#municipal-budget

#municipal-budget

Santa Monica, long a beacon of economic strength in Southern California, has endured its share of struggles in recent years. Its once-bustling downtown shopping district has taken a post-pandemic hit, with the Third Street Promenade in need of reinvention and the upscale Santa Monica Place mall about to lose its anchor Nordstrom. Other factors include post-pandemic shifts in the entertainment industry and new tariffs.

It was a perfect storm. We added positions to respond to needs, we negotiated new labor standards, and there was also the expenditure to purchase the theater, and, frankly, we have some internal overtime spending controls that need to be tightened up,