The latest Santa Monica Pulse polling asked residents about a current proposal to require the vote of five City Councilmembers (instead of the current four) to consider an item at a Council meeting after 11 PM. The proposal would also limit Councilmember comments to one minute each with no member allowed to speak more than twice per item, in addition to other limitations meant to shorten meetings. When asked if they supported such a proposal, residents were somewhat torn. About 36 percent said they would support it, while another 41 percent said they would not. 23 percent were unsure.

We also asked resident to weigh in on the Council’s recent decision to join a lawsuit opposing Los Angeles County’s recently adopted zero bail policy. More than 20 cities have joined the suit against the new protocol that would allow those who commit theft offenses, vehicle code violations, and other property and non-violent crimes to be either cited, booked and released, or referred to an on-call magistrate. When asked if they agreed with the city’s decision to join the lawsuit, 81 percent said yes. Only 15 percent said no, with about three percent saying they were unsure.

Residents also weighed in on California Governor Newsom’s week-long visit to China to “promote climate
cooperation.” He has faced criticism for avoiding accusations of human rights violations in the
country. When asked if they supported Newsom’s trip to China, about 26 percent said yes. 57 percent said no and another 17 percent said they were unsure.