Our latest Santa Monica Pulse poll asked residents about recent ordinances proposed by the City Council and gauged the impact of a recent political endorsement.

The City Council will soon consider an ordinance that would enhance the city’s anti-camping laws, including making sleeping in public with sleeping bags and blankets illegal. Some argue that outlawing sleeping in public criminalizes homelessness without solving the issue. Others, including business owners and many residents, said it would help the community to keep public parks and beaches clean. When asked if they supported a law that would make sleeping in public with bags and blankets illegal, 84 percent of respondents said yes. Only eight percent said no, and another 7 percent said they weren’t sure.

Our next question focused on the City Council’s recent introduced of an ordinance that would lower speed limits on certain streets in the city, including some stretches of Olympic Boulevard and Pico Blvd. The measure was introduced in an effort to reduce traffic related injuries and fatalities. When asked if they supported lowering the speed limit on certain streets in Santa Monica, residents seemed split in half. 47 percent said they did support lowering the speed limit on certain streets. 41 percent said they did not. About 10 percent said they weren’t sure.

We also asked residents about the latest political endorsement from the city’s public safety unions. These unions recently endorsed three candidates on the “Change” slate for City Council. This includes Mayor Phil Brock, Councilmember Oscar de la Torre and Vivian Roknian. When asked if this endorsement made them more or less likely to vote for the Change slate candidates in November, about 44 percent said it made them more likely. Only 12 percent said it made them less likely, and 43 percent said it did not impact their vote.