SR 04-13-2021 8A
City Council Report
City Council Meeting: April 13, 2021
Agenda Item: 8.A
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: Gigi Decavalles-Hughes, Director, Finance Department
Subject: American Rescue Plan Allocation Recommendations, Rent Relief Programs,
and Proposed Community Funding Project Submissions
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Review, discuss, and provide direction on the allocation of American Rescue
Plan Act funding, the Rent Relief Program and the Proposed Community Funding
Project Submissions; and
2. Authorize budget and staffing changes as outlined in the Financial Impacts &
Budget Actions section of this report.
Executive Summary
On March 11, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden signed into law the American Rescue
Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021, a $1.9 trillion federal aid package designed to help the
American people and American economy recover from the prolonged impacts felt from
COVID-19. The bill includes $350 billion in direct financial relief for all state, local, tribal,
and territorial governments, $29.3 million of which has been allocated to the City of
Santa Monica. In addition, ARPA extends federal supplemental unemployment
benefits, increases funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, provides funds for
housing stabilization and to address homelessness, and provides funds to help schools
reopen safely and for COVID-19 testing, vaccination and treatment, among a number of
other provisions that assist local businesses and individuals who have been impacted
by the pandemic.
While there are limitations on the use of the direct aid funds allocated to cities, they may
be used to support a city’s operations to the extent that the city lost the equivalent
amount of revenue. With General Fund revenue losses anticipated to total over $224
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million in FY 2019-20, FY 2020-21 and FY 2021-22, the City welcomes these funds as a
way to:
• cover unfunded COVID-related costs and stabilize the Beach and Pier funds;
• address economic recovery, particularly for the City’s small businesses and its
small business tenants;
• transition to in-person programming and expand or renew programs and services
that address community priorities.
Because General Fund revenues will not recover to a level that can absorb new
ongoing expenditures for several years, it will be necessary to pace the allocation of the
$29.3 million the City will receive in direct aid funds over four fiscal years, until the
spending deadline of December 2024. Staff recommends a combination of one-time
and ongoing uses for the funds, as follows:
One Time Allocations
• Per Council’s direction, allocate 20% of the total allocation
towards Equitable and Inclusive Economic Recovery
• Projected revenue losses in the Pier and Beach Funds and
additional COVID-19-related costs in the General Fund
• Transfer Measure GSH funds to Affordable Housing
$18.2 million
On-going Allocations
• Restoration of $3 million to support ongoing programming for
3.5 years in the General Fund between July 2021 and
December 2024 until projected revenues can cover these
costs.
• These funds would be programmed as part of the FY 2021-
2023 biennial budget adoption in June.
$11.1 million
TOTAL $29.3 million
The allocation plan allows the Council to reassess the need for new one-time or
ongoing allocations on an annual basis, as we better understand the availability of
funding and needs.
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This report provides an overview of the proposed funding allocation over four years. It
also provides a set of recommendations to immediately appropriate a portion of the
ARPA funds to immediately respond to each of the three community priorities adopted
by Council on March 13, 2021. These community priorities will be an important
consideration in the allocation of funds to one-time and ongoing uses. The community
priorities are:
• Addressing Homelessness: Prevent housed Santa Monicans from becoming
homeless; address the behavioral health needs of vulnerable individuals;
advocate for regional capacity to address homelessness; and maintain access to
safe, fun, and healthy open spaces.
• Clean and Safe Santa Monica: Create an atmosphere marked by clean and
safe public spaces and neighborhoods.
• Equitable and Inclusive Economic Recovery: Cultivate equitable and inclusive
economic opportunity and recovery, including access for all community members
to educational, employment, and economic resources and opportunities, and
create a community where differences in life outcomes cannot be predicted by
race, class, gender, disability or other identities.
Included in the fund allocation plan is a dedication of 20%, or $5.8 million, of stimulus
funding towards the Equitable and Inclusive Economic Recovery community priority.
This report presents a proposed set of initial measures, including a three-month rent
abatement program for Beach and Pier tenants and cultural non-profits who are
currently participating in the City’s Rent Deferment Program, as well as expansion of
services to assist recovery for City tenants and other local businesses in FY 2020-21
and FY 2021-22. Included is the addition of three full-time equivalent positions in the
Community Development Department that will help alleviate delays in processing
development permits and responding to permitting inquiries. Council’s authorization of
these positions now, rather than as part of the FY 2021-23 Biennial Budget adoption,
will allow the City to begin recruitment immediately and therefore expedite the service
improvements at a time when businesses will need the assistance.
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Also supporting Pier and Beach businesses are additional immediate investments in
Clean and Safe initiatives. Staff will return with additional recommendations regarding
specific programming of funds as part of the FY 2021-23 Proposed Biennial Budget.
The proposed allocation of ARPA funds also includes immediate seed funds to support
efforts to pursue non-congregate shelter and behavioral health priorities identified by
Council at its March 13, 2021 meeting as part of the Addressing Homelessness
community priority. Additional allocation of funds towards this priority will be considered
as part of the FY 2021-23 Proposed Biennial Budget.
Staff is also proposing to set aside a portion of the ARPA funds as contingency to cover
higher than anticipated revenue losses in the Pier and Beach funds and to pay for
COVID-related requirements newly mandated by federal and State laws. Funds not
required for these needs may be reprogrammed as part of the FY 2021-22 Midyear
Budget process, when FY 2020-21 year-end performance will be accounted for.
In addition to enactment of ARPA, the U.S. Congress, after a decade-long ban, has
reinstated the process of earmarking congressionally directed spending for local
governments and non-profits. Congressman Ted Lieu will have the opportunity to
submit 10 requests from local governments and non-profits across the 33rd
Congressional district and has solicited applications from interested parties by April
16th, 2021. Accordingly, this report recommends submitting the following three
proposals to Congressman Ted Lieu as Community Project Funding requests for
consideration as part of the Federal Fiscal Year FY 2021-22 appropriations process:
Infrastructure Seed Funds for Addressing Homelessness, Phase 1 of the Santa Monica
Airport Transformation and a Street Light Modernization Project.
Background
Local governments across the country have suffered revenue losses in the pandemic,
but cities with strong tourism and hospitality sectors, like Santa Monica, have
experienced the most dramatic budget shortfalls as those sectors of our economy have
been the most severely impacted. The pandemic halted tourism-related air travel as well
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as non-essential business travel and required people to stay largely at home, impacting
a wide range of the City’s revenue streams and accelerating trends away from in-person
retail and toward online shopping. In Santa Monica, this is resulting in a 25%, or $100
million, decrease in FY 2020-21 revenues supporting General Fund programming and
community services as compared to the last fiscal year before the pandemic (FY 2018-
19). This is primarily due to a 44% decrease in Transient Occupancy Tax (hotel / motel
/ short-term rental taxes), Sales Tax, and Parking-Related revenues. These revenues
are not anticipated to recover to pre-pandemic levels until FY 2024-25.
In light of the projected impacts of COVID-19, totaling $224 million in General Fund
revenue losses over three fiscal years ,and the assumed absence of meaningful
stabilization funds from the federal government, the City reduced spending in the last
quarter of FY 2019-20, significantly restructured operations as part of the FY 2020-21
Budget that resulted in expenditure reductions of $192.3 million Citywide and $111.8
million in the General Fund, and accessed $117 million in one-time funds, including
capital project funds that were deferred, reduced or cancelled, economic uncertainty,
contingency and other reserve funds. Council also authorized staff to retain $5.3 million
in FY 2020-21 Measure GSH transaction and use tax revenue in the General Fund that
would have otherwise been transferred to the Special Revenue Fund for affordable
housing uses per a November 2016 voter-approved advisory measure. These
measures enabled the City to maintain essential and emergency operations during the
pandemic while preserving the City’s financial resilience to the greatest extent possible.
The FY 2020-21 Citywide Adopted Budget contained approximately 299 fewer full time
equivalent (FTE) permanent positions and 122 fewer FTE as-needed positions than the
FY 2019-20 Budget. In the General Fund, the reductions reflected a 50% decrease in
capital program funding and a 20% decrease in annual operating expenditures from
what had originally been planned for the year.1
1 Council approved the FY 2020-21 Budget Plan and adopted the FY 2019-20 Budget on June 25, 2019 as part of the
FY 2019-21 Biennial Budget.
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The restructured City operations focused on emergency response, providing
foundational services for cleanliness and safety, economic recovery, and working
towards greater racial equity. The restructuring took into account that some City
programs and services could be safely offered during the pandemic, while others could
not, as well as broader community impacts and needs resulting from the pandemic.
On January 26, 2021, staff presented the Midyear Budget Review and updated five-year
financial forecast to Council. Halfway through the year, the dire projections made in
spring 2020 had been realized. In addition to the severe decline in revenues, the City
received only $1 million for general (non-transit) services from the $2 trillion federal
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, as the Act did not include
any direct stabilization aid to local governments with populations under 500,000,
regardless of public health or economic impacts. As a result of the federal and state
allocation formulas utilized, cities with populations only three to five times our size
received over 20 times as much funding.
Additionally, it was clear that the City would need to access the $20 million Shutdown
Reserve that Council had agreed to set aside in the event of a winter surge and further
revenue reductions caused by an additional two-month shutdown. Staff anticipates that
the protracted closures into late February 2021, as well as the threat of a third surge,
may further slow economic recovery. The January projections highlighted that, to
maintain a positive General Fund balance in FY 2021-22 and also to make available $3
million in ongoing funding to maintain homeless services at current levels and assist in
the transition to in-person services, without federal assistance, it may be necessary to
suspend the transfer of Measure GSH revenues from the General Fund to affordable
housing uses in FY 2021-22.
The January 2021 five-year financial forecast also highlighted the strong likelihood that
the Beach and Pier Funds, suffering from severe revenue losses as a result of lost
parking and lease revenues, would require General Fund support in FY 2020-21 and FY
2021-22. The General Fund has historically provided subsidies to the Pier Fund and
advances to the Beach Fund to assist primarily with capital projects.
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Following the midyear budget review, staff began work on the FY 2021-23 Proposed
Biennial Budget. Staff does not anticipate that the FY 2021-23 Proposed Budget will
reflect any material changes in the revenue forecast. Rather, City revenue streams are
expected to continue to be heavily impacted by diminished hospitality-based tax
revenue, which is anticipated to rebound not immediately but over three years and is not
expected to reach pre-COVID levels until 2024. The FY 2021-23 Proposed Budget
must, therefore, reflect not only continued public health needs and requirements but
also a lagging rebound of the City’s revenue streams while accounting for community
expectations for services as the world transitions out of Safer-at-Home Orders and the
economy reopens. To focus limited resources on the most important areas for the FY
2021-23 Biennial Budget, Council selected three community priorities, Addressing
Homelessness, Clean and Safe Santa Monica, and Equitable and Inclusive Economic
Recovery, at its meeting on March 13, 2021. These same priorities can be used to
guide the allocation of ARPA direct aid funds to one-time and ongoing programs and
services.
On March 23, 2021, staff presented Council with recommendations to address rent
relief for the 60 tenants enrolled in the City’s Rent Deferment Program. As
recommended, Council authorized:
• An extension of the rent repayment deadline for these City tenants to June 30,
2022.
• A 12-month rent freeze to prevent any rent increases for these City tenants in
Fiscal Year 2021-22.
• An extension of emergency order protections to allow these City tenants to
continue to defer 50% of their rent through June 30, 2021 with additional time to
repay deferred rents beginning October 1, 2021.
A total of $5.3 million in rents have been deferred under the Rent Deferment Program.
Of this amount, approximately $2.1 million or 39.6% of total rents deferred are
associated with the 19 Pier and Beach tenants enrolled in the Rent Deferment Program.
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As part of the discussions on March 23, Council requested that staff analyze the
feasibility and financial impacts of abating a portion of deferred rents for the purpose of
helping tenants stabilize and recover. Council also directed staff to explore the feasibility
of developing a program to assist the cultural arts non-profit organizations located at the
Airport and Bergamot Station as well as other initiatives to further the City’s Equitable
and Inclusive Economic Recovery goals.
Discussion
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) includes $1.9 trillion in federal aid that will be
allocated across the economy, focusing on the people, businesses and organizations
that need the most help. Funds will assist families in need with direct payments, tax
credits, and extensions of increased unemployment and Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP) aid. There are also funds for housing stabilization, to
address homelessness, and to help schools reopen safely.
ARPA also offers help for our business community through the Restaurants
Revitalization Fund for small and mid-sized restaurants, as well as another infusion of
funds into the Paycheck Protection Program — this time made more accessible to non-
profits. Funds are provided for additional COVID-19 testing and contact tracing, as well
as for vaccine distribution.
Included in the ARPA is $350 billion in direct aid to every state and local government in
the country. The City of Santa Monica will receive $29.3 million in one-time funding in
direct aid. This one-time funding will be paid in two tranches -- half, or $14.65 million,
on or before May 10, 2021, and the other half one year later. The funds must be spent
by December 2024. While there are some limits on the use of the funds, the terms of
use are much broader than the previous CARES Act funds that were limited to COVID-
response expenditures for a very short spending period. These funds may be used to:
1. Respond to the coronavirus health impacts or economic impacts including
assistance to households, small businesses, nonprofits, and impacted
industries including hospitality, travel, and tourism.
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2. Provide premium pay for essential workers up to $13 an hour with an annual
cap of $25,000.
3. Cover for lost revenue in providing services. The amount of lost revenue is
based on the last full fiscal year before the COVID-19 pandemic, which is FY
2018-19.
4. Make investments in water, sewer or broadband infrastructure.
Funds may not be used to cover lost revenues due to a tax cut or to cover pension
shortfalls.
With projected revenue loss of over $224 million in the General Fund, the City is eligible
to use its $29.3 million allocation to cover for lost revenue that would have been used to
provide services.
ARPA Fund Allocation
Staff is continuing to review actual performance and emerging economic trends to
provide the most updated forecast along with the Proposed FY 2021-23 Biennial Budget
on May 25, 2021. While there may be some small changes to the forecast, staff
continues to project that General Fund revenues will not recover to pre-pandemic
revenue levels until FY 2024-25.
Because ARPA funds can be used until December 2024, the City has flexibility to
allocate the funds to address one-time needs and also to use them to support a small
amount of ongoing programs or services until City revenue streams are able to recover
to absorb the ongoing costs. Any ARPA funds allocated to support ongoing programs
or services must be allocated in sufficient amount to cover the costs through December
31, 2024. To fund $3 million in ongoing services, therefore, requires the use of $11.1
million in ARPA funds over four years. Any additional repurposing of ARPA funds from
one-time uses to ongoing uses would require an additional set-aside of ARPA funds to
carry the program for multiple years. For example, it would require the repurposing of
$5.0 million in ARPA funds to support $1.5 million in expanded or renewed ongoing
services for FY 2022-25 before General Fund revenues recover.
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Consistent with Council direction on March 23, 2021, staff recommends that 20% of
ARPA direct aid funds be dedicated to responding to the needs related to the Equitable
and Inclusive Economic Recovery of our community. Taking into account this direction,
and based on assessment of City needs at this time, staff proposes the following
allocation of ARPA funds:
• $1.14 million in one-time funds ($.818 million in FY 2020-21 and $.323 million in
FY 2021-22) for rent relief for small business tenants of the City and for clean
and safe activities supporting Beach and Pier tenants,
• $4.72 million ($.255 million in one-time funds and the addition of three full-time
equivalent positions for permit process development and review services in FY
2020-21 and $2.57 million in one-time funds and $1.89 million to support faster
permitting processes over four years to be programmed as part of the FY 2021-
23 Proposed Biennial Budget) to support Equitable and Inclusive Economic
Recovery,
• $6.35 million in one-time funds applied to the General Fund to enable the
General Fund to transfer the annual allocation of Measure GSH funds in FY
2021-22 to support affordable housing,
• $250,000 in one-time funds for immediate (FY 2020-21) seed funds to support
efforts to pursue non-congregate shelter and behavioral health priorities identified
by Council at its March 13, 2021, meeting regarding Addressing Homelessness,
• $3 million in ongoing funds ($11.1 million total over four years) allocated to
reopen City facilities and in-person services and address community priorities, to
be presented as part of the Proposed FY 2021-23 Biennial Budget,
• $750,000 in one-time funds for enhanced federal lobbying support, a limited term
park planner, and other uses to be presented in the FY 2021-23 Proposed
Biennial Budget, and
• $5.0 million in one-time funds to support the Beach and Pier Funds due to severe
revenue loss in FY 2020-21 and to cover new federally- and State-mandated
costs in the General Fund.
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If Council approves the staff recommendations above, further decisions regarding
allocations will be made as part of the FY 2021-23 Biennial Budget Process and there
will be additional points in the budget process when Council will be able to assess the
availability of ARPA direct aid funds and redirect them to other uses.
Equitable and Inclusive Economic Recovery
Rent Relief and Additional Support for City Tenants
As noted above, staff recommends the following one-time uses of $1.14 million in ARPA
funds to provide rent relief and additional support for City tenants participating in the
City’s Rent Deferment Program:
• $580,000 for three months of immediate (FY 2020-21) rent abatement to Pier
and Beach tenants in the Rent Deferment Program,
• $323,000 to offset the initial impact of a one-year rent freeze (totaling $74,000, in
FY 2021-22) on the General, Beach and Pier Funds as well as the ongoing
impact of this one-time rent reduction over the following three years,
• $200,000 in immediate (FY 2020-21) funding for Santa Monica Pier
Ambassadors to assist with safe operations of the Pier during busy periods and
help prevent any further shutdowns of the Pier , and
• $37,700 in immediate (FY 2020-21) funding for Clean and Safe Summer
Initiatives to enhance clean and safe public amenities in support of Pier and
Beach tenants, including additional seasonal sweeping and trash collection,
added bathroom cleaning/disinfection and power washing in highly travelled
areas.
In addition to ARPA funds, staff is proposing to provide additional one-time support to
be funded by the City’s enterprise funds as follows:
• $54,000 for an immediate (FY 2020-21) one-time, 3-month Cultural Non-Profit Art
Rent Abatement Program:
o $13,000 for Bergamot’s cultural non-profit arts tenants to be funded by the
Big Blue Bus Fund (to be passed through to the Bergamot Station cultural
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non-profit art subtenants) and $13,000 provided by the Worthe Team
(landlords)
o $28,000 for Santa Monica Airport’s Non-Profit direct City tenants to be
funded by the Airport Fund
• $53,357 for a 12-month Rent Freeze Program in FY 2021-22 for City tenants
participating in the City’s Rent Deferment program:
o $18,357 Bergamot Station Arts Center to be funded by the Big Blue Bus
Fund (to be passed through to the Bergamot Station subtenants)
o $35,000 for Airport Tenants to be funded by the Airport Fund
Tenants in the Rent Deferment Program who meet the following criteria would be
eligible for a one-time three-month rent abatement:
• Tenant was required to close, resulting in the inability to access and utilize
leased or licensed premises to conduct sales and services to generate revenues,
or Tenant is a cultural arts non-profit and/or a medical services non-profit,
• Documentation demonstrating denial for business interruption insurance
coverage,
• Certification of revenue losses exceeding 25% of prior year revenues from 2019,
• Registration with the Small Business Development Center for free business
support assistance in applying for Federal, State and County COVID relief funds.
While tenants who have been successful in obtaining Federal, State and County COVID
relief grants and loans are eligible for rent abatement, they would need to provide
evidence of funds received and make good faith efforts to utilize proceeds to repay
deferred rents.
Other immediate support measures for City tenants that do not have City budget
implications include:
• Provision of free 1:1 business support, through a partnership with the El Camino
College SBDC and the Pepperdine Disaster Clinic, to help City tenants apply and
secure Federal, State and County COVID business relief funds and grants
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• Rent Deferment Program extension authorized by Council on March 23, 2021
Additional Funding for an Equitable and Inclusive Economic Recovery
Consistent with Council direction, staff proposes allocating an additional $4.72 million of
ARPA funds for recovery programs to preserve our local small businesses and promote
an equitable and inclusive economic recovery, as follows:
• $200,000 in immediate one-time funds to provide additional support for small
businesses through the SAMO Small Business Recovery Grants program in
partnership with the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce
• $20,000 for Buy Local Santa Monica Community Events grants to assist the
City’s business improvement district partners with the cost of producing
community events once LA County Department of Public Health regulations allow
• $35,000 for as-needed assistance to assist business owners with implementation
of COVID Rent Relief Program
• $2.57 million to be programmed as part of the FY 2021-23 Proposed Biennial
Budget, to assist with small business and non-profit economic recovery in those
fiscal years through one-time initiatives including but not limited to:
o additional rent relief for City tenants in the Rent Deferment Program if
needed following further information about availability of and
distribution of Federal, State, and County funds,
o a one-year discount on selected fees for severely impacted
businesses,
o grants to non-profits to provide citywide events,
o formation of a Pier business improvement district with the goal of
creating an on-going, sustainable revenue source to provide clean and
safe enhancement services to the SM Pier and to help market and
promote Pier tenants,
o projects to simplify and streamline the City’s leasing, permitting, and
events processes.
• $1.89 million in total costs over four years to restore some of the positions
lost within City permitting and development processing staff in order to
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address service delays for residents and small businesses. The positions are
being requested prior to the FY 2021-23 Biennial Budget adoption in order to
begin recruitment immediately and therefore expedite the service
improvements at a time when businesses will need the assistance. Staff is
recommending the addition of the following positions:
o 1.0 FTE Senior Plan Check Engineer (Building & Safety Division)
o 1.0 FTE Permit Specialist (Building & Safety Division)
o 1.0 FTE Assistant Planner (Planning Division)
In total, this would account for $5.86 million or 20% of the City’s ARPA direct aid funds.
Addressing Homelessness and Measure GSH Funds
At its March 13, 2021 meeting, the City Council identified Addressing Homelessness as
a top community priority. Council’s action followed their vote on February 23, 2021 to
support additional strategies related to addressing homelessness, including an ongoing
commitment of $1.9 million in General Fund funding to continue the multidisciplinary
outreach teams and the Ambassador Program at Reed Park. An additional strategy
discussed was an alternative, non-congregate shelter and a behavioral health triage
center. Staff recommends allocating $250,000 of one-time ARPA direct aid funds for
immediate (FY 2020-21) seed funds to support efforts to pursue non-congregate shelter
and behavioral health priorities identified by Council at its March 13, 2021 meeting.
Funds would be used for pre-development activities such as feasibility evaluation,
assessment of operational and regulatory requirements, cost estimates, and preliminary
design evaluation associated with rehabilitating and preparing an existing site. If
directed by Council to advance a plan based on the initial pre-development work,
additional funds would be needed for community engagement, full feasibility
assessment, capital improvements and on-going operational costs.
Staff further recommends allocating $6.35 million in one-time ARPA funds to enable the
General Fund to transfer one quarter of the FY 2021-22 Measure GSH transaction and
use tax revenue to Affordable Housing to follow the voters’ wishes per a November
2016 advisory measure.
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ARPA Funds for Limited Service Enhancements
The FY 2020-21 restructured budget eliminated 20% of the General Fund operating
budget, including many programs and services that were suspended or reduced during
the Safer at Home orders. As economic and civic life reopen, staff is carefully reviewing
areas where expansion in City services is needed to accommodate community needs
and safety. Council also articulated community priorities on March 13, 2021, which staff
seeks to support to the greatest extent possible within the constrained City budget.
Staff recommends allocating $3 million in ARPA direct aid to support ongoing programs
and services as part of the FY 2021-23 Proposed Biennial Budget, with commensurate
allocations (for a total of $11.1 million over four years) as needed through 2024-25
when the City’s revenues are expected to recover sufficiently to absorb these costs.
Staff will return with recommendations regarding limited programs and services that can
be initiated or renewed with this $3 million in funding (which represents an increase of
less than 1% of the City’s total General Fund budget), with a focus on reopening of City
facilities and the Council’s articulated priorities. Examples of ongoing expenditures
likely to be recommended in the FY 2021-23 Proposed Biennial Budget include limited
enhancements to Code Enforcement, Homelessness, Library, and Parking Operations
Revenue Administration and Compliance services, as well as a proposed language
justice program, permitting for Historic Belmar Park use, and a required increase in tree
maintenance expenditures to account for prevailing wage requirements.
Staff further anticipates recommending as part of the FY 2021-23 Proposed Biennial
Budget the programming $750,000 in ARPA funds for needed one-time projects such
as:
• Increasing on a limited basis, the City’s contract with The Ferguson Group, the
City’s federal lobbyists, in order to strengthen the City’s representation in seeking
federal funds,
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• A limited term Sr. Park Planner position to manage the update of the Parks &
Recreation Master Plan and continue work, as funds become available, on the
Memorial Park Expansion and the Airport to Park Conversion projects, if the
position is not funded through the Community Project Funding process (see
below),
• A Fire Academy for new firefighter recruits to fill pending vacancies in the Fire
Department, and
• Cybersecurity infrastructure enhancements to safeguard City operations and
assets.
ARPA Funds for Fiscal Health
Staff also currently anticipates that $5.0 million in one-time ARPA funding may be
needed to cover unbudgeted costs in the General Fund during FY 2020-21 that were
necessary to provide services during the pandemic and to support Beach and Pier Fund
operations. New COVID-related California Occupational Health and Safety
Administration (CalOSHA) regulations and State and federal laws have resulted in
higher than anticipated costs for paid sick leave to maintain staff coverage during
significant COVID quarantine-related absences. These costs are not eligible for
reimbursement. New federal laws also are requiring the City to provide health
insurance to staff that was terminated in 2020. Additionally, Federal Emergency
Management Act (FEMA) guidance excludes from reimbursement costs for services
and supplies (including, for example, certain personal protective equipment for staff and
installation of barriers in areas of public contact) needed not for responding directly to
the emergency but rather to continue operations during the emergency. Staff is also
anticipating that the Beach and Pier Fund will require additional assistance from the
General Fund to cover higher than anticipated revenue shortfalls due to the prolonged
closures of restaurant, concession and parking areas, the latter most notably at the Pier.
As part of the FY 2021-22 Midyear Report in January 2022, staff will report on whether
any funds remain unspent from this $5.0 million set aside to accommodate the needs of
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the General, Beach and Pier Funds. Any unspent funds will be eligible to be
reprogrammed at that time.
Community Funding Projects
Formerly known as “earmarks,” the renewed process now known as Community Project
Funding (CPF) is a unique opportunity for lawmakers to strengthen post-pandemic
recovery in their districts, as they are able to see firsthand the local impacts the
pandemic has had. Each Member of Congress may submit up to 10 proposals from
local governments and non-profits in their districts. The proposals must be for FY 2021-
22 only and cannot include multi-year funding. The funding will need to be spent one to
two years from the enactment of the bill, so any project needs to be shovel-ready,
however planning projects may also be requested. Additionally, there must be
demonstrated community support for the projects, as well as justification that the project
is an appropriate expenditure of public funds.
Staff solicited proposals from departments and received six total requests which are
included as Attachment A. Staff recommends that the Council approve the submittal of
the following three proposals to Congressman Ted Lieu for consideration during the
federal appropriations process:
1) Santa Monica Airport Park Expansion Initiative: The Santa Monica Airport is
scheduled to cease operations on December 31, 2028. The City’s vision, affirmed
by voters in 2014, is to transform the 227-acre property into expansive public open
spaces. Phase 1 of the project includes construction of Airport Park Expansion to
provide additional sports fields, active recreation, community gardens, passive open
space, and play areas for the Santa Monica and adjacent West Los Angeles
communities. Community Project Funding would be requested in an amount up to
$6.3 million and would be used for a limited term Sr. Park Planner Position and
construction of the west sports field and relocation of Donald Douglas Loop South.
The City will pursue matching funds from local Park Impact Fees, CIP savings,
stimulus funding, and Airport Funds (for Donald Douglas Loop South relocation).
8.A
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2) Infrastructure Seed Funds for Addressing Homelessness: To create new
options to assess and house people in crisis, the City will undertake an initial
feasibility analysis of City-owned properties and underutilized spaces that could site
either a non-congregate shelter, a behavioral health triage center, or both.
Community Project funding would be sought in an amount of $1.5 million for design
and implementation of this infrastructure, to be paired with a City match of $250,000
in ARPA funds proposed above. The combined funding would be used for pre-
development activities such as feasibility evaluation, assessment of operational and
regulatory requirements, cost estimates and preliminary design evaluation
associated with rehabilitating and preparing an existing site.
3) Street Light Modernization Project: The Street Lighting Modernization Project will
convert series circuits to multiple circuits and install fixtures which are safer, more
reliable, less costly to maintain, and utilize energy‐efficient LED technology. The
new LED lights provide energy savings over time to taxpayers, with an estimated
energy cost savings of 40-70% throughout the fixture’s useful life. This project will
convert 1670 high‐voltage High Pressure Sodium streetlight fixtures and 26,500 LF
of series circuits to modern energy efficient LED fixtures and 120V multiple circuits.
This project will provide safer streets for Santa Monica residents and visitors as well
as benefiting the adjacent Main Street business district. The new streetlights will
also provide enhanced safety for pedestrians and bike riders who travel on City
streets. Further, the current lighting system is on a high voltage series system that
is highly unreliable and Southern California Edison’s new infrastructure will not
support the older high voltage series system when SCE phases out their
transformers over the next few years. If the current lighting system is not upgraded
with the energy efficient LED lighting and multiple circuits before the SCE upgrade
then this area would not have functioning streetlights, hence the urgency of this
project. Community Project Funding of up to $2,950,000 will be sought for
construction and oversight of the project. Proposed matching fund would be Local
Return Funds.
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Council may choose to recommend one of the alternative proposals should they
choose. However, staff will continue to work with our federal lobbying team to seek
additional grant funding or federal resources should they become available for those
remaining three proposals.
Financial Impacts
The City will receive $14.65 million of the $29.3 million in FY 2020-21 and $14.65 million
in FY 2021-22. Staff’s recommendations require the Council to appropriate $6,322,700
million in FY 2020-21, while funds to be spent in FY 2021-22 will be appropriated as
part of the FY 2021-23 Proposed Biennial Budget and in future years. The $5 million in
contingency funds for the Beach and Pier funds and for General Fund COVID-19
expenditures will be budgeted in a non-departmental account pending the completion of
FY 2020-21; any funds that remain unspent at year end will be available for re-
appropriation as part of the FY 2021-22 Midyear Budget Review in January 2022. Any
funds received this year and next year but not appropriated within the year will be set
aside as separate assignments in the General Fund fund balance for ARPA - Economic
Recovery (in keeping with Council’s direction to dedicate funds to this priority) and
ARPA- General until they are appropriated.
Staff seeks authority to make the budget changes noted in the table below. While the
first two sections are necessary technical changes, the “Appropriate Budget” section
details the programmatic uses of the funds.
FY 2020-21 Budget Changes
Establish Revenue Budget
Amount Account Description
14,650,095 20800004.405780 Receive funds in the Misc. Grants Fund
14,650,095 Total
Transfers between Funds
Amount Account Description Notes
14,650,095 20800002.691990 Transfer ARPA funds from Misc. Grants Fund to General Fund (GF)
(14,650,095) 01800002.691990 Receive ARPA funds in GF
817,700 01800002.692000 Transfer GF funds to Pier and Beach Fund
(79,000) 11800001.692000 Receive funds in Beach Fund for rent abatement a
(501,000) 53800001.692000 Receive funds in Pier Fund for rent abatement b
8.A
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(237,700) 53800001.692000 Receive funds in Pier Fund for Pier Ambassadors & Clean and Safe c
- Total
Appropriate Budget
Amount Account Description Notes
5,000,000 01800004.552300 Contingency funds to ensure fiscal health of GF, Beach and Pier Funds
250,000 01400009.552010.99067 Feasibility study for noncongregate/behavioral health triage
200,000 01800004.553170.99066 SAMO Small Business Recovery Grants program
35,000 01700015.511500.99065 Assist business owners with implementation of rent relief outreach
20,000 01700015.525260.99068 Buy Local Santa Monica Community Events grants
79,000 Various Rent abatement Beach Fund a
501,000 Various Rent abatement Pier Fund b
200,000 53700002.550160.99064 Pier Ambassadors c
26,700 53500001.550010.99064 Clean and Safe Summer Initiatives in Pier Maintenance c
11,000 53500001.529130.99064 Clean and Safe Summer Initiatives in Pier Maintenance c
6,322,700 Total
Set Aside GF Reserve
Amount Account Description
1,856,000 01.380274 ARPA - Economic Recovery remaining funds set aside for programming in FY 2021-
23 Biennial Budget
6,471,395 01.380273 ARPA - General Services remaining funds set aside for programming in FY 2021-23
Biennial Budget
8,327,395 Total
Staff seeks authority to make the staffing changes noted in the table below.
Staffing Changes
Fund Add Department Position Title
GF 1.0 Community Development Assistant Planner
GF 1.0 Community Development Building & Safety Permit
Specialist I/II
GF 1.0 Community Development Sr. Plan Check Engineer
3.0 Total
Prepared By: Gigi Decavalles-Hughes, Director
Approved
Forwarded to Council
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Attachments:
A. Attachment A - Community Project Funding Proposals FY 2022
B. Written Comments
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Recommend Proposal #1: Santa Monica Airport Initiative
• Account: HUD- Economic Development Initiative
• Project Description: The Santa Monica Airport is scheduled to cease operations on
December 31, 2028. This is a once in a generation opportunity to transform the Santa
Monica Airport lands in the heart of West Los Angeles for new parks and recreation
opportunities, improved transportation infrastructure, and new housing opportunities
within a sustainability framework for the benefit of the Santa Monica community and
the LA region. The City’s vision is to transform the 227-acre property into expansive
public open spaces. In November of 2014, residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of
Measure LC, which requires a public vote to reuse airport land for anything other than
public open space.
Santa Monica Airport2Park was founded to support and promote the creation of a great
park on airport lands. This non-profit organization is supported by the Sierra Club and
numerous Santa Monica and Los Angeles neighborhood associations including Friends of
Sunset Park, Mar Vista Community Council, North Westdale Neighborhood Association,
Venice Neighborhood Council, Palms Neighborhood Council, Friends of Palisades Park,
and Westside Neighborhood Council.
The Santa Monica Airport Transformation program is phased as follows:
Phase 1: Construction of Airport Park Expansion to provide additional sports fields,
active recreation, community gardens, passive open space, and play areas for the Santa
Monica and West Los Angeles communities
Phase 2: Establishing a framework for the transformation of the former airport lands
including land use, economic feasibility, funding options, and long-term stewardship.
This framework would be informed by extensive community process and will be the
foundation for the following phases of design and construction of the airport
conversion.
Phase 3: Design/Development of airport transformation
Phase 4: Construction of airport transformation
The project for consideration under this Community Project Funding request is
Phase 1: Construction of Airport Park Expansion (west sports field and relocation of
Donald Douglas Loop South)
• Budget: $6,300,000. The Airport Park Expansion Project has been designed and is ready
for construction. Community Project Funding will be used for construction of the west
sports field, relocation of Donald Douglas Loop South and restoration of a Senior Park
Planner position.
8.A.a
Packet Pg. 689 Attachment: Attachment A - Community Project Funding Proposals FY 2022 [Revision 1] (4495 : American Rescue Plan Allocation
The City will pursue matching funds from local Park Impact Fees, CIP savings, stimulus
funding, Airport Funds (for Donald Douglas Loop South relocation).
• Explanation of why the project is a good use of taxpayer funds: This project sets in
motion a long-term program to transform the 227-acre former Santa Monica airport
lands into much needed parks, public open space, and public recreational facilities in the
heart of the built-out Westside community. Investing into this program benefits
residents in the cities of Los Angeles and Santa Monica, as well as the millions of annual
visitors.
8.A.a
Packet Pg. 690 Attachment: Attachment A - Community Project Funding Proposals FY 2022 [Revision 1] (4495 : American Rescue Plan Allocation
Recommended Proposal #2: Infrastructure Seed Funds for Addressing
Homelessness
• Project Name: Infrastructure Seed Funds for Addressing Homelessness Community
Priority
• Project Description: Santa Monica City Council has reaffirmed addressing homelessness
as a top priority for the community. On February 23, 2021, Council directed staff to
pursue additional strategies to address the needs of unsheltered people experiencing
homelessness, including an alternative, non-congregate shelter and a behavioral health
triage center, to complement the existing continuum of services available in Santa
Monica. After selecting one or two appropriate sites, Community Program funding
from the 33rd Congressional District would be used for pre-development activities such
as feasibility evaluation, assessment of operational and regulatory requirements, cost
estimates, preliminary design evaluation associated with rehabilitating and prepare an
existing site, and to gather community input. A grant of infrastructure seed funds would
also leverage private and public partnerships for capital and operating costs.
• Budget: $1.5 million to support the design and implementation of new initiatives to
address service gaps for people experiencing homelessness. In addition to over $3
million in annual General Funds for multi-disciplinary street teams, interim housing and
homelessness prevention, the City is committing $400,000 in a partnership with the LA
County Department of Mental Health to implement a 24/7 behavioral health crisis
response team, to replace sworn officers in responding to behavioral health related
calls. To create new options to house and assess people in crisis, the City will match
Congressional funds with an additional $250,000 of City funds to support initial
feasibility analysis of City-owned properties and underutilized spaces that could site
either a non-congregate shelter or a behavioral health triage center, or both.
8.A.a
Packet Pg. 691 Attachment: Attachment A - Community Project Funding Proposals FY 2022 [Revision 1] (4495 : American Rescue Plan Allocation
Recommended Proposal #3: Street Light Modernization Project
• Account: DOT-Local Transportation Priorities
• Project Description: The Street Lighting Modernization Project will convert series
circuits to multiple circuits and install fixtures which are safer, more reliable, require less
cost to maintain, and utilize energy‐efficient LED technology. The new LED lights provide
energy saving over time to taxpayers, with an estimated energy cost savings of 40-70%
throughout the fixture’s useful life. This project will convert 1670 high‐voltage High
Pressure Sodium streetlight fixtures and 26,500 LF of series circuits to modern energy
efficient LED fixtures and 120V multiple circuits. Over the past 10 years the City has
converted approximately 70% of the existing older series circuits to modern 120V
multiple circuits.
• Budget: $2,950,000-Funding will be used for construction of the project. Proposed
matching fund would be Local Return Funds.
• Explanation of why the project is a good use of taxpayer funds: This project will
provide safer streets for Santa Monica residents and visitors as well as benefiting the
adjacent Main Street Business district. The new streetlights will also provide enhanced
safety for pedestrians and bike riders who travel on City streets. The City’s current
streetlight system will be upgraded to allow for better lighting on City streets, plus
ensure that our streetlight system is upgraded from series to multiple circuits so that
streetlights are always functioning and do not have black outs. This project will convert
our streetlights from High Pressure Sodium fixtures to energy efficient Light-Emitting
Diode (LED) streetlights which will provide an energy cost savings to taxpayers of 40-
70% throughout the fixture’s useful life. Further, the current lighting system is on a high
voltage series system that is highly unreliable and Southern California Edison’s new
infrastructure will not support the older high voltage series system when SCE phases out
their transformers over the next few years. If the current lighting system is not
upgraded with the energy efficient LED lighting and multiple circuits before the SCE
upgrade then this area would not have functioning streetlights, hence the urgency of
this project.
8.A.a
Packet Pg. 692 Attachment: Attachment A - Community Project Funding Proposals FY 2022 [Revision 1] (4495 : American Rescue Plan Allocation
Alternative Proposal #1: SMFD Training Center Facility Replacement &
Upgrade
Executive Summary
Santa Monica Fire Department operates a 1.2 acre training facility at the City Yards. As part of
Phase I and II of the City yards Project, SMFD and Architecture Services are planning to build a
permanent training facility, thus replacing (5) temporary trailers and temporary storage tent.
The estimated $6.7 million for this project is cost savings from the Revenue Bond issued for
Station #1. The focus for the funding is specific to the (2) story structure, however, additional
funding is required to remodel, move and update the training props.
Background
The SMFD Training Center is used nearly every day of the year. It serves as the primary regional
training center for West Side LA Area Fire Departments as part of an agreement with the LA
Area Fire Chief’s. This agreement leverages limited funding for consumable items used during
fire related training. Additionally, several City of Santa Monica internal departments utilize the
site, including RRR, SMPD and SM Public Works. As part of the Phase I City Yard Project, the 34-
year-old Training Center Trailers were removed, and the burn building was removed. (5)
Trailers replaced the old center and serves as the current Fire Department Training Center,
housing a classroom, offices, locker facilities and small kitchen. As part of the agreement with
Public Works, a large free-standing tent was installed to house reserve apparatus.
As the project continues to move forward at the City Yards, Sant Monica Public Works
Architecture Services is seeking to roll the Training Center Project under the current contract
with Hathaway Dinwiddle. This will accelerate the project timeline and reduce overall bidding
costs and staff time.
Proposal
The City of Santa Monica brings significant funding to the project as a CIP, however significant
work needs to be performed to create the large training footprint and training props required.
This request is for $3.5 million in funding to complete the Training Center in its entirety. The
scope would include:
• Significant upgrade and remodel of the current Training Tower
• Relocation of utilities and fire hydrants
• Installation of a new drafting pit for pump testing
• Installation of concrete over the entire campus to support heavy apparatus
• Installation of a flammable liquids prop
• Restoration and refurbishment of the live fire burn prop
• Installation of an underground network of drainage conduit for confined space rescue
training
8.A.a
Packet Pg. 693 Attachment: Attachment A - Community Project Funding Proposals FY 2022 [Revision 1] (4495 : American Rescue Plan Allocation
• Installation of a trench rescue prop that can be safely covered when not in use
Summary
This request serves many of our City Department’s well, based on their historic use of the
facility. Additionally, several neighboring Fire Department’s use the facility and will benefit
from the investment. The project is also nearly “shovel ready.” The Facilities Master Plan has
been completed and it includes a conceptional design and cost estimate for construction.
8.A.a
Packet Pg. 694 Attachment: Attachment A - Community Project Funding Proposals FY 2022 [Revision 1] (4495 : American Rescue Plan Allocation
Alternative Proposal #2: Water Reservoir Reliability Improvement Project
• Account: Energy & Water Development: Corps of Engineers – Operation and
Maintenance
• Project Description: The Water Reservoir Reliability Improvement Project will
implement operational and condition upgrades outlined by the Division of Drinking
Water as well as condition assessment performed by the City’s consultant to maintain
reliability and water quality of the four water reservoirs own and operated by the City.
The four water storage reservoirs (Riviera, San Vincente, Mt Olivette, and Arcadia)
provide 40 million gallons in total storage capacity for the City and is a critical
infrastructure that supports the local economy through delivery of high-quality drinking
water. Having these large storage reservoirs provide the City with operational flexibility
to support water demands during the peak of summer tourism where the daily visitors
could double the City’s population. The City’s oldest water reservoir, the Arcadia
Reservoir, has been in operation since 1928 and the three others, San Vincente (1958),
Mt Olivette (1950), Riviera Reservoirs (1952) was placed in service in the 1950s. The
project will upgrade various structural (e.g., seismic upgrades, repairing cracks, and
rebar reinforcement), mechanical (e.g., replacement of aging valves and piping, improve
water quality monitoring, and , and civil (e.g., raising and enlarging access hatches to
protect water quality) elements at each reservoir to enhance reliability and protect
water quality in the reservoirs to ensure continued delivery of high-quality drinking
water to the community.
• Budget:
Site Estimated Total Cost *
Arcadia Reservoir $1,672,000
San Vicente Reservoir $1,903,000
Mt. Olivette Reservoir $1,086,000
Riviera Reservoir $1,083,000
All Reservoirs $5,744,000
Funding will be used for design and construction of the project
Proposed matching funds would be through the City’s Water Enterprise Funds
8.A.a
Packet Pg. 695 Attachment: Attachment A - Community Project Funding Proposals FY 2022 [Revision 1] (4495 : American Rescue Plan Allocation
• Explanation of why the project is a good use of taxpayer funds: Modernizing and
maintaining the reliability of the City of Santa Monica’s water storage reservoirs will
ensure continued delivery of high-quality drinking water to the community. It would
not only provide water quality and supply benefits to the City but also support the local
economy as we recover from the pandemic. Prior to the pandemic and statistics from
2018, over 8.4 million visitors came to Santa Monica, of which over 4.4 million are from
outside of the United States, that generated over $1.9 Billion dollars in the local
economy and supported over 12,600 jobs in Santa Monica.
8.A.a
Packet Pg. 696 Attachment: Attachment A - Community Project Funding Proposals FY 2022 [Revision 1] (4495 : American Rescue Plan Allocation
Alternative Proposal #3: Procurement of Zero-Emission Transit Vehicles
Project: Procurement of 3 battery-electric transit buses to replace 3 Compressed Natural Gas
Vehicles
Dollar Amount: $2,505,846 Federal Request (80%) $626,472 local match (20%) - California’s
SB1 State of Good Repair
Scope: The procurement of 3 battery-electric transit vehicles would replace 3 Compressed
Natural Gas (CNG) buses that have met their 10-year useful life standard. The 3 buses are part
of the City of Santa Monica Big Blue Bus’s (BBB) oldest fleet and were purchased and placed
into service in 2010.
These older CNG buses have experienced frequent mechanical failures, increasing maintenance
costs, and service interruptions. Per Federal Transit Administration (FTA) guidelines, the
vehicles scheduled for replacement have reached their useful life standard. Replacing these
vehicles with battery-electric buses will increase the reliability of BBB’s service, decrease
maintenance costs, and remove the requirement of maintaining the undependable fueling
infrastructure.
BBB continues to maintain a spare ratio of 20% pursuant to FTA standard.
O&M Costs: Requested buses are for the replacement of existing vehicles. The replacement of
old buses at the end of their useful life with new vehicles will reduce typical vehicle breakdown
issues. Less vehicle breakdowns will provide higher quality service to our customers on a daily
basis.
Maintenance costs are budgeted in the Department’s budget. BBB’s maintenance division
works endlessly to ensure the highest level of service reliability through preventative
maintenance (PM) on its fleet. With 100% on-time PM goal, staff achieves 99.74% of PM
services on time.
Community Benefit: The City of Santa Monica has been a leader in using sustainable fuels to
provide community service with sustainable revenue vehicles. In the mid-1990s, the City
Council adopted the Sustainable City Plan to protect natural resources, prevent harm to the
natural environment, enhance human health, and improve the social and economic well-being
of the community for current and future generations. A few years later, BBB adopted its
Alternative Fuel Policy mandating the elimination of diesel buses.
In the years that followed, BBB purchased liquid natural gas (LNG) buses and phased out its
diesel fleet. During the fleet transition, the agency moved to locally sourced biodiesel fuel to
help reduce emissions. In addition, BBB purchased converters to reduce the amount of harmful
tailpipe emissions.
8.A.a
Packet Pg. 697 Attachment: Attachment A - Community Project Funding Proposals FY 2022 [Revision 1] (4495 : American Rescue Plan Allocation
In 2013, the City Council adopted the 15x15 Climate Action Plan, which was a short-term,
action-based plan to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions 15% below 1990 levels.
Implementation of the 15x15 Climate Action Plan was completed at the end of Fiscal Year 2015.
Monitoring and evaluation revealed that the City surpassed its GHG emission reduction target.
Compared to 1990, Santa Monica’s annual emissions are now 20% below baseline.
The City Council also adopted long-range emission reduction targets calling for a 30% reduction
by 2030 and 80% by 2050. The Santa Monica Task Force on the Environment recommended an
additional motion recommending that City Council adopt a carbon neutrality target for Santa
Monica and develop a plan to meet it by 2050 or sooner.
The City presented a Transformative Action Project (TAP) at the COP21 Conference in Paris. The
project submitted was “Big Blue Bus Electrification.” The project highlights Santa Monica’s
commitment to reducing emissions through:
• Our history of transitioning from diesel to bio-diesel to natural as to renewable natural
gas, which is helping to reduce emissions 90% compared to conventional diesel;
• The full transition to 100% electric (approximately 195 buses);
• BBB facility features a 280kW solar system; and
• Some of the electric buses will be powered by solar-generated electricity.
Since the adoption of the Climate Action Plan, the most significant reduction in municipal
emissions came from the transition of the BBB to renewable natural gas in 2015 and
commitment to implement the Near-Zero CNG Cummins Engine. The transition from virgin
natural gas, from fracked sources, to landfill-sourced renewable methane, has helped to reduce
BBB’s transit fleet emissions by over 60%. BBB purchased 27 Near-Zero emissions buses and
placed them in operation. In addition, BBB is implementing a plan for refurbishing 87 more
near zero engines over the next three years.
In April 2018, City Council adopted the City’s Zero Emissions Program supporting BBB’s
recommendation to only purchase battery electric buses for replacement. These buses would
serve communities of disadvantaged and low-income areas of Los Angeles County well as
opportunity zones.
The purchase of zero emission buses is consistent with the Southern California Association of
Government’s Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy and the Los
Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Long-Range Transportation Plan.
8.A.a
Packet Pg. 698 Attachment: Attachment A - Community Project Funding Proposals FY 2022 [Revision 1] (4495 : American Rescue Plan Allocation
BBB provides access and mobility to communities and customers in its service area. With the
bus replacements, BBB can continue to offer affordable and accessible fixed route
transportation at a very affordable fare of $1.25 per single cash fare. BBB also connects with LA
Metro Bus/Rail service, and regional partners for 50 cents per regular transfer. BBB does not
charge premium fares for any Express route including its Rapid 10 Express (freeway) service to
downtown Los Angeles.
The Planning division strives to meet the service needs of our customers. Informed by BBB
service standards, which favor passenger demand over strict adherence to span of service and
headway standards, service is continually reallocated to where passenger demand is highest. To
ensure an inclusive process, in addition to ridership patterns, BBB also conducts community
meetings, on-board surveys, and customer and motor coach operator feedback sessions to
ensure that service is available where most needed by customers. These types of service
changes are conducted three times each year, to enhance access and mobility to the
communities within our service area.
An example of enhancing access to economic opportunity and providing mobility, BBB’s
Planning division made service changes to expand BBB’s Route 14 further south to make a new
rail connection to the soon to be open LA Metro K Line. This new transfer opportunity connects
the legacy Route 14 service area of Playa Vista, Mar Vista, Brentwood, the Veterans
Administration campus and many large job centers and service locations on the Westside of Los
Angeles to three major transit lines, the previously mentioned K Line, and also LA Metro’s C
Line, which will be through routed with the K Line trains, as well as LA Metro’s Route 115.
These three lines serve large swaths of the low income and minority communities of Los
Angeles County. This service change enhances access and mobility with more one seat and two
seat rides, quick express service, as the new portion of route 14 primarily travels by freeway,
and shortened travel times between low income and minority areas, and job centers in the
region.
Providing reliable transit services to reduce single-occupancy auto trips to one of the most
congested urban areas in the world is essential to the region’s economic sustainability and
livability, access to work, schools and medical trips and overall sustainable livability. The BBB
system carries almost 11 million passengers per year to jobs and other destinations, with 85%
of these trips originating or ending outside of the City of Santa Monica.
8.A.a
Packet Pg. 699 Attachment: Attachment A - Community Project Funding Proposals FY 2022 [Revision 1] (4495 : American Rescue Plan Allocation
1
Vernice Hankins
From:Alan Levenson <alan@alanlevenson.com>
Sent:Monday, April 12, 2021 8:52 AM
To:councilmtgitems
Subject:4/13 meeting, item 8A
EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor and Council,
Please take action to move the park planning forward for the the future use of the Santa Monica parkland that was
purchased by residents in 1926 to be used as a great big park.
Please get moving on the conversion of the current airport for a park as intended by residents of Santa Monica who
voted overwhelmingly to support measure LC.
Five years or so have already passed since LC and very little progress has be made to move the park forward.
Please take action on hiring a park planner and approve funds for the purpose of moving the future park forward.
Thank you.
Regards,
Alan
Alan Levenson
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http‐3A__www.alanlevenson.com&d=DwIFAg&c=MAPW6jERgCI‐
QasJk8afF5SdlVhEdJGfy4ukc‐
3xZwo&r=d_3_ypOON66xKDYZ7uKy_ZdcPvhypLoHKnUNBWwfYD0&m=z0Ygw07g_9w7ML0IMlvJLcD2XTNyL7EO_L92oTz
hOOY&s=bLPyvl7‐sOc‐ZX9keWzGAaKhXVsgLLVelZk9G‐yg‐Js&e=
Item 8.A 4/13/21
1 of 51 Item 8.A 4/13/21
8.A.b
Packet Pg. 700 Attachment: Written Comments [Revision 1] (4495 : American Rescue Plan Allocation Recommendations (90 minutes))
1
Vernice Hankins
From:Tricia Crane <1triciacrane@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, April 12, 2021 10:23 AM
To:councilmtgitems; Sue Himmelrich; Oscar de la Torre; Christine Parra; Phil Brock; Kristin McCowan;
Gleam Davis; Councilmember Kevin McKeown
Subject:City Council Agenda Item 8-A, April 13, 2021 - Oppose using Recovery Funds to Hire Staff
EXTERNAL
To: City Council
From: Northeast Neighbors
Re: Agenda Item 8-A, April 13, 2021
Dear Mayor Himmelrich and City Council members,
The Board of Northeast Neighbors opposes the use of Federal Recovery Fund dollars
to hire more staff as is recommended in the Staff Report for 8-A on the Council Agenda
for Tuesday, March 13.
We refer to this language on page 3 of the Staff Report where it is recommended that
Council approve spending Economic Recovery Fund support for the addition of three
full-time equivalent positions in the Community Development Department that
will help alleviate delays in processing development permits and responding to
permitting inquiries.
Federal Recovery funds should not be used in this manner.
As you deliberate on this Staff proposal to hire more staff, please recall that the City-
sponsored Moss Adams study identified as factors that are driving our pension
burden:
Santa Monica also hires more personnel than peer cities.
Santa Monica is highly unionized.
Santa Monica’s median senior leadership compensation is $214,842 annually
– the highest compensation of all peer cities studied.
Below are past news links to refresh our memories and remind us why it is important
for our City to exercise fiscal restraint.
Sincerely,
Item 8.A 4/13/21
2 of 51 Item 8.A 4/13/21
8.A.b
Packet Pg. 701 Attachment: Written Comments [Revision 1] (4495 : American Rescue Plan Allocation Recommendations (90 minutes))
2
The Board of Northeast Neighbors
New Budget Strategy to Result in Better Government at Lower Cost, Officials Say
http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News‐2019/April‐
2019/04_24_2019_New_Budget_Strategy_to_Result_in_Better_Government_at_Lower_Cost.html
Pending shortfalls trigger job cuts at City Hall
https://www.smdp.com/city-hall-will-cut-about-29-jobs-and-save-17-million-in-spending-by-mid-2021-to-prepare-for-its-coming-financial-shortfalls-as-it-
pays-down-its-448-million-unfunded-pension-liability-over-the-next-1/174865
Item 8.A 4/13/21
3 of 51 Item 8.A 4/13/21
8.A.b
Packet Pg. 702 Attachment: Written Comments [Revision 1] (4495 : American Rescue Plan Allocation Recommendations (90 minutes))
3
Vernice Hankins
From:Kabir Chopra <kabirchopra@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, April 12, 2021 9:50 AM
To:councilmtgitems
Subject:April 13, 2021 - Council Meeting Agenda Item: 8.A: American Rescue Plan Allocation
Recommendations, Rent Relief Programs, and Proposed Community Funding Project Submissions
EXTERNAL
Dear Ms. Mayor, Council Members, City Manager, and City Staff:
My name is Kabir Chopra and I am a 16 year resident of Santa Monica. I submit this public comment to ask
that you prioritize re-funding, re-staffing, and re-opening the Santa Monica Public Library system in the fiscal
year 2021-2023 budget (including with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act aka ARPA, discussed in
Agenda Item 8.A) to support, among other benefits, proactive literacy education for children.
Most Santa Monica children, from infants to teens, have missed out on over one year of traditional in-person
education. Throughout the pandemic, many kids have spent whole days in front of a screen. And, although a
“Zoom education” is better than no education at all, researchers predict the pandemic has already had a
massive impact on childhood literacy:
https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/nbv79/
Currently, the entire Santa Monica Public Library system only has one youth services librarian to support a City
with over 90,000 residents. Furthermore, the City has fully closed the Fairview Branch Library and automated
the Ocean Park Branch Library, greatly impacting those neighborhoods. As life gets back to normal, it is
important that our children have access to a full toolbox of literacy resources that will help them make up for
lost time. The library must be funded to fully support our schools, teachers, and community. This issue is
important to me personally because I am a member of the Santa Monica Community (resident and parent) and
understand that childhood literacy is a lifelong gift that not only prepares our children for the world, but also
makes life more exciting and enjoyable! Currently, for Agenda Item: 8.A on the April 13, 2021 City Council
Meeting Agenda, the Finance Department recommends Council ask staff to return with recommendations
regarding limited programs and services that can be initiated or renewed with $3 million in ARPA funding. The
community hopes these resources will be used to bring back our libraries and, accordingly, re-establishing
the Santa Monica Public Library will be on staff's recommendation list.
You are empowered with the capacity and privilege to make a difference.
I urge you to take the necessary steps and re-fund the Santa Monica Public Library system, re-staff our
libraries, and re-open the closed branches so that all children can benefit from a community that supports them
in becoming whole individuals who will flourish into healthy, bright, and contributing citizens of the 21st
century.
Thank you for your time. I hope that I can count on you for your support. I look forward to hearing back from
you in the coming weeks.
Sincerely,
Kabir Chopra
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Vernice Hankins
From:BENSON_BRENDA <BENSON_BRENDA@smc.edu>
Sent:Monday, April 12, 2021 11:13 AM
To:councilmtgitems
Cc:Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Councilmember Kevin McKeown; Sue Himmelrich; Kristin
McCowan; Oscar de la Torre
Subject:Please support the arts in Santa Monica through a 2% allocation
EXTERNAL
Dear City Councilmembers of Santa Monica,
Please consider earmarking a small percentage (2%) of the American Rescue Plan funds coming to Santa Monica, to help
provide much needed relief funds to arts organizations and artists within the city.
I am a member of the Board of Directors of Elemental Music, a local nonprofit that has benefited greatly from
government funding in current and past seasons. City support for our local arts organizations is essential to keeping
them alive.
The arts are a vital part of the lives of many children and families, and the vibrant support for the arts in Santa Monica is
one of the best parts of this community.
My college age son, Riley, and many of his friends participated in Elemental Music and various arts programs throughout
their time as students in the Santa Monica public schools, and these experiences greatly enhanced and contributed to
their pre‐college education.
In some instances, these were the programs that kept kids engaged and thriving in school.
Many thanks for the important work that you do and for considering this request.
Brenda Johnson Benson
Board Member, Elemental Music
---
Recently Retired, Senior Administrative Dean,
Counseling, Retention & Student Wellness
Santa Monica College
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Vernice Hankins
From:Brodsky, Michael <mbrodsky@lmu.edu>
Sent:Monday, April 12, 2021 11:14 AM
To:councilmtgitems
Subject:Support the Item 8a to seek funding for a Senior Park Planner, Proposal #1
EXTERNAL
Dear City Council,
I support the Item 8a Staff Report, to seek funding for a Senior Park Planner, Proposal #1: Santa
Monica Airport Initiative.
Our parks (along with our need for healthy and safe physical exercise and recreation) have proven
time and again, to be both important and essential to our daily lives. Our parks will be even MORE
important in our future as our city grows.
We need to plan for the future.
Currently, we have _NO_ Senior Park Planners on our staff who can help guide our many already
existing park projects such as our Parks and Recreation Master Plan, Memorial Park Expansion,
Airport Park Expansion, and planning for the Great Park.
Parks are Infrastructure.
Parks are Green Infrastructure. Creating an interconnected system of parks both large and small is
most beneficial. Parks can preserve essential ecological functions and protect biodiversity. Parks
can retain storm water to replenish the aquifer and reduce the costs of other built water
infrastructure. Parks can address climate change by providing trees to filter pollutants and using
soil to reduce urban heat island effects.
Parks provide opportunities for physical recreation and reduce the high cost of health impacts.
Parks enhance social and environmental equity and enhance public wellbeing for underserved and
underprivileged communities. Parks provide Economic Benefits that are especially important in
this time of post COVID recovery.
A complete guide to the EPA’s guide “Green Infrastructure in Parks: A Guide to Collaboration,
Funding, and Community Engagement” is available here:
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017‐05/documents/gi_parksplaybook_2017‐05‐
01_508.pdf
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Thank you for your support for a healthy Santa Monica.
Michael Brodsky
Santa Monica
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Vernice Hankins
From:Daniel Galamba <galambadb@hotmail.com>
Sent:Monday, April 12, 2021 12:58 PM
To:councilmtgitems; Christine Parra; Phil Brock; Oscar de la Torre; Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan;
Gleam Davis; Lane Dilg; Councilmember Kevin McKeown; Kevin McKeown Fwd
Subject:City Council Meeting April 13, 2021-Agenda Item 8.A - COVID-19 Rent Relief for City Tenants
EXTERNAL
Dear City Council and City Manager,
Again, I urge you to support the Bergamot Arts Center and prevent eviction and provide rent relief for its tenants, both
non‐profit and for‐profit. The for‐profit tenants at Bergamot operate at very little if any profit. If relief is not also
provided to them they will go out of business and once gone will not return. This will not only deprive our City of a
cultural treasure but will also hinder our economic recovery as we slowly recover from the COVID‐19 pandemic. Thank
you.
Sincerely,
Dr Daniel Galamba
________________________________________
From: Daniel Galamba <galambadb@hotmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2021 8:36 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Christine Parra; phil.brock@smgov.net; oscar.delatorre@smgov.net; sue.himmelrich@smgov.net;
Kristin.McCowan@smgov.net; gleam.davis@smgov.net; lane.dilg@smgov.net; kevin.mckeown@smgov.net; Kevin
McKeown
Subject: City Council Meeting March 23, 2021‐Agenda Item 8.E (Recommendation 5) ‐ COVID‐19 Rent Relief for City
Tenants
Dear City Council and City Manager,
I urge you to support the Bergamot Arts Center and prevent eviction and provide rent relief for its tenants.
It would be a terrible mistake to put the Bergamot Arts Center at risk when it is so valued by residents and such an
important magnet for visitors from around the world. Supporting the arts strengthens and enhances economic
development, and is an essential part of a community's wellbeing.
As pointed out in the Staff report, Bergamot Arts Center consists of numerous art galleries and a nonprofit organization,
all of which are categorized as Commercial Tenant 1s. These are managed for the City by the Worthe Real Estate Group
as we understand it, because the Worthe Group controls the master lease. These organizations are not technically
protected by the City’s Rent Deferment Program in the same manner as other non‐profits in that category.
Please take whatever action is needed to extend eviction protection and rent relief to protect these organizations at
Bergamot just as other CT1 non‐profits are being protected. Our City must find a way to keep the Bergamot Arts Center
afloat until the small arts businesses can reopen. Once gone, they will never return.
With full recognition of the hard financial decisions the Council must make, please protect this cultural center, which is
invaluable to our community and will play a key role in helping us bring visitors and economic vibrancy back to Santa
Monica.
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Sincerely,
Dr Daniel Galamba
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Vernice Hankins
From:Tanya White <tanyawhite222@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, April 12, 2021 12:48 PM
To:councilmtgitems
Subject:The Arts Matter!
EXTERNAL
To our City council:
Please allocate a percentage of the American Rescue Plan funds coming to Santa Monica, to help provide much‐needed
relief funds to arts organizations and artists within the city. Thank you.
Tanya White 90404
Artistic Director Santa Monica Repertory Theater
Santa Monica Fellow
2021 Artist Proclamation
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Vernice Hankins
From:Christine Suarez <suarezdance@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, April 12, 2021 2:49 PM
To:Council Mailbox; councilmtgitems
Subject:Santa Monica Arts organizations support
EXTERNAL
Dear City Council,
I am asking you to consider earmarking a small percentage (2%) of the American Rescue Plan funds coming to Santa
Monica, to help provide much needed relief funds to arts organizations and artists within the city. We are struggling. My
personal income has been slashed by more than half with all the canceled gigs. My SM based not for profit dance
company is staying afloat with support from the SM Cultural Affairs and private donors. One of our longest and
strongest programs is our Dance for Veterans program. We have been teaching virtually for the past year. This
experience has reified my faith that creating and moving is essential to not only our physical health but also our
emotional and spiritual wellness. I am so grateful to connect with veterans in this way through this stressful time.
I urge you as a board to support our artists and arts organizations. Our work is essential to our community.
Thank you for considering my appeal.
Sincerely,
Christine Suárez
‐‐
Con cariño,
Christine Suárez
Artistic Director Suárez Dance Theater
Choreographer/Educator/Activist
Certified Pilates Instructor
she/her
suarezdance@gmail.com
www.suarezdance.org
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Vernice Hankins
From:DRISCOLL_BRIAN <Driscoll_Brian@smc.edu>
Sent:Saturday, April 10, 2021 9:20 PM
To:councilmtgitems
Cc:Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Councilmember Kevin McKeown; Sue Himmelrich; Kristin
McCowan; Oscar de la Torre
Subject:Please support the arts in Santa Monica through a 2% allocation!
EXTERNAL
Dear City Councilmembers of Santa Monica,
I am writing to request you consider earmarking a small percentage (2%) of the American Rescue
Plan funds for Santa Monica to help provide much-needed relief funds to arts organizations and
artists within the city.
I am the President of the Board of Directors of Elemental Music, a local nonprofit that has
significantly benefited from government funding in current and past seasons. City support for our
local arts organizations is essential to keeping them alive. The arts are a vital part of many
children and family's lives, and the vibrant support for the arts in Santa Monica is one of the best
parts of this community.
Thank you for considering this request.
As ever,
Brian Driscoll
Dr. Brian S. Driscoll
Chair, Music Department • Santa Monica College
Co-Coordinator, SMC Applied Music Program
310-434-3478 • 1900 Pico Blvd. • Santa Monica, CA 90405
driscoll_brian@smc.edu • he, him, his
President, Elemental Music Board of Directors • elementalmusic.org • mobile: 818-404-8480
Founder, Red Door Vineyard • reddoorvineyard.org • driscoll@reddoorvineyard.org
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Vernice Hankins
From:California Heritage Museum <calmuseum@earthlink.net>
Sent:Monday, April 12, 2021 9:49 AM
To:councilmtgitems
Cc:calmuseum@earthlink.net
Subject:Support the Arts!!
EXTERNAL
To help protect your privacy, Microsoft Office prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet.
April 9, 2021
To the Honorary Members of the City Council, City Officers, Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Department,
Members of the California Heritage Museum, friends and neighbors….
Last May, when I wrote one of my rare letters to City Council asking for you to support the Cultural
Affairs Department, I had no premonition that a global pandemic would force the California Heritage
Museum to close its doors for more than a year.
ALL programming stopped in March, 2020: exhibitions; lectures; summer surf films on the lawn;
Tuesday night Food Truck events; the Sunday Farmers Market; our new high school “Young Women in
the Arts” program . . . everything!
We would not have been able to pay our basic bills (utilities, insurance, etc.) without “COVID 19 Funding
for the Arts”.
Now, knowing that you are meeting to discuss support for our local artists and arts organizations, I am
asking that you reconsider my original plea repeated below.
It has long been our premise that the SOUL of our community is its arts. Over the decades, innovative arts
organizations have produced art, exceptional music and dance, theater and much more. Artists and arts
organizations have gathered here because over the years, the City of Santa Monica has been noted for
supporting creativity through grants and intellectual support from the Santa Monica Cultural Affairs
Department.
It should be emphasized 100 times over that tourists flock to Santa Monica for its beautiful beaches,
luxury hotels and yes, it’s arts programming. Programs that are designed and created here, on the West
Coast, before they ever travel to New York and out of town venues. Creativity does not flourish without
traditional financial support that we have come to expect from such a colorful and energetic Santa Monica
art community.
To that end, we thank City Government for your past support of the Cultural Affairs Department and beg
you to consider a major Post-COVID funding campaign to revitalize a devastated art community.
An active arts program scheduled for the upcoming post pandemic months, can only bring a wealth of
tourists to our community. For traditionally, our many hotels have pushed these visitors out their doors
each morning to trapse to our local museums to see young experimental work, as well as successful
mature work of artists who display their art and inventive projects at venues such as the California
Heritage Museum and exciting galleries at Bergamot Station.
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Additionally, visitors attend lectures, concerts on the pier, and summer movies on the Heritage Museums
expansive lawn. Traditional theater and dance are among the 100s of programs that are provided by the
City of Santa Monica throughout its yearly schedule.
We expect the arts. We visit the arts. The arts have become a part of our SOUL that we truly cannot live
without. Allow the arts to become a significant part of our city’s recovery.
This is not a political issue. It is an issue about the fundamental rights of our community to expect the
arts as an essential part of our daily lives. The California Heritage Museum is forwarding this letter to our
“Arts” email list which is comprised of more than 8,500 people from this community: your neighbors.
Please do not disappoint us. Support the programming envisioned by our Cultural Affairs
Department. Support the arts in our daily lives.
Thank you.
Respectfully yours,
To help protect your priv acy, Microsoft Office prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet.
Tobi Smith
Executive Director
The California Heritage Museum,
The Heritage Museum Staff,
The Heritage Museum Board of Directors,
The Heritage Museum Advisory Board,
The Heritage Museum Main Street Board of Advisors,
The Heritage Museum LGBTQ Advisory Board, and the Museum’s newest support group, the
Parent/Teacher Committee of “Young Women in the Arts”
California Heritage Museum | 2612 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405
Unsubscribe calmuseum@earthlink.net
Update Profile | Customer Contact Data Notice
Sent by calmuseum@earthlink.net powered by
To help protect your priv acy, Microsoft Office prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet.Trusted Email from Constant Contact - Try it FREE today.
Try email marketing for free today!
California Heritage Museum
2612 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90405
Ph (310) 392-8537
Fx (310) 396-0547
California Heritage Museum
2612 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90405
Ph (310) 392-8537
Fx (310) 396-0547
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Vernice Hankins
From:AllenSegall2 <allensegall2@gmail.com>
Sent:Friday, April 9, 2021 9:12 PM
To:councilmtgitems
Cc:Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Councilmember Kevin McKeown; Sue Himmelrich; Kristin
McCowan; Oscar de la Torre
Subject:Please support the arts in Santa Monica through a 2% allocation!
EXTERNAL
Dear City Councilmembers of Santa Monica,
I am writing to ask you to please consider earmarking a small percentage (2%) of the American Rescue Plan
funds coming to Santa Monica, to help provide much needed relief funds to arts organizations and artists within
the city.
My child is a participant in Elemental Music, a local nonprofit that has benefited greatly from government
funding in current and past seasons. City support for our local arts organizations is essential to keeping them
alive. As a parent, the arts are a vital part of my child's life and the vibrant support for the arts in Santa Monica
is one of the reasons that I have built my life here.
Thank you for considering this request.
Allen Segall
Santa Monica Resident
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Vernice Hankins
From:Elise Toren <elisetoren@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, April 12, 2021 5:19 PM
To:councilmtgitems
Cc:Gleam Davis; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Councilmember Kevin McKeown; Sue Himmelrich; Kristin
McCowan; Oscar de la Torre
Subject:Please consider a small percentage of that American Rescue Plan for Arts Organizations and Artists
EXTERNAL
Dear City Council Members of Santa Monica,
We are writing to ask you to consider earmarking a small percentage (2%) of the American Rescue Plan funds coming to Santa
Monica, to help provide much needed relief funds to arts organizations and artists within the city.
Our children are participants in Elemental Music, a local nonprofit that has benefited greatly from government funding in current
and past seasons. City support for our local arts organizations is essential to keeping them alive. As parents, the arts are a vital
part of our childrens lives and the vibrant support for the arts in Santa Monica is one of the reasons that we have built our life
here.
Thank you for considering this request.
Nick and Elise Toren
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Vernice Hankins
From:Frank J Gruber <frankgrubersm@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, April 12, 2021 4:56 PM
To:councilmtgitems
Cc:Sue Bienkowski; Peter Grueneisen; patrick.jacarandamusic@gmail.com; Matt Orenstein
Subject:Yes for 2% for the arts!
EXTERNAL
Dear Councilmembers,
For myself personally and on behalf of the board of directors of Jacaranda Music I urge the council to devote 2% of
federal relief funds to the arts. I joined the board of Jacaranda Music in 2016 and became chair in 2019. For nearly 20
years Jacaranda has been presenting its concerts at the First Presbyterian Church in DTSM. It was my late father and
mother, who then lived downtown, who introduced my wife Janet Levin and me to the series many years ago. We
became regulars because the programming and musicianship matched or exceeded concerts in downtown LA., and I was
honored to be asked to join the board. Jacaranda’s intimacy and sense of community are special. Jacaranda has been a
grateful recipient of City of Santa Monica arts grant funding for several years. Although Jacaranda receives regional and
national support, of our nine board members, three of us are Santa Monica residents and/or business owners.
As Jacaranda approaches its 20th anniversary in 2023, First Pres on Second Street has become established as the place to
go for innovative programs of classical music on the Westside. A demographic analysis by TRG, the pre‐eminent arts
marketing service, shows ours to be the youngest audience among six of the region’s leading chamber music
organizations. In part this is because Jacaranda’s METRO program (Music Education Through Resource Opportunities)
attracts students from UCLA, USC, Cal Arts, CSUN, and Chapman University, as it is supported by a network of devoted
faculty. Jacaranda’s diverse hiring practices and programming regularly give highly visible opportunities for emerging
players alongside some of the most accomplished musicians in the world.
Nonprofit arts generate employment, sustain community, and promote humanity, all necessary for quality of life. Please
take any and all available steps to secure future fiscal support for the arts.
Sincerely,
Frank Gruber
Cc: Board members Susan Bienkowski, Santa Monica resident, and Peter Grueneisen, Santa Monica business owner;
Patrick Scott, Matt Orenstein
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Vernice Hankins
From:Council Mailbox
Sent:Monday, April 12, 2021 9:02 PM
To:councilmtgitems
Subject:FW: American Rescue Plan Funds
From: Andrew Cowan <acowan@smsymphony.org>
Sent: Monday, April 12, 2021 8:49 PM
To: Council Mailbox <Council.Mailbox@SMGOV.NET>
Subject: American Rescue Plan Funds
EXTERNAL
Dear Santa Monica City Council,
I am asking you to consider earmarking a small percentage (2%) of the American Rescue Plan funds coming to Santa
Monica, to help provide much needed relief funds to arts organizations and artists within the city.
Best,
Andrew Cowan
Administrative Coordinator
Santa Monica Symphony
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Vernice Hankins
From:Peter Grueneisen <peterg@nonzeroarch.com>
Sent:Monday, April 12, 2021 8:43 PM
To:councilmtgitems
Cc:Frank J Gruber; Sue Bienkowski; patrick.jacarandamusic@gmail.com; Matt Orenstein
Subject:Yes for 2% for the arts!
EXTERNAL
Dear Councilmembers,
Personally and on behalf of the board of directors of Jacaranda Music I urge the council to devote 2% of federal relief
funds to the arts. I have been attending concerts staged by Jacaranda at the First Presbyterian Church in Downtown
Santa Monica for about ten years. Since 2019 I’ve had the great privilege to be a part of the board of that unique and
outstanding organization.
As architects and design‐build contractors we have made our home in Santa Monica since 2005, first near the DMV and
for the last ten years at the airport. Both locations have stood out to us as centers of the arts, be it the music and
production facilities and galleries near the city center, the theater and artists lofts at the airport and many other areas
that permeate the city. They add to the city's significance, reinforced by its strong support of the arts. Due to our own
involvement with projects for music, film, television and other media, we are acutely aware of the unique position Santa
Monica occupies in the art world, and how important it is for artists and art organizations. The sense of community
experienced in that scene is especially important for non‐profit organizations such as Jacaranda.
Even in such a fertile and accomplished environment, Jacaranda stands out with the very high quality of its
programming, its artists and the strong devotion of its audience. Having it, and so many of its peer organizations in the
city is an important and essential part of such a vibrant and outstanding community.
Please support funding for the arts to the greatest extent possible, to ensure the continued and growing role of Santa
Monica as an important center in the cultural environment of the Southern California region. Thank you for your
consideration,
With best regards,
Peter Grueneisen
Cc: Board Chair Frank Gruber, Board members Susan Bienkowski, Patrick Scott; Matt Orenstein
Peter Grueneisen, FAIA, NCARB
Principal
n o n z e r o \ a r c h i t e c t u r e
3200 Airport Avenue, Suite 20
Santa Monica, CA 90405
T 310 313 1000
www.nonzeroarch.com
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www.bauton.com
Please consider the environment before printing this e‐mail
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Vernice Hankins
From:Council Mailbox
Sent:Monday, April 12, 2021 9:04 PM
To:councilmtgitems
Subject:FW: Item 8A- 04/13 -Creating a Park at the Santa Monica airport when we need housing is offensive!
Airport2Park has it all wrong!
Attachments:SANTAMONICAAIRPORT(created by Tieira Ryder).pdf
From: T <tie.ryder@gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, April 11, 2021 10:11 AM
To: SmHousing Mailbox <SmHousing.Mailbox@SMGOV.NET>; airport2park@gmail.com; Council Mailbox
<Council.Mailbox@SMGOV.NET>; Planning <Planning@SMGOV.NET>; Planning Commission Comments
<planningcomment@smgov.net>; planning.TheWestside@LACity.org; Kristin McCowan <kristin.mccowan@gmail.com>;
Phil Brock <Phil.Brock@SMGOV.NET>; Sue Himmelrich <Sue.Himmelrich@SMGOV.NET>; Councilmember Bonin
<councilmember.bonin@lacity.org>; hcidla.planning@lacity.org; Vishesh.Anand@lacity.org; nick.sundback@lacity.org;
Hannah Levien <hannah.levien@lacity.org>; Nisa Kove <Nisa.Kove@lacity.org>; Ben LaZebnik <ben.lazebnik@lacity.org>;
Christine Parra <Christine.Parra@SMGOV.NET>; Councilmember Kevin McKeown <Kevin.McKeown@smgov.net>; Gleam
Davis <Gleam.Davis@SMGOV.NET>; Mar Vista Community Council <info@marvista.org>; ashley.zeldin@marvista.org
Subject: Item 8A‐ 04/13 ‐Creating a Park at the Santa Monica airport when we need housing is offensive! Airport2Park
has it all wrong!
EXTERNAL
The city of Santa Monica like many other coastal cities has stolen homes and property from Black residents and many
others! The working class, our seniors, our students, those living with disabilities, and many many others DESERVE
housing they can afford!
To create ONLY a park at the Santa Monica airport is absolutely offensive and the city MUST meet the needs of residents
on the westside by providing affordable housing! Denying housing to residents in need IS VIOLENCE! You can create a
park within an affordable housing community but we do NOT need just another park on the incorrectly zoned airport
space, it's time to end the city's racist and classist zoning that is RUINING the lives of so many people. Airport2PARK
should NOT even exist, the selfishness that they are displaying and the lack of concern for residents in desperate
NEED is truly disturbing!
Reminder; housing element LAW must be followed! The state can suspend a local city's rights and powers over land
use if they fail to meet the requirements of the housing element. We will not allow you to REDLINE affordable housing
on the westside. That ERA of mostly/only white neighborhoods, microaggression and blatant racism is coming to
an END!
PEOPLE WHO HAVE HOMES SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DENY OR VOTE ON WHETHER OR NOT OTHERS GET HOUSING
THEY CAN AFFORD! Many of you once paid LOW AMOUNTS for rent, why should we pay overpriced amounts????
I'm not sure if you've noticed, but many businesses are having trouble keeping workers. Nobody wants to WORK for
LOW WAGES, no benefits, no housing, no healthcare while being expected to cater to mostly white NIMBYS who turn
their noses up at them. People go to work to try and meet basic needs, the minimum IS HOUSING, FOOD,
HEALTHCARE. If the work a person is doing cannot meet those basic needs then what is the point of working????
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Tieira
https://htwws.org/santamonicaairport/
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Vernice Hankins
From:Airport2Park <airport2park@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, April 12, 2021 9:30 PM
To:councilmtgitems
Subject:Agenda Item 8A (April 13, 2021)
EXTERNAL
April 12, 2021
Dear City Council,
We support the Staff Report Agenda Item 8A (April 13, 2021) for the reinstatement of a Sr. Park Planner, to
continue the community supported park projects that were in progress prior to the pandemic. These include
the completion of the Santa Monica Parks & Recreation Master Plan, the Airport Park Expansion, Memorial
Park Expansion, and to begin the transition process of closing the airport and planning for the Great Park.
We also strongly support the recommendation to send to Cong. Ted Lieu a Community Project Funding
request to fund the Santa Monica Airport Park Expansion Initiative. We appreciate that staff listed this as the
first recommendation to make to Rep. Lieu for Community Project Funding.
The pandemic has shown us how essential our Santa Monica Parks are to our community. Our parks have
played a critical role during this past year as essential locations for voting, mass food distribution, food banks,
blood drives, public Wi‐Fi, and distanced learning for our students, as well as places for socially‐isolated
residents and visitors simply "to breathe."
Our small parks continue to be crowded to capacity with people seeking essential health benefits of recreation
and exercise in a safe socially distanced open space.
The pandemic also stopped the public process of the Santa Monica Parks & Recreation Master Plan. This
master plan was years in the making and included numerous community workshops, popup events,
presentations to boards, commissions and community groups that yielded over 25,527 public comments.
Parks play an important role in Green Infrastructure and supporting future populations as SCAG (Southern
California Association of Governments) specifically points out the need for Urban Forests and Community
Parks, Natural Lands, Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity as they provide health, social, environmental,
recreational, and economic benefits. They reduce the urban heat island effect and absorb air pollution. Park’s
soil and vegetation provides permeable surfaces to allow water to infiltrate the soil, reducing stormwater
runoff and recharging underground aquifers.
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Our parks are essential to a healthy, sustainable, accessible and equitable future for Santa Monica. We need
the staff to help guide us there.
Sincerely,
Neil Carrey, President
Santa Monica Airport2Park Foundation
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Vernice Hankins
From:Ann Isolde <aisolde@roadrunner.com>
Sent:Monday, April 12, 2021 11:52 PM
To:councilmtgitems
Cc:bggallery@bgartdealings.com
Subject:City Council Meeting on April 13th Re: Bergamot.
EXTERNAL
Dear City Council Members,
I have learned that the City Staff have made recommendations that put Bergamot in jeopardy!
I am an artist and feel that this fine art complex is an important cultural venue in the City of Santa Monica.
It is unfortunate that the City Staff have written a recommendation that is damaging to gallery rent abatement.
Apparently, City Staff have taken the 20% recommendation by Council members to be put aside for tenants and
conflated the use for rent release with other uses. Particularly egregious is $3 million put aside for City Staff
to administer the very limited program they have suggested.
I would like to request that the section of the budget put aside for new city staff be removed and put toward rent relief
for city arts tenants.
Don’t forget the importance of art tenants for culture in Santa Monica.
City Staff’s recommendations do not do enough to save small business tenants of the City of Santa Monica
and they will lose valuable cultural assets if it is passed as it is currently written.
All my best,
Ann Isolde
Tel: (310) 315‐0840
Email: aisolde@roadrunner.com
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Vernice Hankins
From:Andrew Wilder
Sent:Tuesday, April 13, 2021 9:49 AM
To:councilmtgitems
Cc:Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Gleam Davis; Councilmember Kevin McKeown; Phil Brock;
Christine Parra; Oscar de la Torre; Lane Dilg
Subject:City Council 4/13/21 agenda item 8-A
Dear Mayor Himmelrich, Mayor Pro Tem McCowan, and City Council Members,
At the March Airport Commission meeting, we unanimously passed the following motion/recommendation:
‐‐‐
The Airport Commission encourages the City Council to restart the Parks Master Planning process as soon as
possible. We support the Community Development Department's request for a Park Planner on Staff to
facilitate the urgent completion of the Parks Master Plan.
‐‐‐
(Our motion actually should have said "resume" instead of "restart" ‐‐ our intent is for the process to pick up
where it left off last year, not to start over.)
We encourage you to proceed with the funding request for the Senior Park Planner, so the City can resume
the planning process for the conversion of the airport to the Great Park, after the Airport closes in 2028.
Thank you very much!
Sincerely,
Andrew Wilder
Chair, Airport Commission
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Vernice Hankins
From:Diana Gordon <dianagordon5@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, April 13, 2021 9:45 AM
To:Council Mailbox; councilmtgitems
Cc:mike@ruskinschool.com
Subject:4.13.21 City Council hearing - Agenda Item 8.A
EXTERNAL
Dear City Council,
I write to urge you to reject the staff report as it relates to Bergamot because it does not recommend rent abatement
for the arts businesses that are struggling to survive. It will inevitably lead to the demise of Bergamot as an arts and
cultural center as well as the ongoing reduction of ground lease revenues pending Bergamot’s future
redevelopment. The de minimus funding singled out for the nonprofits at Bergamot and the Airport will not be sufficient
to retain them either.
In both cases, these are city tenants, forced by the city to close their arts businesses due to the pandemic, who will now
be forced out by the City’s actions.
A strong arts and culture scene in Santa Monica greatly contributes to the identity of our city, our quality of life and to
city revenues from residents, visitors and tourism. That’s why over a decade ago, the City conducted a yearlong study to
figure out how best to retain and enhance the arts here, including the cultural oasis at Bergamot. That City study
recognized that Bergamot would face future uncertainty and change, including as the result of Expo coming, increasing
land values and development
pressures. https://www.smgov.net/uploadedFiles/Portals/Culture/Resources/SM%20Creative%20Capital%20Plan.pdf
One of the critical report findings is that residents view the arts culture in Santa Monica as an “integral component of
civic life.” The report makes serious recommendations for how to “retain and enhance the concentration of arts uses at
the Pier and Bergamot Station, the Santa Monica Airport, and 18th Street Arts Center.” The specified goal was to ensure
that Santa Monica kept its unique arts identity distinct from the greater LA area. (Report Recommendation #21 at p.11).
This City report also cautioned against allowing Bergamot to disappear:
“Given the creative identity of the community and the extraordinary amount of use of these facilities (Bergamot and
Airport arts tenants) by residents and artists, it would be unwise to allow them to disappear from Santa Monica’s
cultural ecology.” (Report, p.50, emphasis added)
One key reason for that is this: Since Bergamot opened as an arts center in 1994, housing many different art galleries, it
“appears in most tourist guides as a primary cultural destination.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergamot_(arts_center)
Likewise, Bergamot’s importance as an arts center to residents and non‐residents alike is reflected: 1) in the Bergamot
Area Plan, which established an Arts Conservation District to showcase Bergamot; 2) many recommendations of the Arts
Commission over the years for how to manage the arts and nonprofit tenants at Bergamot to retain them and grow the
arts; and 3) similar, strong recommendations for retention of Bergamot through a variety of ways from the Bergamot
Advisory Committee, created by the City Council to vet the Worthe Group proposal to redevelop the property.
Given this, Bergamot should be an integral partner on the road to economic recovery. Yet the City seems to be unwilling
to do anything substantial for the arts businesses there to survive. This is shockingly short‐sighted: If Bergamot clears
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out, how many arts or cultural tenants in the greater LA area are going to relocate and pay the desired rent for an aging
industrial space that is subject to a pending redevelopment project?
Indeed, a significant omission of the staff report is the apparent lack of any discussion with the city’s art businesses
themselves even though their involvement is critical both as to their survival and as to the unique arts scene that they
fostered for so many years.
Selling art is pretty much a marginal economic activity. So the rents need to be viable to their business. The city is well
aware of this: It has regularly collected the financial information from these art businesses through Bergamot’s landlords
in structuring the City’s ground leases. So the City recognizes the reality of the relationship of lower rents to
survivability, even pre‐Pandemic. Forcing these gallerists to leave now by not helping them out significantly, means the
City’s ground lease revenues will decline for years to come given the uncertainty of the site as a continuing arts and
cultural center.
If the City proceeds in this way, the Worthe redevelopment proposal is likely dead because it is based on keeping
Bergamot fundamentally as an arts center, with other uses to supplement revenues to sustain it. If the City is truly
contemplating giving up control of this prime public cultural space for future private uses – including residential uses –
this is too important of a decision for this Council or this City to do on the fly. This is public land. Residents and the arts
tenants themselves need to be a vital part of the discussion.
Losing Bergamot as Bergamot is an issue of City identity and what values we actually hold as a City for the existing
arts and culture scene.
Other forward thinking cities have recognized the direct link between the role that the arts play in drawing tourists to
their cities by allocating some percentage of TOT revenues specifically to arts and culture. (Report, p.67). The staff
report points out how lucky Santa Monica is to be a city with “strong tourism and hospitality sectors.” Yet, to date, we
allow our hotels to take a percentage of the TOT to market themselves. It may well be time to take a closer look at our
current allocation of TOT, and/or ask the voters to increase the TOT to support the arts here. These are serious issues
that demand much more discussion and research with the goal of retaining our arts community and helping it thrive in
the years to come.
We are at a critical juncture. To the extent a city is judged by its actions (and non‐actions) I believe we will be judged
harshly if the prevailing staff recommendations are adopted and Bergamot is allowed to disappear.
Sincerely,
Diana Gordon
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Vernice Hankins
From:Elizabeth Van Denburgh <emvandenburgh@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, April 13, 2021 8:07 AM
To:Sue Himmelrich; Kristin McCowan; Councilmember Kevin McKeown; Christine Parra; Oscar de la
Torre; Phil Brock; Gleam Davis; councilmtgitems
Subject:City Council 4/13 : Item 8-A - Oppose adding 3 FTES ($4.72 million our of $29.3 million on ARPA
funds)
EXTERNAL
April 13, 2021
To: Mayor Himmelrich and City Council Members,
From: Board of Wilshire Montana Neighborhood Coalition (Wilmont)
Re: April 13, 2021 City Council Meeting – Item 8‐A
The Board of Wilshire Montana Neighborhood Coalition (Wilmont) outlines our recommendations regarding item 8‐A
with respect to the following components:
1. Oppose the use of one‐time Federal Recovery Fund dollars to hire three full‐time equivalents (FTEs) in the
Community Development Department.
These three positions, 1 FTE Senior Plan Check Engineer (B&S Division), 1 FTE Permit Specialist (Building & Safety
Division) and 1 FTE Assistant Planner (Planning Division) should not be funded by these one‐time federal funds.
Approving these positions now, and not waiting until the FY 2021‐21 Biennial Budget (which will be addressed in
May, one month away) is not appropriate because the funds supporting these positions are one‐time funds. The
approval of these three FTEs will become permanent without being prioritized with other budget opportunities which
will occur soon. What is the business case i.e., the costs and benefits of making these positions permanent and why
now? Is spending $4.72 million of the $29.3 ARPA money the best use of these funds for our City?
The headcount‐driven unfunded pension and retirement health care liability of $0.5 billion has increased from
46% of total city revenues in FY2011 to 75% in FY2020, despite a 20% increase in total city revenues during the
period. Ever position we add back in must be carefully analyzed given our focus on streamlining and gaining efficiencies
in our city.
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Santa Monica’s Audit Subcommittee is having our Moss Adams internal audit team work on a Community
Development Permitting Efficiency Study which should be completed, planned for May 2021, before any changes
to permit staffing (See Attachment A) are made.
2. Pull the staff report and provide budget recommendations on all three community priorities.
The ARPA funds can be used until December 2024. Pull the staff report and resubmit it during the budget cycle to look
at ALL THREE COMMUNITY PRIORITIES: Addressing Homelessness, Clean and Safe Santa Monica and Equitable and
Inclusive Economic Recovery and how the ARPA money could be used. The current staff report prioritizes 20% for
Equitable and Inclusive Economic Recovery and does little to outline the ARPA for the other two community
priorities. This is not an equitable discussion of how the ARPA could be used for the three community priorities.
3. Relook at rent relief and financial support for not‐for‐profit organizations that are under City leases or subleases.
As the Council declares April “Arts Month” it is doing little to support the not‐for‐profit venues that have City leases or
subleases. Work to add financial support for such not‐for‐profits as Building Bridges Arts Exchange, City Garage Theatre,
Ruskin Theatre and other similar organizations. We want a thriving arts culture in Santa Monica. Please work to
continue these venues and support local art not‐for‐profit organizations.
Thank‐you,
Board of Wilshire Montana Neighborhood Coalition (Wilmont)
Elizabeth Van Denburgh, Chair
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Vernice Hankins
From:email <sherkush@aol.com>
Sent:Tuesday, April 13, 2021 11:45 AM
To:Council Mailbox; councilmtgitems
Subject:Item 8A, City Council hearing April 13, 2021
EXTERNAL
Dear City Council,
“The City of Santa Monica, with its rich cultural history, is one of the world's most exciting coastal
destinations and has had a profound effect on the development of art and culture domestically and
internationally.
From Santa Monica’s earliest days, artists have found inspiration along its sandy beaches and
foothills. And today, more visual and performing artists, arts presenters, designers, architects, and
film and music producers per capita can be found in Santa Monica than in any other city in California.”
---Santa Monica City website introduction to Community Services Department
Yet despite this creative abundance, artists and cultural entities are facing increasing challenges,
including “rising costs, the loss of affordable real estate, and a lack of infrastructure,” threatening the
diversity and vibrancy of the creative community” (from the Creative Capital Plan, adopted by City
Council in 2007).
In light of this I urge you to reject the staff report regarding Bergamot as it fails to recommend rent
abatement for the arts businesses that continue to struggle to survive, exacerbated by the recent
pandemic.
Our strong arts and culture milieu in Santa Monica greatly contributes to our city’s identity and to city
revenues. Bergamot is one important aspect of our unique arts scene.
Please go back to the table and review ways in which the arts community can be helped at this critical
time. If the City touts that our culture and arts have a profound effect here and abroad, let’s ensure its
future.
Sincerely,
Sherrill Kushner
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Vernice Hankins
From:Ann Isolde <aisolde@roadrunner.com>
Sent:Monday, April 12, 2021 11:52 PM
To:councilmtgitems
Cc:bggallery@bgartdealings.com
Subject:City Council Meeting on April 13th Re: Bergamot.
EXTERNAL
Dear City Council Members,
I have learned that the City Staff have made recommendations that put Bergamot in jeopardy!
I am an artist and feel that this fine art complex is an important cultural venue in the City of Santa Monica.
It is unfortunate that the City Staff have written a recommendation that is damaging to gallery rent abatement.
Apparently, City Staff have taken the 20% recommendation by Council members to be put aside for tenants and
conflated the use for rent release with other uses. Particularly egregious is $3 million put aside for City Staff
to administer the very limited program they have suggested.
I would like to request that the section of the budget put aside for new city staff be removed and put toward rent relief
for city arts tenants.
Don’t forget the importance of art tenants for culture in Santa Monica.
City Staff’s recommendations do not do enough to save small business tenants of the City of Santa Monica
and they will lose valuable cultural assets if it is passed as it is currently written.
All my best,
Ann Isolde
Tel: (310) 315‐0840
Email: aisolde@roadrunner.com
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Vernice Hankins
From:Isabel Malina <isabelmalina16@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, April 13, 2021 12:40 PM
To:councilmtgitems
Subject:Public comment on agenda item 8A
EXTERNAL
Dear City Council Members,
I am writing to you today as both an employee at Bergamot Station and as a concerned citizen of the Santa Monica
area. As someone who works at a gallery in Bergamot Station, this beloved arts center means so much more to me than
simply a place of employment. My engagement with Bergamot Station and its tenants started well before my employment
there. I was born in Malibu but moved to Mar Vista (about 15 minutes from Bergamot Station) when I was a teenager.
Ever since then, Bergamot Station has been a safe haven and a place where I could find cultural enrichment. I am a great
lover of the arts, and the many galleries at Bergamot Station have always provided a wealth of opportunities to learn about
and explore many different genres of art and culture. For these reasons, I was deeply disappointed upon hearing the city
staff’s recommendations as I feel that they do not do nearly enough to save the small business tenants of the City of Santa
Monica. I firmly believe that if these recommendations are passed the city will lose valuable cultural assets. Furthermore,
I believe it should be noted that many of the tenants at Bergamot Station have been there for the people of Santa Monica
and the surrounding communities throughout the difficult times that we have all experienced during the COVID-19
pandemic. Many of these tenants have stayed open (when guidelines permitted) through financial turmoil in order to
provide some cultural enrichment for the people of Santa Monica. Throughout these past months, I have seen many
families with small children walk around Bergamot Station as a way to engage their children and find some intellectual
stimulation during a time when many other businesses and cultural activities were shut down. I find it deeply admirable
that these tenants have struggled through many shifting COVID guidelines and financial hardships in order to provide a
free and safe space where the people of Santa Monica can come and enjoy cultural activities. Seeing all these ways in
which the tenants of Bergamot Station have been there for the Santa Monica community, I feel that it is only right that the
city should now help them in return. I believe it is important that the section of the budget put aside for new city staff be
removed and put toward rent relief for city tenants. We are a community here in Santa Monica and we need to look out for
each other. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
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Isabel Malina
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Vernice Hankins
From:zinajosephs@aol.com
Sent:Tuesday, April 13, 2021 1:03 PM
To:councilmtgitems; Gleam Davis; Councilmember Kevin McKeown; Kristin McCowan; Sue Himmelrich;
Christine Parra; Oscar de la Torre; Phil Brock
Cc:zinajosephs@aol.com
Subject:FOSP: City Council 4/13/21 - agenda item 8-A
EXTERNAL
April 13, 2021
To: Mayor Himmelrich and City Council members
From: Board of Directors, Friends of Sunset Park
RE: City Council 4/13/21 - Agenda item 8-A: Review, discuss, and provide direction on the
allocation of American Rescue Plan Act funding, the Rent Relief Program, and the Proposed
Community Funding Project Submissions, and authorize budget and staffing changes.
The Board of Directors of Friends of Sunset Park urges the City Council to use more of this
one-time funding for one-time efforts, including the following:
1) An immediate one-time 6-month or 9-month Cultural Non-Profit Art Rent Abatement Program -- 3 months is not
enough. Actors Equity's guidelines through at least June 30th make theater operations impossible at the Ruskin Group
Theatre on Airport Avenue, even with a fully vaccinated cast and crew. How can they pay rent while they’re not
allowed to have performances, and therefore have no ticket revenue?
2) A limited term Sr. Park Planner position to manage the update of the Parks & Recreation Master Plan and
continue work on the Airport to Park Conversion project.
We oppose using one-time Federal Recovery Fund dollars to hire 3 full-time equivalents (FTEs) in the Community
Development Department. To automatically continue funding those positions in the FY 2021-23 budget probably means
that something else will be cut.
In the Sunset Park neighborhood, during the “restructuring” we already lost funding for
- the much needed Sunset Park Neighborhood Traffic Management Plan,
- the Lincoln Neighborhood Corridor project, and
- our beloved Fairview Library (with no re-opening plans in sight).
Unless the 8-A staff recommendation is amended, we will also lose the Ruskin Group Theatre.
And in the recent Housing Element discussion at City Council, in addition to the “overlay,” potential housing sites included
all of Ocean Park Blvd., plus the Santa Monica Business Park, but no traffic management plan.
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We support #1 in the following staff recommendation:
Staff recommends that the Council approve the submittal of the following three proposals to Congressman Ted Lieu for
consideration during the federal appropriations process:
1) Santa Monica Airport Park Expansion Initiative: The Santa Monica Airport is scheduled to cease operations on
December 31, 2028. The City’s vision, affirmed by voters in 2014, is to transform the 227-acre property into expansive
public open spaces. Phase 1 of the project includes construction of Airport Park Expansion to provide additional sports
fields, active recreation, community gardens, passive open space, and play areas for the Santa Monica and adjacent
West Los Angeles communities. Community Project Funding would be requested in an amount up to $6.3 million and
would be used for a limited term Sr. Park Planner Position and construction of the west sports field and relocation of
Donald Douglas Loop South. The City will pursue matching funds from local Park Impact Fees, CIP savings, stimulus
funding, and Airport Funds (for Donald Douglas Loop South relocation).
Thank you for your consideration.
****************************************************************
Background:
Creative Capital: Culture, Community, Vision -- (adopted by the City Council in 2007)
https://www.smgov.net/Portals/Culture/Resources/Cultural_Data_Project.aspx
“Santa Monica’s residents share a vision of their community that interweaves the arts, cultural activities, entertainment,
and education throughout their lives, work, cityscape, and neighborhoods. They view culture as in inseparable
component of what makes Santa Monica exceptional, desirable, and economically competitive….
"Santa Monica has a remarkable, yet in some ways hidden, asset – an extraordinary population of creative
professionals. The city has been a destination and a haven for artists for more than a hundred years. It also boasts
perhaps the largest concentration of creative employment in the U.S. Even compared to Los Angeles and other creative
centers, Santa Monica has an extraordinary proportion of artists, performers, designers, writers, directors, and other
professionals who work in the creative sector, more than 6 times the national average.”
“Bergamot Arts Tenants Worry ‘Rent Relief’ Not Enough”
4/9/21 – Santa Monica Lookout
https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2021/April-
2021/04_09_2021_Bergamot_Arts_Tenants_Worry_Rent_Relief_Not_Enough.html
“Galleries at the City owned Bergamot Station Arts Center say the "Rent Relief Program" the Council will consider
Tuesday doesn't go nearly far enough in helping them recover from the coronavirus shutdown. The plan proposed by staff
sets aside $1.14 million of the $29.3 million in federal funding to provide rent relief and additional support for tenants
participating in the City’s Rent Deferment Program.
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Bergamot -- which has dwindled from 28 to 14 businesses subletting from the City's leaseholder, the Worthe Team --
would get a $44,357 rent break, but no funding. "It's going to make a very tiny difference," said Marisa Caichiolo, who runs
the non-profit Building Bridges Arts Exchange. The exchange, which has remained mostly closed for a year, relies on
local schools that have been shut down and foreign arts residencies that have been canceled.
"It's going to be tough to even pay 100% of the rent and paying the money back" in differed rent, said Caichiolo, who has
been paying 50% of the rent. "It would really be deadly for us."
Former Arts Commissioner Mike Myers believes both the galleries and performing arts venues, like the Ruskin Theater he
runs, are in dire straits. "We're dead. The Ruskin can't even reopen," Myers said. "We are all looking for some ray of
hope, and this is not it…."
Myers said it's also ironic that artists are getting virtually no help from a City whose Council will make a
proclamation Tuesday declaring April "Arts Month."
Bergamot, he notes, is one of the last arts bastions in a city that once boasted a thriving arts, theater, and music
scene decimated by soaring real estate prices. The City's arts tenants fear the coronavirus shutdown may “do in”
what's left.”
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Vernice Hankins
From:Barbara Kolo <kolohog@verizon.net>
Sent:Tuesday, April 13, 2021 1:05 PM
To:councilmtgitems
Subject:Comments for today's 5:30PM meeting
EXTERNAL
Dear City Council,
As an artist and long time resident of Santa Monica I urge you to remove the section of the city
budget put aside for new city staff and put it toward rent relief for city tenants. The current
recommendations are not enough and will not save the small business tenants of our city.
My concern is losing the cultural assets like Bergamot Station. Over the years, we have lost galleries,
our museum, artist studios and soon Arclight cinemas. It’s like our city is slowly losing its soul.
Meanwhile, more condos are being built. We need the arts to influence our society by changing
opinions, instilling values and giving us a sense of self. Who are we and who do we want to be?
When I first moved to Santa Monica 26 years ago, I never thought it would lose its relevance in the
arts. It has, but there is still time to change by supporting the galleries in Bergamot Station and
recognizing the value of our cultural assets.
Sincerely,
Barbara Kolo
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Packet Pg. 737 Attachment: Written Comments [Revision 1] (4495 : American Rescue Plan Allocation Recommendations (90 minutes))
Created by Tieira Ryder
02/27/2021
To: Asm. Richard Bloom
Asm. Ben Allen
Asm. Sydney Kamlager
President Council Nury Martinez
District 11 Council Member Mike Bonin
Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti
Mar Vista CC
Venice NC
LDP & Commision
HCID & HCLA
Regarding
- Affordable Housing for district 11 working class residents, seniors, students,
those living with disabilities, and others in need of affordable housing.
- District 11’s incorrect zoning in relation to the Santa Monica airport, Santa
Monica’s intentional and continual displacement of working class residents on
the westside.
Proposal
Requesting closure of the Santa Monica airport by January 2022, with an intention to
use the open & safe space of the airport as early as June 2021. In June, the goal should
be to begin the process (if not sooner) to build affordable housing in the open airport
space that includes both affordable rent and homeownership options. The community is
being proposed as a walkable, affordable community that includes affordable
bungalows, apartments, condos, and townhomes.
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Packet Pg. 738 Attachment: Written Comments [Revision 1] (4495 : American Rescue Plan Allocation Recommendations (90 minutes))
Created by Tieira Ryder
02/27/2021
Who
The working class, our seniors, our students, our veterans, and those living with
disabilities are being denied their right to safe, clean, and affordable housing in the city
of Los Angeles. Rent has gone up over 65% in the last 10 years, during that time the
increase in the number of unhoused residents grew by over 50%. The working class is
being pushed into poverty, WE CANNOT afford $2,000 a month in rent for a studio
apartment with no parking on a median income.We need affordable housing that is
community owned, likely through a trust, that protects affordability of housing. If you
look at the maps below, you can see where Mar Vista is shown below on the map, that
is where I’m located. I’m in a small area that really goes unseen and we are in desperate
need of more affordable housing and open park space.We literally have no open
park space even though there are many children in the area!Santa Monica
has taken too much land space from Mar Vista and Venice, both communities run into
the open airport space off bundy.
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Packet Pg. 739 Attachment: Written Comments [Revision 1] (4495 : American Rescue Plan Allocation Recommendations (90 minutes))
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02/27/2021
How this project can be funded
1.The American rescue plan- states “ the bill provides $5 billion to provide
rental assistance and supportive services,to develop affordable rental
housing, to help acquire non-congregate shelter to be converted into permanent
affordable housing or used in emergency shelter”.
2. Grants and any other state or federal relief.
3. Consider a series as a reality style project in partnership with a T.V network like
HGTV. Should be shown in a positive light of creating affordable housing
communities.
4. If the location is deemed to be in a tourist area and/or a percentage of residents
from the community work in neighboring cities that have high tourist attractions
that generate large sums of revenue, a portion of said revenue from tourism
would go into the community trust fund.
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Packet Pg. 740 Attachment: Written Comments [Revision 1] (4495 : American Rescue Plan Allocation Recommendations (90 minutes))
Created by Tieira Ryder
02/27/2021
Opposition/ Needs
1. Correctly rezone council district 11 and assembly district 30 in relation to the
Santa Monica airport open land space.By ending racist & classist zoning
that is negatively impacting residents of the westside, working class
residents of Mar Vista and Venice would have access to more open,
public land space in order to be used for affordable housing & park
space that residents desperately need.The tip of Mar Vista where I live
that runs into Venice beach should be in Asm. District 26 or 50 and part of
Venice & coastal concerns.
2. Santa Monica’s refusal to build enough affordable housing has displaced many
working class residents on the westside,including myself!Santa Monica city
is currently showing off Belmar Park online,a beautiful space that was once
home to black residents on the westside before the city displaced
them.The city shows off this empty park space as many black residents & others
are still displaced today! A resident in the city of Santa Monica recently
mentioned that one of Santa Monica's affordable housing apartment buildings
with over 200 units, is mostly housed with White senior residents from
Eastern Europe,so maybe it’s a senior building, but can the city provide a list
to show the demographics of the inhabited affordable units? I was a tech worker
in the city for a period of time and I was not successful in obtaining affordable
housing from the city.
3. Overturn Measure LC in Santa Monica which requires a public vote on the use of
the Santa Monica airport space if necessary. This may not be necessary if the
district is zoned correctly and the land space is returned to LA City.No group of
people should be able to deny others housing.It is a form of housing
discrimination that a mostly white, well off population from Santa Monica that
has housing, could vote on an issue and possibly deny other residents the right to
the same basic need of housing.Also, if the assembly repeals article 34,
that could?**potentially take care of MeasureLC. Community
members from Mar Vista and Venice need to spread out and we need
more open park space. Long term residents in each of those areas
should get priority for housing.
4.Regarding the FAA;Request that the city attorney, if necessary, challenge the
rule that states no person can live at the airport while it's operating. There is
plenty of open space that can be utilized now. (To begin building affordable
housing in June 2021; full airport closure by January 2022)
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Packet Pg. 741 Attachment: Written Comments [Revision 1] (4495 : American Rescue Plan Allocation Recommendations (90 minutes))
Created by Tieira Ryder
02/27/2021
5. Possibility of toxic air space needs that would require a remedy to keep water
and air space clean for the community and surrounding neighborhoods.
Affordable Rentals
1.Reasonably priced affordable apartments for lower and middle income earners.
The recommended height for apartment buildings is 4-5 stories. Rent would need
to match the average wage of the essential worker in mentioned cities. Rent
should not take more than 30% of an essential workers income; (if market rate
set takes more, renter could potentially get part of rent subsidized)
2.Set an “affordability market rental rate”based off of this income bracket
(about); $20,000-$100,000, but priority should** be given to those that fall
within the lower to middle income bracket, as well as workers that have
established residency from mentioned cities.(income bracket $20,000-$75,000)
No income restrictions once residents are housed.
https://www.nhlp.org/resources/lihtc-admissions-rents-grievance-procedures/
For those with limited to no income and/or displaced minors
1.Offer portion of the housing for residents with limited or no income,
to be partnered with westside chapters of HUD/HCID-LA etc.We can
set a market rate, but it is understood that some residents may have limited or no
income. If we set bachelor apartments at $600 but a potential renter couldn’t
afford that market rate we set because they had limited or no income, then the
funds from HUD would subsidize whatever costs the renter couldn’t afford.
This would likely be for seniors, single parents, students, those living with
disabilities, veterans, and/or chronically homeless but self functioning. This
project for rental units, let's call it “District 11 airport”, could possibly**
“request from HUD the actual market rate cost of a rental unit
apartment”(EX: We set a market rate of $600, but maybe* a bachelor
should**cost $1,200 in Los Angeles, HUD would cover the difference in the
housing projects trust fund. Money to be used for expenses related to rent,
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Packet Pg. 742 Attachment: Written Comments [Revision 1] (4495 : American Rescue Plan Allocation Recommendations (90 minutes))
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02/27/2021
including admin, onsite safety & security if necessary as well as maintenance for
rental units.) Rent would also likely be subsided by renters paying market rate or
slightly above market rate for rental units.
2. Consider large home space for displaced minors within the community aka a
"group home" to provide stability.
Affordable homeownership
1. Public bank that offers low financing to potential homeowner(s)
2.Set a market rate for the total cost of a home that the homeowner would
pay. When it comes to restorative justice & equity, the city would
offset any cost that went above the actual inflation rate of what a
home should be for the income bracket listed above.
3. Home types can be single bungalows or attached/detached townhomes.
The homes could**function similar to that of homes that are in HOA’s.
(TBD)
4. There would be resell requirements for said homes to protect affordability.
5.Income limits should be set for the working class, residents in Mar Vista
and Venice get priority.30% of the housing should be offered to
African Americans as a restorative, affordable housing initiative
that returns homeownership opportunities to black displaced
families on the westside, as a right to return.This would not
replace any federal reparation payment. I do believe that restorative
justice & equity as a whole should include homes that are not required to
follow resell requirements, that can be done as a larger restorative housing
program but likely would not be part of this specific proposed project.
TBD.
6.Request consideration of affordable homeownership for the
millennial generation, or a percentage of the core group, as they own less
than 18 percent of the real estate in Los Angeles. (EQUITY)
“Equity is defined as “the state, quality or ideal of being just, impartial and
fair.” The concept of equity is synonymous with fairness and justice.”
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Packet Pg. 743 Attachment: Written Comments [Revision 1] (4495 : American Rescue Plan Allocation Recommendations (90 minutes))
Created by Tieira Ryder
02/27/2021
To our elected officials, I ask that you please consider this request to close
the Santa Monica airport in order to begin the process of building
affordable housing that belongs to the working class, seniors, students, and
others in need of said housing as early as June 2021.We cannot wait 8 more
years for the airport space to close as the wealthy in that area occupy too much of the
open space in comparison to surrounding cities and they also use the space to drag their
cars over in the airport area while we are all in desperate need of housing, housing that
we needed 10 years ago! No resident should have to beg for housing that they can afford,
no elected official or Gov’t should have that type of power that can deny the basic need
for housing.Thank you for taking the time to read this request from a
community housing advocate in Mar Vista that has been displaced, I’m
looking forward to your response! As a courtesy, I’ve sent this letter to
officials in the city of Santa Monica.
Best,
Tieira Ryder
https://htwws.org/santamonicaairport/
tie.ryder@gmail.com
Links
https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-20
20/August-2020/08_28_2020_Santa_Monica_Names_New_Sports_Field
_After_Once_Thriving_Black_Neighborhood.html
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/livable-city/la-oe-sharp-santa-monica-
airport-housing-20190331-story.html
“Santa Monica’s estimated population of 92,478 residents in 2019 was only a blip
above what it was in 1970, when 88,289 people called the city home. This growing
imbalance between jobs and housing has created a massive influx of daily commuters
into Santa Monica (even well-compensated tech employees) who either can’t find or
can’t afford housing near these job centers. Meanwhile, the population in neighboring
jurisdictions has swelled, displacing lower-income residents.”
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Packet Pg. 744 Attachment: Written Comments [Revision 1] (4495 : American Rescue Plan Allocation Recommendations (90 minutes))
Created by Tieira Ryder
02/27/2021
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Packet Pg. 745 Attachment: Written Comments [Revision 1] (4495 : American Rescue Plan Allocation Recommendations
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02/27/2021
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Packet Pg. 746 Attachment: Written Comments [Revision 1] (4495 : American Rescue Plan Allocation Recommendations
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02/27/2021
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Packet Pg. 747 Attachment: Written Comments [Revision 1] (4495 : American Rescue Plan Allocation Recommendations (90 minutes))