Editor:
I urge you all to please call, text & email City Council today, and make very clear all the City services and programs you want The City of Santa Monica to keep. You very likely will lose these places and services if you do not make your voices heard. This includes services for you and your children and senior citizens.
The Santa Monica Library, for example, has already completely eliminated a large number of its staff which makes up the majority of its employees. Referred to as, "as-needed", or "part time", these are the majority of workers hired by the City because they are paid the least and are not paid benefits and they do not receive pensions. This vital part of the City's work force are no longer employed and are not coming back. The City of Santa Monica is pushing to cut full time employees at the Library and other much needed facilities. The result will be closures of places our community uses and depends on.
Again, the City is making these decisions WITHOUT your input and often before you are aware these changes are permanent. So you immediately calling and emailing both the City Council and City Mayor today is critical. Much of what we cherish and love about Santa Monica may be permanently erased.
City Council has already met twice last week (Saturday to announce the replacement of Rick Cole as City Manager, and earlier in the week, Tuesday, to push through draconian cuts to City employees, programs and services).
City Council is conducting closed door meetings and are discussing eliminating such programs as the City programs to at-risk youth, closing most of the City's library branches, eliminating the Annenberg Community Beach House, parks and recreation programs and staff, and other programs and City services deemed "unnecessary" by members of City Council, but without ANY input or support from the residents of Santa Monica.
To be very clear: Members of City Council and the Mayor have no intention of rehiring "furloughed" City employees and are, in fact, building a budget (and making "cuts") for next year, based on "worst case" scenario closures of City departments. Further the City is making these cuts as if these changes and eliminations have the support and approval of the majority of Santa Monica residents, which they do NOT have. Once gone, these City services will likely never return.
Again, most City residents and the Public in general are completely unaware of these drastic cuts, layoffs, and eliminated programs and services, and are completely unaware that these choices are even taking place. So, again, NOW is the time for you to speak up or lose what you have paid for with tax dollars for the past many decades here in the City of Santa Monica.
The negative economic impact of Covid-19 is very real, and means Santa Monica residents will have to "do more, with less", but many City services and programs are literally a matter of life and death (not merely "quality of life" issues) for a significant number of City residents. Do not lose what you rely on and have already paid for, speak up today because once you lose them, it will be significantly more expensive and wasteful to try to get them back or rebuild from scratch.
Below are who you should contact. Please be polite but firm when clearly stating which programs and services you want to keep. The few City departments "exempt" from budget and staff cuts or elimination are: Fire, police and the City Attorney. Everything else (except City Council itself) are on the chopping block and are being considered "non essential" and up for staff layoffs and hours permanently reduced or completely eliminated.
Call & email all SM City Council - (goes to all of them as a group):
(310) 458-8201, council@smgov.net
Call & email individual City Council Members:
Mayor Kevin McKeown, (310) 458-8201, kevin.mckeown@smgov.net
Mayor Pro Tempore Terry O'Day, (310) 458-8201, terry.oday@smgov.net
Gleam Davis, (310) 458-8201, gleam.davis@smgov.net
Ana Maria Jara, (310) 458-8201, anamaria.jara@smgov.net
Sue Himmelrich, (310) 458-8201, sue.himmelrich@smgov.net
Greg Morena, (310) 458-8201, greg.morena@smgov.net
Ted Winterer, (310) 458-8201, ted.winterer@smgov.net
Call & email individual City Departments:
City Manager's Office, (310) 458-8301, manager@smgov.net
Community and Cultural Services, 310-458-8310, ccs@smgov.net
Finance, (310) 458-8281, finance.mailbox@smgov.net
Housing and Economic Development, (310) 458-2251
Human Resources, (310) 458-8246, Human.Resources@smgov.net
City Attorney, 310-458-8336, attorney@smgov.net
Mr. Kelly Wine
Santa Monica