The Santa Monica Landmarks Commission costs nearly twice as much as the city’s next two highest-cost commissions combined, according to a city analysis of staff time and expenses for boards, commissions, and task forces. The snapshot shows the Landmarks Commission requires an estimated $255,089 per year in staff time, dwarfing the costs of the Airport Commission and the Public Safety Reform and Oversight Commission, which together total just over $130,000 annually.
You can read all the data for yourself in this spreadsheet prepared by the city.
The Landmarks Commission, a regulatory and quasi-judicial body housed in the Community Development Department, is by far the most resource-intensive of the city’s commissions. City estimates show the commission requires the equivalent of 1.38 full-time employees (FTEs) devoted to meeting preparation, technical analysis, and legal review.
The commission is responsible for reviewing proposed changes to historic buildings and designated landmarks throughout Santa Monica. Its work includes evaluating demolition permits, alterations to historic properties, and applications for landmark or structure-of-merit designation. Because its decisions carry legal weight and are frequently appealed, staff support is extensive and often involves senior planners and attorneys.
According to the staffing snapshot, support for the Landmarks Commission includes a Staff Assistant III spending 40% of their time, a design and historic preservation planner devoting 50%, as well as significant involvement from senior planners, a planning manager, and a deputy city attorney. While the commission meets 12 times per year for an average of three hours per meeting, much of the staff workload occurs outside the meeting room.
The second-highest cost commission is the Airport Commission, which oversees policy and operational issues at Santa Monica Airport. The commission costs an estimated $67,270 per year in staff time, equivalent to 0.31 FTE.
The Airport Commission advises the City Council on airport operations, capital improvements, lease agreements, and regulatory compliance, particularly as the city advances plans to close the airport and redevelop the site. Staff support includes senior leadership from Public Works and the City Attorney’s Office, reflecting the complexity and legal sensitivity of airport governance.
By contrast, most of Santa Monica’s advisory boards and commissions cost between $6,000 and $30,000 annually and require a fraction of a full-time staff position. City officials say the analysis is intended to improve transparency around staffing demands, but the data underscores how historic preservation decisions — more than any other civic function — consume a disproportionate share of staff resources.
An analysis of the data presented in this article was done by ChatGPT.
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