The City Council, prompted by concerns over traffic safety following a recent cyclist’s death, broached the idea of financing various road safety initiatives via a tax increase in December of last year. Council’s vote (on an item agendized by Councilmember Zwick, Councilmember Davis, and Councilmember Torosis) was to evaluate the impact of the tax increase, engage with the California Coastal Commission, and gather community input.
The current parking tax of 10% has been in place since 1993, but revenues declined by nearly 40% during the pandemic, with recovery not expected until this year at the earliest.
Initially, the proposal was to use the new money to restore programs like Safe Routes to School, enhance street infrastructure, hire more crossing guards and traffic officers, and address downtown parking structure maintenance. Recent accidents, including a fatality and severe injuries at the same intersection, have spurred efforts to improve safety measures, such as converting two-way stops to four-way stops. However, Councilman Zwick noted resource constraints, including reduced staff dedicated to transportation efforts, as a challenge in implementing further safety measures.
Council approved the idea in December by a 6-0 vote with Councilman Oscar de la Torre absent. Officials have used that authorization to hire a private research firm to begin polling local residents. The survey, conducted by McGuire Research begins with proposed ballot measure language
“To reduce traffic congestion in Santa Monica and lower the risk of fatal accidents involving drivers and pedestrians; create safe routes to school to protect children; and provide approximately $8.5 million for street and sidewalk improvements, safe alternatives to driving, crossing guards, public safety, libraries, and other essential city services, shall the city of Santa Monica increase the Parking Facility Tax at parking lots by 10% for users including visitors and tourists, with independent audits and all funds used locally?”
The survey specifies the Parking Facility Tax only applies to privately owned lots and parking rates would not increase at public lots like the Promenade or parking meters. While the survey makes multiple mentions of visitors or tourists paying the fee, an increase would apply to everyone who parked in a private lot regardless of where they live. In addition to the previously mentioned priorities, it also asks if adding money for funding the police, parks, libraries or homeless services would sway voters.
Santa Monica elections have featured tax increases or bond proposals for decades. In the last decade voters have approved increased funding for local schools, Santa Monica College, higher hotel taxes, sales tax increases and higher fees on home sales.
While the local ballot is still in flux, several statewide ballot measures have already qualified for the November election including raising the minimum wage to $18 an hour, making it harder for attorneys to file large lawsuits, lowering the threshold for voters to approve housing/infrastructure taxes, allowing more oil drilling, raising the income tax to create a pandemic detection organization, expanding rent control rules, removing the currently required voter approval for low-income public housing projects, repeal Prop. 8 that limited the right to marry for gay couples, establish a new two-thirds voter requirement for new state taxes an a proposal to require initiatives that change vote thresholds to supermajority votes to pass by the same vote requirement as is being proposed.
matt@smdp.com