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# City study explores expanding city-sponsored summer jobs for Santa Monica youths
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/alexis-hawkins-news-smdp-com-taking-aim-a-newly-formed-public-private-effort-will-supply-recycling-bins-to-california-state-beaches-to-collect-plastic/
- Published: 2008-02-15T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T18:30:15.000Z
- Author: Melody Hanatani
- Tags: Business, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*City Hall looks to expand youth jobs*

CITY HALL Santa Monica youths might have more employment opportunities in the city other than the traditional teenage burger flipping and ice cream scooping gigs, according to a new report that suggests city officials look into expanding its inventory of city-sponsored jobs.

The Human Services Division at City Hall recently conducted a study that looked at increasing youth employment opportunities in Santa Monica, analyzing existing city programs that provide jobs for youth between the ages of 14-24 and surveying teenagers on the type of jobs they seek.

“Right now we’re trying to work on a coordinated effort,” Susan Lai, the human services administrator in the grants management section, said. “There’s so much information out there, how would you know about it and do you find out about it?”

The report is in response to a City Council request last summer for staff to provide information on available job opportunities for youth and possible options to expand.

City Hall currently has six programs through various departments, from lifeguards at the Aquatics Center to an internship at the Community Maintenance Department through the Trades Intern Program, which targets “at-risk” youth and helps them learn a skilled trade.

There are an estimated 7,500 14-24 year olds living in Santa Monica, according to 2000 U.S. Census data. The report splits the youth employment population into two demographics — one that would like basic job training to learn essentials like completing an application and writing a resume, and a second classified as being “at-risk,” battling educational and legal barriers to securing employment. The latter group tends to include an older subset — 18-24 year olds — and often exhibit learning issues and have criminal records, according to the study.

More than 400 youths participate in 26 employment programs offered in the city, 225 of which are employed in City Hall programs, from lifeguards to office assistants to police cadets.

The report surveyed more than 70 youths involved in various services at Virginia Avenue Park, the Santa Monica Public Library and Olympic High School, finding that more than half have employment experience, but 66 percent currently are out of a job.

More than 90 percent of the kids surveyed said their parents would allow them to work, but 57 percent said they would not be willing to work for minimum wage.

Of the youths younger than 18 years old, most earned between $8 and $10 an hour.

Included within the report are four options to increasing youth employment, from improving communication and the dissemination of information regarding the various programs, to adding more positions in the Trades Intern Program, to creating an Office Aid Intern Program, which staff estimates would cost between $100,000 and $250,000.

The Office Aid program would start with six intern positions and would target at-risk youth.

Helping at-risk youths focus is one of the goals staff would like to work on as a result of the report, Lai said.

“One of the things we looked at was the options to expand those programs to help that population,” she said.

Alex Aldana, a 22-year-old outreach specialist at the Pico Youth & Family Center (PYFC), said it is important to work at a young age, keeping teenagers out of trouble and preventing them from becoming involved in gangs.

Aldana began working at the PYFC when he was 19 years old, first joining the center as a participant when he was 16.

“For me, it was an alternative, (it allowed) for me to really contribute to the community and be productive,” he said.

There could also be some internship opportunities in the future thanks to the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, which is working with the Regional Occupation Program at Santa Monica High School to help students enrolled in the internship class secure internships in local industry.

The program, which will kick off in a few months, is meant to encourage students to one day come back to Santa Monica to work after graduating from college, according to Samantha O’Neil, director of government affairs for the chamber.

“We’re hoping to create a long-term relationship who have great experience, stay for some employment,” O’Neil said.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 15, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/021508.pdf?ref=smdp.com)