Santa Monica city leaders rallied behind City Manager Oliver Chi's comprehensive realignment plan last week, with council members pledging to deliver on campaign promises through initiatives targeting public safety, downtown revitalization and fiscal stability.
Mayor Lana Negrete said the plan reflects priorities she has championed since taking office, built from conversations with front-line officers, business owners and community members.
"Public safety has always been my foundation," Negrete said. "It began with addressing the Pier and developing the task force that evolved into DART, our coordinated Downtown and Pier enforcement team. I've spent countless hours with officers on patrol and business owners in their shops, understanding the daily challenges that shaped my goals—and today, those goals are becoming action."
The mayor highlighted her early advocacy for waiving outdoor-dining fees and adjusting wastewater charges to help restaurants recover after COVID-19, proposals initially voted down in May 2024 but later advanced through collaboration with the restaurant community and business improvement district leaders.
"I want to thank our City Manager for collaborating with me and staff to finally find a path forward for those relief efforts," Negrete said.
She also emphasized her role in launching last year's Entertainment Zone and her ongoing work to attract major events downtown, from spontaneous gatherings like the Dodgers pep rally to large-scale activations including the Butterfly Boxing event on the Pier.
"I'm continuing to work with city staff and community partners to attract even more major events and cultural activations," Negrete said. "I've personally helped broker connections between event organizers and city departments, and I'm thrilled to see the entire Council embrace this renewed spirit of creativity and collaboration to move our city forward."
Negrete credited Chi's leadership for bringing stalled initiatives to fruition, noting she invested significant time introducing him to the community before his official start and helping him understand council priorities.
"He has since proven to be a thoughtful, steady, and capable leader—one who is now delivering on many of the initiatives I championed earlier in my tenure that were either voted down or delayed," she said. "It's gratifying to see those ideas finally come to life under his leadership."
Mayor Pro Tempore Caroline Torosis framed the proposal as fulfilling electoral mandates.
"The Renaissance Agenda delivers on the promises we made to the people of Santa Monica to refocus on what matters most and make this city work for everyone again,” she said. “It’s a comprehensive plan to restore a clean and welcoming downtown, strengthen public safety, expand affordable housing, and support the small businesses and cultural spaces that make Santa Monica unique," Torosis said.
Councilmember Dan Hall described the moment as a turning point for the city.
"I believe we stand at a crossroads, the beginning of a new chapter for Santa Monica that looks boldly toward our future,” he said. “As Mayor Pro Tempore Torosis recently said, this is our ‘Renaissance Agenda;’ it’s a moment to restore pride in our city, rebuild our sense of community, and renew our shared commitment to making Santa Monica exceptional once again."
The realignment plan comes as Santa Monica faces mounting challenges. Chi painted a stark picture of the city's trajectory since the pandemic, noting that reserves have plummeted from $435.8 million in 2018 to $158 million today, with only $98 million unobligated. The decline stems largely from $230 million in childhood sexual-abuse settlements, compounded by rising homelessness, public safety concerns and deferred maintenance.
Retail vacancies approach 16% while office vacancies reach 35%. Sales tax revenue dropped 6% and transient occupancy tax fell 10% in fiscal year 2024-25, creating a projected $29.6 million structural deficit by fiscal year 2026-27.
"Once the most vibrant and activated destination on the Westside – anchored by a bustling downtown, a thriving beach economy, and a strong civic identity – the City has spent the years since COVID in a prolonged period of instability," Chi wrote in the plan. "Disorder, homelessness, and economic contraction have weakened public confidence."
The proposal prioritizes public safety through a new Safe Neighborhoods Program concentrating resources downtown, where 36% of crime calls and 50% of homeless-related calls originate. A new Downtown Police Substation at Santa Monica Place will house an expanded 8-10 officer Downtown Services Unit, supplemented by five patrol officers and two homeless outreach officers daily. Eight new Public Safety Officers will patrol high-impact areas including the Promenade and parks.
With 43 officers eligible for retirement, the city will overhire 10 officers to maintain staffing during the 12-18 month training period. The plan also calls for partnering with Metro to address impacts from end-of-line train services, relocating the SamoShel homeless shelter from downtown, and investing in the City Attorney's Criminal Unit to handle approximately 90% of fileable cases.
Physical improvements include a $3.5 million downtown revitalization targeting streets, sidewalks and public spaces, with most work completed by early 2026. The program includes comprehensive tree pruning, planting 37 new trees, refreshing 403 tree wells, repairing 20,000 square feet of sidewalks, and replacing 125 trash cans.
Economic development strategies focus on large-format public activations, including monthly music and festival events on the Promenade and developing a major Santa Monica Music Festival in 2026. The plan calls for exploring expansion of the Downtown Entertainment Zone and allowing similar activations for other business improvement districts and at the Pier.
Permitting reforms include deploying new Clariti software within 180 days, piloting artificial intelligence for rapid plan reviews, waiving $1,400-per-seat wastewater capacity fees for restaurants, and reducing outdoor dining license fees to $1-2 per square foot.
Branch libraries would reopen for three-day-per-week service starting January 2026, expanding to four days in July 2026.
Housing initiatives include new vacant property and rent registry ordinances tracking approximately 170 vacant properties and 15,000 non-rent-controlled units, with escalating fees for deteriorating properties. The city will prioritize housing development downtown while studying policies to ensure boulevard development remains compatible with residential neighborhoods.
The plan restores staffing across departments, including expanding the Homeless Support Team to seven days, adding groundskeeping for parks and pier maintenance, and deploying the ambulance program in February 2026. The ambulance service requires a $2.8 million annual investment but would generate approximately $7 million in new transport billing revenues.
Revenue strategies include parking adjustments generating $9 million annually, ambulance operations producing $7 million, digital signage concessions adding $4.5 million, and credit card convenience fees contributing $1 million. Staff continues assessing a potential 2026 parcel tax that could generate $12 million annually to backfill the expiring Joint Use Agreement with the school district.
The plan projects modest deficits in fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27 before achieving a $3.4 million surplus by fiscal year 2027-28. Strategic development of four downtown properties could generate $100-200 million to rebuild cash reserves to $200-300 million by 2028.
Council will debate the plan at their meeting Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall, 1685 Main Street.