The Santa Monica Coalition is a movement comprised of Santa Monica residents, business owners, unhoused, and locals that addresses the humanitarian crisis, public safety concerns, the rising crime, and the current lack of responsiveness from the City of Santa Monica.
The City of Santa Monica and the County along with Venice Family Clinic have been operating the only open-air, publicly funded needle, condom and synthetic distribution program in the country. They make their distributions at Reed Park (across from a K-12 Catholic School with over 650 students), Tonvga Park, Palisades Park, the California Incline, 3rd Street Promenade and at the privately owned 7 Eleven parking lot on 7th and Wilshire. This program is attracting addicts to settle in our parks and public spaces and publicly use drugs causing a major safety concern with more needles being discarded in all areas where they are being distributed.
California Governor Newsom vetoed a bill last year by Senator Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco) that would have set up pilot programs using public funds, citing worries about “unintended consequences”.
Santa Monica doesn’t have a housing issue, it has a drug epidemic. 3-5 people are dying on our streets every month. The County and City are engaging in a needle “exchange” program in Reed Park, Tongva Park, Palisades Park, at the 7th Eleven on Wilshire and 7th, the 3rd Street Promenade and the California Incline. Watch these videos for more information: