This month’s Santa Monica Pulse focused on some key issues facing residents as well as one big question plaguing the state of California: Would you recall Governor Gavin Newsom? It turns out, more than half of Santa Monicans would. 54 percent of respondents said they plan to vote to recall the Governor. Another 40 percent said they would not vote to recall, while only 4 percent were not sure how they’d vote.
Getting back to local politics, we asked residents what they thought of the City Council’s request for an ordinance that would bar lobbyists from sitting on Santa Monica’s Boards and Commissions. This type of ordinance got overwhelming support from respondents — 80 percent said they were in favor of such a rule while only 6 percent said they weren’t in favor.
As far as approval for Lana Negrete — the newest Councilmember recently appointed by the sitting City Council — almost half of respondents (49 percent) said they approved of her joining the Council. Just 12 percent disapproved. With 38 percent saying they’re still unsure about Negrete’s appointment, it looks like many residents are withholding judgement until they see her in action. Future approval ratings may depend on whether or not she sticks to her platform of addressing crime and homelessness.
Speaking of crime rates in the city, there’s been debate over whether or not residents feel there’s enough police officers patrolling the streets. We asked residents what their personal experience had been with recent police presence in the city. Exactly half said they were experiencing a reduced police presence relative to last year. Just 14 percent said they were experiencing an increased police presence, while 35 percent said it was unchanged.