
• Informative talks about various stages of gardening and the relationship to human health can empower audiences, from all parts of the world. • Gardens that emphasize access for all, with sensory, visual, and auditory experiences in the garden model equity.
• Self-expression thrives with gardening.
• Symposia on regenerative farming can extends into the Santa Monica business communities that host gatherings, including Santa Monica’s Patagonia.

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7 5-Acre Urban Farm
An urban farm teaches us that we are one among fellow species that inhabit this small, fragile planet, and that our survival and the quality of life depends on and are intricately intertwined with many other lifeforms and ecological habitats. An urban farm can be an invaluable communal farm and teaching home. By learning about a holistic ecosystem and circular economy of food production and the innate value of farm animals, we will be imbuing our children with the values of empathy and the need to care for each other as they value regenerative farming. A farm offers a multitude of systemic practices revealing the web of life.
• A working farm demonstrates the multidimensional features and complementary practices to cultivate habitat, food, flora and tend to animals at a scale that allows for numerous volunteer involvement and potential humanscale jobs. • Feeding and caring for animals can build self-esteem and competence as children learn to take responsibility for another living being and develops skills in animal husbandry.
• Wide-scale composting and recycling organic matter are efficient. • Potential beehives can produce honey.
• The farm can become a site for citizen-science opportunities to help collect data and study important issues, such as soil’s vitality and quality, Monarch status and other pollinators, etc.
• Reinforce our commitment to personal and community self-expression. • Ecosystem benefits accumulate and multiple with regenerative farming nourishes the fields and plantings flowing beyond the farm dimensions.

1-Acre Education and Gathering Space: A Place of Reflection, Education, and Celebration
To deepen and extend the learning that goes on in specific gardening or farming areas, a specially-designated facility can allow for particular gatherings and events, perhaps a library, to supplement and complement the outdoor education. • A meeting space supports community conversations and in-depth discussion. • To conduct workshops, classes and activities aimed at educating and involving the whole community, including both nonprofit and for-profit class opportunities, warrants a dedicated space.
• A designated space enhances garden tours that educate the public at large about the benefits of regenerative urban agriculture.
• An art-from-the-garden exhibit gallery would attract residents and visitors to make connections.

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8 Balanced Economics through Creative Revenue Streams and Strategic Partnerships
Almost everyday people enthused about our Santa Monica Community Gardens Program visit the gardens, actually from all over California, the country and the world, and are eager to figure out how to be a part of or contribute to the growing experience. Beyond volunteering and sweat equity, people have suggested making donations to a community gardening fund or developing innovative partnerships. Based on the clear excitement and interest, creative revenue streams and partnerships can generate funds to help build, develop and maintain the Regenerative Urban Agricultural Center, off-setting expenses City expenses. We are committed to explore a broad range of funding possibilities, helping identify and access in-kind or monetary funds and to engage and develop strategic partnerships. • The urban farm can be based on a community supported agriculture (CSA) model that invites families, individuals, groups and organizations to partner by investing in and/or paying weekly or monthly fees for fresh vegetables, herbs, flowers or other farm products.
• Offer short-term rental plots (e.g., 2-year terms) to housing organizations like Salvation Army for residents in transitional living.
• Open a farmers’ market, perhaps with the education and gathering space nearby.
• Provide a community kitchen for farm-to-table culinary classes and gatherings, charging per-event fees or memberships fees.
• Open a cafe with fresh garden and farm food.
• Establish a nursery where seeds, plants and related prodcuts can be for sale. • Develop innovative partnerships with gardens for vulnerable communities, like veterans or formerly incarcerated individuals.
• Establish a farm trust, including non-profit support. • The individual/family community garden plots generate rental income. • Schools, groups or organizations could rent growing space. • The education and gathering space can generate rental fees. • The herb garden could partner with local restaurants, chefs, and supermarkets.

It could also dry, package and sell herbs on-site.
• Cultivate seedlings, cuttings and seeds for sale.
• We can support city initiatives for compost goals.
• Develop circular-economy practices.
• Employ biomimicry quantifications of regenerative farming assets. • Draw on county, state and federal grants or non-profit funding opportunities for urban greening and community gardening/farming for a range of vulnerable and DAC communities.
• Collaborate with local restaurants for chefs-in-the-garden events that garner fees.

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9 Timeline of Opportunities
2026 – 2029: Beginning with the 50th year of the Santa Monica Community Gardens Program, the Advisory Committee in concert with the Great Park Coalition will work to activate the currently available community spaces at the airport site with gardening demonstrations. At the Patagonia Santa Monica, regenerative farm workshops and presentations can become a frequent experience. At each of our monthly gatherings at the current locations we will identify interested friends of the gardens. Working with the Great Park Coalition, we will continue to build a set of partners, e.g. Huntington Gardens, Theodore Payne Foundation. The Advisory Committee’s Urban Agriculture Expansion subcommittee will also commence developing grant proposals, e.g. the People’s Garden sponsored by the USDA’s Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production.

2029 – ongoing (examples):
• Regenerative gardening workshops in the community.
• Generate funds through Friends of the Gardens and grant applications. • Develop a neighborhood CSA model.
• Work with partners on nursery and farm development, education, etc.

Celebrate Place in the Education and Gathering Space
Santa Monica has a rich history of diversity and inclusivity beginning with GabrielinoTongva peoples. The Great Park will continue to highlight the rich history of our immediate community and neighborhood communities by providing dedicated gathering spaces for celebration of this diversity, enlivened and embodied in arts from nature. We need to acknowledge that we make and shape history as stewards of our watershed, land and climate through regenerative gardening and farming and by establishing food security and food justice programs. Environmental justice and equity are the values that we uphold. Such is the calling and obligation of Santa Monica’s Sustainability Rights Ordinance and an aspiration for the Great Park to exemplify a Living Community.

Certainly, every bit of gardens, the herb-scape, a food micro-forest, and the farm is a perfect setting for celebration of nature with meaningful activities and can be elaborated in specifics education-gathering space.
• The regenerative urban agriculture recognizes the importance of and the application of Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Indigenous Knowledge. • Signage with poetry and stories from history can prompt delight and understanding.
• Celebrating and honoring our local communities, then and now, with significant historical events reminds us that we are historical-beings. • Community groups stage their own workshops, classes, and cultural celebrations.

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10 • Sacred space to honor and commune with nature abound. • Contemplation, dialogue and self-expression flow in nature.

Reflecting on the ground we have covered and how our actions will impact the City of Santa Monica, it is no exaggeration to see that this is a pivotal moment in our history and that the decisions we make today will be felt for generations to come as we turn the airport site into the Great Park with a Regenerative Urban Agriculture Center.

Our proposal is primarily about creating a community that understands the importance of and acts in accordance with our inherent connection to and relationship with Mother Earth and to each other.

Realizing the untapped power of sustainable regenerative agriculture to help care for and heal nature and ourselves, we are confident that our ambitious goal to allocate 20 acres of the Great Park to a Regenerative Urban Agricultural hub is exactly what is needed at this time in our history, and we look forward to taking our proposal to the next level.

Santa Monica Community Garden Advisory Committee
Martha Bardach
Alina Bezdikian
Tim Bowler
Nancy Desser
Linda Glasser
Cris Gutierrez, Chair
Ken Hansen, Vice-Chair
Anthony Lewis
Susan McCorry
Cordula Ohman
Cynthia Rose
James Renn
Traci Slacum
Frankie Lou Thorn
William Yost

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132
David Yakobson
From: Michael Boccella <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 7:25 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Thank you for your consideration.
(Your name)
90405
Michael Boccella
[email protected]
(917) 319-8714
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133
David Yakobson
From: Kate Soller <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 7:24 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek; [email protected]
Subject: Item 7.a SMAC Project June 8
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Please vote for a Great Park, for the benefit of ALL Santa Monicans, with all new uses dedicated to park and recreation, including plenty of sports fields.

Thank you,
Kate Barraza
AYSO Parent
Albion Girls Soccer Club Parent
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134
David Yakobson
From: RONNA JOSEPH <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 7:21 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Caroline Torosis; Lana Negrete; Jesse Zwick; Ellis Raskin; Dan Hall; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya
Subject: Item 7.A./July 8th - Support for an LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Santa Monica City Council,
I am a resident of Sunset Park since 1994 and raised my children here. I strongly support a great park to replace the airport. This area has become more and more congested and a park would greatly improve not only the community but the air and the quality of life in general.

Thank you very much ,
Ronna Joseph
Sent from my iPhone
Item 7-A
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135
David Yakobson
From: Ann Lewis <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 7:12 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Thank you for your consideration.

Ann Lewis
90405
Ann Lewis
T: +1.310.433.8586 | [email protected]
Item 7-A
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136
David Yakobson
From: Sarah Lewis <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 7:11 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Thank you for your consideration.

Sarah Lewis
90405
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
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137
David Yakobson
From: Thomas Berquist <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 7:06 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Money is not as important in life as peace of mind. Vote your soul not your pocketbook. I urge you to move forward with the creation of a Measure LC-compliant Great Park, with a sensible financing plan that prioritizes existing on-site revenue sources, and with no sale or other privatization of the land. Money is not as important as peace of mind.

Thank you for your consideration.

Thomas and Ellen Berquist
913 17th St #5
90403
Item 7-A
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138
David Yakobson
From: stephaniefurlong <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 6:55 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Thank you for your consideration.

Stephanie Furlong
90405
Sent from my T-Mobile 5G Device
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
139
David Yakobson
From: mark crosby <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 6:51 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Caroline Torosis; Lana Negrete; Jesse Zwick; Ellis Raskin; Dan Hall; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya
Subject: Item 7.A./July 8th - Support for an LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Santa Monica City Council,
This is a wonderful, landmark opportunity - I ask that you approve the LC-compliant Great Park.

If I could, I would come to City Hall to be part of the rally event.

Regretfully, family is arriving from overseas at that time and I need to great them at home.

Still, hoping that you do approve of the new park - it is important to me and many of my friends here in the area.

Regards,
-=mark=-
Mark Crosby, Venice
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140
David Yakobson
From: Alex Maddalosso <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 6:21 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

We do not need more housing, we are park poor in Santa Monica! Thank you for your consideration.

Alex Maddalosso
90403
Sent from my iPhone
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
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141
David Yakobson
From: Clifford Wright <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 6:15 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

Sincerely,
Clifford A. Wright
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142
David Yakobson
From: PETER TAFFAE <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 5:55 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Thank you for your consideration.

Peter R. Taffae
90402
Please excuse any typos
Item 7-A
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143
David Yakobson
From: Juan Arturo del azar <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 4:58 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Santa Monica Airport Agenda item 7-A
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
I strongly advise against proceeding with the creation of a Measure LC-compliant Great Park, but instead maintaining the operational status of the Santa Monica Airport.

The Santa Monica Airport played a pivotal role in safeguarding numerous homes from the recent wildfire, making it a strategic and historically significant asset that must remain operational. I personally witnessed the Chief of Calfire elucidate the paramount significance of the Santa Monica Airport during the fire.

This unfortunate incident necessitates a thorough revision of the airport’s operational plans. It serves as a reminder that unforeseen events, such as fires, natural disasters, or human-caused emergencies, are potential risks that demand our attention and preparedness.

In addition to being a strategic misjudgment to close the airport, there are substantial financial considerations that must be taken into account. Furthermore, the city is burdened by unfunded liabilities, and committing to any new, grandiose projects would exacerbate this financial situation.

In essence, it is a strategic error and a complete fiscal irresponsibility to pursue such a course of action.

I strongly urge you to prioritize the long-term interests of the Santa Monica residents over those of any other group and ensure the continued operation of the airport.

Sincerely,
Juan A. del Azar
90402
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144
David Yakobson
From: aaronfurlong <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 4:13 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Thank you for your consideration.

Aaron Furlong
90405
Sent from my T-Mobile 5G Device
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
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July 8, 2025
145
David Yakobson
From: Amy Pandya-Jones <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 12:11 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.a SMAC Project June 8
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Please vote for a Great Park, for the benefit of ALL Santa Monicans, with all new uses dedicated to park and recreation, including plenty of sports fields.

Thank you,
Amy
Santa Monica resident for 20+ years
PTA member & family of JAMS/SAMOHI
AYSO coach/referee/family
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146
David Yakobson
From: Salena Damji <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 12:09 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

Sincerely,
Salena Hajidamji
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
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July 8, 2025
147
David Yakobson
From: gary samson <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 12:06 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers: I urge you to move forward with the creation of a Measure LC-compliant Great Park, with a sensible financing plan that prioritizes existing on-site revenue sources, and with no sale or other privatization of the land. As our park-poor city densifies, it is important that we plan for the creation of sufficient open space and recreational spaces that can restore habitat and meet the needs of both current and future generations. Thank you for your consideration.

Gary Samson
90402
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July 8, 2025
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148
David Yakobson
From: Karen Schneider <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 12:03 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

Sincerely,
Sent from my iPhone
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
1 David Yakobson
From: C. Casper Casparian <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 12:01 PM
To: councilmtgitems; [email protected]; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin
Cc: Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek; Sunny Wang; Jenny Rogers; Heidi von Tongeln; Jennifer Taylor; Oscar Santiago; Heather Averick; Oliver Chi; Rick Valte; Armine Chaparyan; Douglas Sloan; Nia Tang; Christopher Dishlip; Peter James; Susan Cola Subject: Public comment re: Item 7A – Great Park
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Council members and city staff and officials,
I am writing today to declare my strong support for the approval and creation of an LC-compliant Great Park on the current Santa Monica Airport site. Our city approved the conversion of the airport to muchneeded open park space more than a decade ago, and we are on the threshold of realizing the promise made back then. With a sensible financing plan that maximizes on-site revenue sources, and without sale or other privatization of the land, we can make this dream a reality.

I am a nearly 20-year resident of the city, and have two children who have come through the school district. We are lovers of the outdoors and utilize what open spaces are currently available in our city – and we urge you to open up even more.

As you know very well, our city is park poor, and the population density is increating. Now more than ever we need open space for recreation and restoration of mind and spirit. It is absolutely crucial to plan for open, recreational, and regenerative spaces now and in the future.

Thank you for your service, and for your attention to these important matters.

Best regards,
Casper Casparian
c. casper casparian
cmcagency.co
[email protected]
m: 310.435.4833
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
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2 David Yakobson
From: Tony Huizar <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 12:00 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Cc: Lana Negrete; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Caroline Torosis
Subject: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

Sincerely,
Tony Huizar
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July 8, 2025
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3 David Yakobson
From: Elisabeth Green <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 11:59 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Cc: Kevin McKeown Fwd; Mike Feinstein
Subject: all the City Council can do today is rule out every Sasaki Associates, Inc. Preferred Scenario except Scenario 1
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Documents linked to the agenda for consideration by the Santa Monica City Council on July 8, 2025, state, "Environmental analysis will be required once a preferred concept scenario is identified." Also, "approval of a preferred concept scenario would not begin until CEQA completion," not addressing "legal, economic, environmental, and social considerations balanced with potential funding realities, feasibility, and potential impacts of the project, which will be evaluated in a subsequent program-level EIR after the Preferred Scenario is identified by City Council for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) environmental review," so that the order of tasks is the following.

1. City Council identifies Preferred Scenario (excluding concept, legal, economic, environment OKal, and social considerations)

2. CEQA (soil testing, environmental quality data gathering)

3. approval of a preferred concept scenario

4. Environmental analysis

5. EIR ("legal, economic, environmental, and social considerations balanced with potential funding realities, feasibility, and potential impacts")
Thus, the City Council is not yet permitted to identify any scenario organized around a main idea or theme. See the Miriam Webster definition of "concept" as an adjective. (Never mind identify an abstract or generic idea of a scenario generalized from particular instances of parks, from the Miriam Webster definition of "concept" as a noun.)
Therefore, all the City Council can do today is rule out every Sasaki Associates, Inc. Preferred Scenario except the one that complies with the intent expressed by the voters for Measure LC, Scenario 1, and request of the public a variety of concept scenarios for consideration after CEQA soil testing and other environmental quality data gathering reveals the needs of the land and wildlife.

It makes no sense for Santa Monica to house commuter employees. First, they could be replaced at any time. Apparently, their bosses are trying to replace them right now,* maybe because they game the system. Already, employees compete against the unemployed and unhoused for free food at food Item 7-A
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4 distribution centers in Santa Monica. That includes employees of Whole Foods, Santa Monica College, Venice Family Clinic, and Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. Commuters took the jobs away from locals. They demand less pay because they take the free food away from locals. Trying to move to Santa Monica is just another a ploy in their game. Maybe they want to become a new voting bloc of SM residents and take the honest, moral government away from locals. Recently, some Santa Monica employees have lied and caused moral injury to locals. Please do not cosider planning housing for employees who currently commute. Instead, encourage them to study integrity on the train or bus while they commute.

Sixteen million homes currently sit vacant across the U.S. There are currently 28 vacant homes for every one person experiencing homelessness in the U.S. https://unitedwaynca.org/blog/vacant-homes-vshomelessness-by-city We don't need new homes. We need for housing hoarders to sell empty homes or subdivide existing residential properties.

Evidently, genetics, neurocognitive functioning, attachments to possessions, beliefs, avoidance, personality factors, and life events contribute to hoarding disorder symptom expression. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7294599
Housing hoarders could pay a vacancy tax and a carbon tax on their comprehensive lifetime environmental impact.

Taxing empty homes at a commercial rate could get them occupied faster. A carbon tax would require a large carbon footprint individual to sell a vacant building to pay the carbon tax on their lifestyle and dwelling. The government could acquire a vacant building that is in default of the commercial property tax levied upon it at the end of one year of vacancy.

Elisabeth Green
1223 WILSHIRE BLVD PMB 1656
SANTA MONICA CA 90403
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5 David Yakobson
From: Nikki Kolhoff <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 11:59 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Caroline Torosis; Lana Negrete; Jesse Zwick; Dan Hall; Natalya Zernitskaya; Barry Snell; Ellis Raskin
Subject: 7/8/2025 City Council Item 7A Airport Conversion - OPPOSE Staff Recommendation - Need EIR for Airport Closure
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Council –
One of the reasons the airport closure process is so chaotic is because we have no baseline or shared knowledge to start from. This is because the City has decided to violate the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) and study closure of the airport with an Environmental Impact Report (“EIR”). Using revisionist history, the City Attorney is now claiming that a 2017 resolution was the CEQA “project approval” to close the airport for which no EIR was conducted. He concedes that the EIR was required, but says it’s too late for anyone to sue over it.

Now more than ever, process, transparency, and the rule of law matters. It’s shameful for this City Council to choose to not follow the law. Most of the disagreement and uncertainty in the airport discussion are the result of the City failing to do an EIR for closing the airport, which is a violation of CEQA. It appears this is by design to benefit housing developers by creating chaos and the ability of big money to control the process.

Whether we like the outcome or not, the people are entitled to the information and analysis that an EIR would yield. A Closure EIR would serve as the baseline for all discussions of what to do next.

Here are the two most important things we would learn from a Closure EIR, that would be the basis for an informed discussion:

1. Is the airport necessary for safety? There are a lot of opinions about this, but we are entitled to know if the airport is needed for fire fighting, evacuation, staging, sheltering, or anything else relating to disaster response. Maybe it’s not. But why wouldn’t we want to know if it is? Why wouldn’t we want to be safe? Developers don’t want confirmation that we need the airport for safety because then they won’t be able to blanket it with market-rate housing. Park supporters are condoning violating the law because they believe it brings them one step closer to a park. We should follow the law.

2. What contaminants are present and how much would it cost to clean up? Again, there are a lot of opinions on this, but we are entitled to know what is there now. There is no reason not to conduct Phase I and Phase II environmental studies now before continuing down the path of expensive and uninformed planning. There is no way we can know what is possible without knowing what is there. Every potential use requires a different level of cleanup. We might learn the Item 7-A
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6 site is clean and almost anything is possible. Or we might learn it is dirty and cleaning it up for a park is expensive, but cleaning up for housing is the most expensive option.

Why wouldn’t we want to know these things before wasting years of staff and public time, and millions of public dollars, studying alternatives that aren’t feasible? So, tonight you should do the following:

1. Vote NOT to move forward with 3b.

2. Vote NOT to close the airport on January 1, 2029 because we will not be ready to do anything by that date and such inability would, under the current legal and political framework in California, result in the state imposing housing on us.

3. Direct staff to issue an RFQ for an EIR for Airport Closure.

Please do right by the residents you were elected to serve and follow the law. The ends do not justify the means.

Regards,
Nikki Kolhoff
Santa Monica Resident
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7 David Yakobson
From: Theo Adams <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 11:55 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Sincerely,
Theo Adams
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
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12 David Yakobson
From: Tracey Alexander <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 11:55 AM
To: Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; councilmtgitems
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: ITEM 7A SANTA MONICA AIRPORT
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
We truly appreciate the staff report's clear articulation of the key question: whether the Preferred Scenario should include uses that would require future voter approval under Measure LC, and specifically whether housing should be considered given current funding uncertainties. This framing appropriately recognizes both the community's desire for park space, housing and the fiscal realities facing the city. We support Council direction toward a more expansive Preferred Scenario analysis that includes housing considerations for the following reasons: The community deserves comprehensive analysis of all viable options before making determinations about Measure LC.

As staff notes, a park-only approach faces significant funding limitations for capital, operations, maintenance, and programming. Including LC scenarios in the analysis will provide residents with complete information about trade-offs between community vision and fiscal sustainability. Several framework components essential for informed scenario comparison remain incomplete:
 Economic Analysis: Staff reports only "preliminary analysis" has been completed, insufficient for evaluating scenario viability
 Funding Sources: Only "high-level analysis of financing options" available, critical for comparing park-only versus mixed-use financial sustainability
 Infrastructure and Remediation Requirements: Surface-level information inadequate for understanding true development costs and trade-offs
 Transportation Analysis: Incomplete analysis limits understanding of scenario impacts Staff's acknowledgment that the City has not identified sufficient funding for a park-only approach underscores the importance of analyzing revenue-generating alternatives. Mixed-use scenarios with housing may provide crucial financial mechanisms for long-term park maintenance and community services while still delivering significant community benefits.

We support Council direction toward a more expansive Preferred Scenario analysis that includes both park-only and park & mixed-use options to enable informed community discussion about Measure LC considerations  Completes fundamental feasibility analysis for each scenario option, including detailed economic, infrastructure, and funding assessments
 Addresses governance and implementation structures necessary for each approach  Provides comprehensive transportation and environmental impact comparisons  Concurrent with Preferred Scenario development, we support initiating rezoning of the Airport Office Park to allow higher density residential development and revenue-generating commercial uses. This parallel process could help inform scenario analysis while advancing regional housing and climate goals.  The community benefits from a thorough, data-driven planning process that examines all viable pathways to achieving both community vision and fiscal sustainability. We support the Council providing direction for expansive scenario analysis that includes housing considerations, ensuring residents have complete information to make informed decisions about this transformational community asset.

Item 7-A
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13 Sincerely,
Tracey Alexander
Santa Monica Forward
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14 David Yakobson
From: nancy hall <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 11:53 AM
To: Council Mailbox
Cc: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

As our park-poor city becomes more and more packed in with high density development, it is important that we plan for the creation of sufficient open space and recreational spaces that can restore habitat and meet the needs of both current and future generations.

Prior to World War Two, Santa Monica had a "Great Park" on the land that became the Santa Monica Airport. It is a mistake to sell off public lands. We must be good stewards of the irreplaceable public lands.

Thank you for your consideration.

Nancy Hall
90405
Item 7-A
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17 David Yakobson
From: Bob Taylor <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 11:51 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Cc: Arlene Hopkins; Michael Jolly; [email protected]; Thane Roberts; Mario FondaBonardi; Dan Jansenson; cheryl rhoden; Charles Andrews; Jack Hillbrand; Robert H.

Taylor; Samuel Tolkin; Dara Kimball; Joe Palazzolo; [email protected]; Maryanne LaGuardia; John Cyrus Smith; Kathryn Boole; Janet McLaughlin; Lori Brown; Christine Parra; Matt; Leo
Subject: Agenda Item 7-A July 8, 2025
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Mayor Negrete and Council Members,
The council has already been presented with the economic reality that the city is broke and hinging on the verge of bankruptcy, and seems to believe selling/leasing the land for development might help bail it out.

There is irony here as the city has chosen, over the last ten+ years, to apply a George Floyd type knee on the neck to airport operations, slowly strangling the economic machine it actually was, and can be again.

Per the City’s go-to economic advisors, HR&A, in a 2011 analysis, they reported “The airport Campus supported $275.2 million in total annual economic output in the City’s economy, of which $187.5 million occurred directly on-site and in local visitor venues”. Adjusted for inflation, that is $391.2 million that city policy has dismissed or diminished in its ideological goal of shuttering this economic engine that is SMO.

To Summarize: despite council’s open hostility to new businesses locating at the airport:
$275.2 million in economic output in 2011
$187.5 million generated directly on-site and in local venues ($391.2 million today, inflation-adjusted)
LC was not a vote to close SMO, and it was not a vote to build a '(not so) great park', and it was not an 'overwhelming majority of residents that voted for LC, it was 16% of the residents in an off year vote. And, to cap all that, the +/-150 state bills since 2014 will see housing built on the land in the event SMO should close. - even now two of your consultants 'design' concepts have massive housing components. And, the Consent Decree also was not a mandate for closure as it states "SMO to remain until midnight Dec31.2028 “AFTER WHICH the city MAY choose…”. And in spite of the city attorney’s memo 8 years later, the resolution is not a ' law' and is non-binding, which at any time between now an 1 Jan ’29 another 'resolution' can negate it without a public vote. So, once again, all LC did was give a council majority the right to decide the future of SMO without public input, and that means they can, once again, simply make another resolution to keep it open.

And you should keep it open.

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18 Because, you know what is a 'great park' for an oceanside community? The beach. As an architect that has worked as a park planner (East Bay Regional Park District), regional parks ('great parks'?) are parks that draw people from all areas to them for their natural attributes. Can any of you envision a family in the hot valley, or sweltering in the east side of LA, with a couple of kids complaining about the heat, and wanting to cool off and breath some fresh air, by jumping in to their car to travel to a ‘(not so)great park' on the east side of SM, passing Griffith Park, and any number of other large parks enroute? Or do you think those kids and parents want to put their feet and bodies in the cool ocean waters that is a true regional 'great park’. If the SMO 'great park' is to be only for SM (and mostly adjacent Mar Vista) residents because of the need to have neighborhood serving parks, then add a number of smaller neighborhood parks to actually serve those within a 10 min walk of their homes while pushing their kids in a stroller, or for the elderly to get there without having to take a waymo or hiring a driver. Planning 101.

Keep the airport!
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19 David Yakobson
From: Dorothy Le Suchkova <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 11:51 AM
Cc: councilmtgitems; Dan Hall; Lana Negrete; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Caroline Torosis; Natalya Zernitskaya; Jesse Zwick
Subject: In support of housing and other built development at proposed park at former Santa Monica Airport
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Honorable City Council Members,
I am writing to support considerations to allow for housing for the future park at the former Santa Monica Airport site. I also support any creative re-use, commercial activity and other revenue generating uses using the footprint of the existing buildings, in addition to recreation, open space and green space. I do not believe one negates the other.

In addition, as an AYSO parent whose daughter plays AYSO soccer, I am deeply disappointed and am appalled by the Santa Monica AYSO in making statements that are anti density and anti housing, disguising their beliefs in the name of children playing soccer. I find it disturbing and it has made me as a parent question continuing our daughter in AYSO soccer.

I strongly disagree in the Santa Monica AYSO's statements regarding the proposed part at the former Santa Monica Airport site, and I trust and implore you to thoughtfully consider housing and other revenue generating uses at the former Santa Monica airport site, along with recreational and green uses.

Thank you,
Dorothy Le Suchkova
Sunset Park homeowner, resident and AYSO parent.
--
Dorothy Le Suchkova
Item 7-A
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20 David Yakobson
From: [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 11:47 AM
To: Council Mailbox
Cc: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
.Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Thank you for your consideration.
(Your name)
Item 7-A
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21 David Yakobson
From: David Nosrati <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 11:42 AM
To: Dan Hall; Lana Negrete; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Caroline Torosis; Natalya Zernitskaya; Jesse Zwick; councilmtgitems
Subject: Item 7a Santa Monica Municipal Airport
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and Esteemed Members of the Santa Monica City Council, My name is David Nosrati, and I am writing in regard to Agenda Item 7a, which addresses the future of Santa Monica Airport.

I understand the complexities involved in weighing the needs of a growing community alongside the desire for open space, sustainability, and responsible development. However, I respectfully ask the Council to keep open the possibility of a more balanced and inclusive approach—one that integrates the airport into the broader vision for redevelopment rather than eliminating it entirely.

The airport serves not only aviation interests but also plays a significant role in public safety, particularly in emergency situations such as wildfires, earthquakes, and medical evacuations. Its strategic importance as a staging area and evacuation point is something that should not be overlooked in long-term planning.

In the interest of transparency and informed public discourse, I would be grateful if the Council could address the following:
 Has the City or an independent agency, such as the EPA, conducted a comprehensive environmental or health impact study related to the airport’s operations? If so, is this information publicly available?  Have studies been completed evaluating the potential traffic, environmental, and economic impacts of large-scale commercial or residential redevelopment in this area? If available, I would appreciate guidance on where these can be reviewed.
 Has the community been made aware of any potential changes to FAA flight paths that may occur should the airport close? Specifically, what would the impact be on surrounding neighborhoods in terms of air traffic and noise?
 Are there publicly available projections regarding zoning changes, such as height limits, and their implications for the area’s landscape and density?
 Is there a detailed plan or financial model for the proposed park and associated improvements, including estimated costs and identified funding sources? Item 7-A
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22  Lastly, what steps is the City taking to ensure that residents receive accurate, neutral, and accessible information so that they can meaningfully participate in this important decision? I fully support thoughtful reinvestment in our city and believe that green space, housing, and cultural amenities all have a role to play. At the same time, I believe it would be wise to consider a hybrid model that combines these community benefits with the continued operation of the airport.

Is the City Council open to considering such a balanced plan—one that includes open space, arts, commerce, and aviation—as a viable path forward?
Thank you for your time and dedication to Santa Monica. I appreciate your leadership on this important matter and look forward to your response.

Sincerely,
David Nosrati
Maxnet Commercial
3435 Ocean Park Blvd
Suite 107-502
Santa Monica CA 90405
Office 888 260 8106
Direct 213 798 9485
www.maxnetcommercial.com

"This message may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the addressee or authorized to receive this for the addressee, you must not use, copy, disclose, or take any action based on this message or any information herein. If you have received this message in error, please advise the sender immediately by reply e-mail and delete this message. Thank you for your cooperation."
Item 7-A
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23 David Yakobson
From: Dondi Pangalangan <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 11:43 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Support Evolution—Not Elimination—of Santa Monica Airport, Agenda Item 7, July 8 Council Meeting
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and Santa Monica City Councilmembers, I’m writing in reference to Item 7 on the July 8 City Council agenda: “Evolving Santa Monica Airport.”
It’s long past time to move beyond the division and short-sighted decisions that have diminished public access to one of Santa Monica’s most irreplaceable assets: our historic, city-controlled airport.

With the arrival of electric aircraft, the shift to unleaded aviation fuel, and a growing local interest in aviation careers—from piloting to air traffic control—it’s clear that Santa Monica Airport (SMO) is not a relic, but a launchpad for our future. Calls to shut it down are increasingly out of step with innovation, community needs, and environmental priorities.

It’s long past time to move beyond the division and short-sighted decisions that have diminished public access to one of Santa Monica’s most irreplaceable assets: our historic, city-controlled airport.

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24 As Vice Chairman of the Airport Access Committee for the National Business Aviation Association, I have the unique perspective of seeing SMO not only as a treasured local resource, but also as a vital part of the National Airspace System. Its role in the broader aviation network and its contribution to regional infrastructure cannot be overstated.

SMO is a gateway—not just for Santa Monica, but for Southern California and beyond.

As a member of the aviation community and a longtime admirer of Santa Monica’s pioneering role in aerospace, I urge you to choose a path of evolution, not elimination for SMO.

Since the 1920s, SMO has been a center of aviation achievement. Today, it can once again lead the way—this time as a model for clean, quiet, sustainable, and communityforward aviation.

The airport’s closure wouldn’t just eliminate a rare civic asset that few cities enjoy and none could ever rebuild—it would also mean surrendering something most cities never had: control of our own airspace. That control, granted by the FAA through its Class D designation, allows Santa Monica to set terms on how air traffic affects our skies—terms that protect residents from low-flying LAX jets, noise, and environmental harm.

Imagine what SMO could become:
 A world-class STEM education and job-training center for local students  A hub for electric and autonomous aviation, reducing traffic congestion and emissions
 A driver of workforce development, offering high-skill, high-paying jobs in aviation, aerospace tech, aircraft maintenance, air traffic control, and flight operations—all accessible without a four-year college degree  A beacon of environmental stewardship, promoting clean energy infrastructure, quiet electric flight, sustainable design, and responsible land use  Green space and community access thoughtfully integrated with aviation  A generator of economic vitality, sustaining over $250 million in revenue annually Item 7-A
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25  A symbol of leadership in 21st-century transportation, innovation, and sustainable growth
The recent publicly funded “outreach” efforts have unfortunately painted a one-sided narrative. The community deserves the opportunity to support a bold, hybrid vision—one that includes aviation and green space, public amenities and innovation, sustainability and economic opportunity.

Just ask the families who participate in “Kids in Planes,” Young Eagles flights, Douglas Day events, or who simply enjoy the observation deck. These are real people with deep connections to an airport that continues to inspire wonder, curiosity, and a love of science and flight.

Santa Monica doesn’t have to choose between a park and an airport. We can have both— and more. We can build a 21st-century innovation campus that honors our past, meets today’s needs, and leads in the areas that matter most: education, equity, environment, and economic resilience.

If we give up this airport, we risk more than lost history—we risk losing control of land and airspace that directly affect our community’s quality of life. Meanwhile, SMO remains self-sustaining, financially sound, and ready to serve the next generation.

Please consider a future-forward vision. Let’s evolve Santa Monica Airport—not erase it.

Sincerely,

DONDI PANGALANGAN
NBAA Vice Chair for Airport Access Clay Lacy Aviation Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives
P 818.989.2900 | M 818.947.5454
800.423.2904 | claylacy.com | 7435 Valjean Avenue | Van Nuys, CA 91406

DONDI PANGALANGAN
Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives
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26 P 818.989.2900 | M 818.947.5454
800.423.2904 | claylacy.com | 7435 Valjean Avenue | Van Nuys, CA 91406 Item 7-A
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27 David Yakobson
From: Freida Dubin <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 11:36 AM
To: Council Mailbox; councilmtgitems
Subject: Airport
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
In light of the recent fires in the Palisades and the emergency use of the airport, which most likely helped to save Santa Monica from the fires spreading into our City, should you not keep the airport open? In light of newer and cleaner airplanes and the loss of revenue to the City, should you re-think the closing of the airport, which will be a great loss to Santa Monica?
Freida Dubin
Over 40-year Santa Monica Resident
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28 David Yakobson
From: Troy Wollman <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 11:36 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Fwd: July 8 City Council Meeting, Item 7: Evolve Santa Monica Airport Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Adding
[email protected]
For official records
Troy Wollman
(661) 789-7873
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Troy Wollman <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, Jul 8, 2025, 9:17 AM
Subject: July 8 City Council Meeting, Item 7: Evolve Santa Monica Airport To: <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
As a 10 year member of the Southern California aviation community and a long-time admirer of Santa Monica’s historic role in American aerospace, I urge you to consider a path of evolution, not elimination for Santa Monica Airport.

Here’s what evolution could mean:

Item 7-A
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29 A world-class STEM education and training center, where Santa Monica students are inspired to pursue science, technology, and flight
A hub for electric and autonomous aviation, already being tested at SMO and poised to reduce traffic congestion and emissions
Green space and community access, thoughtfully integrated with aviation infrastructure Long-term economic vitality for a city facing major fiscal headwinds Continued local control over airport operations and land use after 2028, allowing the City to shape SMO’s evolution in line with community values and future technologies Santa Monica doesn’t need to pick between a park and an airport. We can build a 21st-century innovation campus—one that honors our history, serves our residents, and inspires future generations.

Please don’t rush to erase our past. Let’s evolve it into something extraordinary.

Sincerely,
Troy Wollman
Troy Wollman
(661) 789-7873
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30 David Yakobson
From: Judy Kruger <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 11:35 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Agenda Item 7.A. Santa Monica Airport Conversion Project Attachments: Chamber Letter to City re Airport.pdf
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Please see attached letter to be included in July 8th's City Council minutes.

Thank you,
Judy
Judy Kruger
CEO & President
213-703-1340
[email protected]
smchamber.com
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July 8, 2025
Santa Monica City Council
City Hall
1685 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Dear Mayor Negrete and Councilmembers:

On behalf of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, we are writing to provide input on the redevelopment of the Santa Monica Airport site. The chamber formed an Airport Committee composed of engaged local business leaders with a goal to ensure that this opportunity reflects the best interest of the business community and the entire city.

As the Chamber celebrates its 100th year in service to the Santa Monica business community, we reflect on a century of partnership between the City and the private sector to build a thriving, inclusive, and forward-looking Santa Monica. The Santa Monica Airport itself has been a cornerstone of that legacy — a symbol of innovation and a platform for commerce and creativity. We urge you to ensure that the outcome of this process is rooted in economic pragmatism, innovation, and the long-term vitality of our city Following a review of the three scenarios presented by the city and its planning partners, the chamber chooses not to endorse one specific scenario at this time. However, the Chamber affirms that any viable plan must benefit both the city and local businesses while maximizing efficient land use providing meaningful opportunities for housing, recreation, and innovation.

Scenario 3 might align most closely with these priorities, though more detail and analysis will be essential.

We respectfully offer the following key principles as a framework to guide decision-making that reflects the priorities of our membership and the broader Santa Monica business community:

Fiscal Responsibility: No additional cost burden, taxes, or debt should be placed on the city.

Redevelopment must be revenue-neutral or revenue-generating.

Economic Opportunity: Development should create space for business growth, innovation, and job creation building upon the foundation of economic activity that already exists.

More Housing: We support a thoughtful integration of housing, including options that meet the needs of working professionals, families, and members of the local workforce while reducing commute time and increasing quality of life.

Balanced Land Use: A mix of parks, housing, cultural space, and commercial areas is essential to meet the needs of a diverse and evolving city. We recommend retaining and updating the existing structures.

Equitable Access and Mobility: Any final plan should include robust infrastructure planning, ensuring mobility, parking, and traffic impacts are addressed—especially as it relates to visitors, businesses, and neighboring communities.

Ongoing Community Engagement: The Chamber urges the city to continue involving diverse community stakeholders, including local businesses, throughout the planning and implementation phases.

Respectfully Submitted,

Judy Kruger
President & CEO
Board Executives
Chair
Charlie LopezQuintana
ETC Hotels
Past Chair
Younes Atallah
Regent Santa Monica
Beach
Incoming Chair
Paula Larmore
Harding, Larmore,
Kutcher & Kozal LLP
Treasurer
Celia Fisher
Beach Moms
Vice-Chair
Dustin Peterson
Fairmont Miramar
Hotel & Bungalows
Vice-Chair
Dr. Kathryn Jeffery
Santa Monica College
Vice-Chair
Vee Gomez
Beach Yoga SoCal
Vice-Chair
Melissa Cohen
Boston Properties
Board of
Directors
Dom Bei
SM Firefighters
Rudy Flores
SM Police Officers
Michael Altchule
UCLA Health
Eddie Guerboian
Jeweler
Neil Carrey
Attorney
Jeremy Rawitch
RAND
Elnie Vannatim
Cedars Sinai
Addie VanGessel
Tavern on Main
Gina Gribow
EKA Public Affairs
Jessica Rincon
Sanbourne Hotel
Florence Granteral
Fall
Neuehouse
Lilit Avagyan
US Bank
Jenn Verma
Lionsgate
Ben Marcus
UP Partners
Elias Garcia
Kaiser Permanente
Yvette Sims
Hair by Yvette
Cheree
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31 David Yakobson
From: Linda Mansolillo <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 11:34 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

Sincerely,
Linda Mansolillo
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32 David Yakobson
From: karen Greenwalt <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 11:30 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Strong support for essential Great Park with existing on site revenues Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Unfortunately I cannot attend your meeting tonight. However, I do want to let you know my overwhelming support for the creation of a Great Park to benefit everyone in Santa Monica. The creation of an inspirational LC-compliant Great Park with a sensible financing plan that prioritizes existing on-site revenue sources and with no sale or other privatization of the land is extremely important to all of us in Santa Monica and especially to my family and me.

It is essential that you move forward with this exciting concept for an important and essential park. As our park-poor city densifies, it is paramount that we plan for the creation of sufficient open, recreational, and regenerative spaces which will restore habitat and meet the needs of both current and future generations.

Sincerely,
Karen Greenwalt
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33 David Yakobson
From: Marisela Herrera <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 11:26 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

Sincerely,
Marisela Herrera
Sent from my iPhone
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34 David Yakobson
From: Brodsky, Michael <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 11:24 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Council Mailbox; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Dan Hall; Elaine Polachek; Amber Richane Subject: Item 7A: Support LC Compliant #1 Preferred Scenario Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Lana Negrete and City Council Members,
Building a park does not need to be complicated or expensive! Direct Staff to:

1. Proceed with an LC Compliant Great Park as the primary plan for environmental review.

2. Focus on the #1 Guiding Principle: Start with Nature.

3. Create a timeline for future park implementation that - GROWS WITH OUR POPULATION !

4. Explore the Letter of Interest from California State Parks! Keep it simple!
Every few days a NEW PARK opens in California. They have it figured out.

This may seem daunting, only because Santa Monica is late to the game for building parks.

Other cities might have more experience building parks but now, the time is right - for us to create our own Great Park.

We can this!
Sincerely,
Michael Brodsky
Santa Monica
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35 Item 7-A
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38 David Yakobson
From: Steve Housden <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 11:22 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Caroline Torosis; Lana Negrete; Jesse Zwick; Ellis Raskin; Dan Hall; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya
Subject: Item 7.A./July 8th - Support for an LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Re: Nature, not Parkitecture
Dear Santa Monica City Council,
I will first give the benefit of the doubt, and assume it is a park rather than yet another land grab for “Much Needed Housing™©” that is intended. If that horror is on the table, it is another conversation altogether.

So, assuming it is the “public parks, recreational facilities or open space” that we voted on, Sasaki’s involvement (and seeing the current trends in outdoor municipal design), I and others are very concerned indeed that concerned that those in power will got against the will of the voters and interpret those terms we voted for to create something else entirely…and spending buckets of our money to do so.

For years, we've watched “public park” projects become excuses for indulgent design, political posturing, and wasteful spending. What should be functional, safe green space for residents of cities quickly becomes a $30 million art installation—built not to serve the people, but to impress committees and to pad designers' portfolios.

The Airport Park project risks becoming the latest example of this trend.

I'm writing to advocate for a common-sense, fiscally responsible, and genuinely public vision for the land. One rooted in usability, not abstraction. In affordability, not spectacle. And in real safety and stewardship, not performative posturing about latest political fads. We don’t want to see “activation” (silly marketing jargon used by outfits like Sasaki to justify abstract design elements that often serve the designer’s ego more than the community’s needs. It’s an excuse to add cost and complexity where simplicity and usefulness would serve better).

I believe a park should be built for the community that lives here, not for the designers trying to get featured in Dwell Magazine (and get rich doing so). Of course, it's also possible that there are other, more nefarious goals at play in this venture, but as I said, I’ll give the Item 7-A
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39 benefit of doubt and assume that a park —and nothing but a park— is all that is being contemplated.

Even with the goal being a park, there is so very much that can go wrong, and in so many ways. I am addressing the one that I find most likely:
that the site will become just another installment in the long line of expensive Parkitecture Showcase Zones instead of delivering on what voters had in mind when we passed Measure LC: “public parks, recreational facilities or open space” in the plain, common-sense meaning of those words. Not design-speak. Not conceptual art. Not whatever boutique trend the latest consultant cooked up. Just usable land for the public to enjoy.

And though I won’t dwell on it further, it’s worth noting: the more expensive and complex a project becomes, the more shadowy corners it creates—places where accountability blurs, oversight gets fuzzy, and certain interests quietly thrive. Simpler projects tend to stay honest.

That alone is a point in their favor.

Sasaki, the design firm hired to lead the creation of Santa Monica’s socalled “Great Park,” is known for highly produced, feature-heavy landscapes that often prioritize visual flair over natural function. Their projects tend to be packed with “activations,” bespoke materials, and conceptual elements that look striking in renderings—but age poorly and cost a fortune. As one commenter on CurbedLA put it: “Looks great in renderings, but I miss the trees.” Or as the Boston Globe observed about a separate multimillion dollar Sasaki redesign back east: “$95 million to replace granite with… different granite.”
And let’s be clear: Sasaki wasn’t hired to design a great park—they were hired to design “The Great Park,” which is a very different animal. One delivers trees and trails; the other delivers consultants and absurdly high budgets. That’s exactly the kind of outcome we should be guarding against. We didn't get our traditional July 4th Fireworks at SMC, "budget" being cited as the reason. What the hell are we doing hiring Sasaki? …or any such firm??
We should not build a monument to a designer’s portfolio—nor can we afford to do so. Art-school abstractions might win awards, but they don’t build community. Simple, functional parks with trees, trails, and open space cost less to build, less to maintain, and leave more room in the budget for basics like lighting, restrooms, and year-round, 24 hour ranger security—so the park stays clean, safe, and truly public.

Some thoughtful features—seating, lighting, a playground, even a touch of design—certainly have a place, but OVERALL this space should be forest and meadow: open, natural. Shaded trails. Grassy areas to sprawl or stroll.

Quiet spots to read or play. Very little beyond. The kind of landscape that needs little explanation and even less maintenance—just care, stewardship, and respect for the land and the people who will use it.

A Simple Rule of Thumb that those executing this should be held to: If it fits naturally within a forest-and-meadow setting—like trails, ponds, or a Item 7-A
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40 quiet overlook, a small lake—and we can afford it, then let’s consider it.

But if it dishonestly stretches the definition of “public park or open space” (like many of the things on that "Top 50 Uses" survey) it should be quashed.

Let’s keep the promise of a park by keeping it simple. And green (in the true sense of the word). And within our means.

Please.

Steve Housden
Born in Santa Monica, house on Hill Street
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41 David Yakobson
From: Tim Cashin <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 11:17 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Evolve Santa Monica Airport
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
In RE July 8 City Council Meeting, Item 7: Evolving Santa Monica Airport Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,

It's well past time to put aside the rancor and poor decision-making that have stifled citizens' enjoyment of their own airport, an irreplaceable resource that grants the city so many opportunities and protections.

Now that electric planes and unleaded fuel have arrived, along with renewed interest from our community in learning to fly, learning to be an air traffic controller and exploring what Santa Monica Airport has to offer, any talk of destroying it rings thoughtless and out of touch.

As a member of the aviation community and a long-time admirer of Santa Monica’s historic role in American aerospace, I urge you to consider a path of evolution, not elimination for Santa Monica Airport.

Starting in the 1920s, Santa Monica Airport (“Clover Field”) has been a sparkling center of the aviation world. It is where Donald Douglas built the DC-3 that became the iconic transport for our troops in WWII and later. These planes are still flying! That same pioneering spirit built a world-wide company and more companies can be built here and will be. We can seize this opportunity not to close SMO, but to reimagine it for the future with clean air and quiet electric flight.

We wouldn't merely be losing something that few cities have and that will never be built again, but we'd also be losing something that almost no cities enjoy: control of our own airspace. Ask citizens if they want heavy jets flying to LAX free to fly low directly over their homes, lower than ever before and with greater frequency. Ask if they want to give up their say in the future of urban air mobility, providing rapid and quiet transport for hundreds of miles in every direction at very low cost.

SMO's airspace designation (FAA “Class D”) gives Santa Monica power granted by the Federal Government, overriding any California State mandates.

This is about leading the next chapter of clean, quiet, community-minded aviation. Electric aircraft, advanced simulators, flight schools, ATC simulators, STEM education hubs, aviation job creation and Item 7-A
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42 green infrastructure can all co-exist alongside modest open space and some thoughtfully integrated living space.

The recent "outreach" efforts (conducted at significant public expense) have pushed a slanted narrative, denying all of us the ability to vote for something that that would set an example for the world: multifaceted, sustainably planned public areas WITH an historic and iconic airport as its centerpiece. Ask any of the hundreds of Santa Monican families that enjoy "Kids in Planes" events, Young Eagles flights, tours of the airport, annual Douglas Day celebrations, taking flying lessons, or simply bringing their kids to the observation deck to watch planes with eternal fascination that flight brings.

Ask them why innovation is so often associated with flight and thus with airports as the homes of innovation and as the meeting places of entrepreneurs from every part of the country and the world.

Here’s what evolution could mean:
 A world-class STEM education and training center, where Santa Monica students are inspired to pursue science, technology, and flight
 A hub for electric and autonomous aviation, already being tested at SMO and poised to reduce traffic congestion and emissions
 Green space and community access, thoughtfully integrated with aviation infrastructure  Long-term economic vitality for a city facing major fiscal headwinds. Note that HR&A indicated over a decade ago that Santa Monica Airport creates over $250 Million in revenue for the City and its businesses.
 Continued local control over airport operations and land use after 2028, allowing the City to shape SMO’s evolution in line with community values and future technologies

Santa Monica doesn’t need to pick between a park and an airport. We can build a 21st-century innovation campus—one that honors our history, serves our residents, and inspires current and future generations.

If we give up our airport, let's not pretend that the State won't effectively seize the land. We all know, and the city has publicly admitted, that there's no money to build, maintain, or police a giant park nor support for endless construction of housing tracts. The airport is financially sound and contributes enormously to the financial health of the City of Santa Monica.

Please think of the future. Let’s evolve the Santa Monica Airport into something extraordinary, part of the future of this City and this nation.

Sincerely yours,
Tim Cashin
Sunset Park, Santa Monica

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45 David Yakobson
From: Aaron Steinberg <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 11:14 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

Regarding the airport conversion and Great Park: yes, a park is very important to us here in Santa Monica! I urge you to move forward with the creation of a Measure LC-compliant Great Park, with a sensible financing plan that prioritizes existing on-site revenue sources, and with no sale or other privatization of the land.

We need recreation spaces - not only now, but unquestionably a very important concern for Santa Monica's future.

Also please: no housing or housing development in the current airport area. And absolutely no hotels, no retail and no commercial development - please!

(Recreation is simply crucial, which properly addressed, will be prove to be deeply positive for everyone.)

With awareness of increasing density in mind, it is important that we plan for the creation of sufficient open space and recreational spaces that can meet the needs of both current and future generations.

Thank you,

Aaron Steinberg
Santa Monica, CA 90405
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46 David Yakobson
From: Dustin Mosher <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 11:14 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Cc: Dan Hall; Lana Negrete; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Caroline Torosis; Natalya Zernitskaya; Jesse Zwick
Subject: July 8 City Council Meeting, Item 7:Santa Monica Airport (SMACP) - Do Not Close Airport
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
As an aviation user of your airport and member of the wider aviation community in California, I urge the Council to decide on a path for the airport the retains public aviation use of the land.

The world of aviation is evolving quickly and many of the grievances that the City has published over the decades as their rationale for closure are soon to be mitigated by the progress of technology.

Two key examples:

Leaded Fuel - The aviation industry is working hard to provide viable alternatives to the legacy “low-lead” aviation gas. We are within a few years of having viable marketable replacements that I expect will be widely adopted, especially in California. As well, many of the aircraft that presently operate at Santa Monica could use the existing non-leaded “mo-gas” fuel if it were only to be made more available in California. As the environmental and market forces are all moving in that direction, it is foolish to throw away a 100+ year old airport on the premise of a problem that is very soon to be solved.

Noise - While this has largely been mitigated by the removal of jet traffic, newer generations of propeller aircraft are getting quieter. As the regulations world-wide have moved the industry to more noiseconscious solutions, the wider fleet of propeller aircraft is gradually getting quieter. As well, we are truly at the dawn of electric aviation - a future that will assuredly change the noise signature of aircraft. Do not forsake having an airport now that the solutions to the noise problem are so near.

To that aim - Santa Monica even hosted the first transcontinental tour of an all-electric aircraft just this year with the visit of Beta CX300! The future is coming, and it will serve us well to have a place for fixed wing aircraft to take-off and land in West LA.

As stated in your ordinance, you the Council have the authority to dictate if closure of the airport occurs.

Use of that authority to retain aviation use will keep Santa Monica relevant to a transportation future that is undoubtedly going to rely on aviation.

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47 "Subject only to limitations imposed by law, the City Council shall have full authority, without voter approval, to regulate use of the Santa Monica Airport, manage Airport leaseholds, condition leases, and permanently close all or part of the Airport to aviation use.

If all or part of the Airport land is permanently closed to aviation use, no new development of that land shall be allowed until the voters have approved limits on the uses and development that may occur on the land. However, this section shall not prohibit the City Council from approving the following on Airport land that has been permanently closed to aviation use: the development of parks, public open spaces, and public recreational facilities; and the maintenance and replacement of existing cultural, arts and education uses."
Sincerely,
Dustin Mosher
SoCal Pilot/Aircraft Owner, User of Santa Monica Airport, Aerospace Engineer [email protected]
714-349-0549
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48 David Yakobson
From: Howard Bohl <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 11:13 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Santa Monica Airport
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Good afternoon,
I'm writing in regards to the Santa Monica airport remaining open. It is a great asset to the community and provides unmatched convenience.

The airport has allowed our community to flourish and is an irreplaceable asset.

Thank you
Howie Bohl
951-440-6137
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54 David Yakobson
From: ROGER GENSER <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 11:04 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: I support Housing at the Airport
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Roger Genser -
48 year ling resident and Landmarks Commissioner
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56 David Yakobson
From: Cris Gutierrez <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 10:39 AM
To: Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; councilmtgitems
Cc: Elaine Polachek
Subject: Agenda Item 7.A., SMAC Project, 7/8/25
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete, Mayor Pro Tem Torosis and City Council Members Hall, Zwick, Zernitskaya, Raskin and Snell:

Having organized the community for four decades in support of the City’s peace, justice and environmental commitments, I am proud of our Santa Monica community who with past City Councils set the course to be visionary and bold in closing the airport and building public trust with a great park at the airport site, which was affirmed by a large majority in 2014 with the LC vote. I write to you now with vivacious support to urge City Council to carry on that vision by moving forward, for the benefit of all, the creation of an inspirational LC-compliant Great Park with a sensible financing plan that prioritizes existing on-site revenue sources and with no sale or other privatization of the land.

As our park-scarce city densifies, we must ensure that we have sufficient open, recreational, and regenerative spaces that can restore habitat and meet the needs of current and future generations.

I encourage City Council to see the community and trust the community as participants-in-leadership, for the long, long term, not primarily as park-advocates or consumer-users of a park but as community-stakeholders investing in our Great Park. That's the relationship that helps build public trust based on a collective of community and council leadership with vision and confidence. Time and time-binding, connecting past, present and future resources — indeed our commonwealth— are assets as we reclaim our public land and engage current and future generations of stakeholders to invest their love, good work, energy, ideas, and yes, funds, in the re-creation of the airport into our Great Park.

On Saturday, June 28, 2025, at the LA Design Festival, the Great Park Coalition was welcomed to exhibit the "Santa Monica Great Park: The Rights Of Nature Sustainability Rights Ordinance.” Our exhibit was part of the festival’s regenerative hub. The visionary sensibilities of designers, including architects—especially the architectural students— embraced the understanding that land use means planning and designing not only the building of edifices but building up the understory of life beneath our feet (in soil vitality), the over-story of life in our trees and tree-canopy and the story of our land: with all that makes up our biosphere’s natural and human world, now suffering the 6th extinction of biodiversity loss and roiled in the throes of the climate crisis. Folks who came up to interact with us from across the region, including many Santa Monicans, were engrossed. Festival organizers were impressed. "You give us hope" was almost a refrain many shared.

Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
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57 When we invest in our Great Park, we also invest in our children in ways that have not yet been valued enough:

Nature nourishes cognition and mental health. Studies have demonstrated so many ways that brainpower thrives with Nature as do our auto-immune system and parasympathetic nervous system, relaxing stress and sharpening concentration and cognition.

From personal to financial health, when we think about how to pay for the Great Park, possibilities abound. Unfortunately right up front, without exploration, the Staff Report contends that “While a park only approach aligns with much of the community feedback and provides a clear path to implementation, the funding sources for capital, operations, maintenance, and programming are significantly more limited. Broader uses, such as new cultural and/or event facilities, Public Private Partnerships, or housing, may offer greater long-term financial viability while also delivering lasting community benefits.” I commend Staff for the thirteen months of their receiving and analyzing community input and trying to listen to the community and City Council, but I see that there is a highly-conventional sense of revenue generation and a serious over-reach on housing. How did the City Council’s direction of January 28 to identify “some housing” turn into a series of commercial development and housing in Scenario #2 and further in Scenario #3 become a “bold new urban district, 'a complete neighborhood’ wrapped around a signature civic park”? One wonders what assumptions underlie those designs and whom they serve.

Omitted of note is the research supported by the Trust for Public Land – “Parks and green spaces improve water quality, naturally manage stormwater, reduce air pollution, enhance community health, provide recreational opportunities, attract and retain businesses, and support economic development in their region. People who are physically active in parks have reduced healthcare costs. In turn, all of this generates local tax revenue both from increased property values and from tourist spending.” All goals are priorities in the City of Santa Monica and in fact reflected in the Climate Action and Adaptability Plan that can help to uplift Santa Monica in meeting the Living Community Challenge that “Imagine communities that function like a forest ecosystem,” which Staff has proposed in Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
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58 the report of January 28. Strangely, worryingly, the Living Community exemplified by a Great Park is not heralded in the Staff Report before you.

The conventional view of revenue also ignores that the “Public Private Partnerships” are potentially a genuine source of funding for a Great Park Land Trust and other projects. Likewise missing are imaginative and hardworking Water Division ideas to expand our Sustainability Water Infrastructure Project (SWIP) to become Great Park environmental-ecosystem resources and financial resources. Selling what could be available from water harvested to nearby cities would be nature-based revenues. (My understanding is that our Water Division Staff has, in fact, also recommended to SMMUSD that the SWIP harvests could help feed natural playing fields now at schools, which the district has yet to accept.)
Furthermore, California's 30 x 30 initiative is just waiting for us to apply to honor our public land that we could entrust to be part of a realm for equity, durability, climate resilience and biodiversity. Sadly, we are close to missing a deadline coming up on July 17, 2025 for possible planning funds. Council needs to direct Staff to consult with our state lobbyist to pursue that opportunity as well as Prop 4 funds or and other opportunities.

In short, City Council has a magnificent, momentous opportunity to progress and to strengthen public trust by advancing as the preferred scenario — the project — to be a wondrous LC Compliant Great Park. With that all of us can be a part of a shifting paradigm from a material way of life estranged from, competing with or controlling Nature. Our prescient Rights of Nature-Sustainability Rights Ordinance compels us to live in right relationship with Nature. Let’s face it. At this point in the 21st century, no less is required.

I trust City Council to lead anew with vision and confidence and instruct Staff accordingly.

With gratitude and respect,
Cris Gutierrez
Santa Monica Resident
Cris Gutierrez
[email protected]
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
59 David Yakobson
From: Arthur Kummer <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 10:39 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Amber Richane; Elaine Polachek Subject: Agenda item 7-A: Airport Conversion - LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

I am a 60+ year resident of Santa Monica and the Sunset Park neighborhood. I look forward to the Airport's closure and the end of airplane noise. I urge you to move forward with the creation of a Measure LC-compliant Great Park, with a sensible financing plan that prioritizes existing on-site revenue sources, and with no sale or other privatization of the land.

Simply using the current lease revenue of $20 - $22 million can fund the bonds and support the park without any additional city funds.

Before the airport closes, all airport funds must remain dedicated to airport operations. Once closed, those funds can be redirected to build the park.

Thank you for your consideration,
Arthur and Ann Kummer
2020 Ashland Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90405
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
60 David Yakobson
From: [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 10:38 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Cc: Lana Negrete; Natalya Zernitskaya; Barry Snell; Ellis Raskin; Dan Hall; Jesse Zwick; Caroline Torosis
Subject: In regard to the Santa Monica Airport, both its history and it's future.

Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Most Honorable Santa Monica City Council,
As a12 year resident of Santa Monica, living at sixth and Montana, I understand our community here in Santa Monica and surrounding environs.

I grew up at Santa Monica airport and became a professional pilot as was my dream from childhood. Every day, leaving high school I would go and wash airplanes for legendary aviatrix Claire Walters and owner of a flight Academy located where Santa Monica College is now.

I slowly earned my way up the ranks to fly professionally. Ask any individual person if their life is affected by aviation, they would have to answer in the positive. Every day through lots of services Amazon, airlines, emergency responses like what we saw on the recent fires or our military standing, and so many more this is the great contribution Santa Monica Airport has made.

So to not look to the future and an even greater contribution is myopic without a greater scope.

That is why I put forth to our most honorable Santa Monica City Council to consider a grander vision. One of a collaborative effort to include both the parks and community-based facilities, as well as a runway, allowing for aviation to continue to make its great contribution. With our now shorter runway we can allow for the most environmentally friendly aircraft and leave plenty of space for beautification and open space.

Item 7-A
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61 As a part of both the aviation and the west side communities for most of my life, you can be certain that the aviation industry and our community at large are making great strides and accomplishments daily to bring both and electric, and noise sensitive and environmentally friendly aircraft to market all while improving the lives of all.

A collaborative effort is how we should see Santa Monica Airport in the future to create a future that is unlimited. I am certain this is the great contribution the city of Santa Monica can make both to ourselves and the world at large.

Peter Williams
Professional Pilot KU Aviation and concerned community member Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
64 David Yakobson
From: Clove Galilee
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 10:30 AM
To: Council Mailbox; councilmtgitems
Subject: Motion for Review adopted by The Commission on Sustainability, Environmental Justice and the Environment
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Completed
Dear Council Members,
Please find a motion for your review in advance of tonight’s Council Meeting referencing the Airport Expansion Second Update – Phase 3a Layer Survey from the June 16, 2025 meeting of the Commission on Sustainability, Environmental Justice, and the Environment.

MOTION:

Airport Expansion Second Update - Phase 3a Layer Survey results were presented by Amber Richane, Principal Design and Planning Manager, Department of Public Works. The Commission discussed the information provided. After discussion the Commission adopted the following motion:

The Commission on Sustainability, Environmental Justice and the Environment believes that the most sustainable and viable option for the Santa Monica Airport site is to utilize the entire site as a regenerative Great Park that will provide human and ecosystem health, well-being, equity and justice, and enhance our resilience to climate change. While aƯordable housing is greatly needed in Santa Monica and throughout the region, the airport site is a poor location for housing because it is far from major transit corridors and would require significant investment in new infrastructure just to make it viable. There are numerous locations for new aƯordable housing along the City’s major transit corridors (as detailed in the City’s Land Use and Circulation Element) that can support much more housing with much less environmental impact than the airport site. Therefore, the Commission recommends that City Council:

ReaƯirm and direct staƯ and your consultants that following closure of the Santa Monica Airport the site will be designed and built entirely as a regenerative park that would not require a vote under Measure LC. And that the park should incorporate cutting edge sustainable design (including adaptive reuse) for all buildings and infrastructure and maximize the use of native planting. Everything that is to be built and planted should be designed for self-suƯiciency, nature, health, and growth creating a park with active, passive and natural uses that can serve Santa Monica residents long into the future.

The motion was proposed by Chair Kubani and seconded by Vice-Chair Alex Tower Ayes: Kubani, Tower, Oelsen and Lempert
Nay: Olivia Walker
Sincerely,
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
65 Clove Galilee
Clove Galilee
Office of Sustainability & the Environment
Public Works Department
(415) 624-7921 | [email protected]
santamonica.gov
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Subscribe to Sustainable SaMo Newsletter
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
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66 David Yakobson
From: Sam Shapiro-Kline <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 10:25 AM
To: Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya; councilmtgitems
Subject: Item 7A: Consider Multiple Options for Preferred Scenario Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
Former California Assembly Speaker Willie Brown famously said, “In the world of civic projects, the first budget is really just a down payment. If people knew the real cost from the start, nothing would ever be approved. The idea is to get going. Start digging a hole and make it so big, there’s no alternative to coming up with the money to fill it in.”
With the proposal to convert the Santa Monica Airport to a park, I am deeply concerned that proponents are embracing Brown's philosophy in avoiding the question of money before pushing forward with a parkonly decision. The decision before you today is whether to proceed on a path where only a park is considered, or a wider set of options including housing and revenue generating uses.

I ask you to proceed with considering a wider set of options in the next phase of the conversion project, and especially not to close off non-park options before there has been a robust financial analysis.

Preliminary analysis from HR&A estimates a park-only option might cost $800M to construct, and $20M / year to operate. The construction estimate is highly likely an underestimate, because of the need to remediate environmental hazards on the airport site.

The city council must be financially prudent. Voters deserve the right in the coming years to choose:

1. Do they want a $1B+ park paid for with tax increases or a very large EIFD?

2. Do they want a self-funding mix of uses, such as affordable housing, market rate housing, hotel, or concert venue alongside a park?
Today, the council should direct the creation of a preferred scenario that:
 Includes both park-focused and mixed-use alternatives to enable informed community discussion about Measure LC considerations
 Completes fundamental feasibility analysis for each scenario option, including detailed economic, infrastructure, and funding assessments
 Addresses governance and implementation structures necessary for each approach  Provides comprehensive transportation and environmental impact comparisons Item 7-A
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67 Concurrent with Preferred Scenario development, we support initiating rezoning of the Airport Office Park to allow higher density residential development and revenue-generating commercial uses. This parallel process could help inform scenario analysis while advancing regional housing and climate goals.

Thank you for your consideration,
Sam Shapiro-Kline
90403
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
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68 David Yakobson
From: Katharine Dreyfuss <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 10:23 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Support an LC-compliant Great Park
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Hello, City Council,
Thank you for supporting the development of an LC-compliant Great Park.

Keep the pressure on!!!!
Best,
Katharine (Kit) Dreyfuss
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
69 David Yakobson
From: Santa Monica Democratic Club <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 10:16 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya
Subject: Item 7A - SUPPORT GREAT PARK
Attachments: SMDC Airport letter July 8 2025.pdf
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Please see the attached letter from the Santa Monica Democratic Club regarding Item 7A of the July 8, 2025, City Council meeting.

Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
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President
Jon Katz
VP Political Action
Sean Kolodji
VP Membership
Michael Soloff
VP Programs
Michelle Grant
VP Communications
Philip Nazzal
VP Diversity & Inclusion
Keith Coleman
VP Legislation
Isabel Storey
Treasurer
Marcy Lebovitz
Recording Secretary
Lynn Cervini
At-Large
Derek Devermont
Patricia Hoffman
Susan Sheu
Dolores Sloan
July 8, 2025
Dear Mayor Negrete, Mayor Pro Tempore Torosis, and Honorable Councilmembers:

On behalf of the Santa Monica Democratic Club, and out of respect to the long-standing relationships that our Club has had with each of you, I write to share the outcome of a months-long deliberative process in which our members overwhelmingly voted to endorse a bold, community-centered vision for a Great Park on the Santa Monica Airport land.

Recognizing the significance of this moment, our membership expressed a strong interest in formally weighing in on the future of the airport site. In order to engage more deeply in this issue than one meeting could allow, we formed an Ad Hoc Airport Committee, composed of members with diverse perspectives, to study potential futures for the airport from multiple angles. Throughout this process, we welcomed input from both longtime residents and newer community members, all of whom contributed thoughtful perspectives that helped shape the final outcome. After months of study, expert briefings, stakeholder engagement, and robust discussion, our membership voted overwhelmingly (156-45) to recommend a high-quality, LC‑compliant Great Park, that would not trigger a ballot measure before airport closure, with financing that prioritizes existing on-site revenue sources, and with no sale or other privatization of the land.

As the only officially chartered Democratic organization in Santa Monica, we are proud of our progressive legacy: supporting rent control, affordable housing, racial justice, labor rights, and climate leadership. We view the opportunity to convert the airport into public open space not as a departure from these values, but as a fulfillment of them.

We understand and share the urgency to address our region’s housing crisis, and indeed many of our committee members made the case for an approach that would include both housing and parkland. At the same time, our process clarified that not all publicly owned land is equally suitable for residential development. The airport site is isolated from transit, schools, and walkable services.

It is legally constrained by Measure LC. And its redevelopment as a park can move forward now, without the political and legal delays a housing proposal would invite.

This is not about closing the door to future opportunities for housing, and this Club stands committed to supporting the creation of more affordable housing throughout our City. As our region grows and densifies in the years ahead thanks to the policies that we mutually support, open space will become even more essential. We owe it to future generations of Santa Monicans to preserve and transform this rare urban land into something enduring and equitable.

For these reasons, we urge you to move forward tonight with a bold vision for a Great Park.

Sincerely,
Jon Katz
President, Santa Monica Democratic Club
On Behalf Of Its Members
P.O. Box 1052 • Santa Monica,CA 90406 • 215-962-4357 • [email protected] Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
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72 David Yakobson
From: Kate Holt <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 10:06 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Caroline Torosis; Lana Negrete; Jesse Zwick; Ellis Raskin; Dan Hall; Barry Snell; Natalya Zernitskaya
Subject: Item 7.A./July 8th - Support for an LC-compliant Great Park Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor and Council Members,
Let’s do this!
As a long-time Santa Monica resident, I urge you to clear the runway for take-off of our publicly-owned Great Park, compliant with Measure LC.

No more flight delays!
Together we can pilot a perfect landing on Day One, January 1, 2029.

Kate Holt
Sent from my iPhone
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
74 David Yakobson
From: redstar11 <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 4:39 PM
To: Dan Hall; Lana Negrete; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Caroline Torosis; Natalya Zernitskaya; Jesse Zwick; councilmtgitems
Subject: Subject: July 8 City Council Meeting, Item 7: Evolve Santa Monica Airport—Don’t Erase It Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged
Subject: July 8 City Council Meeting, Item 7: Evolve Santa Monica Airport—Don’t Erase It Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
As a member of the community and a long-time admirer of Santa Monica’s historic role in American aerospace, I urge you to consider a path of evolution, not elimination for Santa Monica Airport.

Here’s what evolution could mean:

A VITAL HUB IN FIRE RESCUE OPERATIONS Serving our community A world-class STEM education and training center, where Santa Monica students are inspired to pursue science, technology, and flight
A hub for electric and autonomous aviation, already being tested at SMO and poised to reduce traffic congestion and emissions
Green space and community access, thoughtfully integrated with aviation infrastructure.

Long-term economic vitality for a city facing major fiscal headwinds Continued local control over airport operations and land use after 2028, allowing the City to shape SMO’s evolution in line with community values and future technologies Santa Monica doesn’t need to pick between a park and an airport. We can build a 21stcentury innovation campus—one that honors our history, serves our residents, and inspires future generations.

Item 7-A
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75 Please don’t rush to erase our past. Let’s evolve it into something extraordinary.

Sincerely,
Santa Monica Resident
To help protect your priv acy, Microsoft Office prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet.

History was made March 8, 2025 when the first-ever coast-to-coast flight by an all-electric aircraft was completed with the Beta CX300 touching down at Santa Monica Airport.

Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
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77 David Yakobson
From: Deedospam <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, July 6, 2025 7:09 PM
To: Dan Hall; Lana Negrete; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Caroline Torosis; Natalya Zernitskaya; Jesse Zwick; councilmtgitems
Subject: SAVE THE SAMO AIRPORT
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
I’m a 10th grader at Santa Monica High School and part of the Aerospace club. I’m writing as an attempt to keep the airport open for enthusiasts like me.

This airport is a big part of our city’s history. Planes that helped win World War II were built right here.

There’s a lot of really interesting history behind it, even including the first flight around the world. I hope we don’t lose that. Instead of closing the airport, we should turn it into something better for the future of our city.

It could be a place where students like me can learn about science, flying, and how to build new kinds of clean, electric aircraft. We could have flight schools, green spaces, and cool programs that help kids get into STEM and learn about jobs in aviation. The airport could be both a place for learning and for the community.

I believe Santa Monica can lead the way in clean and quiet flight. Please don’t erase the airport—let’s make it something amazing that helps students, teachers, and the whole city.

Thanks for your consideration.

Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
78 David Yakobson
From: Benjamin Sun <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, July 6, 2025 7:43 PM
To: Dan Hall; Lana Negrete; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Caroline Torosis; Natalya Zernitskaya; Jesse Zwick; councilmtgitems
Subject: July 8 Meeting – Item 7 - Please Keep All Options Open Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
I'm writing to respectfully urge you to keep all options on the table as you consider the future of Santa Monica Airport. The Sasaki presentation scheduled for July 8 presents a narrow view focused on a single park-oriented vision, but the
decision before you is far too consequential to proceed without full economic due diligence.

Measure LC merely requires a vote of the people for
development on land formerly used for aviation purposes (with limited exceptions). Much has changed since that 2014 election, which, by the way, had historically low turnout. It's only fair to give all voters a voice on how this land is used moving forward.

Finally, please consider the risk of unintended
consequences. Closing the airport at the end of 2028
without a clear, funded path forward will result in an
unmanaged, blighted site or a state-imposed solution —
neither of which serves our community.

Thank you for your diligence and service.

Sincerely,
Benjamin Sun
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
79 David Yakobson
From: Katharine Dreyfuss <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 9:53 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Fwd: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers:

I am repeating my plea that you stick by Santa Monica's historic plan to restore its Great Park as a recreational facility for city residents, without private privileges or entitlements for individuals.

No exceptions.

Please.

Thank you.

Best,
Katharine (Kit) Dreyfuss
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Dan Hall <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, Jul 7, 2025 at 10:20 PM
Subject: Re: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025
To: Katharine Dreyfuss <[email protected]>
Thanks for your input, Katharine!
https://smdp.com/opinion/why-i-will-be-voting-for-the-great-park-on-july-8th/ Dan Hall
City Councilmember
City of Santa Monica, California
From: Katharine Dreyfuss <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, July 6, 2025 18:07
To: councilmtgitems <[email protected]>; Lana Negrete <[email protected]>; Caroline Torosis <[email protected]>; Dan Hall <[email protected]>; Jesse Zwick <[email protected]>; Barry Snell <[email protected]>; Natalya Zernitskaya <[email protected]>; Ellis Raskin <[email protected]>; Amber Richane <[email protected]>; Elaine Polachek <[email protected]> Subject: Item 7.A. SMAC Project - July 8, 2025

Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
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80 EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Councilmembers,
Please move forward, for the benefit of all, the creation of an inspirational LC-compliant Great Park with a sensible financing plan that prioritizes its existing on-site revenue sources and with no sale or other privatization of the land.

When the city first designated this property to be used for recreation for Santa Monica residents, it specified recreation for the whole city. It prohibited use of the property for individual residences or other opportunities for personal gain. The park-land is ineligible for use for public housing, much as the city needs to support that cause in appropriate locations. Please abide by the original agreements.

Thank you for listening to the appeal of your citizens.

Sincerely,
Katharine Dreyfuss
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
81 David Yakobson
From: Bob Ramirez <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 9:48 AM
To: Lana Negrete; Caroline Torosis; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Natalya Zernitskaya; Barry Snell; Jesse Zwick; councilmtgitems; Amber Richane; Rick Valte; Peter James; Christopher Dishlip; Tony Lopez; Susan Cola; Douglas Sloan
Cc: Joe Pertel; [email protected]; Frank Gruber; Zina Josephs; John Fairweather; Cris Gutierrez; Susan Jain
Subject: Letter of support for LC Compliant Great Park and Proposal for Land Back to the Native Environment
Attachments: Airport to Park.pptx
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL

July 8, 2025

Dear City Council:

I’m Bob Ramirez, a long-time resident of Santa Monica, a Designer and Builder of homes and gardens, a Santa Monica Arts
Commissioner, and the President and Director of the Gabrielino Tongva Springs Foundation, the land steward of Kuruvungna Springs Village.

The 1938 mural in the lobby here at City Hall depicts the first contact between the Portola Expedition and the Native People at the Springs on August 4, 1769. This mural recently became the subject of Reframe,which proposed 9 recommendations, approved unanimously by the City Council last year.

Recommendation #8 to ‘Facilitate Land Back in Santa Monica’, and Recommendation #9, to ‘Facilitate Kuruvungna Springs Relationship’ has offered us an opportunity to address and correct Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
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82 an historical injury to our local native habitat: the complete erasure of the local native environment by development.

The Great Park project will transform the 192 acres of airport land. I propose that a portion of the lower runway area be given back to the native plants and animals that also call this land their home.

A 20-acre parcel represents less than 0.4% of the 8.4 square miles that is Santa Monica.

The 35,000 cubic yards of concrete runway can be recycled into a Tongva inspired spiral-ramped Ziggurat, enveloped with native plants, leading up to a promontory with vistas of the mountains and the bay.

The gentle ADA-conforming spiral ramp encircling the mound is planted with local native vegetation allowing for an inspiring passage through varying microclimates and plant communities that celebrate the diversity of our natural environment.

Captured rainwater, impounded in an artificial aquifer and pumped using solar power will create springs emerging on the north facing slope that will irrigate the lush vegetation before percolating back into the basin through layers of crushed runway.

This living, breathing monument embraces the Five Guiding Principles of the Great Park Design: Start with Nature, Inspire Wonder, Balance Economics, Amplify Versatility and
absolutely Celebrates Space.

We ask that this small parcel of Land be given Back to the Native Plants and Animals which will benefit our entire community in ways we have yet to understand.

Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
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83 Thank You for your support and for your vote on an LC Compliant plan for our future Great Park.

Attached is a brief presentation of my proposal to recycle the concrete runway into a living monument to our collective future:

Respectfully,

Bob Ramirez
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
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July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
84 David Yakobson
From: Morgan Gross <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 9:42 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Fwd: Item 7 — “Evolve Santa Monica Airport” Please Keep the Runway, Layer the Future Attachments: SMO_Biplane_Boeing_Stearman_2018_MGross.jpeg Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged

EXTERNAL
For the record.

Thank you
-Morgan
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Morgan Gross <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, Jul 8, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Subject: Re: Item 7 — “Evolve Santa Monica Airport” Please Keep the Runway, Layer the Future To: Santa Monica Airport Association <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, Ben <[email protected]> July 8, 2025 Subject: Re: Fact-Checking a Layered Vision: Inside the Ambitious Proposal to Save Santa Monica Airport.

Good Morning Santa Monica,
Following Mayor Negrete’s recent Instagram update on Santa Monica Airport’s future, I’d like to offer this follow-up. In the eight years since the 2017 consent decree, technology and regional priorities have shifted dramatically. As we chart the airport’s next chapter, we must balance resilience, sustainability, and fiscal responsibility with our shared goal of expanding parkland.

Pacific-Rim Resilience Context
The 2022 National Defense Strategy pivots federal readiness toward the Indo-Pacific. Coastal airfields capable of rapid, quiet electric lift now carry fresh strategic value. Just eleven minutes’ flight time from the San Andreas coastline and located inside the federally designated Southern California disaster-staging zone, SMO could serve as a forward base for wildfire suppression, earthquake relief, and maritime search-and-rescue. Retaining a shortened runway plus vertiport pads aligns with the City’s Climate Action Plan and opens the door to new FAA and DHS resilience grants—while still returning the majority of the acreage to parkland.

Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
85 LA28 Electric-Aviation Proof-of-Concept
The forthcoming LA28 Olympic vertiport at SMO will generate first-of-its-kind data on noise, safety, ridership, and economic uplift for zero-emission air mobility. Archer’s 45-dB (≈ library-whisper level), lead-free Midnight vehicles are slated to shuttle tens of thousands of passengers between SMO, LAX, Hollywood, and SoFi Stadium in under three weeks. Because this demonstration was not envisioned when the 2017 consent decree was signed, it represents a substantial change in circumstances that warrants revisiting a hybrid future—keeping a shorter runway and vertiport pads while still opening acres of new parkland.

Environmental Reality Check
The City’s FY 24–26 Capital-Improvement Plan warns that soil and groundwater cleanup could cost well into nine figures, conceding that “a comprehensive investigative effort is needed to identify and quantify all contamination” before remediation can begin. Preliminary estimates place soil and groundwater cleanup costs well into nine figures—long before a single tree is planted. Certifying an EIR without a fully financed cleanup and public-safety plan risks state regulators (DTSC & RWQCB) halting grading and leaving 227 acres fenced off for years. A hybrid e-aviation/greenway model—powered by lease revenue and federal resilience grants—offers a fiscally prudent alternative to closing the runway first and then searching for cleanup dollars.

A Classic Prisoner’s Dilemma
Santa Monica now faces a textbook Prisoner’s Dilemma: two sides must choose to cooperate or defect—mutual cooperation yields the best collective outcome, whereas mutual defection leaves both worse off. We can collaborate with federal partners to transform SMO into a showcase of clean aviation and parkland, or we can “defect,” shutter the field in 2028, and inherit a nine-figure toxic-cleanup bill with no FAA grants to pay it.

Federal Dollars
Let’s seize this moment to layer the future—pairing a right-sized runway and vertiport with world-class parkland, funded in part by the very agencies that rely on SMO’s strategic location. Working together, we can model how cities embrace clean aviation, build resilience, and expand green space—all without burdening residents with avoidable costs.
-Morgan Hunter Gross
P.S. I’m currently in Ridgecrest, conducting field research on regional resilience at Inyokern Airport, where Silent Arrow cargo-glider tests are being conducted—trials that could inform SMO’s future emergency-airlift role. Every time I spot a “Made in Santa Monica” placard on vintage aircraft in air museums, I feel a surge of local pride—and I want future generations to feel that same pride in new innovations built here.

Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
Item 7-A
July 8, 2025
86 P.P.S. I also hope to resume my flight lessons with Santa Monica Flyers—without racing an arbitrary closure deadline.

Photo: A vintage Boeing-Stearman biplane on the SMO ramp (2018).

Each of us sees something different—history, beauty, craftsmanship, innovation—yet all of those lenses matter when deciding Santa Monica Airport’s future.

Color photograph of a yellow Boeing-Stearman biplane (tail number “555”) parked between hangars at Santa Monica Airport on a sunny day
On Mon, Jul 7, 2025 at 7:13 PM Morgan Gross <[email protected]> wrote:

Morgan Hunter Gross
www.morgangross.com | [email protected] | (310) 500-0114 July 7, 2025
Mayor Lana Negrete
Mayor Pro Tem Dan Hall
Councilmembers Ellis Raskin, Barry Snell, Caroline Torosis, Natalya Zernitskaya & Jesse Zwick Santa Monica City Hall
1685 Main Street, Room 209
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Subject: Item 7 — “Evolve Santa Monica Airport”
Please Keep the Runway, Layer the Future

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Santa Monica City CouncilJuly 8, 2025

Santa Monica City Council
July 8, 2025