SR 09-27-2022 5B
City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: September 27, 2022
Agenda Item: 5.B
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To: Mayor and City Council
From: David White, City Manager, City Manager's Office
Ramon Batista, Police Chief, Police Department
Subject: Approval of Fiscal Year 2022-23 Appropriation of Revenue and Expenditure
Budgets for Donations Made to the We Are Santa Monica Fund to Support
the Santa Monica Police Cadet Program
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize budget changes as outlined in the
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions section of this report to appropriate funds donated
to the We Are Santa Monica Fund to expand the Police Cadet Program.
Summary
A group of four community members and business owners donated a total of $400,000
to the We Are Santa Monica Fund for the sole and exclusive purpose of expanding the
Police Cadet Program. The We Are Santa Monica Fund Advisory Board approved
accepting the donations for this purpose. Since donations to the We Are Santa Monica
donor-advised fund are made to the fund’s steward, California Community Foundation,
Council’s approval is not needed to accept the donation. Council action is needed,
however, to appropriate the corresponding revenue and expenditure budgets.
Discussion
In April 2022, a community member approached the City of Santa Monica with an
interest in raising funds to support the Santa Monica Police Department and enhance
public safety. Staff determined any such charitable contributions would be best utilized
to help restore the Police Cadet Program, a valued community program that was
eliminated during the 2020 budget restructuring, but slowly has been revived with six
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cadets currently participating in the program compared to the pre-pandemic total of 21
participants.
The SMPD Cadet Program is a law enforcement apprenticeship program founded in
1967. The goal of the program is to assist young people in their achievement of a
college degree prior to their 21st birthday. In 1967, Santa Monica was one of the few
police departments in the country that required a college degree. The Cadet Program’s
initial goal was to help attract and keep new police recruits to the Santa Monica Police
Department.
The Police Cadet expectations are high morals, excelling academically, using good
judgment, and being active in the community. SMPD Cadets who decide to advance in
public safety careers typically perform very well in civil service testing processes. Many
of SMPD’s cadets have advanced to rewarding careers in a variety of sworn and civilian
law enforcement positions at the municipal, state, and federal levels. Others have opted
to work in related civil service positions with various government agencies.
Following initial conversations with the community member, Jordan Kaplan, who
expressed interest in raising funds to support SMPD and enhancing public safety, Mr.
Kaplan, who is the President/CEO of Douglas Emmett Inc., committed to donating
$100,000 to the We Are Santa Monica Fund with the understanding that the funds
would be used solely for expanding the Police Cadet program.
To further advance restoring this beloved community program, Mr. Kaplan then pledged
to challenge several of his peers to match his donation. His efforts resulted in an
extraordinary outcome of an additional $300,000 being donated to the We Are Santa
Monica Fund, through $100,000 donations each from Mr. Jeff Worthe, Macerich
Management, and Ocean Avenue LLC (Fairmont Miramar). All four donors have heavily
invested in and contributed to our community as property owners and business owners
with their company headquarters located in Santa Monica, and they collectively employ
hundreds of people in the city. These generous donations demonstrate their
commitment to giving back to Santa Monica residents by supporting citywide public
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safety and providing opportunities for local college students to gain valuable job training
in the Cadet Program
These donations would support hiring an additional five cadets for four years, which
aligns with the cadets’ anticipated four-years of enrollment as full-time students in an
accredited undergraduate degree program, a requirement for SMPD cadet participation.
Cadets are paid the City’s living wage, currently $18.17 per hour. This equates to salary
costs of approximately $18,000 per cadet for the first year, with cost of living
adjustments anticipated each year. Additional program expenses, such as specialized
training and equipment expenses vary and would be funded by any remaining funds
from these donations, as well as SMPD’s existing operating budget.
Advisory Board Action
On June 8, 2022, the We Are Santa Monica Fund Advisory Board unanimously
approved accepting the $400,000 total donation for the express purpose of supporting
the Police Cadet Program. The We Are Santa Monica Fund is a City-initiated donor-
advised fund stewarded by California Community Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit
organization. The We Are Santa Monica Fund Advisory Board, composed of seven
Santa Monica residents, is appointed by and advisory to the City Manager. The advisory
board’s charge is to fundraise for charitable areas of support approved by Council and
vet funding requests from non-profit organizations to exclusively serve the Santa
Monica community. Donations to the fund technically are made to California Community
Foundation and therefore do not require City Council approval for acceptance, but
Council’s approval is required for appropriation of the relevant revenue and expenditure
budgets.
Financial Impacts and Budget Actions
Staff seeks authority to appropriate the first year of funds received by the City of Santa
Monica from the We Are Santa Monica Fund to support the Santa Monica Police Cadet
Program and recommends the following budget changes.
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FY 2022-23 Budget Changes
Establish Revenue Budget Appropriate Funds
Account Number Amount Account Number Amount
10180001.417030
$100,000 0118000X.511507 $100,000
01800001.692160 ($100,000)
10800002.692160 $100,000
Total $100,000 Total $100,000
The We Are Santa Monica Fund will disburse $100,000 to the City each fiscal year for
four years. Future budget appropriation of $100,000 annually will be included in
subsequent fiscal year budgets, contingent on Council approval.
Prepared By: Melissa Spagnuolo, Acting Community Partnerships Administrator
Approved
Forwarded to Council
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