In our latest Santa Monica Pulse poll, we asked residents about the upcoming election for City Council. If the election were held tomorrow, we asked which four candidates would you people vote for. Top candidates were Phil Brock (50%), Oscar de la Torre (49%), Vivian Rocknian (33%), and John Putnam (30%). The other remaining candidates received less than ten percent each. About 46 percent said they were planning to vote for someone else.

The City Council recently voted to support a ballot measure that would raise LA County’s sales tax (already one of the highest in the nation). The revenue is meant to go to programs that would fight homelessness. We asked residents if they supported a higher sales tax. Almost 96 percent said “no,” and only three percent said “yes.” Only one percent were unsure.

A recent survey ranked Santa Monica as the most expensive city to conduct business in the region. We asked residents if they thought the City Council should make it easier to run a business in the city. Almost 96 percent said “yes,” and only one percent said “no.”