Memo
To: Oliver Chi, City Manager
From: Ellis Raskin, City Councilmember
Date: September 2, 2025
Re: A Request that the City Council Consider Directing the City Manager to Discontinue Work Efforts Related to Five Previously Requested Council Direction 16 Items Since February 2021, the City Council has directed that staff coordinate work efforts as separate Council Direction 16 Items. Of note, 232 of those matters have been completed to date, leaving 34 items pending.
After reviewing the remaining open items with staff, I am requesting that the City Council consider directing that staff discontinue work efforts on the 4 previously requested Council Direction 16 Items listed below.
Item
No. 16 Item Detail Current Status – August 2025
1 Request of Councilmember de la Torre, Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, and Councilmember Parra that in the spirit of acknowledging Nick Gabaldon’s mixed heritage and to build intercultural solidarity, upon completion of Reframe: City Hall Murals, initiate a public art and community engagement Reframe project to commemorate the Historic Bay Street Beach site and its rich history of Black surfers, including Nick Gabaldon. In commemorating Nick Gabaldon, consideration will be given to creating a statue of Nick Gabaldon with his surfboard looking out towards Malibu where he passed while surfing. The process will include engaging an artist to commemorate the Historic Bay Street Beach site’s history and people while creating a powerful acknowledgement of people of color who were pioneers in the sport of surfing.
The artist and
their gallery have
been
unresponsive and
there is no
identified budget
for this project.
2 Request of Mayor Davis and Councilmembers Zwick and Brock that the City Council direct the City Manager and City Attorney to study and draft an ordinance that would guarantee healthcare workers a minimum wage in Santa Monica.
Preempted by
recent changes
to state law
3 Request of Mayor Brock and Vice Mayor Negrete that the City Manager, City Attorney, and City Clerk develop and return to City Council with recommendations to establish a Youth Commission (or Council) based on best practices. The City currently engages youth at PAL (Youth Leadership Council), Virginia Avenue Park (Teen Leadership Council), and the Library (Teen Leadership Council) and a Youth Commission (or Council) would represent an opportunity to expand opportunities for youth to be involved in city government.
In addition to evaluating a Youth Commission (or Council), the City Manager and City Attorney are also encouraged to explore other opportunities such as evaluating the potential to add dedicated seats for youth on existing boards or commissions.
Formation of a
new Youth
Commission /
Council would be
duplicative of
current youth
bodies.
Memo
4 In response to concerns raised by residents regarding privacy and safety, request by Councilmember Parra and Mayor Brock to direct the City Manager and City Attorney to begin the process of amending the Zoning Ordinance to increase heights in the front yard setback in R2, R3, and R4 zone districts, with particular consideration for the appropriateness of 60 inches in height, with 50% transparency for walls and fences above 42 inches in height within the context of crime prevention principles; address measurements that may include retaining walls; and suspend enforcement and pending applications until the ordinance becomes effective in R2, R3, and R4 for those that would comply with that standard. Given the considerable amount of work that has been performed to date on this issue, the City Attorney and City Manager are being asked to return to City Council with a recommendation in 90 days or as soon as possible thereafter. The City Attorney and City Manager are further directed to immediately initiate community engagement on this matter to be included in the recommendation to City Council.
Priority shift.
Please agendize this matter for City Council consideration at our September 9, 2025 meeting.