This Pulse Poll Is WILD
Even by the admittedly low standards of the Pulse Polls, push polls designed to shape public policy by asking a conservative group of self-identified residents loaded questions, this month’s edition has produced questionable results.
The Pulse Poll offered its first question on the 2024 election and it showed that the “Unity Slate” of Dan Hall, Ellis Raskin, Barry Snell, and Natalya Zernitskaya have the support of just 11% of registered voters with a clear majority having a bad opinion of the slate.
Given the accuracy of the Pulse Polls in predicting the 2022 election, this is fantastic news for the Unity Slate. From a 2023 article on Next:
“Pulse Polls twice predicted overwhelming support for Armen Melkonians’ campaign for City Council (he finished in 6th place), while the top two vote getters Caroline Torosis and Jesse Zwick were predicted as also-rans. One of those polls also showed a transfer tax ballot measure supported by then mayor Sue Himmelrich and Unite Here 11 losing by a staggering 41 points (16% in favor, 57% opposed.) The same measure passed weeks after the poll was done with roughly 55% support.”
Usually after a poll produces such reality defying results as Pulse Polls did in 2022, the makers of the poll would seek to change their methodology to produce something resembling accurate results. That has not been the case with Pulse Polls.
This month’s poll also produced a pair of reality questioning results in relation to the Downtown and the Promenade.
Despite the recent successes attracting local investment, only 10% of respondents felt that the Downtown is improving or “headed in the right direction.”
Last, the Pulse Poll showed a shocking amount of support for the “Santa Methica” sign series that first attracted regional media attention for brazenly calling attention to crime issues in Downtown Santa Monica, but has also attracted a lot of attention for the amazing amount of misinformation that can be put into two sentences. Lathe week City Council voted unanimously to ask the owner of the unrented store front where the banner hangs to take it down. This month, the Pulse Poll shows that nearly three quarter
