Recent public safety ordinances support a clean and safe Santa Monica
September 27, 2023 8:47 AM
by David White
Every person who lives, works, or visits Santa Monica should feel safe, and we’ve heard the concerns from members of the community that we have work to do. That’s why the City Council made establishing a clean and safe Santa Monica a top priority, and why staff across departments are focusing efforts on addressing public safety from all angles.
We know that we won’t achieve our goals overnight, but we’ve already made significant progress and this week set the stage for even greater success. On September 26, the City Council unanimously adopted public safety ordinances related to property maintenance and vacant properties, edged weapons, and firearms that will give us tools to make Santa Monica safer.
Property Maintenance and Vacant Properties
Since 2016, the number of vacant properties in Santa Monica has increased from 29 to approximately 130. With that has also come a noted increase in the volume of calls and 311 requests from members of the public with complaints and concerns related to them.
Vacant properties are defined as any property that is unoccupied for more than 90 days or where construction has substantially ceased for 90 days or more. Properties where fewer than 35 percent of the units are occupied are also subject to the provisions of the ordinance.
Vacant properties have numerous negative impacts on a city and its residents – research has linked them to decreased property values and increased violent crime, and the resulting increase in public safety costs. In Santa Monica, a Code Enforcement analysis found a strong correlation between the locations of vacant properties and the volume of calls placed for police services between January and November 2022.
The recent Council-approved update to the Santa Monica Municipal Code helps address this public safety issue by enhancing property maintenance requirements and establishing updated maintenance and security standards for vacant properties. The ordinance also centralizes various property maintenance provisions currently within the Code to make it easier for staff, property owners, and the public to navigate.
Specifically, the code now holds vacant properties to the same basic maintenance standards as any other property in the city, but adds additional security requirements, such as:
- Installing fencing if the Director of Community Development determines that it’s necessary for safety
- Securing doors and windows with clear materials rather than plywood
- Adding signage and combination locks
- Installing motion-activated exterior lighting
- Providing the City with written documentation of all security measures taken.
The new requirements put the onus for managing vacant properties on the property owners, with the goal of encouraging owners to keep the properties occupied or complete construction in a timely manner to keep them from becoming vacant in the first place.
In addition to the new regulations for vacant properties, the Council also adopted more in-depth property maintenance provisions to help protect and enhance the health, safety, welfare, and aesthetic appeal of the community. Prior to this ordinance, Code Enforcement did not have effective, comprehensive tools to address many of the property maintenance-related calls received from the community.
The updated code’s more specific maintenance standards are more targeted and enforceable than what was previously in the Municipal Code. By adding a greater focus on regulating the inside of buildings, the new ordinance better protects the habitability and safety of residents and allows the City to address concerns when they are smaller and easier to fix, prior to conditions becoming severely deteriorated and requiring many more resources to address.
Ensuring that Santa Monica properties are kept habitable and presentable is an important piece of improving the safety and aesthetics of the community. Combined with enhanced oversight of vacant properties, these new tools will enable Code Enforcement staff to better respond to the needs of the community and improve the cleanliness and safety of Santa Monica.
For more information, view the full staff report related to this ordinance here.
Edged Weapons
Also at the September 26 meeting, the Santa Monica City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance prohibiting the open carry of edged weapons – such as knives, daggers, sharpened sticks, and swords – in public areas.
In Santa Monica and across the nation, aggravated assaults and other serious crimes where an edged weapon is used have increased over the past several years, causing concern for public safety.
The new ordinance authorizes SMPD officers to address openly carrying these types of weapons in public areas, filling a previous gap in enforcement tools available to our officers. The potential benefits of this ordinance include:
- Deterring open carry of edged weapons in public, enhancing public safety and comfort throughout the city
- Giving law enforcement a valuable tool to seize edged or pointed weapons that may be used to commit a violent crime
- Reducing aggravated assaults.
For more details, view the full staff report related to this ordinance here.
Firearms
Finally, the City Council also unanimously adopted an ordinance amending the Municipal Code by increasing requirements for the legal sale, purchase, and possession of firearms in Santa Monica, while also strengthening protections against illegal firearms.
Firearm retailer regulations: Under the new ordinance, firearms retailers in Santa Monica – there is currently one retailer in the City – are subject to additional regulations including requirements to:
- Have a video surveillance system approved by the Chief of Police
- Store firearms and ammunition in a secure manner that is only accessible to authorized employees
- Install specified signage
- Restrict unaccompanied minors and other prohibited purchasers from going within 10 feet of the area where firearms, ammunition, and related accessories are held
Firearm owner responsibilities: The new regulations require firearm owners to:
- Obtain liability insurance covering negligent or accidental use of a firearm
- Store firearms in a locked container or secure them using a firearm safety device
- Report lost or stolen firearms within 48 hours (state law allows five days)
Weapons restrictions on City property and other areas: With this ordinance, possessing a firearm is prohibited on City property and in certain areas. Weapons carried in violation of the ordinance can be impounded by the Chief of Police. This prohibition covers:
- Any City-owned or leased building (excluding garages and parking lots open to the public)
- The Pier
- Any facility where alcoholic beverages are consumed on the premises
- Churches and other places of worship, unless they designate otherwise
- Sporting events, concerts, shows, farmers markets, and other community events
- Places where First Amendment protected speech is being conducted
- Public parks and the beach
- Hospitals and clinics
- Private property where the owner has prohibited firearms
Voluntary Commitment Program: The ordinance establishes a Voluntary Commitment Program, which allows the Santa Monica Police Department to store a firearm when a resident believes that another person who lives with them may present an immediate danger to themselves or others. If the resident deems that the danger has passed, they can retrieve the gun upon request and with proof of ownership.
Ghost gun ban: With the new ordinance, Santa Monica joins other cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Jose, and San Diego in prohibiting the possession, purchase, transport, receipt, or sale of non-serialized firearms, known as “ghost guns,” in the City.
For more details, view the full staff report related to this ordinance here.
Authored By
David White
City Manager