10 Important Santa Monica Moments in 2019
December 19, 2019 3:30 PM
by Rick Cole
Every New Year brings anticipation, but 2020 looms as particularly significant for our nation. This holiday season is a time to reflect back on the progress, challenges and celebrations that defined 2019 here in Santa Monica. We’ve made progress as a community that can give us perspective on the challenges ahead. Here are some of the key moments from the perspective of City Hall.
1. Improvements in homelessness targeted in Downtown |
California’s affordability and housing crisis continues to dramatically us all, with growing numbers of people living on the street throughout Los Angeles County. Santa Monica’s count numbers released in March largely held steady, with a particularly significant decrease of 19% in the Downtown area.
That’s where our Homeless Multidisciplinary Street Outreach team (jointly funded by the County of Los Angeles) focused on the most troubled individuals. A RAND study documented significant reductions in contacts with police and fire, offsetting City spending on the program by up to 43%, not counting savings to taxpayers through reduced visits to emergency rooms.
Read more progress on homelessness at santamonica.gov. You can also get involved at WeAre.SantaMonica.gov.
2. Reducing carbon emissions through Clean Power and the Shared Mobility Pilot Program |
In May, City Council approved the Climate Action & Adaptation Plan to achieve an 80 percent cut in carbon emissions by 2030 and to reach community-wide carbon neutrality by 2050 or sooner. To help get there, the City gave all Santa Monica residents and commercial customers access to 100% renewable energy. Right now, 90 percent of residential and commercial customers have chosen that option, which has reduced carbon emissions by 20 percent.
Transportation is the biggest contributor to carbon emissions. While the City’s Shared Mobility Pilot Program didn’t solve all the problems of this new way of getting around, e-bike and e-scooter users took 2,673,819 trips and nearly half (49 percent) replaced trips that would have otherwise been made by car, either driving alone or ride-hailing using Lyft or Uber.
3. Santa Monica’s crime rates dropped by 16 percent in 2019 |
Santa Monica Police Department Chief Cynthia Renaud made a promise to dedicate her first year in Santa Monica to reducing crime and she has kept her promise!
For the year to date, we are experiencing a 16% decrease in our Part 1 crimes, with reductions in every category including homicide, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, theft and car theft. Additional officers deployed in the field with new tactics to fight crime are focused on continuing this success – but changes in State laws mean ongoing challenges. To read Chief Renaud's update, visit http://ow.ly/rqJY50wNehg.
4. Airbnb victory before Ninth Circuit and subsequent settlement |
The City of Santa Monica and Airbnb, Inc. earlier this month signed a settlement agreement to ensure home-sharing listings on the platform are compliant with the City’s Home-Sharing Ordinance. The agreement requires all listings in Santa Monica to be for home-share properties registered with the City and provides assurances against illegal listings. The terms outlined in the agreement are expected to dramatically reduce illegal home sharing, make enforcement easier, and most important protect housing for residents.
This came after a March decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirming that our ordinance is a lawful housing and rental regulation with the “central and significant goal” of preserving the City’s “housing stock and preserving the quality and nature of residential neighborhoods.”
5. Civic Center Sports Field broke ground |
We broke ground on Santa Monica’s newest sports facility, the Civic Center Multipurpose Sports Field in August. Slated to open in the summer of 2020, the community sports field will serve Santa Monicans of all ages with space to play soccer, rugby, and lacrosse. As we build the field, we are conducting an arts-driven community engagement project to commemorate the history of the site, once the center of Santa Monica’s historic African American community known as the Belmar neighborhood. Learn more about Belmar Art + History.
6. Wellbeing Summit represents the best of Santa Monica |
In November, the City hosted its first Wellbeing Summit to encourage broader resident involvement in making Santa Monica healthier, safer and more engaged. Nearly 900 attendees came out to the interactive event to explore community wellbeing through workshops and activities at Santa Monica College Center for Media and Design.
“It is the sacred duty of government to work towards the happiness—or wellbeing—of its constituents. And while every level of government shoulders this responsibility, it is local government—the level of government that is closest to and best understands it constituents—that has the greatest potential to fulfill the charge given to us by our founding fathers.” – Gleam Davis, Santa Monica City Council Member
Learn more about the Wellbeing Microgrant program or data on your neighborhood’s wellbeing through the Wellbeing Index.
7. Santa Monica celebrates first-ever SaMoPride |
Santa Monica kicked off SaMoPRIDE — our first-ever Pride Month—celebrating the LGBTQIA community, individuality, inclusivity, and love. The City partnered with the Santa Monica Pier, Downtown Santa Monica and Santa Monica Place to share colorful light displays and art installations across town serving as a backdrop for a full calendar of events for everyone. We especially loved Drag Queen Story Time with the Santa Monica Public Library.
To check out our five most memorable moments from #SaMoPride, click here.
8. City Council approved $2 million expansion of program to Aid Seniors |
Two years after the Santa Monica City Council approved the Preserving Our Diversity (POD) pilot in July 2017, Council approved the $2 million expansion of the program in August 2019 to assist an additional 250 to 400 seniors.
The POD program provides financial assistance to very low-income, long-term Santa Monica senior renters to help cover their basic needs. The City started receiving applications for the POD program in November 2019.
9. Laying the groundwork for more affordable housing |
Santa Monica has a long history of commitment to affordable housing. Our City Charter requires at least 30% of new units in multi-family buildings be affordable. Our Downtown Community Plan requires up to 35%.
Last April, the City Council authorized up to 150 units of supportive housing on city-owned land downtown, replacing an aging Parking Structure #3.
Last month, the Southern California Association of Governments released their housing mandate requiring Santa Monica to build 9,000 new housing units over the next six years.
10. Annenberg Community Beach House celebrates 10th anniversary |
The Annenberg Community Beach House celebrated its 10th Anniversary with a series of events. It’s one of the hidden gems of the California coast and if you haven’t been, don’t wait another summer before enjoying the dining, swimming, art and history at William Randolph Hearst’s private getaway. The Annenberg kicked off the fun last summer with “Have a Beach Ball” with close to 200 people who participated in an aerial photo of the Beach House’s iconic beach ball.
Santa Monica is a unique community. We are always looking to improve, which means hard work on the challenges of homelessness, crime, affordable housing and economic opportunity. We’ll do more of what works and less of what doesn’t through data and performance management. But we’ll also have to make hard decisions on budgets as City revenues flatten in the face of a changing economy.
These are polarized times nationally and locally. I hope we can focus on what unites us – the desire to leave our community better than we found it.
Authored By
Rick Cole
City Manager