The following is a press release from the City of Santa Monica.
At its Oct. 27 meeting, the Santa Monica City Council approved several initiatives as part of an Affordability Agenda to help offset the rising costs of food, housing, and childcare for residents.
These initiatives include incorporating Measure GS funds into the Housing Trust Fund Guidelines, expanding the Preserving Our Diversity program, adding additional Human Services Grants Program funding for food assistance and childcare subsidies, and strengthening the city’s Tenant Harassment Ordinance to more explicitly protect tenant organizing.
Council’s actions included:
1. Incorporating up to $23.5 million in Measure GS housing production funds into the Housing Trust Fund Guidelines, allowing the city to reopen its over-the-counter affordable housing funding process in January 2027.
2. Expanding the eligibility criteria for the Preserving Our Diversity, or POD, program, which provides cash-based assistance to very low-income senior renters. Council approved adding an annual cost-of-living adjustment to the program’s benefits, as well as:
- Lowering the age minimum for participation in the program from 65 to 62
- Allowing participation by individuals living in deed-restricted apartments, in addition to rent-controlled apartments
- Reducing occupancy requirements from 15 years to 10 years for rent-controlled residents
Staff were also directed to commission a study for possible program expansions to families and households with persons with disabilities.
3. Authorizing staff to prioritize an additional $300,000 per year from the General Fund in the FY 2027-29 budget for the Human Services Grants Program, or HSGP, dedicated to food programs and childcare subsidies. The city will return to Council in the spring with recommended grantees to provide these services to Santa Monica residents.
4. The City Council also authorized City Attorney’s Office staff to begin outreach and development of a proposal to amend the city’s Tenant Harassment Ordinance to explicitly prohibit bad faith interference with organizing.
“We cannot build a stronger future for Santa Monica if the people who call this city home are being priced out,” Santa Monica Mayor Caroline Torosis said. “As inflation keeps pushing everyday costs higher, we need to make sure seniors can age in place, working parents can afford childcare and put down roots, and tenants can organize without fear of retaliation. This affordability agenda is about protecting the diversity and character of our community, and we’re just getting started. This spring, we’ll be back with new partners to deliver food assistance and childcare support directly to residents.”
These most recent additions complement the city’s existing portfolio of resources and services, which includes free and discounted after school programing through CREST, Virginia Avenue Park, and the Police Activities League, the Right to Counsel program for tenants facing eviction, Santa Monica Renter Aid, the upcoming Santa Monica Predictive Prevention Pilot to prevent homelessness, and the existing Housing Trust Funds and HSGP.
See the staff report or watch the City Council discussion for more information.
