SR-101-003-03-02
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~ City of
Santa Monica'"
City Council Report
Date: March 20, 2007
Agenda Item: 3- B
To:
Mayor and City Council
From:
Kathryn Vernez, Assistant to the City Manager for Community &
Government Relations
Subject:
Study Session on Results from 2007 Santa Monica Resident Survey
Recommended Action
Staff recommends the City Council hold a study session to review the findings from the
2007 Santa Monica Resident Survey.
Executive Summary
The attached report from Goodwin, Simon, Victoria Research provides in-depth
information on resident opinions of key issues facing Santa Monica and opinions about
City service delivery. From January 24 - 29, 2007, a total of 400 interviews with
randomly selected adults living in Santa Monica were completed in Spanish and
English, plus an additional 17 interviews conducted with Latino residents. While general
satisfaction with City service delivery is very high, the findings provide the basis for
additional service improvement, as well as areas for ongoing focus.
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Discussion
BackQround
The City of Santa Monica asked Goodwin Simon Victoria Research to conduct a
telephone survey of Santa Monica residents to assess attitudes about city services and
to identify changes in attitudes compared to similar studies conducted in previous years.
Because a large percentage of survey questions were updated in 2005, most findings
presented in the attached study are compared to the 2005 study. The results presented
in the attached report will guide staff in identifying Community Priorities and developing
workplans for the upcoming fiscal year.
Research Findings in Brief
Positive ratings remain very high for services such as the Library, landscaping, tree
trimming, trash collection, fire and 911 services, and street and alley cleaning. The City
receives less positive ratings for enforcing laws against begging and panhandling,
enforcing laws against overnight camping, keeping traffic flowing smoothly, and
enforcing airport noise limits. A short summary of findings presented in the report
reveal:
Overall satisfaction with City services remains above 80%
Positive ratings for operating efficiency have grown to 46%
While views are still mixed on the City's spending money on the right areas and
problems, positive ratings have risen 15 percentage points to 39%
Homelessness (48%) and traffic increase (32%) are cited as the most important
issues facing Santa Monica (results from open-ended question)
Homelessness (76%) and affordability of housing (69%) are cited as top issues
(results from closed-ended question)
Concern about crime, including gang activity, has increased to 14%
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Residents remain divided on rating the City's performance on addressing
neighborhood concerns (44% positive rating)
Most residents continue to feel safe in Santa Monica and are highly satisfied with
Police response time (93% felt safe walking in neighborhoods during the day, with
68% feeling safe at night)
Nearly half of the City's adult residents contacted City departments for non-
emergency purposes. For those who made contact, staff was rated positively for
being responsive (69%); knowledgeable (71 %); and courteous (80%)
Eighty-one percent of residents are satisfied with the City's communication efforts
Parks receive a high level of use, with 86% of park goers very satisfied with their
experience
. A near majority of respondents attended arts and cultural events in Santa Monica
Residents are highly satisfied (89%) with the appearance of retail stores and
restaurants near their homes.
BudqetlFinancial Impact
There is no financial impact associated with the review of findings in the 2007 Santa
Monica Resident Survey.
Prepared by:
Kathryn Vernez, Assistant to the City Manager for Community & Government Relations
Forwarded to Council:
~-;ez
Assistant to the City Manager for
Community & Government Relations
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