Following a tiny tweak in the text, members of the Santa Monica City Council voted unanimously 7-0 to place a parking facility tax revenue measure on the November 2024 Ballot.
The measure, if successful, will increase the City’s parking facility tax rate by 8% and exempt City-owned lots and structures from the tax increase, which would be accompanied by an advisory measure that would allow voters to express their preference that at least half of the additional revenue generated by the Parking Facility Tax Measure should be allocated to address public safety and homelessness.
The measure was originally rejected during the June 25 meeting, however, during the July 9 meeting Vice Mayor Lana Negrete — who had originally opposed it — asked the City Council to direct the City Manager to halt the process to identify tradeoffs and budget reallocations within the existing budget.
Consequently, it was agreed to bring the item back to the dias during the July 23 meeting and the City Attorney and City Manager were directed to develop an advisory measure for the new parking tax indicating that half of the additional revenue generated by the measure should be allocated to address public safety.
According to the staff report, this proposed ballot measure has been vetted twice within the community through polling and the language now reflects the direction of Council, as well as the feedback received during polling to focus on public safety.
"I also want to thank Councilmember Negrete for bringing this forward. It's no secret that we absolutely need revenue. We all want to enhance public safety. We all want to make sure that we have safe streets, clean and safe," Councilmember Caroline Torosis said, adding, "I think we all have heard that multiple times and I feel that this is squarely in line with our clean and safe objectives. And unfortunately the money is not flowing into the city coffers from settlements and everything that we've been used to in the past. And so we need this and I'm ready to support this."
Councilmember Jesse Zwick, who has been an advocate for this parking tax since the beginning, suggested amending the text. "I did have a question about the phrasing just in terms of actually whether or not there was one way to just emphasize the notion of public safety even more in the way that I hear it worded currently," he said.
"I thought I had seen it written in a different way in a previous measure where that clause [to maintain essential city services] was at the end of a list where essentially the phrasing might go ‘to enhance public safety, create safe routes to school, and lower the risk, lower the risk of fatal traffic accidents and maintain other essential city services,’" Zwick said.
In a refreshing state of affairs, this small but significant amendment was welcomed by everyone on the dias.
"I think this is really important [sic] that we brought this back and that we are being thoughtful in terms of how we give an opportunity for our residents to take action as well in the election, to enhance our resources so that we can do the job of strengthening our public safety plan," Ciouncilmember Oscar de la Torre said, adding, "I think it's really important to use the word enhance versus maintain. I think there's a big difference."
As such, following the amendment, the language now reads, "To enhance public safety, create safe routes to school to protect children, lower the risk of fatal traffic accidents and maintain other essential city services, shall the measure increasing the city of Santa Monica parking facility tax by 8% for users, including visitors and tourists, causing no additional costs in city owned lots and structures, including downtown and the beach because of a partial city exemption generating approximately $6,700,000 annually until ended by voters be adopted."
The motion was passed and if voted for, the new tax will take effect on January 1, 2025, with a discussion on where to spend it scheduled for sometime in April of next year.
scott.snowden@smdp
