Santa Monica City Council officially prepared itself for the Presidential transition and a second term with the Trump administration in Tuesday’s meeting. The ominous-sounding item was brought forward at the request of Mayor Pro Tem Torosis, Councilmember Zwick and Mayor Negrete and was aimed at protecting individuals, such as the LGBTQ community or immigrants, who may be targeted by new Federal actions.
As per the staff report, in light of the upcoming 2025 presidential transition, potential shifts in federal policy may create challenges for the community, particularly for those most vulnerable to systemic inequities. During times of uncertainty, local governments play a critical role as stewards of democracy, human rights, and opportunity for all.
“We have seen this Trump administration in a different form previously and I think that it's really important that we reaffirm our commitment to diversity, equity inclusion, make sure that we are strengthening our commitment to protecting all of our residents, particularly those in our marginalized communities and immigrant communities, to ensure that people feel safe in their homes, in their few older public spaces,” said Torosis.
This past week, the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations released its annual report on hate crimes, focusing on those reported throughout LA County in 2023. The amount of reported hate crimes has soared from 930 in 2022 to 1,350 in 2023, the highest number in the history of the report, which dates back to 1980.
The previous high water mark was 1,031 hate crimes reported in 2001, due in part to the September 11 attacks. Two particular spikes were in anti-transgender and religious crimes, with the former increasing 125%, with 97% of the crimes being violent. Religious crimes spiked 90%, including the largest amount of anti-Jewish crimes (242) ever recorded.
In April of this year, the Santa Monica Police Department investigated multiple reports of anti-Semitic graffiti discovered in various locations throughout the city, including the Pico neighborhood (2100-2300 Pico Blvd) marking sidewalks, trees and light posts.
“I'm so proud to live in this city and so proud of all the innovative and forward thinking things that we've done, both on legislation and on legal advocacy. And I think giving our city attorney the delegated authority to join amicus briefs and advocate for paper policies that would protect these vulnerable communities is key,” Torosis said.
The motion made instructs the Council to (summarized) —
• Reaffirm the City’s commitment … of not enforcing federal immigration laws, not sharing information with federal immigration authorities absent a judicial warrant [and] that the City will not be used to assist or facilitate federal immigration enforcement.
• Direct the City Attorney and City Manager to, within 90 days, take the following actions:
a) Conduct a review of local laws, policies, and regulations to identify any changes needed to strengthen protections for vulnerable community members.
b) Assess the potential funding and operational impacts of any reductions in federal or state funding tied to immigration.
c) Monitor and evaluate the potential impacts of proposed federal, state, and regional legislation on Santa Monica residents.
d) Authorize the City Attorney to join the City of Santa Monica as amicus support …[and] review the City’s existing laws and evaluate whether new laws need to be passed to ensure that LGBTQIA+ individuals are protected from discrimination.
e) Direct the City Manager to develop, if necessary, new programming and additional services in the case of programs being reduced or eliminated by the new administration.
f) Partner with local organizations … and stakeholders to develop strategies, messaging, and programming reassuring members of the community … who may feel vulnerable due to ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, or immigration status.
The motion was made by Negrete and seconded by Zwick and with the tiny, friendly amendment of including the Committee for Racial Justice in the last list entry, the item was passed unanimously 6-0 since Councilmember Barry Snell was absent for his very first City Council meeting.
