The League of Women Voters of Santa Monica submitted the following public comments regarding Santa Monica City Council Meeting 8/24/2021 Agenda Item 7B:

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August 24, 2021

Re: Agenda Item 7B

Dear Mayor Himmelrich, Mayor Pro Tem McCowan, and City Councilmembers,

We wrote to the Council in April (please see attachment or https://bit.ly/413217c) to express our concerns regarding a substantially similar proposed emergency ordinance as the one before you this evening as Agenda Item 7B, an ordinance prohibiting certain items during community events and public assemblies. 

We wish to echo the comments we submitted less than six months ago and urge you, as the City Council, to consider the potential negative unintended consequences of this item, such as potential misuse due to the wide-ranging types of objects and potential situations in which it may be applied. 

Question to consider: Are actions that this ordinance seeks to resolve already addressed under existing laws?

Furthermore, since April, Santa Monica has made substantive progress toward addressing systemic inequalities, in part by  creating and empowering  the new Public Safety Reform and Oversight Commission. We encourage the City to  use this excellent resource when  evaluating potential changes to  laws that relate to civil liberties and public safety. 

The item is also still on the agenda as an emergency ordinance, which means it would take effect immediately, without the contemplation, reflection, or robust public discussion necessary for proposed restrictions of civil liberties. 

We urge the City Council to consider the concerns we’ve shared regarding Agenda Item 7B, both  in our written public comments in April and above. 

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Natalya Zernitskaya
President
League of Women Voters of Santa Monica