Clean and Safe Santa Monica: City Council adopts new rules on property maintenance, weapons
September 27, 2023 10:20 AM
SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Last night, the Santa Monica City Council unanimously adopted three ordinances amending the Santa Monica Municipal Code with relation to property maintenance, edged weapons and firearms as part of the city’s ongoing prioritization of a clean and safe Santa Monica.
“We have heard loud and clear the concerns from Santa Monica residents, workers and business owners about public safety and cleanliness in our city, and we take these concerns very seriously,” City Manager David White said. “We are coordinating the work of many departments to address public safety from every angle. While there’s still work to do, these ordinances mark a huge step forward by giving our staff added tools to promote safety in our city.”
The ordinances make the following updates to the Santa Monica Municipal Code:
- Property Maintenance and Vacant Properties: Creates new chapters in the city’s municipal code dedicated to property maintenance and vacant properties that require property owners to meet more stringent standards for their properties and give code enforcement staff more authority to enforce violations.
- Edged Weapons: Prohibits the open carry of edged weapons – such as knives, daggers, sharpened sticks, and swords – in public areas.
- Firearms: Increases local safety requirements for the legal sale, purchase and storage of firearms in Santa Monica, while also strengthening protections against illegal firearms.
For a more detailed summary of the ordinances and their impacts on public safety, please see this blog post.
Media Contact
Lauren Howland
Communications and public information manager
lauren.howland@santamonica.gov