Letter: Realignment Plan - Support for Improved Transparency and Community Engagement with a More Collaborative Path Going Forward
The following letter was sent by Wilmont and signed by 6 of the 7 neighborhood organizations.
December 10, 2025
Dear Mayor Torosis, Council members and City Manager,
On behalf of the undersigned neighborhood groups, we write to express our deep concern about the process used to present and adopt the Santa Monica Realignment Plan at the October 28, 2025, City Council meeting. This proposal represents sweeping changes to city operations, finances, and land use — yet it was only publicly posted late on a Thursday afternoon, just three business days before the Tuesday meeting.
For members of the Santa Monica community who care about transparency and public participation, this timing was neither sufficient nor reasonable due to the magnitude of the proposal. With hundreds of pages of detailed policy shifts, budget adjustments, land use amendments, and new initiatives, residents were left with too little time to understand the plan, analyze long-term impacts, or provide informed feedback and public comment.
As neighborhood leaders, we are eager to support any and all meaningful steps toward restoring the vitality, safety, and fiscal stability of our city. However, process matters — especially when decisions will shape Santa Monica’s trajectory for decades to come. When the community is invited to participate meaningfully and in good faith, the Council is more likely to make better decisions, and implementation is more likely to be successful with an engaged community.
Beyond the process, we are also especially concerned that the Realignment Plan contains no discussion, vision, or strategy for the revitalization of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. We believe the Civic is one of the City's most important cultural, historic, and financial assets. The Civic Auditorium has long served as a cornerstone of civic life — with potential to generate significant cultural engagement, economic activity, and public benefit.
Neighborhood groups across Santa Monica share a strong interest in seeing our asset revitalized in a way that honors its heritage while contributing to the City's economic recovery. We want your Realignment Plan to succeed and to be a partner at the table. Because your success is our success. However, the omission of the Civic Auditorium from your plan raises serious concerns about priorities and missed opportunities.
Going forward, we respectfully request that the City consider the community a partner by:
- Provide at least 10 business days for public review of all major policy and capital proposals before Council action.
- Schedule public workshops or study sessions for large-scale initiatives prior to Council hearings.
- Ensure clear communication about planned changes, including where future revenue will come from—not just how funds will be spent.
- Include the community in strategic planning for major civic assets, including a long-term revitalization plan for the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
We hope that in the future you will engage in a process that reflects a mutual commitment to transparency, accessibility, and public input. Santa Monica thrives when decisions are made with, not simply for, the community.
We appreciate your attention to this request and look forward to a more collaborative path forward.
Sincerely,
Boards of:
Friends of Sunset Park
North of Montana Association
Pico Neighborhood Association
Santa Monica Mid City Neighbors
Santa Monica Northeast Neighbors
Wilshire Montana Neighborhood Coalition (Wilmont)