City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: September 9, 2025
Agenda Item: 11.A
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Heather Averick, Director, Housing and Human Services Department Subject: Approval of Santa Monica Aging and Disability Action Plan Recommended Action
Staff recommend that the City Council:
1. Adopt a finding of no possibility of significant effect pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines.
2. Approve and Receive the Santa Monica Aging and Disability Action Plan (Attachment A).
Executive Summary
Santa Monica is experiencing a demographic shift with nearly one in five residents over the age of 65 and many living with disabilities or serving as caregivers. To address these trends and strengthen community livability, the City developed the Santa Monica Aging and Disability Action Plan (“Plan”) - a three-year roadmap to advance equity, accessibility, and inclusion for older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers.
Funded by the California Department of Aging (CDA) Local Aging & Disability Action Planning (LADAP) Grant Program (Attachment B), the Plan was shaped by extensive community input and guided by a 16-seat Advisory Committee that endorsed the Plan’s findings and strategic goals. Needs assessment findings highlight priorities such as affordable housing, accessible transportation and public spaces, clear multilingual communication, and emergency preparedness, many of which are already underway.
The Plan establishes actionable goals aligned with City priorities and calls for a crossdepartmental collaboration, with Housing and Human Services Department (HHS) 2 of 6
leading implementation. The Plan’s goals were vetted with relevant City departments to ensure they are high impact, achievable, and can be implemented with strategic use of existing resources or by seeking targeted internal or external budget enhancements.
Staff will return to Council when specific budget actions are required for further implementation of the Plan.
Background
The demographics of Santa Monica are changing as the population of older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers continues to grow. According to the 2023 American Community Survey, nearly 20% of residents are age 65 or older, and more than one-third (36%) are age 55 or older. Disabilities affect residents across their lifespan, with prevalence increasing with age—rising to 42% among adults ages 75+.
Caregivers play a critical role in supporting these populations and an estimated one in four adults provides care for a loved one. These local trends reflect statewide changes:
by 2030, one in four Californians will be an older adult and the 60+ population is projected to diversify and grow more rapidly than any other age group, underscoring the need for cities to plan for a more inclusive, age- and disability-friendly future.
Santa Monica has a long history of investing in an inclusive community with accessible public spaces, mobility options, and services that support residents of all ages and abilities (Attachment C). This Plan builds on that foundation to guide the City’s next steps to advance as an age- and disability-friendly community.
Past Council Actions
The following past council actions relate to this item:
Meeting Date Description
02/27/2024
(Attachment D)
City Council authorized acceptance of California Department of Aging Local Aging and Disability Planning grant funds as part of the 2023-24 Mid-Year Budget Update
04/23/2024
(Attachment E)
City Council awarded a Contract for Aging and Disability Strategic Planning Consulting Services to Elizabeth
Anderson Consulting
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Discussion
This Plan sets out achievable goals to accomplish in the next three years and reflects the needs and recommendations of the community, based on a focus-group of community members who helped shape every stage of Plan development.
Overview of Process
Project Launch: In November 2023, Santa Monica secured a grant from CDA to develop the Plan. In early summer 2024, the City: (1) awarded a contract to Elizabeth Anderson Consulting (EAC) to facilitate the planning process; (2) formally partnered with the Disability Community Resource Center and WISE & Healthy Aging to support the project; and (3) joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities (Attachment F), as required by CDA.
Advisory Committee Formation: In summer 2024, the City conducted a robust outreach campaign to recruit applicants to the Advisory Committee (“Committee”), which resulted in 31 applications from community members. In October 2024, a review panel selected 16 Committee members for their lived experience, professional expertise, and intersectional perspectives. The review panel included representatives from the Human Services Commission, Disabilities Commission, Equity and Inclusion Team, HHS, and EAC.
Plan Advisory Committee – 16 Seats
Community Members (8) Appointed Members (8)
- Aging Expertise (2)
- Disabilities Expertise (2)
- Caregiver Expertise (1)
- Regional Programs (1)
- General Expertise (2)
- Human Services Commission (1)
- Disabilities Commission (1)
- WISE & Healthy Aging (1)
- Disability Community Resource Center (1)
City staff (4): Department of Transportation, Housing
& Human Services Department, Recreation & Arts
Department, and Fire Department
Designing and Conducting the Community Needs Assessment: The Committee designed the needs assessment using a combination of publicly available data 4 of 6
(Attachment G), lived expertise, and the World Health Organization’s Domains of Livability (Attachment H) framework, which represents the essential elements of a livable community. Assessment tools and activities were developed in collaboration with the Committee including a survey (Attachment I), focus groups, and a community open house.
From February 17 to April 1, 2025, the City promoted the needs assessment through press releases, social media, paid ads, e-blasts, multilingual flyers, and a project webpage. Information was offered in English, Spanish, Farsi, and Russian. Outreach was amplified by City departments, Commissions, nonprofit partners, regional agencies, and stakeholders identified by the Committee to ensure diverse voices were engaged.
Nearly 70% of survey respondents positively rated Santa Monica as an age- and disability-friendly city. However, community feedback also revealed a strong sense of vulnerability across the Domains of Livability, with the most pressing being housing stability, mobility, and access to information and support services. See the Plan (Attachment A) for needs assessment findings.
Developing Plan Goals: The Committee reviewed the assessment results to develop the Plan goals which were then vetted with relevant City departments to ensure they were realistic, high-impact, and achievable within the three-year implementation period. In June 2025, the Committee unanimously endorsed the Plan. The goals are organized in five themes of community livability informed by overlapping community needs, the Domains of Livability framework, and the intersectionality of the city and community programs:
1. Mobility, Access, & Inclusive Public Spaces: Improve streets, public spaces, and transit to support safe, accessible mobility for older adults and people with disabilities, day and night.
2. Connected & Resilient Community: Strengthen community by expanding social connections, volunteerism, and support systems.
3. Coordinated Communication & Outreach: Provide timely, clear, and multilingual information through both digital and traditional channels.
4. Housing Stability & Affordability: Expand affordable housing and improve 5 of 6
access to resources that help residents of all ages and abilities to remain stably housed.
5. Inclusive Emergency Preparedness: Boost community resilience through preparedness education, neighborhood support, and inclusive emergency services.
Implementation
Following receipt by City Council, a three-year implementation will begin in early 2026.
HHS will convene a collaborative of City departments, community organizations, and stakeholders with lived experience to coordinate efforts, align with other City initiatives, and monitor progress. The implementation collaborative will set annual workflows, identify budgetary needs and funding strategies, set performance measures, and provide regular updates to the public through the City website, social media, commission meetings, and Council reports. HHS will work with the City Manager’s Office to ensure Plan implementation responds to shifting federal policies that affect vital programs for older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers. At the end of the three years, the City will evaluate outcomes and submit a progress report to AARP as part of its membership in the Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities (Attachment J).
Environmental Review
The receiving of the Plan is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines. This is covered by the common-sense exemption which states that CEQA does not apply, “where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment.” The plan is administrative and programmatic in nature and provides the City with a framework for establishing an aging and disability strategic plan. Therefore, it can be seen with certainty that the plan would not result in adverse physical impacts on the environment, and as such, is exempt from CEQA.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
There is no immediate financial impact or budget action necessary as a result of the 6 of 6
recommended actions. Staff will return to Council if specific budget actions are required during the three-year implementation period.
Relevant City departments thoroughly discussed the resources needed to accomplish each goal and believe they are achievable within the three-year implementation period by strategically directing staff time and allocating existing resources, incorporating needs into planned budget requests, and actively monitoring for external funding sources to bring new resources to the community.
Prepared By: Alana Riemermann, Senior Human Services Analyst Approved Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Attachment A: Santa Monica Aging and Disability Action Plan B. Attachment B: California Department of Aging Local Aging & Disability Action Planning (LADAP) Grant Program (Web Link)
C. Attachment C: Community Assets by Domain of Livability D. Attachment D: City Council authorized acceptance of Local Aging and Disability Planning grant funds as part of the 2023-24 Mid-Year Budget Update (Web Link) E. Attachment E: Award a Contract for Aging and Disability Strategic Planning Consulting Services to Elizabeth Anderson Consulting
F. Attachment F: City Membership in AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities - Mayor’s Letter of Commitment
G. Attachment G: Community Demographics Summary
H. Attachment H: World Health Organization’s Domains of Livability (Web Link) I. Attachment I: Santa Monica Aging and Disability Action Plan Community Survey J. Attachment J: AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities (Web Link)
K. Written Comments
L. PowerPoint Presentation