Santa Monica’s City Council meets Tuesday, July 14 at 5:30 p.m. with a stacked agenda that could reshape how residents pay for schools, how renters are protected from eviction and how much taller downtown can grow. On the table are a $495 parcel tax for local schools, multiple rent-control charter amendments and a set of downtown zoning changes that could shift future development. The council will also hold a closed-door session on the city-owned Civic Auditorium and consider an emergency interim zoning item for light fleet autonomous-vehicle services, a reminder that the future is arriving whether City Hall is ready or not.
Parcel tax would lock in local school funding
Council members are being asked to accept certification that a citizen initiative establishing a flat $495 annual parcel tax has qualified for the ballot. All revenue would be dedicated to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, with the measure intended to replace funding that currently comes through the Master Facilities Use Agreement.
The proposal includes optional exemptions for seniors, nonprofits and certain affordable-housing parcels. Collection would begin on July 1 following voter approval, and the measure includes independent oversight and audit provisions. As laid out in the city’s formal notice, the tax is structured so that the money stays with local schools and is not diverted to other purposes. City of Santa Monica Notice of Intent
Council could send rent-control charter changes to voters
A late addition to the agenda would send up to three rent-control charter amendments to the ballot, all aimed at tightening and clarifying tenant protections. The proposed changes would reaffirm just-cause eviction rules and bar evictions over unpaid rent below a threshold that has not yet been set. They would also extend protections to people who remain in a unit after the original tenant leaves, as well as to single-unit homes and condominiums.
The package would adjust owner move-in eviction rules, change registration and petition deadlines for rent adjustments and authorize individual council members to file ballot arguments. It would also direct the city attorney to prepare impartial analyses. Those items, along with the broader slate of downtown and governance changes, are outlined in a local meeting preview. Santa Monica Daily Press
Downtown realignment, SB 79 and local limits collide
On the development front, staff are recommending amendments to the Downtown Community Plan and a zoning code ordinance to implement the city’s Realignment Plan. That plan would increase allowable development on certain city-owned downtown sites and in the Gateway Master Plan area to encourage additional housing and commercial activity.
Another proposed ordinance would temporarily exclude specified parcels from the state’s SB 79 transit-oriented standards until one year after the city adopts its 7th-cycle Housing Element, while at the same time raising development standards for multi-unit parcels within a half-mile of the Metro E Line Expo/Bundy station. SB 79 establishes minimum density, height and floor-area standards for qualifying transit-adjacent sites, and the Realignment Plan serves as Santa Monica’s blueprint for concentrating growth and incentives downtown. SB 79 text
Closed session to discuss Civic Auditorium negotiations
Before the public meeting, the council will convene in closed session to discuss real estate negotiations for the Civic Auditorium at 1855 Main St. The agenda lists City Manager Oliver Chi as the city’s negotiator and identifies Goldenvoice Chief Operating Officer Melissa Ormand and AEG Presents Executive Vice President and General Counsel Shawn Trell as the other parties, with talks focused on price and payment terms. The item was added this week, a sign that the long-running question over the future of the city-owned venue may be picking up speed. Santa Monica Daily Press
How to weigh in
The July 14 meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall, with opportunities for in-person, remote and written public comment. The city posts agendas, Zoom dial-in information and instructions for submitting comments on the clerk’s agendas page. Written comments are typically included in the public record if they are received by the deadlines listed in the agenda packet. City Clerk agendas
Legal note
Under city rules, initiative proponents must collect signatures equal to 10% of registered voters for a measure to qualify for the ballot, while charter amendments generally require signatures from 15% of registered voters. If the parcel-tax initiative qualifies, it would appear on the Nov. 3, 2026 general municipal ballot. For signature thresholds and other election rules, residents can consult the city’s elections guide. City of Santa Monica Elections
