The following was submitted by Mayor Caroline Torosis.
Santa Monica, CA — Mayor Caroline Torosis, Councilmember Dan Hall, and Councilmember Ellis Raskin today introduced a sweeping cost-of-living agenda focused on reducing everyday expenses, protecting workers and renters, and ensuring Santa Monica’s economic momentum reaches the people who live and work here.
The Council action directs City staff to evaluate and advance practical, legally viable strategies that reduce costs where residents feel them most: food, early-childhood expenses, wages, consumer pricing, and housing stability. Together, the proposals reflect a simple principle. Santa Monica’s renaissance cannot succeed unless people can afford to remain, raise families, and build their lives here.
“A thriving city is one where people can stay, raise families, and build a future without constant financial strain,” said Mayor Caroline Torosis. “This agenda is about focusing government on what actually matters. Food on the table, fair pay for work, stable housing, and basic transparency. That’s how we make sure progress is real and shared.”
What the Affordability Agenda Delivers
Lower food costs and protect grocery access
- Evaluates public or mission-driven grocery store models to stabilize prices and ensure reliable access to affordable, nutritious food.
- Explores use of publicly owned land or partnerships to prevent loss of low-cost grocery options.
- Draws on models from cities where local governments stepped in to preserve grocery access.
Support families at the moment it matters most
- Explores a Santa Monica Baby Basket program that provides diapers, wipes, and postpartum supplies to new parents.
- Evaluates partnerships with hospitals, clinics, and community organizations to distribute supplies at birth.
- Recognizes that welcoming a child is a critical moment for family stability.
Ensure work pays fairly and transparently
- Examines options to ensure customer tips for app-based delivery workers are paid fully on top of wages.
- Strengthens pay transparency so workers and customers understand how compensation is calculated.
- Aligns gig-economy practices with long-standing labor standards.
Protect residents from hidden and unfair pricing
- Analyzes municipal authority to restrict surveillance-based pricing practices.
- Explores requiring non-digital coupons so seniors and residents without smartphones can access discounts.
- Reinforces clear, transparent pricing for essential goods and services.
Protect immigrant workers and their families
- Establishes pathways for workers detained by ICE to recover earned wages and final paychecks.
- Prevents sudden income loss from triggering eviction, food insecurity, or homelessness.
- Coordinates with legal and worker advocacy partners to ensure access to wage recovery.
Keep renters housed and prevent displacement
- Evaluates tenant opportunity-to-purchase and community land trust models to preserve existing affordable homes.
- Strengthens protections when rental buildings are sold to prevent displacement.
- Explores safeguards against rent increases or evictions when family members move in to support one another.
Support tenants who organize for basic living conditions
- Clarifies and reinforces tenants’ rights to organize without retaliation.
- Explores clearer recognition of tenant associations and communication standards with landlords.
- Strengthens enforcement so renters are not forced to navigate housing challenges alone.
“This is about fairness in how our economy works at the ground level,” said Councilmember Ellis Raskin. “When prices are opaque, wages are unclear, and housing becomes speculative, families lose stability. These proposals give the City real tools to protect residents and workers.”
Councilmember Dan Hall emphasized the urgency of addressing cost pressures across the board. “Affordability isn’t one issue. It’s food, rent, wages, and consumer costs all hitting at once,” Hall said. “While our federal government reneges on the social contract, we are looking at a comprehensive approach that reflects how people actually experience the cost of living.”
If approved, City staff will return to Council with detailed analyses, recommendations, and implementation options over the coming months. The agenda builds on the City’s broader Realignment and Renaissance efforts, ensuring economic progress is paired with stability and fairness for Santa Monica residents.
“A city can’t thrive if the people who make it run are constantly under pressure,” Mayor Torosis said. “This is how we make sure Santa Monica’s future works for everyone.”
Mayor Caroline Torosis, Councilmember Dan Hall, and Councilmember Ellis Raskin today introduced a sweeping cost-of-living agenda focused on reducing everyday expenses, protecting workers and renters, and ensuring Santa Monica’s economic momentum reaches the people who live and work here.
The Council action directs City staff to evaluate and advance practical, legally viable strategies that reduce costs where residents feel them most: food, early-childhood expenses, wages, consumer pricing, and housing stability. Together, the proposals reflect a simple principle. Santa Monica’s renaissance cannot succeed unless people can afford to remain, raise families, and build their lives here.
“A thriving city is one where people can stay, raise families, and build a future without constant financial strain,” said Mayor Caroline Torosis. “This agenda is about focusing government on what actually matters. Food on the table, fair pay for work, stable housing, and basic transparency. That’s how we make sure progress is real and shared.”
What the Affordability Agenda Delivers
Lower food costs and protect grocery access
- Evaluates public or mission-driven grocery store models to stabilize prices and ensure reliable access to affordable, nutritious food.
- Explores use of publicly owned land or partnerships to prevent loss of low-cost grocery options.
- Draws on models from cities where local governments stepped in to preserve grocery access.
Support families at the moment it matters most
- Explores a Santa Monica Baby Basket program that provides diapers, wipes, and postpartum supplies to new parents.
- Evaluates partnerships with hospitals, clinics, and community organizations to distribute supplies at birth.
- Recognizes that welcoming a child is a critical moment for family stability.
Ensure work pays fairly and transparently
- Examines options to ensure customer tips for app-based delivery workers are paid fully on top of wages.
- Strengthens pay transparency so workers and customers understand how compensation is calculated.
- Aligns gig-economy practices with long-standing labor standards.
Protect residents from hidden and unfair pricing
- Analyzes municipal authority to restrict surveillance-based pricing practices.
- Explores requiring non-digital coupons so seniors and residents without smartphones can access discounts.
- Reinforces clear, transparent pricing for essential goods and services.
Protect immigrant workers and their families
- Establishes pathways for workers detained by ICE to recover earned wages and final paychecks.
- Prevents sudden income loss from triggering eviction, food insecurity, or homelessness.
- Coordinates with legal and worker advocacy partners to ensure access to wage recovery.
Keep renters housed and prevent displacement
- Evaluates tenant opportunity-to-purchase and community land trust models to preserve existing affordable homes.
- Strengthens protections when rental buildings are sold to prevent displacement.
- Explores safeguards against rent increases or evictions when family members move in to support one another.
Support tenants who organize for basic living conditions
- Clarifies and reinforces tenants’ rights to organize without retaliation.
- Explores clearer recognition of tenant associations and communication standards with landlords.
- Strengthens enforcement so renters are not forced to navigate housing challenges alone.
“This is about fairness in how our economy works at the ground level,” said Councilmember Ellis Raskin. “When prices are opaque, wages are unclear, and housing becomes speculative, families lose stability. These proposals give the City real tools to protect residents and workers.”
Councilmember Dan Hall emphasized the urgency of addressing cost pressures across the board. “Affordability isn’t one issue. It’s food, rent, wages, and consumer costs all hitting at once,” Hall said. “While our federal government reneges on the social contract, we are looking at a comprehensive approach that reflects how people actually experience the cost of living.”
If approved, City staff will return to Council with detailed analyses, recommendations, and implementation options over the coming months. The agenda builds on the City’s broader Realignment and Renaissance efforts, ensuring economic progress is paired with stability and fairness for Santa Monica residents.
“A city can’t thrive if the people who make it run are constantly under pressure,” Mayor Torosis said. “This is how we make sure Santa Monica’s future works for everyone.”
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