Meeting date: October 27, 2026
The City Council on Tuesday heard an appeal over whether a 1913 craftsman bungalow at 1921 20th St. in the Pico neighborhood should become a city landmark, which would put changes to its exterior under Landmarks Commission review. Councilmember Dan Hall moved to grant the appeal and designate the property.
Landmark appeal on 20th Street (Item 12.B)
A member of the Landmarks Commission appealed the commission’s September denial of a Santa Monica Conservancy application to landmark the two-story house. Interim City Attorney Heidi von Tongeln told the council it was adopting its own findings rather than judging the commission’s.
A city planner told the council the house is about 1,379 square feet and is one of two airplane bunfgalows, a craftsman subtype staff called rare, that the city has identified. A Landmarks Commission member told the council the panel found the house met none of the six landmark criteria and did not treat the subtype’s rarity alone as enough.
Designation would cover the exterior. Von Tongeln said any alteration to a landmarked parcel, including to an accessory building, would still need commission review. Planning Director Jing Yeo said zoning still applies, so building behind the house remains possible. Hall’s motion would designate the parcel but treat the 1948 rear unit and 1951 garages as non-contributing.
The owner told the council she bought the house Jan. 2, was never told it was on the city’s historic resources inventory, and opposes designation. She said the house is in poor condition and that she had planned to build housing and a senior center.
Hall said he supported designation and disputed what the landmarks ordinance requires under its first criterion, saying it does not ask whether a building sparked later development.
“It asks whether it symbolizes or manifests our history.”
Councilmember Ellis Raskin said he supported the motion and that the house clearly meets the criteria. Several speakers, including former Landmarks Commission members, urged designation. Another speaker said rarity is not a criterion in most preservation ordinances.
If the council designates the property, staff said, it will bring back a statement of official action at a later meeting. No date was given. Councilmember Barry Snell recused himself, citing the location of his home near the property.
Affordability package and final paychecks (Item 11.A)
Director of Housing and Human Services Eileen Reynolds presented a package that included a first reading of an ordinance letting employees name someone to collect a final paycheck if they cannot. A staff member from the city attorney’s office said it would take effect in July 2027, with employers handing out the form at hiring and yearly. Staff said they believed it would cover all employers.
The package also would move up to $23.5 million in Measure GS housing production funds into the Housing Trust Fund guidelines, reopening over-the-counter funding for affordable housing developers in 2027. It would expand the Preserving Our Diversity cash assistance program by lowering the age requirement from 65 to 62, adding deed-restricted housing, cutting the residency look-back from 15 years to 10 and adding an annual cost-of-living adjustment, supported by a $360,000 budget amendment. Staff said 29 households that applied last year would now qualify. Staff also asked to begin outreach on tenant organizing protections and to prioritize $300,000 a year in the 2027-29 budget for food assistance and child care subsidies.
A representative of the Santa Monica Chamber opposed the paycheck ordinance, citing existing state law, burdens on small businesses and legal exposure. Snell said he supported the rest of the package but had difficulty supporting that ordinance because of the yearly burden on businesses.
Mayor Caroline Torosis said she opposed the ordinance as drafted and wanted final paycheck rights handled through the city attorney’s new wage enforcement program instead. She also noted that each violation would be a misdemeanor carrying a $500 fine and six months in jail, with each day a separate offense.
Raskin, who offered the substitute motion to introduce the ordinance as written, said he backed it.
“We are solving a problem that exists, that we know exists.”
Councilmember Dan Hall also said he supported the ordinance, noting worker and community representatives favored it. Torosis moved to approve the other recommendations and, on the paycheck ordinance, to direct the city attorney to fold final paycheck rights into the wage enforcement program. Raskin’s substitute motion failed. After the vote, Torosis asked the city attorney to return with options when the wage enforcement program is presented. No date was given.
Votes and decisions
- Item 5.D: The council approved a settlement of two lawsuits over the 1217 Euclid St. affordable housing project, under which the petitioner pays $250,000 in attorney’s fees, split between the city and Hollywood Housing Community Corporation, with Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Zwick recused.
- Item 11.A: Raskin’s substitute motion to introduce the final paycheck ordinance as written failed.
Everything the council did
- Item 4.A: Raskin recused himself from a household hazardous waste contract with Clean Harbors Environmental Services, saying his law firm counts the company as a client and has no financial interest in the contract. The contract is worth up to $4,403,865 over five years, according to the staff report.
- Item 4.B: Hall questioned a fourth change order, $2.1 million, for the 2800 Airport Ave. renovation, saying he worried about sunk costs. A city architect said work added sewer, water intrusion and electrical service problems, the money comes from airport funds rather than the general fund, and tenants could move in by spring 2027. Staff said it is the last change order. Hall moved the staff recommendation. The contract would reach $10,158,350, according to the staff report.
- Item 4.K: Pulled from the consent calendar at staff’s request so staff can hold discussions with SMTT about its proposed update of the tourism marketing district. If renewed, the district would collect about $6.5 million a year, according to the staff report.
- Item 12.A: On a development agreement for a 1,000-square-foot digital display and a rebuilt historic blade sign at 1355 Third Street Promenade, staff said the owner would pay $500,000 up front, the greater of 20 percent of gross revenue or $500,000 a year, $30,000 for promenade improvements and $23,000 for tree removal and replacement, and the city would get 20 percent of display time. Raskin recused because his firm represents Outfront Media. Councilmember Natalya Zernitskaya asked that city content be allowed to run if occupancy terms are not met, and staff said it had language ready. Councilmember Lana Negrete said she worried the display covers windows and limits housing. Snell moved the item and Hall seconded.
- Item 10.A: On building code updates, a tenant notice requirement before permits and after-hours construction rules, Raskin asked about neighbor notification. Yeo said notice moves to after an application is filed, and Raskin withdrew his substitute motion and said he would support the item. Hall moved the staff recommendation.
- Item 11.B: On a local emergency for the El Nino winter, staff said it mainly eases procurement, and Von Tongeln said it would not affect hotels’ seasonal pricing. Staff announced sandbag filling Nov. 7, 14 and 21 at Clover Park, 9 a.m. to noon.
- Item 16.A: Raskin moved to allocate $10,000 from his discretionary fund to the Santa Monica History Museum, including $7,000 for its Route 66 exhibition. Negrete seconded. Snell recused, saying his wife is a museum board member.
