A new poll released earlier today in the Santa Monica Daily Press claims overwhelming support among Santa Monica voters for keeping the Santa Monica Airport open, a somewhat shocking result given the prevailing political view closing the airport on the first possible day, January 1, 2029, is a foregone conclusion.
The survey (PDF), conducted last September (more details on methodology at end of article) by FM3 Research and commissioned by the pro-airport group Spirit of Santa Monica, found that 67 percent of voters favor keeping the airport open “in some form,” compared with just 25 percent who want it closed as soon as possible. It also reported high favorability ratings for the airport across all neighborhoods, including among residents within a mile of the airfield.
“The survey found that Santa Monica voters value the airport and support keeping it open in a way that preserves options for the city,” said Ben Marcus, co-founder and president of the nonprofit Spirit of Santa Monica.
“As the city faces a once-in-a-generation decision about a 227-acre site, voters are signaling clearly that they do not want to rush toward irreversible decisions driven by a vocal minority to close the airport.”
But for many local housing advocates and airport opponents, the poll’s findings raise eyebrows. Santa Monica’s airport closure debate has stretched for decades, with repeated planning processes, community surveys, public hearings and courtroom battles shaping the narrative.
The Great Park Coalition**, a non-profit coalition of environmental groups, neighborhood associations, and local advocates dedicated towards turning the airport land into a park, slammed the poll in a statement provided to Next.
“This so-called “independent” poll was commissioned by a pro-aviation group and should be given no credibility. Last year there was another poll, sponsored by a pro-housing group, that purported to show a majority of Santa Monicans in favor of closing the airport and building housing there.
We at the Great Park Coalition remain focused on planning to make the Great Park on the airport land a reality. All this “noise” created by opponents of the Great Park vision is in fact recognition of how successful this vision has been in exciting residents about the future of the airport land. Let’s keep in mind that when all the relevant information was fairly set before the voters of Santa Monica, they voted 60-40 to close the airport and build a Great Park there.”
The Great Park Coalition is hardly alone in criticising the survey, political and policy chat boards are filled with comments such as “Lol the airport folks messed this one up — they probably had too high of a hit rate with their targets and should have made the number more believable instead. 67%? No one with a working brain believes that.”
However, the FM3 Research has a solid reputation in the polling industry with a client list that includes (mostly Democratic) politicians, large cities such as Oakland, and a mix of other public and private clients. However, the website Media Bias/Fact Check gives FM3 mixed reviews claiming their results are “left-center” and have “medium credibility.”
The political moment
In 2025, the City Council voted 6–1 to move forward with a plan to transform most of the airport into a “Great Park,” excluding housing in its initial design due in part to concern that opening the door to development could require another vote and delay park creation.
Earlier this month, three Santa Monica residents, including a member of the Santa Monica Housing Authority, an advocate affiliated with Santa Monicans for Renters Rights and a member of Unite Here! Local 11 Hospitality Union, submitted ballot language to the city clerk for a measure that would authorize up to 3,000 units of housing on airport land after closure. The proposal would limit new homes to no more than 25 percent of the airport site, with at least half of the units priced for households at 80 percent of area median income and the remainder at no more than 120 percent. Once approved by the clerk, supporters would need to gather signatures or obtain City Council consent to place the measure on the November ballot; it could pass with a simple majority.
After the measure was submitted, City Council Member Dan Hall and Mayor Caroline Torosis released statements opposing the measure, noting that amending existing law to allow for housing at a future park could undermine community consensus for the airport’s closure and derail planning for a park on the site.
Whether the FM3 poll reflects genuinely broad support for keeping airport operations, is an outlier, or simply captures a moment shaped by recent political maneuvering remains to be tested.
But if the ballot measure gets enough signatures to be on the fall ballot, Santa Monica voters may get their chance to weigh in directly this fall — not on whether the airport stays open, but on what replaces it should it close.
The survey was conducted September 18–25, 2025, among registered voters in the City of Santa Monica, with 632 total interviews. Voters were contacted through a mix of telephone calls, email invitations, and text invitations, with interviews completed by telephone and online in English and Spanish.
**The author of this piece is listed on the Great Park Coalition’s website as a supporter, a designation stemming from his previous service on the Mar Vista Neighborhood Council in Los Angeles.
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