Here is Eli Gill’s answer to the candidate questionnaire prepared by students in our journalism class at the Police Activities League. For more on Trussler’s campaign, visit his website.
Previous Q and A’s: Doug Trussler, Brett Morrow, Ashley Oelson, and Lindsay Davis.
If you are elected, what is the first thing you would want to do?
The first thing I would want to do is launch a deep dive into code enforcement. Santa Monica has a lot of strong laws to protect renters, but those protections don’t always match what people are living with. Many of our apartment buildings are 50 to 80 years old, and too many tenants deal with broken heaters, leaks, mold or pests that take far too long to get fixed, or never get fixed at all.
I want to find out exactly where the system breaks down. How long does it take from the moment a renter files a complaint until an inspector shows up? How often do the repairs really get made? Which buildings keep showing up again and again? Once we know that, we can fix it. I would also make the results public, so anyone, including students like you, can see whether things are getting better. A law only protects people if it is enforced.
If you could be remembered for one thing for your work in City Council, what would it be?
I would want to be remembered for making Santa Monica a place where a kid can safely walk or bike to school, to the park or to a friend’s house, and where that same kid can afford to live here when they grow up.
I have already seen how much a small change can matter. In my neighborhood, Wilmont, there were years of crashes at dangerous intersections, and a cyclist was killed In 2023. I worked with council members and city traffic engineers to turn those two-way stops into four-way stops. If I can help make that kind of change happen all over the city, I would be proud of that.
What can we/you do to raise more money for schools so we can have better supplies and working water fountains? Do you support Measure ES?
Yes, I support Measure ES. For many years the city has paid the school district about $12 million a year through an agreement that ends in 2027. The city is facing a tough budget, so that money is not guaranteed anymore. Measure ES would keep that funding coming to our schools in a steady way, and the money has to stay with Santa Monica’s public schools.
Beyond that, the best long-term way to support schools is a city that is doing well. When local businesses are busy and more families can afford to live here, the whole community is stronger and there is more support for schools. And for something like broken water fountains, I think the city and the school district should work together on a clear repair list that people can see, so problems get fixed instead of sitting there for months.
How do we help people get around that are too young to drive and might not have easy access to a bus?
This one matters a lot to me. I bike and take transit as part of my daily life, and I want young people to have the same freedom to get around on their own safely.
The answer is streets designed for people, not just cars. That means protected bike lanes that separate bikes from traffic, safer crosswalks near schools and parks, and School Streets programs that close the street in front of a school to cars during drop-off and pick-up. I also helped start Santa Monica Greenways, which works on calm, tree-lined neighborhood streets where walking and biking feel easy and fun. I want to bring Metro Bike share into Santa Monica and make buses come more often, so a bus is actually a good option. When the safe choice is also the easy choice, more kids can get where they need to go without needing a ride.
Bonus: What is something adults in Santa Monica are arguing about that you think is a waste of time to argue about?
A lot of adults argue as if we have to pick one side: new homes or protecting renters, bikes or cars, small businesses or neighborhoods. Most of the time that is a false choice. We can build more homes and protect the people who already live here. We can make streets safer for bikes and still keep deliveries and traffic moving. I would rather spend that energy figuring out how to do both and then actually getting it done.
If you were looking to interview someone about the topic of your choice, who would you interview and what would it be about.?
I would interview a small business owner who recently opened a shop or restaurant in Santa Monica. I would ask them how long it took to open, what got in their way, and what the city could have done to make it easier. In Santa Monica it can take years to go from an idea to opening the doors, and the people living through that know better than anyone where the system is broken. Their answers would tell us a lot about how to bring more life and local businesses back to our neighborhoods and downtown.
If you had a Elon Musk’s money what would you do to support the people of Santa Monica
First, I would help build a lot of homes, especially for teachers, nurses, firefighters, workers and the young people who grew up here and want to stay. Next, I would make sure the old airport becomes a huge, beautiful park for everyone. I would build safe, protected bike paths across the whole city, fix up every school so supplies and water fountains are never a problem, and help people living on the street get into housing with the support they need.
Luckily, Santa Monica does not need a billionaire. We already have a lot of resources and talented people. What we need is a city government that sets clear priorities, follows through and is run well. That is what I want to bring to City Council.
