1 David Yakobson
From: Karen Melick <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, September 5, 2026 3:07 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Caroline Torosis; Jesse Zwick; Natalya Zernitskaya; Ellis Raskin; Dan Hall; Lana Negrete; Oliver Chi; Heidi von Tongeln; Barry Snell Subject: Item 16G MFUA negotiations should start immediately
EXTERNAL
Mayor Torosis, City Council Members, and City Manager Chi, I support the City beginning immediate negotiations with the School District for a successor agreement to the current Master Facilities Use Agreement (MFUA) that expires next June.
The Santa Monica Recreation and Parks Commission discussed this last April and sent a letter on May 4, 2026, to the Mayor and City Councilmembers, copying the City Manager, urging immediate negotiations for a supplemental addendum to the YY/GS MFUA, which the Council voted to extend for 10 years, to include the agreements from the expiring MFUA. This letter is attached.
There are issues with the current agreement that should be modified, including adding penalties for non-compliance with the terms of the MFUA, which should also be addressed before the agreement is signed.
The agreements for Playground Partnership (Elementary Schools), JAMS, Lincoln Middle School, and CREST programs should be negotiated into the YY/GS Master Facilities Use Agreement at no additional cost to the City.
The City should not end up paying the District for the access provided by the expiring MFUA. That would be wrong to have the residents to replace the funding that provides access to the schools and then turn around and charge the City for the access.
We recommended immediate negotiations because, if the Parcel Tax passes, it removes the primary financial incentive for the District to share its facilities with the City, thereby removing the City’s leverage for negotiations. Both sides should be motivated to resolve this issue before the election to take this issue off the table as a concern when voters vote on Measure ES.
Thank you.
Karen Melick
Vice-Chair of the Santa Monica Recreation and Parks Commission speaking for myself Sunset Park
2 3
4