Our latest Santa Monica Pulse poll asked residents about the City Council’s latest initiatives on gun retailers and security guards. In addition, residents were asked about the potential hotel workers strike looming before 4th of July weekend. 

City Council recently proposed an ordinance to ban licensed gun retailers from displaying firearms and impose an annual fee on gun owners, among other measures. We asked residents if they support or oppose this measure. The majority of respondents (nearly 59 percent) oppose the measure, while 33 percent support it. Another 8 percent were unsure.

We also asked residents if they believe the City Council’s recently approved $2.2 million security guard pilot program will be effective in reducing crime. The program provides four unarmed security guards to monitor city parking structures in the downtown area overnight. Most respondents (47 percent) believe the program will not be effective at all. Only 12 percent said the program would be very effective, and another 40 percent said it would be somewhat effective.

Hotel workers are threatening a region wide strike over the 4th of July weekend, demanding an hourly wage as high as $30 per hour in addition to a long list of additional demands. The plan to disrupt the Los Angeles region over the holiday weekend could potentially bring tourism to a standstill. We asked residents if they support the strike. The vast majority (66 percent) of respondents said they do not support the strike, while only 33 percent support it.