Council accepts $1 million Beach House grant
The three-year gift will fund larger public events, free classes, and community partnerships at Annenberg Community Beach House, with 2,700 first-year participants projected.
Two hosts walk through the week’s edition in conversation — accept grant from wallace annenberg legacy, public comment (moved earlier), and what’s coming next. Generated by Aware, from this week’s verified summaries.
City staff said the grant is the first gift from the Wallace Annenberg Legacy Foundation and will pay for new ways to bring more people to the beach.
A beach landmark just got a new stream of support. Santa Monica City Council unanimously authorized City Manager Oliver Chi to accept a $1 million grant over three years from the Wallace Annenberg Legacy Foundation for Annenberg Community Beach House programming and access. Staff said the money is built into the 2026–27 budget request and is meant to expand public use of the site.
The plan centers on three tracks for the first 12 months. Staff said the grant will help create larger public events, build programs with local and regional community organizations, and add new free public offerings. Examples included an all-ages night sky event with the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, plus beach visits for groups coming to the coast for the first time, with water acclimation, education, art-making, wellness, and recreation. Staff estimated the first year would create opportunities for 2,700 people, with $333,000 allocated in year one.
Staff framed the work as an access effort, aimed at financial, physical, social, cultural, and informational barriers that can keep people from using the Beach House. Councilmembers discussed regional partnerships and youth water access across LA County. Before the vote, the council adopted a finding that the action would have no possibility of significant effect under a common sense exception to CEQA, then approved the grant acceptance and related budget amendments.
Public Comment (Moved Earlier): Payroll Errors Affecting Classified Employees After LEO System Transition
Five months after the LEO payroll switch, classified employees said they still cannot trust their checks. During public comment, one employee with 17 years in the district described overtime paid at different rates, missing longevity and shift differentials, missing educational incentives, and changing base rates from paycheck to paycheck.
The speaker said one July paycheck duplicated transactions and created an overpayment, then the next check recovered that money without notice or explanation. They said some checks showed zero earnings and only adjustment lines, and warned that irregular schedules, leave time, and manual corrections were producing errors that could affect retirement records. The employee asked for a documented reconciliation plan, retroactive audits to April, and a commitment that workers will be made whole.
A labor representative widened the complaint beyond payroll. The speaker alleged harassment and retaliation, criticized changes to union access rules at a high school site, and said workers were seeking a 25% across-the-board raise. The comments did not bring board action that night, but they put payroll accuracy, bargaining, and workplace oversight squarely in public view.
Parents press board on screen limits
Parents and community members urged the board to adopt a districtwide instructional technology policy that limits screen use, especially in the earliest grades. Speakers pointed to YouTube access on student Chromebooks, confusing Google consent settings, and uneven classroom practices, while backing the new student phone restrictions.
Parents pressed for districtwide limits on student screen use, Chromebook access, and tech policy.
City Attorney outlines closed session agenda
The City Attorney announced closed session items on existing litigation and a real estate negotiation involving airport-area properties. The negotiation covered sites on Airport Avenue, with Oliver Chi named as the city negotiator, and the council was expected back at 9:30 p.m. after an estimated 45-minute session.
litigation
Council adopts Expo-Bundy exclusion ordinance
Santa Monica City Council adopted the second reading of the Expo-Bundy TOD ordinance after hearing public concerns about upzoning, displacement risk, and effects on the Pico neighborhood. The measure raises development standards so parcels can qualify for SB79 exclusion, and council told staff to keep looking for ways to narrow the affected area.
The ordinance affects where taller housing rules apply and could change development pressure near homes, transit, and neighborhood services.
Council checks progress on fire response
Staff updated the council on work tied to the January 2025 Palisades Fire after-action report, including progress on 36 recommendations. The report touched emergency operations staffing, evacuation zones, training, and planning, and later public comment pushed for more review of airport firefighting capacity and evacuation limits.
Fire response and evacuation planning affect resident safety during future emergencies, especially in fast-moving wildfire conditions.
- Santa Monica City Council. Speakers urged Council to reconsider or narrow the proposed upzoning approach tied to SB79, emphasizing displacement risk and historical harms in Pico/Gandara Park. Comments also raised concerns about process, affordability outcomes, childcare capacity, and the need for alternative parcel selection methods.
- Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education. A parent requested the district explore reopening a parking area where Topanga Canyon Boulevard meets Pacific Coast Highway to support a safer drop-off/pick-up location for a school bus stop and improve access to Malibu schools.
- Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education. Classified employees and a labor representative described ongoing payroll errors since an April transition to the LEO system, including overtime and differential issues, unexplained recoveries, and retirement contribution concerns, and requested a documented reconciliation plan, audits, and protections for employees.
- Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education. A district parent and local nonprofit news publisher criticized the district’s stance and communications regarding safe streets and Safe Routes to School planning, citing legal and policy references and asking the district to correct claims and align with school site safety plan requirements.
- Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education. Multiple parents and community members urged the Board to adopt a districtwide instructional technology policy limiting screen use (especially in early grades), raised concerns about YouTube access on student Chromebooks and Google consent settings, and supported the new mobile phone policy while emphasizing intentional, age-appropriate technology use.
What we didn’t fit in this Sundays edition
SANTA MONICA had 27 more items this week. Here are sixfour — the rest are on Aware.
- GOVERNANCECouncil funds Hook seafood festival with $20,000. Council approved $20,000 in discretionary funding for the Hook Santa Monica Seafood Fest after required disclosures about prior communications, with two councilmembers voting no. Later public comment also urged city support for the pier event and discussed whether fees should be waived or covered another way.
- GOVERNANCEApproval of Rafal/Talis Contract for City Performance Framework and Community Development Operational Assessment (Fire Action Report Mentioned in Discussion). Council approved a contract with Rafal/Talis to organize citywide performance measures and conduct an operational assessment focused on Community Development functions including building safety, code enforcement, and residential habitability processes.
- GOVERNANCEPublic Comment (Later in Meeting): Safe Routes to School/Measure ES and District Communications. A district parent and local nonprofit news publisher criticized the district’s stance and communications regarding safe streets and Safe Routes to School planning, citing legal and policy references and asking the district to correct claims and align with school site safety plan requirements.
- GOVERNANCEFacility Improvement Program Update (Districtwide Measures/SMS). Staff presented a bond/facilities program update covering completed and ongoing projects across multiple campuses, including costs, schedules, punch list items, HVAC issues, DSA approvals, and upcoming construction timelines.
- GOVERNANCECity Manager Report (Operations, Programs, Events, Storm Preparation, and Adoptable Pet). The City Manager reported on interim City Clerk service, introduced the new City Clerk, shared Big Blue Bus ridership milestones, announced a small business microgrant program, noted festival cancellations and upcoming events, discussed storm preparation for El Niño impacts, and introduced an adoptable pet.
- GOVERNANCESuperintendent’s Report: HVAC Status, Heritage Month, Meal Applications, Safety Drill, and Holiday. The superintendent reported on district HVAC failures during a heat wave and repair timelines, announced Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month activities, urged completion of meal applications, noted a district office fire drill, and reminded the community of a district holiday for Jewish High Holy Days.
- GOVERNANCEPublic Comment (Moved Earlier): Workplace Safety, Communication, and Camera Concerns. An employee described workplace conflict, harsh communication, fear of retaliation, concerns about a camera in a shared work area, and requested review of a golf cart incident and other safety issues, emphasizing professionalism and the ability to report concerns confidentially.
- GOVERNANCECouncil approves Stewart Street parcel map. Council approved the final parcel map for 2134 Stewart Street to create four residential parcels and directed staff to engage residents about preferential parking issues. A related pulled consent item was also approved, with the mayor recused because of proximity to a proposed subdivision.
- GOVERNANCEPublic Comment (Moved Earlier): Access to Malibu Schools—Request to Reopen Parking Area Near Bus Stop. A parent requested the district explore reopening a parking area where Topanga Canyon Boulevard meets Pacific Coast Highway to support a safer drop-off/pick-up location for a school bus stop and improve access to Malibu schools.
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