Santa Monica City Council Meeting October 13, 2026

At the October 13, 2026 Santa Monica City Council meeting, the council approved several procurement- and operations-related actions. It authorized a lease with Santa Monica Brew Works for the former Rusty’s site at 256 Santa Monica Pier: a five-year initial term with two five-year options, $5 per square foot in base rent with 3% annual increases, up to $750,000 in city-funded tenant improvements, and permit and plan-check fee waivers. The proposed first-year rent revenue is approximately $215,000. The lease includes worker-retention terms consistent with the city’s pier regulations and retains the standard labor-peace provision. The council also approved a two-year rent-registry arrangement with 3DI, which staff said operates more than 75% of California rent registries; the planned registration fee is $52.35 per unit. It approved a parking-enforcement modernization using license-plate recognition equipment, supported by a previously awarded $700,000 capital-improvement allocation; staff identified Comsonic as the proposed integrator and Genetec as the system provider, with city ownership of the data and a 30-day purge for data not used in enforcement. The item passed unanimously.

The council also approved no-cost pilot programs with its parking operator, Metropolis, to improve operations and signage at three parking facilities and test curbside valet service at two downtown locations, with no added customer fees. Separately, it authorized staff to pursue a pilot license agreement with Zoox to stage up to 150 electric robotaxis at city parking facilities; staff estimated the arrangement could generate about $5 million annually, subject to final feasibility and terms. In its realignment-plan update, staff reported that the previously established $3 million economic-development fund could support two or three downtown catalyst projects, potentially through forgivable loans of up to $1.5 million each; no new allocation was approved for those projects at this meeting. The council also approved a study session on potential Great Park funding and stewardship models. A request for retrospective Hawk Fest fee support was referred back without a funding vote. Public comments included concerns about the scope and cost of airport-site environmental review, pier-worker protections, public-property safeguards, and Measure GG; no procurement action was taken on those matters.