Our latest Santa Monica Pulse shows that it’s possible to turn the tide in the city, as long as the City Council aligns its decision making with the will of actual residents.

Last month, our poll showed that residents were increasingly concerned about crime and homelessness, and skeptical of a new City Council that had done little to alter the status quo.

Our latest poll, taken between March 11-March 16, finds that residents are looking a bit more favorably on the new Council. When asked if they thought Santa Monica was on the right track, 71 percent said “no.” While still high, this response represented a decent drop from last month, where 85 percent of residents said the city wasn’t on the right track.

The 14-point change in sentiment may be due in part to the favorable way residents view the Council’s recent decision to temporarily halt commercial development in zones that allow residential housing. 64 percent of residents approved of this decision. 78 percent of residents were also supportive of a future ordinance that would limit excessive noise in the evenings in residential areas.

While this poll is a mild improvement from last month’s, residents still feel the city is not doing enough to solve homelessness. 81 percent said the city was doing a “poor job” reducing homelessness and keeping the public safe. That response comes after the Council voted to reaffirm its current approach to homelessness, and is in line with last month’s poll, which found 80 percent of residents thought homelessness had gotten worse in Santa Monica.

Anyone interested in weighing in on the next poll can email their cell phone number to [email protected].