June 24, 2025 • 53 mins
About Evan Meyer
Tech entrepreneur and civic leader - he founded mygovtools.org, a platform to drive government efficiency, constituent representation, and civic engagement; BeautifyEarth.com, a platform accelerating urban beautification through art; and its sister nonprofit, transforming schools in underserved areas. He also co-founded RideAmigos.com, a platform that optimizes commuter travel globally. Previously, he served as District Director for the California State Senate and led many civic initiatives in Santa Monica. Through seminars and his podcast Meyerside Chats, Evan inspires civic engagement, innovation, and cultural growth.
He loves the outdoors, is a master of creative projects, is an avid muralist and musician, and finds the world fascinating in every regard.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
So here we are.
We're gonna get started.
Uh, thanks again.
And let us begin with a littlebit about your journey, uh, how
you got here.
You're a small business ownerstill.
Um, you don't have thetraditional path of, of, uh,
getting to a position like mayorthat most folks do, uh, and, and
(00:21):
it's inspiring.
You have a great story.
Why don't we start a little bitwith that and a little bit about
your why.
Why you do this in the fir takeon this thankless work in the
first place?
Okay, well, first of all, I'mnot sweating because of the
lights probably, but um, we'llget to that in a second.
My journey to being on here,well, small business owner took
over my family business.
(00:41):
I have a background prior tothat I wanted nothing to do with
my family business, which ismusic stores.
Not because I don't love music,but because everybody in my
family worked in it.
Um, both my parents aren't fromthis country.
My mom's from Trinidad, my dad'sCuban and Spanish, but came by
way of Canada.
Um, we struggled and were poorand I watched all my siblings
kind of struggle in the musicindustry and I was like, well,
(01:02):
I'm not gonna do that.
So, um, since my mom bused me toschool on the north side, I had
that to look forward to these.
Kids that grew up in big houses,and that's what I wanted.
And I figured that wasn't theway to get it to work at the
music store in a building wedidn't own.
However, my journey through, um,being an account executive,
international marketing, um, oneday kids, one on the belly and
(01:24):
one on my hip, my dad said,we're gonna go bankrupt and
clothes.
And we've been serving everyschool.
Um.
Now 54 years with all theirinstruments and repairs.
And my dad won a Man of the Yearaward in Compton and Watts for
bringing music to underservedkids.
And I thought, what a tragedy tolose that.
So I said, fine.
We sold everything, moved intoan apartment, downsized to one
(01:46):
car, and I stepped in.
I said it was temporary, and Iwould maybe, you know, have some
more time with my kids.
Cut to me taking over.
Well, during that process as abusiness owner and a community
where we had to deal with thecity a lot.
I saw a lot of things happenover time.
Um, and what, in 2020 when Covidhit right after that, we got
looted and our other locationgot set on fire during the
(02:08):
George Floyd riots.
And I was there during that timewith my kids and um, with the
kids in my nonprofit.
And afterwards in the rebuildingphase, I thought.
The way it was handled andeverything that was going on, I
wanted to get more involved.
So I started a program throughthe police department and the
at-risk youth that I offer freelessons to.
(02:29):
And during that process, the,the folks in the police
department and fire departmentwere like, you need to be on our
city council.
I'm like, absolutely not.
First of all, I cuss like asailor, I'm tatted up.
And everybody, they're like, buteverybody knows you.
You're, you know, you've been sophilanthropic in the community.
Your dad has your.
Staple here.
You're born and raised and youknow, as a business owner, the
struggles.
(02:49):
'cause at that time we hadpeople all of a sudden for the
first time in decades, likedoing meth in front of my music
store, but the city was finingme for having like an A-frame
saying, kids rock band.
They're like, you can't havethat there.
That's$200.
I'm like.
Oh, by the way, that guy justshit in front of my store and is
like smoking meth.
What about him?
And they're like, yeah, we can'tdeal with that right now.
So that's what inspired me.
(03:09):
But in all honesty, I was like,that's ridiculous.
Like someone's gotta saysomething about that and they're
like, well, it's political.
I'm like, it is So that some guystepped down in the middle of a
Zoom council meeting.
And so the first thing I did wasI joined the Public Safety
Oversight Commission.
Not'cause I wanted to.
I was like, what is that?
And so, um, they're like, youshould join it.
We need common sense people likeyou, who, you know, whatever.
(03:31):
So I'm like, okay, I'll do that.
Then this guy in the middle of ameeting, like mic dropped on a
Zoom meeting, he's like, I'm offthis shit.
And like, got off council.
So they're like, there's youropportunity.
You don't have to do a campaign.
You can step in.
And I was like, all right.
Me and 37 other people put ourname in.
I did the hustle of meeting withthe council members and having
breakfast with them and sayinglike, please pick me.
(03:51):
It got narrowed down to twopeople.
It was my birthday, 2021, June29th, and I fucking got on and I
was like, and then I immediatelyhad a panic attack, like, oh my
God, what did I do?
Because they Googled me and putup old podcasts I was on and
they were like, oh, you know,she qualified.
I was like, I'm not, I.
You should like unseat me.
(04:13):
So then, um, and then a year andfour months later, my imposter
syndrome started to melt away.
I still have it oftentimes'causeI was sitting amongst like a
lawyer for at and TA person who,you know, everybody.
There was lawyers, public policyheads, and.
This was a stepping stone to getsomewhere else and I was just
like, there's a guy smoking methand pooping in front of my store
(04:34):
and it's awful.
And we should be able to likefix some of these issues and
it's not business friendly andwe need to do something
different.
We need to think outside thebox.
So then I ran for election and Igot a four year seat.
And we do an appointment processfor mayor.
And so it was all political.
They tried to make me mayorright away, but there was an
older gentleman who reallywanted it.
It was like his life's goal as achild.
(04:54):
I think he already had thelicense plate made.
So I voted against myself threerounds.
He really does have that licenseplate, by the way.
Um, not me.
I am like, I gotta be able tocut people off and get away with
it.
So, so he.
Against myself, three rounds.
And he, so he got it.
So I was vice mayor for twoyears.
Um, and then, and then inDecember, against some people's
(05:17):
wishes, I became the mayor.
And so here I'm, and I must sayduring that process, my dad had
a stroke, was paralyzed.
I took care of him.
February of last year, I wasdiagnosed with breast cancer.
Didn't tell my dad, didn't missa meeting.
Went through three surgeries,five months of chemo, uh,
radiation.
Rang the bell in November.
Uh, got sworn in, well, notsworn in, but got appointed as
(05:39):
mayor in December.
Everything caught on fire inJanuary.
Wow.
And then Evan was like, do youknow about gov tools?
It could really help youreyebrows grow back.
That's how it happened.
Exactly.
Uh, I don't know if there's anyquestion to, um, the mayor's
(06:02):
authenticity, but in, in myopinion, working with her and,
and, and being friends with hernow for years has been, it's,
it's second to none in myopinion.
It's one of the most refreshingthings about, um, about Mayor
Negreti is that she is thatauthentic and you don't see that
Yeah.
As much.
And, and she's a human.
(06:23):
And I think it's funny when yousay mayor, people are like,
Madam Mayor.
I'm like, yeah.
So, um, so your mindset aroundall of this is, is is always for
me, very refreshing andrefreshing for so many of the
people who voted for you.
Um, obviously, um, do you.
(06:46):
Think that the entrepreneurialmindset, the startup mindset,
that way of solving problems,critical thinking, how much more
of that do we need ingovernment?
Uh, and just to be fair, whereis its limitations?
Well, I think that's whatseparates me.
There's been people on councilwho have been like, I'm a
(07:08):
business owner.
But they've never had to runpayroll or put a key in a door
and flip the open sign or, youknow, really deal with the city
and the capacity that I have.
And I don't come fromgenerational wealth or legacy
where I'm connected.
I came from parents whostruggled and really didn't know
how to make it, and I had tofigure it out.
And I think that gritty mindset.
(07:28):
Forces you to think outside thebox.
And I think coming from traumaand struggle forces you to be
flexible in your mindset and itgives you just a different
perception.
I'm not knocking anyone whocomes from that.
'cause I think a balanced deusin local government should
involve all of those things,right?
Some polished thinking and then,and then people who have common
sense and lived perspective,because that's what makes the
(07:51):
team effort like sound.
'cause oftentimes I'm at a tablewhere I'm like.
You know, people will be puttingforward policy and I'm like,
that actually doesn't work.
'cause like I am in that space.
And they're like, oh, okay.
Or vice versa.
They'll say, that's a greatidea, but let me tell you why
that doesn't work.
'cause I've been in the, been inthis in a different profession,
but, and we're actually hiring acity manager right now.
(08:11):
So it's funny you say that.
We get a booklet and we see allthe people apply and I'm looking
at every past CEO and peoplewho've started their own
business and right sized anorganization.
'cause I look at citygovernment, like our
constituents are our customersand we are a business and, and
we need to be serving ourcommunity.
And as an elected leader, I'mthe inner, I'm the, I'm the
(08:34):
go-between, between theconstituent and.
Staff.
Right.
That's how I see it at least.
And so my job is to be like,since you guys are busy working,
let me tell you what ourcustomers are saying and then
let's, let's adjust so that wecan serve our customers.
But ironically, people who arecome from a government mindset,
they were picking all the peoplethat were like, well, he didn't
(08:55):
run a city that was large enoughand that city doesn't have
transportation like we do.
And I'm like.
Who gives a shit this guy likefricking saved four companies
and like, you know, has managedmore staff than we've ever had.
So I think it's importantbecause if we keep thinking that
way, it's like the old saying,you keep doing the same thing
and expecting a differentresult, that's insanity.
And I think for most of us, withthe ebbs and flows, the problems
(09:18):
that we have in government,local government have existed
forever.
And it's because we don't have,like, we have people who are in
it for different reasons,whether it's control or power,
or they have a one track mind.
But I think we've lost this ideaof like serving the customer.
And so for me, I think anentrepreneurial mindset gives
you the opportunity to thinkoutside the box, be flexible,
(09:41):
identify problems, and.
Not identify them, how theyconnect to you, but identify
them as a problem and wanna fixthem.
And that takes people in thetech space, that takes people in
the startup space, that takespeople who have, who have
managed a payroll, who havefailed.
That's another thing, like wewere looking at an individual
who had some, had a failed, uh,business in the past and I, and
(10:03):
that was a, a red mark to somefolks in the room and I thought.
That's not a red mark, and I'mnot even talking about the city
manager thing.
Now I'm talking about somethingelse.
Like we've, I've been in thesegroups to help hire people and I
think it's interesting howpeople see failure as, you know,
failure and not as well.
At least they tried.
They probably failed becausethey did something that.
(10:24):
Nobody thought that you coulddo.
And then they figured out, okay,that didn't work.
And then I look at theirsuccesses after that.
So you can only look at thingsthat way if you've done it
yourself, if you've had to sitthere and come up with a hatch,
a plan that nobody's hatchedbefore, if you had to start a
business because you weresolving a need or a problem.
To me that's so important and weneed more of that in government,
and I hope we're kind of goingin that direction.
(10:47):
How do you feel that we can.
Um, do more of that ingovernment.
What's required to make thathappen?
Uh, whether it's getting moreinnovation, cultural shifts in
the thinking, um, being able tointroduce products and have more
pilots, you know, uh, take morerisks, whatever that, what,
(11:08):
what, what do you think isrequired to, to see that that
shift?
Transpires.
I think we have to, well, firstof all, I think in people have
to get involved and they have tofeel like they can, like when
they told me like, you should beon city council, I was like.
In all honesty, I, I'm like, Ihadn't watched a city council
meeting.
I mean, who does that whenthere's so much crap on Netflix?
(11:29):
You know, I'm like, so I had tolike start watching it and it's
like 20 minutes in I'm likefalling asleep.
I'm like, this is so boring.
But, and then there's all thesethings that like, not that I
don't care about them, but I'mlike, I don't wanna, like, you
know, I say this now, but like.
In three weeks I'm going on anaqueduct tour, like flying to
Vegas and driving along behindthe scene to see the water.
(11:49):
Never thought I'd do that, butI'm so nerding out on like water
and all these things that Inever were was that much
interested before in.
So I think the way we presentit, it looks daunting and like
you can't do it and you have toknow all these things.
And I'm like, clearly after thisyou'll all be like running for
something.
'cause you're like, well she cando it.
But you seriously, like, it'snot that I feel people need to
get involved and they need, weneed to, to like.
(12:12):
Inform people and educatepeople.
And I think social media can bebad for that and good for that.
That the average person, youdon't have to have this poli sci
background.
Um, you don't have to have anaspiration to be the next
congressman or woman or senator.
You just have to see a problemin your area that you're close
to, that you think you could be,you know, pivotal in fixing.
(12:33):
And I think.
If we, if I can do anything inmy position with what little
baby platform I have,'causepeople think I have more power
than I do, um, then I will sayto people, that's my goal is to
get people involved.
I knock on 10 doors a week.
I meet with businesses everymonth.
I do a town hall every monthcalled moca with the mayor.
I want people to know that like.
Hey, this is your community.
(12:53):
Some people are like, look, I'mtoo busy.
Like, I don't have time forthat.
But there's something foreveryone.
They'll say to me, how can Isupport you on the next item?
Or, here's my business and whatI do.
And I'm all about public privatepartnerships, and I think in the
government space, we're, weshould be moving more towards
that.
Um, because there's experts inan area that know how to do it,
that have that customermentality and the, the
(13:14):
government would be theircustomer.
So we'd probably see adifferent, um.
You know, a different outcome.
And so I hope I can communicateto folks that whether you join a
commission or a board or whetheryou run for your local city
council, you should getinvolved.
You shouldn't count yourself outbecause I look back now in a
million years, if you would'veasked me this before 2021, I
(13:35):
would've been like, hell no.
I'm never gonna be the mayor,like, or on city council or
whatever.
I was doing lobbying before thatfor music education.
I'd been to SAC in DC so itwasn't like beyond me, but it
was for.
Fighting for music, artists'rights and things like that, and
having music education inschool.
Would I ever think I'd befighting for like clean water
and like, you know, speed bumpssomewhere?
(13:56):
Like No, but I didn't, but iOS,I didn't know what iOS and CS
were until it impacted me in mybusiness and I only knew it from
that end.
But now I know that.
Can you say what those mean?
Yeah.
Um, ceps are conditional usepermits.
So like when you have a businessand you're like, oh, I wanna do
something else, like I rememberI learned about it when.
We were having music and a spaceand we wanted studios.
(14:18):
And I was like, oh my God, I'vegotta deal with this like zoning
ordinance and this conditionaluse permit.
And I just thought that thoserules were set in stone and some
person behind a locked door,like they decide what that is.
Now I'm on council and we justput forward, you know, an
entertainment zone and changedconditional use permits and
zoning ordinance to create a funblock.
And I'm like.
(14:39):
Oh, so you really can, kids,boys and girls, you can make a
difference.
You can be anything you wannabe.
No.
But if you get involved, likeyou can come and bring those
ideas forward.
Like I came in saying, I wannabring more music and
entertainment and I wanna bringeconomic recovery.
How can I do that?
Okay.
The, the promenade dying.
We need to make it easier forbusinesses to have outdoor
(14:59):
events and attract people.
And my business mindset waslike, they're like, well, let's
do a temporary, um, zoningordinance.
I'm like.
Well, if it's temporarybusinesses can't calendar 12
months out.
And then customers don't havecontinuity.
They're not gonna know thatevery week if I go to the
Promenade, there's gonna besomething happening.
I know Salsa's on Thursdays,Fridays they have, you know,
(15:20):
whatever football games andSaturdays they have this.
So I'm like, we have to do itpermanent to give businesses
that opportunity and letcustomers know.
Consumers know that.
They can without, if you'redriving in the car and you have
a last minute plan, you knowthat Thursday, Friday, Saturday,
these things are happening here,but no one else was maybe
thinking of it like that.
We actually have a council nowthat is younger and they're
(15:41):
like, yeah, let's do it Boulder.
They get it and so that's great.
I mean, that was something thatwasn't happening before and I'm
getting a lot of naysayers andI've gotten thick skin because
at the beginning you're kind oflike, oh no, like.
You know, the 10 neighbors thatI've grew up with are gonna hate
me now'cause I think everyone'sgonna become alcoholics on the
promenade.
But I just, I've learned thatlike you're not gonna make
(16:04):
everybody happy.
But again, the entrepreneur inme says, we'll never know if we
don't try it.
It's not permanent.
We can always go back if there'sa bunch of eight year olds
drinking$23 cocktails on thepromenade because of the Sony
ordinance, which apparently isgonna happen.
And so then we can take it backand put them into rehab and
it'll be fine.
I had a whole visual of eightyear olds stumbling along the
(16:26):
car.
Hanging around.
Causing chaos.
Yeah, exactly.
Getting, they're getting pickedup by the cops.
What are some of the other, theother improvements?
I know you've made, uh, ahandful of improvements and have
a few in mind, uh, aroundgetting businesses.
To be able to operate faster,quicker, uh, regulatory Yeah.
(16:48):
Limitations and all that.
So yeah, well,self-certification.
I worked on that with anothercouncil member, Jesse Wick.
Sorry I'm burping'cause thecoffee's so gross, but I'm just
calling myself out here on themic.
Um, so we did, we realized likeI'm not for fast development
without going through a process.
However, expanding the footprintas a business as we take over
(17:12):
vacant.
There's tis and there's thingsyou have to do to make that
space work for you.
And as we all know, retail'schanged, right?
So on the promenade for example,there's like a 30,000 square
foot building that used to be agap.
No one's shopping like thatanymore.
So we had to be creative and letpeople adjust that space.
Maybe it's now three spaces,maybe we activate the alleyway.
Um, but one of the biggestproblems was it takes so long to
(17:34):
get a permit and any youngbusiness coming in with.
A little bit of money doesn'thave the ability to pay for rent
for nine months while governmentgets around to giving a permit.
So self-certification was a bigdeal.
It took us months and a lot offighting with staff that it was
gonna be okay.
If you self-certify and canindemnify and use licensed
contractors, you still have togo through the final inspection
(17:56):
and you would have to pay forthat if you missed anything.
But I'm also working withSteadfast and their eCheck
system, which uses AI to loadall the code, which is really
easy'cause then you know,architects and developers can
run it through and make surethey're hitting all the Santa
Monica code and they'd feel morecomfortable with it.
But the goal is five days youget a permit for businesses
(18:16):
doing TI improvements.
Anything inside, not expandingthe footprint.
It's also for folks like, youknow, you just wanna redo your
bathroom.
It doesn't, shouldn't.
Take you two years.
So this process, we hope,attracts businesses, new
businesses coming in to utilizespace, but also for existing
businesses who wanna conform andchange.
The idea of getting, you know,your permit in five days is a
(18:37):
matter of hundreds of thousandsof dollars, either from an
investors or in rent orwhatever.
So that's just one way.
Um, we've also activatedalleyways.
We've, um, loosened, um, a lotof signage restriction in
downtown Santa Monica.
Um.
Also something that was helpfulfor businesses was I expanded
the sit and lie ordinance,meaning where you can sit and
(18:59):
lie down in front of a business.
There used to be a rule whereyou had to have this sign
posted, you had to reprint itevery 30 days.
Who in their right mind whenyou're running a business
dropping off, kids opening thestore, you're like, oh shoot.
I didn't print out the sign thatsays this guy can't lie naked in
front of my business.
Like, darn it, I can't tell himto move.
You know?
So.
Things like that that were sortof common sense, boots on the
(19:22):
ground issues that I know myfriends who are entrepreneurs
dealt with were, are things thatwere sort of pushing forward.
But that was, that's aroundbusiness specific stuff.
Of course, there's other thingstoo.
Awesome.
Has, um, China's uh, tariffpolicy impacted?
Yes.
I'm kidding.
I tariff it has impacted my, mymusic store, but that's not, how
(19:43):
is the tariff policy in SantaMonica affecting Santa Monica?
Um, so if, what would you wantto tell entrepreneurs now that
have either.
Civic tech programs or uh, govtech programs or want to get
(20:04):
involved and don't know how orwant to start selling their
products to municipalities or atleast in the government space
and don't know how I.
Um, what, what advice would yougive to them?
Meet your local leaders becausethey're looking for ideas.
Um, public-private partnershipsdon't start in government.
They start out here.
(20:25):
Okay.
So I've already met people herethat have talked about products
they have that I think aregreat.
Um, I was on a panel like thiswith a woman from Steadfast who
works with Rick Caruso of who Iknow'cause I ran alongside Tracy
Park and Rick Caruso.
Um.
And eCheck is this AI tool I wastelling you about.
Um, she brought that forward tome on a panel like this.
(20:46):
I set up a meeting.
Two days later she's having hersecond meeting with staff, and
we wanna be, I hope, um, I hopewe're the first to roll it out
to show that government canactually take a dive into some
of these cool AI tools and, andexpedite services and be more
efficient and save taxpayersmoney.
Um.
So I think you have to talk toyour local elected leaders.
(21:10):
You gotta watch and, and seewhat's going on.
Because I will tell you this,since we're in a safe space,
people come up to me sometimeswith the most ridiculous ideas
and I'm just like, are you like,do you turn on the TV at all?
Like, what are you saying?
Like, I've got people, like I'vegot this paraglide business.
I'm like, no one gives a shitright now that everything just
burned.
And like, save that for some,you know, see you in two years,
(21:32):
but pay attention to like what'sgoing on and come.
With like the knowledge of like,Hey, you know, I've been
noticing that this is a realproblem in this area and I've
got a tool to fix that, or I'vegot a way to fix that.
It makes them feel a little bitless like, okay, yeah sure, talk
to my staffer.
'cause now they know that you'repaying attention.
You know what you're talkingabout.
You've seen the problem, you'vedone your homework.
(21:54):
'cause it's really annoying.
We have like a thousand emails aday to have to like sit.
I've sat through many meetingsof.
I just went through one that Ijust, I can never get those 20
minutes back in my life.
I didn't know what the meetingwas about and I messed up and he
was like going on for 18 minutesof why we need a game.
He was impressing upon me andstaff why we need this game, a
(22:15):
facility to play games, videogames.
I'm like, I don't need you.
We don't care what business youhave, but what did you need from
me?
I thought he needed.
Some special permitting and hedidn't.
He just wanted to sell us abouthis video game thing, and it was
annoying and we'll probablynever meet with him again.
So my point is like you have toknow what you're going in and
study your people.
So see who is the mostapproachable.
(22:37):
Don't just email them, callthem, try to get a meeting.
Know that their time is limited,and start with that.
I know your time is limited.
Thank you.
I know this is like a thanklessjob and you probably get paid
nothing to do it.
I mean, at least if you'retalking to people in Santa
Monica.
Um, but I would like to take 15minutes of your time.
This is the issue that I see.
This is what I'm trying tosolve, and this is my company.
Those three things, just hit itquick because.
(22:59):
You go on to all this otherstuff and you lose people and
they have so many people they'remeeting with, you'll lose them.
But if you think you reallywanna get in front of someone,
you wanna have a public privatepartnership, don't hold back.
The opportunity is now strikewhile the iron is hot.
Every municipality isdownsizing.
We have budget issues, so ifthere's a more efficient, cost
(23:20):
saving way to help.
Cities and communities thrive.
This is your opportunity.
You just have to have thatelevator pitch down, three
bullet points, watch a handfulof city council meetings, get to
know your council members, andhit them with that in the first
60 seconds, and you'll get ameeting.
And I think you'd have to juststay persistent as well, because
(23:41):
they're inundated with a lot ofthings and staff, you know,
historically has not, they'renot usually full of people who
are like, absolutely, we shouldtry that.
They're like.
I, they're punching in andpunching out and you know, they
get retirement benefits thatnone of us in the private sector
know anything about.
So you have to really get thatcouncil member and you've gotta
get them excited about whatyou're doing and you gotta like
(24:03):
help them sell your product byhitting them with, I've done my
homework, I know the problem,and I can help you solve it.
Last lightning round question,um, before we jump to audience
questions.
Uh, you speak really well on howto navigate political barriers
(24:26):
and respecting people for theirbeliefs.
Whether you disagree or don'tor, or agree, um, and being able
to.
Be an ear for everyone.
And you, you, you've spoken verywell on that in the past.
I'd love for you to just talk alittle bit about that and'cause
some of these things, some, theybecome political outta nowhere.
You're like, what?
(24:46):
You know, so, so especially forentrepreneurs who maybe frame it
a little bit around that, but I,I just say a couple words on
that.
Yeah.
I mean, I think you have toreach across the aisle coming
from a sales marketingbackground every and a customer
service background.
Not to say the customer's alwaysright, but I always go in with
things my mom taught me.
(25:07):
Like we're all human beings.
We've all had some struggle.
I don't know what all of youwent through this morning, let
alone this past year.
We're all coming and showing upfor the day and for the, for
each moment in life withwhatever traumas, trials, and
tribulations we've all gonethrough.
So I try to lead from that spacebecause, don't get me wrong,
I've been turned off or brushedoff and, um.
(25:28):
Belittled in meetings and, andthen my own ego steps in and I'm
like, oh God.
And it can get like that reallyquick in the political scene.
'cause people come to it withthat mindset.
And I don't come to it with thatmindset.
And then I get like, it takes mea second to like adjust myself
and remember that like, oh,these are all just like
somebody's babies and then theyjust like became adults and
we're in this room, you know?
(25:50):
Um, so I try to like.
Get myself in this place of likejust being open to conversation.
And I have been politicized forthings from, I was on the news
and, and quick to say, I justthought about something.
I said in this meeting that I'min the back of my mind, I'm
stressing out about, which washow I said, we looked at hiring
the city managers and I'm like,oh my God, is this video gonna
go out and is everyone gonnathink that?
(26:11):
I said something about, ah, likethese are the things I have to
worry about, but.
You know, because I speak fastand off the cuff like this, I,
you know, it comes with likebruises and scratches.
But what I do is I just knowthat when someone comes to
something, I know that okay,they are coming to this with a
perspective based on their livedexperience and so am I, and
that's okay.
They're not a mean bad person.
(26:33):
Um, I'm the first to go toe totoe with someone who doesn't
believe in what I'm bringingforward, whose ideologies are
opposite of mine, because whowants to be in an echo chamber
when I have, you know.
Drinks with my friends.
That's the moment to be like,get the pats on the backs and
have everybody like pump you up.
But I like to engage in debateand I actually look at it as an
(26:53):
opportunity to learn.
So when I got on council, I havea different view on how housing
and homelessness are correlateand a lot of people on the
council in my.
Belief, have a different beliefabout density and housing and
housing solving homelessness.
And so those, I love one of ourformer mayors, gleen Davis, I
respect, I think she's so smart,but we are totally on opposite
(27:16):
ends when it comes to density.
So she gave me a book.
About it.
And I took notes and I would askher questions and we had a
standing monthly lunch andeveryone's like, why do you go
to lunch with her?
You guys are so oppositeideologically.
I'm like, that's why.
Because I think she'srespectful, kind.
She's very smart, and I learnedfrom her.
And when I'm gonna go toe to toea.
(27:37):
Someone on the day.
So I need to know a little bitabout where she swings.
Is she right or left or like, isshe coming from down here?
Up here?
I did boxing for six years, soI'm like, okay, so I need to
know where she's coming.
Otherwise I'm gonna beblindsided and knocked out in
round one every time.
So I look at these engagementsas like a friendly boxing match.
And when you're out, you gottashake hands, you gotta
(27:58):
congratulate the opponent andyou gotta say Cool, like.
I'm gonna go back in the gym andtrain for this next fight.
I'm gonna go watch the tape andI'm gonna be ready the next
time.
And it's because we both arecoming to it with passion for
something.
We both want that heavyweightbelt and you gotta respect the
other person.
You can't hate the other personthat you're in the ring with
'cause you're both coming therefor the same reason.
(28:20):
I love that.
Beautifully said.
It's, uh, it's a warming uh,feeling in the political climate
we're in right now to know thatthere's people doing that, um,
and, and lead with that.
So, um, thank you.
We're gonna do some q and ahere, but before I do that, uh,
I just wanna do a quick shoutout.
Uh, but also after wheneveryone's networking, um,
(28:42):
there's someone else here whoknows a ton about the city and
about civics.
His name is Alvin Gillich.
He's right there in the back.
Woo.
Quick shout out to AlvinGillich.
Um, uh, a very close friend, um,my backup husband when he's not
around, backup.
The mayor's backup husband whenhe's not around.
(29:03):
I wasn't gonna say that.
Um, I can see the headlines now.
Oh, look at me.
Alvin has been on many boardsand commissions and he is, uh,
very knowledgeable on all thingscivics, but also for small
businesses.
He's worked with the small buseconomic development with la.
Or the small businessdevelopment center.
Development center, yes.
(29:25):
Yep.
Um, and so pick his brain too.
Um, okay.
Quick rules on questions, ifplease.
Okay.
Just please don't do the thingwhere you try to get four
questions in one and, and it,and, or you'd have some anecdote
that, that everyone's just like,come on.
There's a lot of people want toask questions.
(29:48):
I'm assuming just don't do that.
Don't be that person.
If you're question, giveyourself like a 20 to 32nd timer
on your question.
If it goes longer than that, I'mgonna get on the mic and be
like, you're doing the thing Ijust said don't do.
That's eight questions.
You tried to get it in a one andit's not cool.
Dude, I'm gonna steal that forcounsel.
I'm just gonna say, don't do thething you're doing.
(30:09):
Don't do the thing.
You know the thing too, and noone's gonna like it.
All right, you're on warning.
All right, here we go.
Uh, q and a time.
Anyone have a question?
All right.
First hand up.
Uh, do I need to stand up?
It'd be, yeah.
It's nice for people to see you.
I think so.
I have a question for mayor,that what is your biggest
(30:31):
challenges now and is there anysupport from the government
currently helping smallbusiness?
Um, like specific.
For workforce development ormanufacturing side, um, funding
like that.
So on a local level, likeworkforce development in that
capacity, that what you'retalking about where the, you
(30:51):
know, federal government isinvolved.
I don't deal with that challengemyself.
I mean, look, I own a musicstore and most of our products
come from China, and so we'reimpacted by all the things that
are happening at the federallevel for sure.
Um, but my biggest challengeactually, um, as an elected
leader, like when you ask methat, I always go, what just
(31:11):
came first to mind?
It's misinformation and peoplenot being misinformed or not
understanding.
So right now there's a lot ofnoise that's distracting from
solving things because peoplelike headlines and there's like
those like negative littlesocial groups across Reddit and
Nextdoor and whatever,Instagram, Facebook.
That's my biggest challengebecause I spend a lot of time.
(31:34):
Like deconstructingmisinformation for people, and
I'm like, God, those 17 minutescould have been spent solving a
problem.
That's actually my biggestproblem, and that goes all the
way up to state and federalbecause I, even my leaders and
meetings, they'll be like, oh, Iheard you guys are doing blah,
blah, blah.
I'm like, are you on Reddit?
Like you're like an assemblymember.
(31:54):
That's so bizarre.
It's like, no, that's not what'shappening.
Or, Hey, I heard this ishappening, that no.
That's actually my biggestproblem.
It's the party politics.
It's the fact that on a locallevel we're supposed to be
non-partisan and so we don'teven, you know, we don't get a
lot of things done.
Genuinely, it takes, the reasonwhy it takes so long is because
everyone's afraid of stepping ona landmine.
(32:16):
So instead of taking the directpath to get to where you wanna
go, like us as business peoplewould be like, it's right over
there.
You're just gonna cross, crossthe street.
And they're like, I'm gonna goaround'cause Sue doesn't like it
when I walk.
And I got.
Skip when I go this way.
'cause Jan doesn't like walking.
And then I gotta sit,'cause Igotta talk to Tammy for five
minutes, otherwise I won't beable to cross.
And then that's why it takeslike 10 years to, and then now
(32:36):
the street's not there andyou're like, oh shit.
You know?
So I know that didn't reallyanswer your question, but, um,
and when it comes to the federallevel of like manufacturing,
that's not a challenge for me.
If I'm being honest.
The stuff I'm, I'd have to thinkon that and I guess I could come
up with some fancy answer foryou, but honestly like, no, I
deal with that in my business.
Sure.
But I'm not having those typesof conversations right now with
(32:59):
the federal government.
We're talking about funding andthings like that, and politics
and party lines get in the way1000% of the time, if I'm being
honest.
By the way, this is a, it's agreat opportunity to think about
when we're.
Taking the opportunity to learnabout civics, the levels of
government, how they work, andwho handles what and why they
(33:19):
handle those things and what thenature of those things are.
There are things that arespecifically designed for the
federal government to handle thestate government, the county,
how they work with the city, forexample.
Ships are important.
Before you read a headline andpoint a finger and say The Mayor
of Santa Monica, and you'relike, actually, first of all,
it's at the county level.
Second of all, they're not evenwho makes the policy.
(33:40):
Third of all, like there's allthese layers to try to
understand and that's reallywhat I'd like to impart, I
guess, is when you read aheadline, do the work in trying
to understand and go deeper,like levels deeper like you
would in solving a businessproblem.
And I always tell people, ask mea question before you tell me
your thought or opinion.
'cause you don't even know.
(34:00):
We just met like, you know whatI mean?
This guy just sent out an emailblast.
For example, I was in sac, Iwork, I worked on a bill AB 4 78
that had to do with savinganimals during the fires.
I went on my own dime, totallysuffering from Santa Monica and
he just sent out a whole thing.
The first blonde, Latina with noE and the end of blonde, I'm
like.
Oh God, who's blonde Meria you?
Um, I'm not gonna tell myhairstylist that these
(34:22):
highlights are really foolingpeople, but anyways, I was, he
said that I was there to lobbyagainst a bill, so he's
manipulating what happened.
But he said I was there to lobbyagainst a bill that's gonna hurt
Latinos and, and every Latinashould write a thing'cause I'm
Latina.
And it was so, so now I'mgetting people who I know for 30
years are like, did you go for,I'm like.
(34:44):
I can't even be friends with youanymore.
This is so stupid.
Like, I'm just like, but I haveto take a breath.
And I'm like, I'm so New Yorkerabout stuff.
I swear I was born in New Yorksomehow, or made in New York.
I don't know, but I'm just like,I don't have time for this shit.
Like, Jesus Christ, order yourbagel and move on.
Like, but I'm like, this is likeso stupid.
Like, so I'm talking to myfriend and I'm like, we're
(35:04):
literally having thisconversation.
Like you're asking me thisstupid and we're friends.
Well, I don't know.
I got the email.
I said, oh, you got the email.
Oh, you got the email.
Well, now I know what to send afucking email when I want people
to read shit.
I'm just gonna send you a fakeemail and then.
God, it was so, and then I, thenthat gets me all frazzled,
bedazzled sea.
I said, I haven't really gottenthere yet.
I gotta get to the point whereI'm, so, I don't wanna get so
(35:27):
thick skin though, like some ofthese people where they just
really don't care.
Like I still care when peoplesay mean things, I'm like, oh,
whatever.
I have thick skin.
Then I go home and I'm with myhusband or Evan.
I'm like, do you think theyreally think that?
And then I go out in the publicand they're like, you're so
good.
I'm like, I just cried in my carfor 10 minutes about what that
crazy guy said.
That's on Reddit that has 10followers on Facebook.
(35:49):
All right.
I see a hand next question rightthere.
Hey, so, uh, I, I, I could sithere and listen to you all day
long.
I'm, I'm having so much fun.
My husband says the same thing.
Yeah.
So it's so fun.
Um, uh, my question is, uh, isa, is it is in two parts.
(36:10):
So I, I love 22nd limit.
Don't do the thing.
I love your approach, right?
Love your approach, andobviously it's gonna co cause
friction in, in, in governmentafter this airs or wherever.
Mm-hmm.
So, uh, what are surprisinglyto, in your perspective, what
are the, the aspects of yourwork and, and what you've been
doing with the city that yourapproach has really been
(36:33):
effective?
And then the other part is whatare the things you're like,
fuck, this isn't gonna work.
Yeah, no, that's a greatquestion actually.
That's happened from day one.
Where it's been effective is thepeople who, I think there's
small groups that duringelections and campaigns, people
get elected and everyone's like,what?
(36:53):
And so some of us that are like.
Kind of not, I don't know whatyou wanna call us, like we're in
the middle common sense, like,our head's down we're going to
work, but we pay enoughattention to know what's going
on.
And then you're like thoroughlysurprised, like, is everybody
stupid?
Like, what's going on?
I think in a lot of ways what'sbeen effective about my approach
is I've brought in the folksthat have felt.
Unheard but are like working andbusy and they're like, I don't
(37:15):
really know how to be involved,but I don't like what's going on
and I need to meet with you inan unorganic fashion.
I don't wanna join thisorganization or this group to
get your attention.
And I think that's where I'vebeen effective is rising, like
the business community's voiceand connecting and.
And being a person that's notlike crazy, that's like, okay,
(37:36):
well she's had a a business,she's now elected.
So now I'm in front of peoplewhere I can bring that voice.
That's had a really hard timebeing heard because the
organized factions are alwaysfirst to the table'cause they've
been doing this forever.
And it's not that what they'resaying is right or wrong.
I don't even think theyrepresent the majority of people
in the community.
They've just been running thatmarketing game for so long.
(37:57):
Do you know what I'm saying?
So I think that's where I'vebeen effective, is bringing
those other folks along.
Where that has not worked iswhen an item just becomes so
heavily politicized.
I just worked on a bill, so thisis all new to me, like working
on a bill, and I tell the kidsof my nonprofit, they come along
with me, they're like, missLana, what about this?
I'm like.
It got so watered down kids, Idon't even know.
(38:17):
We started out with doing thisand now like I wanted to do
chocolate milk and now I'm likein watered down orange juice.
I don't even know how we gotthere and how those two connect,
but these legislators haveconvinced me that we'll get to
chocolate milk if we just startwith watery sugar free orange
juice.
So.
I'm just, I use those analogiesall the time.
'cause it's easy to kind ofvisualize.
That's where it's not effective.
(38:39):
Like I'll come in, I'll be like,this is stupid, let's not do it
that way.
And then they're just like, youcan't say that.
You just piss 10 people off andnow we won't be talking to you
for the rest of the year.
And I'm like, oh, I was justkidding.
So that's where it's noteffective.
Like that's where I've had tolearn how to play their game
too.
So I do my thing that comesnaturally.
But I have also had to learn howto play the political game.
(39:00):
And gone and tried to dosomething one way that just like
common sense, just walk acrossthe street way and I'm like, oh,
I gotta do the whole, like takea freeway and all this to get
over here.
And I've, I've realized that Ihave to do that.
And I think it's a lesson forme, like I have to travel those
roads.
Like I have respect for thegame.
Like these people that are inthe political game.
They know.
I mean, even you, you like, youknow all these people, they got,
(39:22):
they know all the folks in theoffices and who to get to and
where and they're like, Lana,you are over here.
Like wanting to just jump rightover in like the, you know, on
the toll thing and in thecarpool lane and you ain't got
nobody in your car with you.
You can't do that.
You have to like put thesepeople in the car and you gotta,
like, you can only drive when itsays three people in the car
more.
And like, this is just the routeyou have to take, otherwise it
(39:43):
won't get done.
And that's where I've had tolearn.
Patience and been like, okay, soI guess I have to do it this way
to get it done.
It's gonna take longer.
And that's the hard part as anelected with a short amount of
time.
'cause then you gotta go tellyour constituents, the assembly,
congress, Senate, they're so farremoved from their constituents.
We're over here boots on theground in this small room like.
(40:05):
Someone will be like, in 22, Iasked you about solving
homelessness and what have youdone?
I'm like, fuck nothing.
But it's, then I feel bad'causeI'm like, well then you gotta do
the whole, like there'sdifferent layers of government
and basically, you know, ittakes a really long time to get
things done and.
That's where folks like myselfget frustrated and termed out
(40:26):
and you see us and you, youknow, you don't hear about them
again because we're a businessentrepreneur mindset, common
sense problem solvers.
And it's like, this is so dumb,but you have to have this tricky
balance of like, okay, it mightbe dumb, but this is the way
they've been doing it forever.
And I've gotta like, it's likegoing to another country and
like changing culture.
I just came back from Japan,which is like a whole other
(40:48):
conversation'cause it's soamazing and beautiful there and
clean and it's about culture.
Everybody there does when theystep out of their private space,
they do for what?
The works for the collective.
Good of all, first.
Than themselves.
We operate governmentpersonally, culturally, in a
space of what works for me.
I mean, I mean, we all havefriends that are like, that's,
(41:10):
that's right.
Now I'm in my space.
You're in my space.
Like, or that doesn't work forme.
You know, like that's how we,that's our thing.
And I think that's how we do itin government.
It's like there's a culture ingovernment and I can't come in
there and be like changingculture, but it's, it is
shifting.
And I think if more people like.
Ourselves, get involved.
Problem solvers, entrepreneurs,you know, startup folks come in,
(41:33):
the culture will shift and theculture might change, and then
you couldn't just walk.
Now you can just walk across thestreet instead of having to take
10 freeways to get there.
So.
Yeah.
Actually I'll do a quick plugfor my podcast, Meyer Side
Chats.
I recently interviewed the, uh,mayor of San Jose, Matt Mahan.
Oh yeah.
Who actually said the exact, whosays the exact same thing.
(41:53):
And he was actually a, a civictech entrepreneur, a company
called Brigade before that, buthe said the exact same thing.
The way to solve those problems,a lot of these problems is to
get involved.
It, it can actually.
Fix the big problems that we'rehaving, but not enough people do
it.
Um, uh, I hope I'm notbutchering his exact comment,
but it, it was something, uh,exactly along the lines of what
(42:13):
you're saying.
All right.
Uh, I see a hand over here.
Great, great conversation.
Thank you.
Since you mentioned mayor of SanJose, I just came back from San
Jose and San Jose, the firstcity to announce the end of
unsheltered homelessness.
Wow.
They're using, they're usingthe, uh, the, the new bill that
just passed last fall.
They're gonna provide housing,interim housing.
(42:34):
It's not gonna cost$800,000 perunit we spent in la.
It'll be like 40,000 per unit.
We're a local company that makesthose units modular.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Why is, can we get started onthat?
Yeah.
I would like to, I have a, soworking with steadfast and.
As you know, during the fires,the mobile home parks were
destroyed, and the interestingcomplex thing about mobile home
(42:57):
parks is the right of entry.
The ROEs, the folks that lived,rented, or even owned their own
mobile home, they can't fillthose out without the person who
owns the land signing them.
And some of the people who onthe land may never, they may
not, some of these folks mayjust wanna get rid of the land.
And so now all these people losetheir homes.
(43:18):
And so, um, we were workingwith,'cause they were kind of
the last to be looked at withmodular, um, companies.
And I have a friend who's inthat space that dealt with the
lanai fires.
And so I think, I always thinkabout that.
Like, why can't we just findthere's so many open, lots, even
old, you know, business, uh,big.
Offices.
Like we just put four schools inthe Colorado Park.
(43:40):
That's how many, how much emptyoffice space there was.
Um, and so I think about thatall the time.
This, why doesn't that happen?
There's a lot of reasons wewould have to use public land to
do that.
Number one, we are in a hugedeficit.
We have a$700 million budget.
We just paid out over the courseof a few years, 229 million in a
lawsuit.
We have 157 more cases on thatlawsuit.
(44:02):
We have a$55 million debt.
We've been paying into another.
Um, litigation we're goingthrough, we have, um, colas
coming up and labor, you know,stuff coming up that we can't,
we have CIP projects, meaninglike potholes and basic lights
that we have to replace that wecan't do.
We've been putting on the backburner, so any land that we have
(44:22):
right now is called a suitablesite.
The city's looking at it torecuperate some funds and to
make money.
None of those projects, thefunding, I'll tell you this
homeless whole thing.
At the regional, state, andfederal level is where the money
is.
It's not at the municipal levellike.
So, but my point is that wewould have to provide the land,
(44:43):
or someone who owns land wouldhave to strike a deal and it
would have to be financiallysound for them, or they'd have
to just be some angel fromheaven that's like, I would like
to give my land.
The city would never be againstthat.
That's, that's the problem.
But to be honest with you, andI'm someone who feels that way,
if, if we're being real,'cause Ispend my time in multiple cities
(45:05):
and I grew up, you know, myhusband grew up in the projects.
Like I, for people who are like,oh my God, it's insane.
I'm like, oh my God, take aseven minute ride with me.
Like I go to soho downtown andyou're like.
Stepping over tents and then youlike go up to soho house, you're
like, woo.
God, that was rough.
I mean, we, we don't have, wedon't have encampments because
we've had strong encampment lawsfor a very long time.
(45:26):
But the reason you're seeingwhat we're seeing is we're a
service provider beyond anybodyelse.
Venice and Santa Monica has themost services where you can go
get a laptop shower.
We have a whole space where you,you line up, you'll see them by
the freeway at San Hel, they geta shower, a locker, they get the
resources to get their phone,all that right?
So that draws people here.
We also have the weather.
(45:47):
We have a lot of public spacesthat you can't police.
You can't say like.
I've had a, I walked with abusiness owner the other day and
they're like, look at that guyright there.
Look at him.
His butt cracks out.
He looks homeless, he's dirty,he's talking to himself.
He's got these bags around himand he, I go, I totally get you,
but close your eyes and imaginehe's wearing faragamo.
Those are Gucci bags and he iseating a air one salad.
(46:08):
Now what?
Do you know what I mean?
Like the police don't have thelaws to discern between a dirty
butt crack in your like shittytrash bags and not, and so
that's the problem.
I think people forget that, likethat's unsightly, but there's no
law that says that they candiscern because I could come
out, I might have like a benderone night with Evan and be
shitfaced and like fall asleepin the park.
(46:28):
Am I gonna get arrested?
I think that's the, so where theissue is, is there's mental
health and there's drug abuse,and that is what we see in the
streets.
87% of the folks out there arenot from California.
They're service resistant.
Okay.
And they have problems that arebeyond needing a frigging
apartment building.
I'm sorry.
We are not gonna build our wayout of homelessness.
This transitional housing issueis about getting people in.
(46:51):
I, it's in my family.
My brother and my uncle lives onthe streets.
My brother now is in soberliving.
You need to get people to help.
They need, because they will notbe able to maintain, you think
some guy that's talking tothemselves and shooting up is
gonna be able to like all of asudden be walking and getting
his groceries and like, youknow.
Taking care of an apartment.
No, these people need mentalhealth help, and that money
(47:12):
comes from the states, the fedsand the federal government.
Those places come from there.
So we can provide transitionalhousing all day long, but until
we do what a business does, ifwe were to open a hamburger
shop, first thing we'd say, howmany people can we serve Today?
I have 800 patties.
When 815 people come at fif,you're like, sorry, we're all
out.
We've never said, as a city, howmany homeless people can we
(47:33):
serve?
Effectively, we've never saidthat.
We just keep doing account andwe keep overflowing and we keep
saying we have a problem.
And as far as housing goes inSanta Monica, we are always
gonna be desirable.
We're in the city of SantaMonica.
We're on the coast and lookaround guys.
Is San Francisco the mostaffordable place to live?
Is New York?
No.
So we're not gonna createaffordability by building on our
(47:55):
beaches here, and we're notgonna solve homelessness by
building our way out of it.
We're gonna create.
We're gonna create opportunityand affordability by doing a lot
of the other things we talkedabout earlier, but we're gonna
solve that problem by addressingopioid addiction, drug abuse,
and mental health.
And that requires state andfederally funded facilities.
So I think we have time for onemore.
(48:22):
One more.
Oh, okay.
Who?
Oh, yep.
Yep.
There we go.
You have a room full ofentrepreneurs.
Are there problems that newbusiness owners or entrepreneurs
might solve or ideas that youhave for us from your
perspective?
I like that.
Yeah.
We have lots of vacant space.
We have small space, we haveflexible space, like I talked
(48:45):
about, those conditional usepermits, the entertainment zone,
the signage.
We've created more flexiblespace in our downtown area, and
I wanna let everybody know here.
When this problem came up on thepromenade of all the vacant
space, I was like, well, it'stoo expensive.
We don't own those buildings.
Right?
Those are two dozen propertyowners and they are not offering
often flexible leases'cause theymight have that building in a
(49:08):
portfolio of many others andthey're like live somewhere else
a lot of times and they'rewaiting for the heyday of$26 a
square foot to come back andthey, so they don't.
It's better for them to write itoff, right as a business owner
and show that as a loss than toactually be flexible and go out
there and get businesses.
So I would say touch base withthe city.
We have a new person in economicdevelopment who's phenomenal.
(49:31):
She's, I love her.
Her name's Armine.
She's coming in strong, hardwith, let's get businesses back
here.
Let's have that customerattitude.
I wanna bring back what's theyused to call an ombuds person.
I wanna call it a concierge.
'cause even that.
Word just says, we're servingyou.
We wanna help find and brokerdeals between landlords and
(49:53):
businesses to find space.
That I remember, I was like,well, I could never be on the
promenade.
And they were like, I wouldoffer you$5 a square foot.
There's people getting$3 asquare foot.
However, when I stepped into it,the guy was like three years
with a two year option.
I'm like, I.
I can't do half a million in TISand come in for that and then
like not know when I've beensomewhere else for 53 years.
(50:13):
So that's where I like as acouncil member, they're like,
oh, they're offering flexibleleases.
I'm like, do you guys knowanything?
It's triple net.
You know, these are all thingsthat are problems for businesses
like ours to get in.
So, but let me tell you, we'reinvolved.
We have econ development.
We, I've, there's a small amountof money that myself and another
council member are working on togive people ti money when they
go in.
(50:34):
Rents help.
We want businesses to come inand on these short term with
long term opportunities in thepromenade and downtown area.
And all over Santa Monica,there's a lot of vacant
buildings that we wanna seeactivated.
So wherever we can modifyzoning, conditional use,
permitting, or help with grantmoney, we are doing that to get
businesses in.
That's number one.
(50:54):
Number two, if you have somepublic private partnership
opportunity that helps expeditethose processes through AI or
tech or app or, um, you're inthe arts and music space, or in
the marketing space of lettingpeople know.
Come to Santa Monica.
We are in a.
Moment.
Right now we're having a momentthat's revved up LA 28 FIFA
(51:16):
World Cup.
These things are coming.
We want ways to attract peopleto Santa Monica.
We want, we don't wanna be likewhere you come to go to the
store that you could go to 10other cities to go to.
We wanna come, we wanna be theplace where you go to have
experiences that draw peoplehere.
So if that's something that youdo, um, you know, please, you
should reach out.
(51:36):
And like I said, this person isfresh and new economic
development.
They're not.
They don't have, you know, ifyou wait too long, then they're,
they got that thick skin wherethey're not responding to you.
So, um, I think this is a goodtime to jump in and at least
pitch your idea and say, Hey, Iknow you guys are trying to
bring concerts back to the beer.
You're offering, um, adesignated alcoholic beverage
(51:57):
zone and you're promenade.
Um, you're looking for AI toolsto help your staff be more
efficient.
Here's where I can.
Step in.
We're all ears right now.
Like people are eager to listento public-private partnership
opportunities.
And I think, uh, I think that'sit for today, sadly.
'cause I thank you.
(52:20):
I, I hope, I hope you all enjoyit.
Sounds like you did.
And as much as I enjoy talkingto you or speaking with you, oh,
I need to work on my grammar.
Um, the, um.
Thank you.
Thank you is a joy.
And um, we're stick around for alittle bit and thank you.
Have a wonderful day.
It was great.
(52:40):
Thank you guys.
This is an awesome room to be inamongst family.
So here we are.
We're gonna get started.
Uh, thanks again.
And let us begin with a littlebit about your journey, uh, how
you got here.
You're a small business ownerstill.
Um, you don't have thetraditional path of, of, uh,
getting to a position like mayorthat most folks do, uh, and, and
(00:21):
it's inspiring.
You have a great story.
Why don't we start a little bitwith that and a little bit about
your why.
Why you do this in the fir takeon this thankless work in the
first place?
Okay, well, first of all, I'mnot sweating because of the
lights probably, but um, we'llget to that in a second.
My journey to being on here,well, small business owner took
over my family business.
(00:41):
I have a background prior tothat I wanted nothing to do with
my family business, which ismusic stores.
Not because I don't love music,but because everybody in my
family worked in it.
Um, both my parents aren't fromthis country.
My mom's from Trinidad, my dad'sCuban and Spanish, but came by
way of Canada.
Um, we struggled and were poorand I watched all my siblings
kind of struggle in the musicindustry and I was like, well,
(01:02):
I'm not gonna do that.
So, um, since my mom bused me toschool on the north side, I had
that to look forward to these.
Kids that grew up in big houses,and that's what I wanted.
And I figured that wasn't theway to get it to work at the
music store in a building wedidn't own.
However, my journey through, um,being an account executive,
international marketing, um, oneday kids, one on the belly and
(01:24):
one on my hip, my dad said,we're gonna go bankrupt and
clothes.
And we've been serving everyschool.
Um.
Now 54 years with all theirinstruments and repairs.
And my dad won a Man of the Yearaward in Compton and Watts for
bringing music to underservedkids.
And I thought, what a tragedy tolose that.
So I said, fine.
We sold everything, moved intoan apartment, downsized to one
(01:46):
car, and I stepped in.
I said it was temporary, and Iwould maybe, you know, have some
more time with my kids.
Cut to me taking over.
Well, during that process as abusiness owner and a community
where we had to deal with thecity a lot.
I saw a lot of things happenover time.
Um, and what, in 2020 when Covidhit right after that, we got
looted and our other locationgot set on fire during the
(02:08):
George Floyd riots.
And I was there during that timewith my kids and um, with the
kids in my nonprofit.
And afterwards in the rebuildingphase, I thought.
The way it was handled andeverything that was going on, I
wanted to get more involved.
So I started a program throughthe police department and the
at-risk youth that I offer freelessons to.
(02:29):
And during that process, the,the folks in the police
department and fire departmentwere like, you need to be on our
city council.
I'm like, absolutely not.
First of all, I cuss like asailor, I'm tatted up.
And everybody, they're like, buteverybody knows you.
You're, you know, you've been sophilanthropic in the community.
Your dad has your.
Staple here.
You're born and raised and youknow, as a business owner, the
struggles.
(02:49):
'cause at that time we hadpeople all of a sudden for the
first time in decades, likedoing meth in front of my music
store, but the city was finingme for having like an A-frame
saying, kids rock band.
They're like, you can't havethat there.
That's$200.
I'm like.
Oh, by the way, that guy justshit in front of my store and is
like smoking meth.
What about him?
And they're like, yeah, we can'tdeal with that right now.
So that's what inspired me.
(03:09):
But in all honesty, I was like,that's ridiculous.
Like someone's gotta saysomething about that and they're
like, well, it's political.
I'm like, it is So that some guystepped down in the middle of a
Zoom council meeting.
And so the first thing I did wasI joined the Public Safety
Oversight Commission.
Not'cause I wanted to.
I was like, what is that?
And so, um, they're like, youshould join it.
We need common sense people likeyou, who, you know, whatever.
(03:31):
So I'm like, okay, I'll do that.
Then this guy in the middle of ameeting, like mic dropped on a
Zoom meeting, he's like, I'm offthis shit.
And like, got off council.
So they're like, there's youropportunity.
You don't have to do a campaign.
You can step in.
And I was like, all right.
Me and 37 other people put ourname in.
I did the hustle of meeting withthe council members and having
breakfast with them and sayinglike, please pick me.
(03:51):
It got narrowed down to twopeople.
It was my birthday, 2021, June29th, and I fucking got on and I
was like, and then I immediatelyhad a panic attack, like, oh my
God, what did I do?
Because they Googled me and putup old podcasts I was on and
they were like, oh, you know,she qualified.
I was like, I'm not, I.
You should like unseat me.
(04:13):
So then, um, and then a year andfour months later, my imposter
syndrome started to melt away.
I still have it oftentimes'causeI was sitting amongst like a
lawyer for at and TA person who,you know, everybody.
There was lawyers, public policyheads, and.
This was a stepping stone to getsomewhere else and I was just
like, there's a guy smoking methand pooping in front of my store
(04:34):
and it's awful.
And we should be able to likefix some of these issues and
it's not business friendly andwe need to do something
different.
We need to think outside thebox.
So then I ran for election and Igot a four year seat.
And we do an appointment processfor mayor.
And so it was all political.
They tried to make me mayorright away, but there was an
older gentleman who reallywanted it.
It was like his life's goal as achild.
(04:54):
I think he already had thelicense plate made.
So I voted against myself threerounds.
He really does have that licenseplate, by the way.
Um, not me.
I am like, I gotta be able tocut people off and get away with
it.
So, so he.
Against myself, three rounds.
And he, so he got it.
So I was vice mayor for twoyears.
Um, and then, and then inDecember, against some people's
(05:17):
wishes, I became the mayor.
And so here I'm, and I must sayduring that process, my dad had
a stroke, was paralyzed.
I took care of him.
February of last year, I wasdiagnosed with breast cancer.
Didn't tell my dad, didn't missa meeting.
Went through three surgeries,five months of chemo, uh,
radiation.
Rang the bell in November.
Uh, got sworn in, well, notsworn in, but got appointed as
(05:39):
mayor in December.
Everything caught on fire inJanuary.
Wow.
And then Evan was like, do youknow about gov tools?
It could really help youreyebrows grow back.
That's how it happened.
Exactly.
Uh, I don't know if there's anyquestion to, um, the mayor's
(06:02):
authenticity, but in, in myopinion, working with her and,
and, and being friends with hernow for years has been, it's,
it's second to none in myopinion.
It's one of the most refreshingthings about, um, about Mayor
Negreti is that she is thatauthentic and you don't see that
Yeah.
As much.
And, and she's a human.
(06:23):
And I think it's funny when yousay mayor, people are like,
Madam Mayor.
I'm like, yeah.
So, um, so your mindset aroundall of this is, is is always for
me, very refreshing andrefreshing for so many of the
people who voted for you.
Um, obviously, um, do you.
(06:46):
Think that the entrepreneurialmindset, the startup mindset,
that way of solving problems,critical thinking, how much more
of that do we need ingovernment?
Uh, and just to be fair, whereis its limitations?
Well, I think that's whatseparates me.
There's been people on councilwho have been like, I'm a
(07:08):
business owner.
But they've never had to runpayroll or put a key in a door
and flip the open sign or, youknow, really deal with the city
and the capacity that I have.
And I don't come fromgenerational wealth or legacy
where I'm connected.
I came from parents whostruggled and really didn't know
how to make it, and I had tofigure it out.
And I think that gritty mindset.
(07:28):
Forces you to think outside thebox.
And I think coming from traumaand struggle forces you to be
flexible in your mindset and itgives you just a different
perception.
I'm not knocking anyone whocomes from that.
'cause I think a balanced deusin local government should
involve all of those things,right?
Some polished thinking and then,and then people who have common
sense and lived perspective,because that's what makes the
(07:51):
team effort like sound.
'cause oftentimes I'm at a tablewhere I'm like.
You know, people will be puttingforward policy and I'm like,
that actually doesn't work.
'cause like I am in that space.
And they're like, oh, okay.
Or vice versa.
They'll say, that's a greatidea, but let me tell you why
that doesn't work.
'cause I've been in the, been inthis in a different profession,
but, and we're actually hiring acity manager right now.
(08:11):
So it's funny you say that.
We get a booklet and we see allthe people apply and I'm looking
at every past CEO and peoplewho've started their own
business and right sized anorganization.
'cause I look at citygovernment, like our
constituents are our customersand we are a business and, and
we need to be serving ourcommunity.
And as an elected leader, I'mthe inner, I'm the, I'm the
(08:34):
go-between, between theconstituent and.
Staff.
Right.
That's how I see it at least.
And so my job is to be like,since you guys are busy working,
let me tell you what ourcustomers are saying and then
let's, let's adjust so that wecan serve our customers.
But ironically, people who arecome from a government mindset,
they were picking all the peoplethat were like, well, he didn't
(08:55):
run a city that was large enoughand that city doesn't have
transportation like we do.
And I'm like.
Who gives a shit this guy likefricking saved four companies
and like, you know, has managedmore staff than we've ever had.
So I think it's importantbecause if we keep thinking that
way, it's like the old saying,you keep doing the same thing
and expecting a differentresult, that's insanity.
And I think for most of us, withthe ebbs and flows, the problems
(09:18):
that we have in government,local government have existed
forever.
And it's because we don't have,like, we have people who are in
it for different reasons,whether it's control or power,
or they have a one track mind.
But I think we've lost this ideaof like serving the customer.
And so for me, I think anentrepreneurial mindset gives
you the opportunity to thinkoutside the box, be flexible,
(09:41):
identify problems, and.
Not identify them, how theyconnect to you, but identify
them as a problem and wanna fixthem.
And that takes people in thetech space, that takes people in
the startup space, that takespeople who have, who have
managed a payroll, who havefailed.
That's another thing, like wewere looking at an individual
who had some, had a failed, uh,business in the past and I, and
(10:03):
that was a, a red mark to somefolks in the room and I thought.
That's not a red mark, and I'mnot even talking about the city
manager thing.
Now I'm talking about somethingelse.
Like we've, I've been in thesegroups to help hire people and I
think it's interesting howpeople see failure as, you know,
failure and not as well.
At least they tried.
They probably failed becausethey did something that.
(10:24):
Nobody thought that you coulddo.
And then they figured out, okay,that didn't work.
And then I look at theirsuccesses after that.
So you can only look at thingsthat way if you've done it
yourself, if you've had to sitthere and come up with a hatch,
a plan that nobody's hatchedbefore, if you had to start a
business because you weresolving a need or a problem.
To me that's so important and weneed more of that in government,
and I hope we're kind of goingin that direction.
(10:47):
How do you feel that we can.
Um, do more of that ingovernment.
What's required to make thathappen?
Uh, whether it's getting moreinnovation, cultural shifts in
the thinking, um, being able tointroduce products and have more
pilots, you know, uh, take morerisks, whatever that, what,
(11:08):
what, what do you think isrequired to, to see that that
shift?
Transpires.
I think we have to, well, firstof all, I think in people have
to get involved and they have tofeel like they can, like when
they told me like, you should beon city council, I was like.
In all honesty, I, I'm like, Ihadn't watched a city council
meeting.
I mean, who does that whenthere's so much crap on Netflix?
(11:29):
You know, I'm like, so I had tolike start watching it and it's
like 20 minutes in I'm likefalling asleep.
I'm like, this is so boring.
But, and then there's all thesethings that like, not that I
don't care about them, but I'mlike, I don't wanna, like, you
know, I say this now, but like.
In three weeks I'm going on anaqueduct tour, like flying to
Vegas and driving along behindthe scene to see the water.
(11:49):
Never thought I'd do that, butI'm so nerding out on like water
and all these things that Inever were was that much
interested before in.
So I think the way we presentit, it looks daunting and like
you can't do it and you have toknow all these things.
And I'm like, clearly after thisyou'll all be like running for
something.
'cause you're like, well she cando it.
But you seriously, like, it'snot that I feel people need to
get involved and they need, weneed to, to like.
(12:12):
Inform people and educatepeople.
And I think social media can bebad for that and good for that.
That the average person, youdon't have to have this poli sci
background.
Um, you don't have to have anaspiration to be the next
congressman or woman or senator.
You just have to see a problemin your area that you're close
to, that you think you could be,you know, pivotal in fixing.
(12:33):
And I think.
If we, if I can do anything inmy position with what little
baby platform I have,'causepeople think I have more power
than I do, um, then I will sayto people, that's my goal is to
get people involved.
I knock on 10 doors a week.
I meet with businesses everymonth.
I do a town hall every monthcalled moca with the mayor.
I want people to know that like.
Hey, this is your community.
(12:53):
Some people are like, look, I'mtoo busy.
Like, I don't have time forthat.
But there's something foreveryone.
They'll say to me, how can Isupport you on the next item?
Or, here's my business and whatI do.
And I'm all about public privatepartnerships, and I think in the
government space, we're, weshould be moving more towards
that.
Um, because there's experts inan area that know how to do it,
that have that customermentality and the, the
(13:14):
government would be theircustomer.
So we'd probably see adifferent, um.
You know, a different outcome.
And so I hope I can communicateto folks that whether you join a
commission or a board or whetheryou run for your local city
council, you should getinvolved.
You shouldn't count yourself outbecause I look back now in a
million years, if you would'veasked me this before 2021, I
(13:35):
would've been like, hell no.
I'm never gonna be the mayor,like, or on city council or
whatever.
I was doing lobbying before thatfor music education.
I'd been to SAC in DC so itwasn't like beyond me, but it
was for.
Fighting for music, artists'rights and things like that, and
having music education inschool.
Would I ever think I'd befighting for like clean water
and like, you know, speed bumpssomewhere?
(13:56):
Like No, but I didn't, but iOS,I didn't know what iOS and CS
were until it impacted me in mybusiness and I only knew it from
that end.
But now I know that.
Can you say what those mean?
Yeah.
Um, ceps are conditional usepermits.
So like when you have a businessand you're like, oh, I wanna do
something else, like I rememberI learned about it when.
We were having music and a spaceand we wanted studios.
(14:18):
And I was like, oh my God, I'vegotta deal with this like zoning
ordinance and this conditionaluse permit.
And I just thought that thoserules were set in stone and some
person behind a locked door,like they decide what that is.
Now I'm on council and we justput forward, you know, an
entertainment zone and changedconditional use permits and
zoning ordinance to create a funblock.
And I'm like.
(14:39):
Oh, so you really can, kids,boys and girls, you can make a
difference.
You can be anything you wannabe.
No.
But if you get involved, likeyou can come and bring those
ideas forward.
Like I came in saying, I wannabring more music and
entertainment and I wanna bringeconomic recovery.
How can I do that?
Okay.
The, the promenade dying.
We need to make it easier forbusinesses to have outdoor
(14:59):
events and attract people.
And my business mindset waslike, they're like, well, let's
do a temporary, um, zoningordinance.
I'm like.
Well, if it's temporarybusinesses can't calendar 12
months out.
And then customers don't havecontinuity.
They're not gonna know thatevery week if I go to the
Promenade, there's gonna besomething happening.
I know Salsa's on Thursdays,Fridays they have, you know,
(15:20):
whatever football games andSaturdays they have this.
So I'm like, we have to do itpermanent to give businesses
that opportunity and letcustomers know.
Consumers know that.
They can without, if you'redriving in the car and you have
a last minute plan, you knowthat Thursday, Friday, Saturday,
these things are happening here,but no one else was maybe
thinking of it like that.
We actually have a council nowthat is younger and they're
(15:41):
like, yeah, let's do it Boulder.
They get it and so that's great.
I mean, that was something thatwasn't happening before and I'm
getting a lot of naysayers andI've gotten thick skin because
at the beginning you're kind oflike, oh no, like.
You know, the 10 neighbors thatI've grew up with are gonna hate
me now'cause I think everyone'sgonna become alcoholics on the
promenade.
But I just, I've learned thatlike you're not gonna make
(16:04):
everybody happy.
But again, the entrepreneur inme says, we'll never know if we
don't try it.
It's not permanent.
We can always go back if there'sa bunch of eight year olds
drinking$23 cocktails on thepromenade because of the Sony
ordinance, which apparently isgonna happen.
And so then we can take it backand put them into rehab and
it'll be fine.
I had a whole visual of eightyear olds stumbling along the
(16:26):
car.
Hanging around.
Causing chaos.
Yeah, exactly.
Getting, they're getting pickedup by the cops.
What are some of the other, theother improvements?
I know you've made, uh, ahandful of improvements and have
a few in mind, uh, aroundgetting businesses.
To be able to operate faster,quicker, uh, regulatory Yeah.
(16:48):
Limitations and all that.
So yeah, well,self-certification.
I worked on that with anothercouncil member, Jesse Wick.
Sorry I'm burping'cause thecoffee's so gross, but I'm just
calling myself out here on themic.
Um, so we did, we realized likeI'm not for fast development
without going through a process.
However, expanding the footprintas a business as we take over
(17:12):
vacant.
There's tis and there's thingsyou have to do to make that
space work for you.
And as we all know, retail'schanged, right?
So on the promenade for example,there's like a 30,000 square
foot building that used to be agap.
No one's shopping like thatanymore.
So we had to be creative and letpeople adjust that space.
Maybe it's now three spaces,maybe we activate the alleyway.
Um, but one of the biggestproblems was it takes so long to
(17:34):
get a permit and any youngbusiness coming in with.
A little bit of money doesn'thave the ability to pay for rent
for nine months while governmentgets around to giving a permit.
So self-certification was a bigdeal.
It took us months and a lot offighting with staff that it was
gonna be okay.
If you self-certify and canindemnify and use licensed
contractors, you still have togo through the final inspection
(17:56):
and you would have to pay forthat if you missed anything.
But I'm also working withSteadfast and their eCheck
system, which uses AI to loadall the code, which is really
easy'cause then you know,architects and developers can
run it through and make surethey're hitting all the Santa
Monica code and they'd feel morecomfortable with it.
But the goal is five days youget a permit for businesses
(18:16):
doing TI improvements.
Anything inside, not expandingthe footprint.
It's also for folks like, youknow, you just wanna redo your
bathroom.
It doesn't, shouldn't.
Take you two years.
So this process, we hope,attracts businesses, new
businesses coming in to utilizespace, but also for existing
businesses who wanna conform andchange.
The idea of getting, you know,your permit in five days is a
(18:37):
matter of hundreds of thousandsof dollars, either from an
investors or in rent orwhatever.
So that's just one way.
Um, we've also activatedalleyways.
We've, um, loosened, um, a lotof signage restriction in
downtown Santa Monica.
Um.
Also something that was helpfulfor businesses was I expanded
the sit and lie ordinance,meaning where you can sit and
(18:59):
lie down in front of a business.
There used to be a rule whereyou had to have this sign
posted, you had to reprint itevery 30 days.
Who in their right mind whenyou're running a business
dropping off, kids opening thestore, you're like, oh shoot.
I didn't print out the sign thatsays this guy can't lie naked in
front of my business.
Like, darn it, I can't tell himto move.
You know?
So.
Things like that that were sortof common sense, boots on the
(19:22):
ground issues that I know myfriends who are entrepreneurs
dealt with were, are things thatwere sort of pushing forward.
But that was, that's aroundbusiness specific stuff.
Of course, there's other thingstoo.
Awesome.
Has, um, China's uh, tariffpolicy impacted?
Yes.
I'm kidding.
I tariff it has impacted my, mymusic store, but that's not, how
(19:43):
is the tariff policy in SantaMonica affecting Santa Monica?
Um, so if, what would you wantto tell entrepreneurs now that
have either.
Civic tech programs or uh, govtech programs or want to get
(20:04):
involved and don't know how orwant to start selling their
products to municipalities or atleast in the government space
and don't know how I.
Um, what, what advice would yougive to them?
Meet your local leaders becausethey're looking for ideas.
Um, public-private partnershipsdon't start in government.
They start out here.
(20:25):
Okay.
So I've already met people herethat have talked about products
they have that I think aregreat.
Um, I was on a panel like thiswith a woman from Steadfast who
works with Rick Caruso of who Iknow'cause I ran alongside Tracy
Park and Rick Caruso.
Um.
And eCheck is this AI tool I wastelling you about.
Um, she brought that forward tome on a panel like this.
(20:46):
I set up a meeting.
Two days later she's having hersecond meeting with staff, and
we wanna be, I hope, um, I hopewe're the first to roll it out
to show that government canactually take a dive into some
of these cool AI tools and, andexpedite services and be more
efficient and save taxpayersmoney.
Um.
So I think you have to talk toyour local elected leaders.
(21:10):
You gotta watch and, and seewhat's going on.
Because I will tell you this,since we're in a safe space,
people come up to me sometimeswith the most ridiculous ideas
and I'm just like, are you like,do you turn on the TV at all?
Like, what are you saying?
Like, I've got people, like I'vegot this paraglide business.
I'm like, no one gives a shitright now that everything just
burned.
And like, save that for some,you know, see you in two years,
(21:32):
but pay attention to like what'sgoing on and come.
With like the knowledge of like,Hey, you know, I've been
noticing that this is a realproblem in this area and I've
got a tool to fix that, or I'vegot a way to fix that.
It makes them feel a little bitless like, okay, yeah sure, talk
to my staffer.
'cause now they know that you'repaying attention.
You know what you're talkingabout.
You've seen the problem, you'vedone your homework.
(21:54):
'cause it's really annoying.
We have like a thousand emails aday to have to like sit.
I've sat through many meetingsof.
I just went through one that Ijust, I can never get those 20
minutes back in my life.
I didn't know what the meetingwas about and I messed up and he
was like going on for 18 minutesof why we need a game.
He was impressing upon me andstaff why we need this game, a
(22:15):
facility to play games, videogames.
I'm like, I don't need you.
We don't care what business youhave, but what did you need from
me?
I thought he needed.
Some special permitting and hedidn't.
He just wanted to sell us abouthis video game thing, and it was
annoying and we'll probablynever meet with him again.
So my point is like you have toknow what you're going in and
study your people.
So see who is the mostapproachable.
(22:37):
Don't just email them, callthem, try to get a meeting.
Know that their time is limited,and start with that.
I know your time is limited.
Thank you.
I know this is like a thanklessjob and you probably get paid
nothing to do it.
I mean, at least if you'retalking to people in Santa
Monica.
Um, but I would like to take 15minutes of your time.
This is the issue that I see.
This is what I'm trying tosolve, and this is my company.
Those three things, just hit itquick because.
(22:59):
You go on to all this otherstuff and you lose people and
they have so many people they'remeeting with, you'll lose them.
But if you think you reallywanna get in front of someone,
you wanna have a public privatepartnership, don't hold back.
The opportunity is now strikewhile the iron is hot.
Every municipality isdownsizing.
We have budget issues, so ifthere's a more efficient, cost
(23:20):
saving way to help.
Cities and communities thrive.
This is your opportunity.
You just have to have thatelevator pitch down, three
bullet points, watch a handfulof city council meetings, get to
know your council members, andhit them with that in the first
60 seconds, and you'll get ameeting.
And I think you'd have to juststay persistent as well, because
(23:41):
they're inundated with a lot ofthings and staff, you know,
historically has not, they'renot usually full of people who
are like, absolutely, we shouldtry that.
They're like.
I, they're punching in andpunching out and you know, they
get retirement benefits thatnone of us in the private sector
know anything about.
So you have to really get thatcouncil member and you've gotta
get them excited about whatyou're doing and you gotta like
(24:03):
help them sell your product byhitting them with, I've done my
homework, I know the problem,and I can help you solve it.
Last lightning round question,um, before we jump to audience
questions.
Uh, you speak really well on howto navigate political barriers
(24:26):
and respecting people for theirbeliefs.
Whether you disagree or don'tor, or agree, um, and being able
to.
Be an ear for everyone.
And you, you, you've spoken verywell on that in the past.
I'd love for you to just talk alittle bit about that and'cause
some of these things, some, theybecome political outta nowhere.
You're like, what?
(24:46):
You know, so, so especially forentrepreneurs who maybe frame it
a little bit around that, but I,I just say a couple words on
that.
Yeah.
I mean, I think you have toreach across the aisle coming
from a sales marketingbackground every and a customer
service background.
Not to say the customer's alwaysright, but I always go in with
things my mom taught me.
(25:07):
Like we're all human beings.
We've all had some struggle.
I don't know what all of youwent through this morning, let
alone this past year.
We're all coming and showing upfor the day and for the, for
each moment in life withwhatever traumas, trials, and
tribulations we've all gonethrough.
So I try to lead from that spacebecause, don't get me wrong,
I've been turned off or brushedoff and, um.
(25:28):
Belittled in meetings and, andthen my own ego steps in and I'm
like, oh God.
And it can get like that reallyquick in the political scene.
'cause people come to it withthat mindset.
And I don't come to it with thatmindset.
And then I get like, it takes mea second to like adjust myself
and remember that like, oh,these are all just like
somebody's babies and then theyjust like became adults and
we're in this room, you know?
(25:50):
Um, so I try to like.
Get myself in this place of likejust being open to conversation.
And I have been politicized forthings from, I was on the news
and, and quick to say, I justthought about something.
I said in this meeting that I'min the back of my mind, I'm
stressing out about, which washow I said, we looked at hiring
the city managers and I'm like,oh my God, is this video gonna
go out and is everyone gonnathink that?
(26:11):
I said something about, ah, likethese are the things I have to
worry about, but.
You know, because I speak fastand off the cuff like this, I,
you know, it comes with likebruises and scratches.
But what I do is I just knowthat when someone comes to
something, I know that okay,they are coming to this with a
perspective based on their livedexperience and so am I, and
that's okay.
They're not a mean bad person.
(26:33):
Um, I'm the first to go toe totoe with someone who doesn't
believe in what I'm bringingforward, whose ideologies are
opposite of mine, because whowants to be in an echo chamber
when I have, you know.
Drinks with my friends.
That's the moment to be like,get the pats on the backs and
have everybody like pump you up.
But I like to engage in debateand I actually look at it as an
(26:53):
opportunity to learn.
So when I got on council, I havea different view on how housing
and homelessness are correlateand a lot of people on the
council in my.
Belief, have a different beliefabout density and housing and
housing solving homelessness.
And so those, I love one of ourformer mayors, gleen Davis, I
respect, I think she's so smart,but we are totally on opposite
(27:16):
ends when it comes to density.
So she gave me a book.
About it.
And I took notes and I would askher questions and we had a
standing monthly lunch andeveryone's like, why do you go
to lunch with her?
You guys are so oppositeideologically.
I'm like, that's why.
Because I think she'srespectful, kind.
She's very smart, and I learnedfrom her.
And when I'm gonna go toe to toea.
(27:37):
Someone on the day.
So I need to know a little bitabout where she swings.
Is she right or left or like, isshe coming from down here?
Up here?
I did boxing for six years, soI'm like, okay, so I need to
know where she's coming.
Otherwise I'm gonna beblindsided and knocked out in
round one every time.
So I look at these engagementsas like a friendly boxing match.
And when you're out, you gottashake hands, you gotta
(27:58):
congratulate the opponent andyou gotta say Cool, like.
I'm gonna go back in the gym andtrain for this next fight.
I'm gonna go watch the tape andI'm gonna be ready the next
time.
And it's because we both arecoming to it with passion for
something.
We both want that heavyweightbelt and you gotta respect the
other person.
You can't hate the other personthat you're in the ring with
'cause you're both coming therefor the same reason.
(28:20):
I love that.
Beautifully said.
It's, uh, it's a warming uh,feeling in the political climate
we're in right now to know thatthere's people doing that, um,
and, and lead with that.
So, um, thank you.
We're gonna do some q and ahere, but before I do that, uh,
I just wanna do a quick shoutout.
Uh, but also after wheneveryone's networking, um,
(28:42):
there's someone else here whoknows a ton about the city and
about civics.
His name is Alvin Gillich.
He's right there in the back.
Woo.
Quick shout out to AlvinGillich.
Um, uh, a very close friend, um,my backup husband when he's not
around, backup.
The mayor's backup husband whenhe's not around.
(29:03):
I wasn't gonna say that.
Um, I can see the headlines now.
Oh, look at me.
Alvin has been on many boardsand commissions and he is, uh,
very knowledgeable on all thingscivics, but also for small
businesses.
He's worked with the small buseconomic development with la.
Or the small businessdevelopment center.
Development center, yes.
(29:25):
Yep.
Um, and so pick his brain too.
Um, okay.
Quick rules on questions, ifplease.
Okay.
Just please don't do the thingwhere you try to get four
questions in one and, and it,and, or you'd have some anecdote
that, that everyone's just like,come on.
There's a lot of people want toask questions.
(29:48):
I'm assuming just don't do that.
Don't be that person.
If you're question, giveyourself like a 20 to 32nd timer
on your question.
If it goes longer than that, I'mgonna get on the mic and be
like, you're doing the thing Ijust said don't do.
That's eight questions.
You tried to get it in a one andit's not cool.
Dude, I'm gonna steal that forcounsel.
I'm just gonna say, don't do thething you're doing.
(30:09):
Don't do the thing.
You know the thing too, and noone's gonna like it.
All right, you're on warning.
All right, here we go.
Uh, q and a time.
Anyone have a question?
All right.
First hand up.
Uh, do I need to stand up?
It'd be, yeah.
It's nice for people to see you.
I think so.
I have a question for mayor,that what is your biggest
(30:31):
challenges now and is there anysupport from the government
currently helping smallbusiness?
Um, like specific.
For workforce development ormanufacturing side, um, funding
like that.
So on a local level, likeworkforce development in that
capacity, that what you'retalking about where the, you
(30:51):
know, federal government isinvolved.
I don't deal with that challengemyself.
I mean, look, I own a musicstore and most of our products
come from China, and so we'reimpacted by all the things that
are happening at the federallevel for sure.
Um, but my biggest challengeactually, um, as an elected
leader, like when you ask methat, I always go, what just
(31:11):
came first to mind?
It's misinformation and peoplenot being misinformed or not
understanding.
So right now there's a lot ofnoise that's distracting from
solving things because peoplelike headlines and there's like
those like negative littlesocial groups across Reddit and
Nextdoor and whatever,Instagram, Facebook.
That's my biggest challengebecause I spend a lot of time.
(31:34):
Like deconstructingmisinformation for people, and
I'm like, God, those 17 minutescould have been spent solving a
problem.
That's actually my biggestproblem, and that goes all the
way up to state and federalbecause I, even my leaders and
meetings, they'll be like, oh, Iheard you guys are doing blah,
blah, blah.
I'm like, are you on Reddit?
Like you're like an assemblymember.
(31:54):
That's so bizarre.
It's like, no, that's not what'shappening.
Or, Hey, I heard this ishappening, that no.
That's actually my biggestproblem.
It's the party politics.
It's the fact that on a locallevel we're supposed to be
non-partisan and so we don'teven, you know, we don't get a
lot of things done.
Genuinely, it takes, the reasonwhy it takes so long is because
everyone's afraid of stepping ona landmine.
(32:16):
So instead of taking the directpath to get to where you wanna
go, like us as business peoplewould be like, it's right over
there.
You're just gonna cross, crossthe street.
And they're like, I'm gonna goaround'cause Sue doesn't like it
when I walk.
And I got.
Skip when I go this way.
'cause Jan doesn't like walking.
And then I gotta sit,'cause Igotta talk to Tammy for five
minutes, otherwise I won't beable to cross.
And then that's why it takeslike 10 years to, and then now
(32:36):
the street's not there andyou're like, oh shit.
You know?
So I know that didn't reallyanswer your question, but, um,
and when it comes to the federallevel of like manufacturing,
that's not a challenge for me.
If I'm being honest.
The stuff I'm, I'd have to thinkon that and I guess I could come
up with some fancy answer foryou, but honestly like, no, I
deal with that in my business.
Sure.
But I'm not having those typesof conversations right now with
(32:59):
the federal government.
We're talking about funding andthings like that, and politics
and party lines get in the way1000% of the time, if I'm being
honest.
By the way, this is a, it's agreat opportunity to think about
when we're.
Taking the opportunity to learnabout civics, the levels of
government, how they work, andwho handles what and why they
(33:19):
handle those things and what thenature of those things are.
There are things that arespecifically designed for the
federal government to handle thestate government, the county,
how they work with the city, forexample.
Ships are important.
Before you read a headline andpoint a finger and say The Mayor
of Santa Monica, and you'relike, actually, first of all,
it's at the county level.
Second of all, they're not evenwho makes the policy.
(33:40):
Third of all, like there's allthese layers to try to
understand and that's reallywhat I'd like to impart, I
guess, is when you read aheadline, do the work in trying
to understand and go deeper,like levels deeper like you
would in solving a businessproblem.
And I always tell people, ask mea question before you tell me
your thought or opinion.
'cause you don't even know.
(34:00):
We just met like, you know whatI mean?
This guy just sent out an emailblast.
For example, I was in sac, Iwork, I worked on a bill AB 4 78
that had to do with savinganimals during the fires.
I went on my own dime, totallysuffering from Santa Monica and
he just sent out a whole thing.
The first blonde, Latina with noE and the end of blonde, I'm
like.
Oh God, who's blonde Meria you?
Um, I'm not gonna tell myhairstylist that these
(34:22):
highlights are really foolingpeople, but anyways, I was, he
said that I was there to lobbyagainst a bill, so he's
manipulating what happened.
But he said I was there to lobbyagainst a bill that's gonna hurt
Latinos and, and every Latinashould write a thing'cause I'm
Latina.
And it was so, so now I'mgetting people who I know for 30
years are like, did you go for,I'm like.
(34:44):
I can't even be friends with youanymore.
This is so stupid.
Like, I'm just like, but I haveto take a breath.
And I'm like, I'm so New Yorkerabout stuff.
I swear I was born in New Yorksomehow, or made in New York.
I don't know, but I'm just like,I don't have time for this shit.
Like, Jesus Christ, order yourbagel and move on.
Like, but I'm like, this is likeso stupid.
Like, so I'm talking to myfriend and I'm like, we're
(35:04):
literally having thisconversation.
Like you're asking me thisstupid and we're friends.
Well, I don't know.
I got the email.
I said, oh, you got the email.
Oh, you got the email.
Well, now I know what to send afucking email when I want people
to read shit.
I'm just gonna send you a fakeemail and then.
God, it was so, and then I, thenthat gets me all frazzled,
bedazzled sea.
I said, I haven't really gottenthere yet.
I gotta get to the point whereI'm, so, I don't wanna get so
(35:27):
thick skin though, like some ofthese people where they just
really don't care.
Like I still care when peoplesay mean things, I'm like, oh,
whatever.
I have thick skin.
Then I go home and I'm with myhusband or Evan.
I'm like, do you think theyreally think that?
And then I go out in the publicand they're like, you're so
good.
I'm like, I just cried in my carfor 10 minutes about what that
crazy guy said.
That's on Reddit that has 10followers on Facebook.
(35:49):
All right.
I see a hand next question rightthere.
Hey, so, uh, I, I, I could sithere and listen to you all day
long.
I'm, I'm having so much fun.
My husband says the same thing.
Yeah.
So it's so fun.
Um, uh, my question is, uh, isa, is it is in two parts.
(36:10):
So I, I love 22nd limit.
Don't do the thing.
I love your approach, right?
Love your approach, andobviously it's gonna co cause
friction in, in, in governmentafter this airs or wherever.
Mm-hmm.
So, uh, what are surprisinglyto, in your perspective, what
are the, the aspects of yourwork and, and what you've been
doing with the city that yourapproach has really been
(36:33):
effective?
And then the other part is whatare the things you're like,
fuck, this isn't gonna work.
Yeah, no, that's a greatquestion actually.
That's happened from day one.
Where it's been effective is thepeople who, I think there's
small groups that duringelections and campaigns, people
get elected and everyone's like,what?
(36:53):
And so some of us that are like.
Kind of not, I don't know whatyou wanna call us, like we're in
the middle common sense, like,our head's down we're going to
work, but we pay enoughattention to know what's going
on.
And then you're like thoroughlysurprised, like, is everybody
stupid?
Like, what's going on?
I think in a lot of ways what'sbeen effective about my approach
is I've brought in the folksthat have felt.
Unheard but are like working andbusy and they're like, I don't
(37:15):
really know how to be involved,but I don't like what's going on
and I need to meet with you inan unorganic fashion.
I don't wanna join thisorganization or this group to
get your attention.
And I think that's where I'vebeen effective is rising, like
the business community's voiceand connecting and.
And being a person that's notlike crazy, that's like, okay,
(37:36):
well she's had a a business,she's now elected.
So now I'm in front of peoplewhere I can bring that voice.
That's had a really hard timebeing heard because the
organized factions are alwaysfirst to the table'cause they've
been doing this forever.
And it's not that what they'resaying is right or wrong.
I don't even think theyrepresent the majority of people
in the community.
They've just been running thatmarketing game for so long.
(37:57):
Do you know what I'm saying?
So I think that's where I'vebeen effective, is bringing
those other folks along.
Where that has not worked iswhen an item just becomes so
heavily politicized.
I just worked on a bill, so thisis all new to me, like working
on a bill, and I tell the kidsof my nonprofit, they come along
with me, they're like, missLana, what about this?
I'm like.
It got so watered down kids, Idon't even know.
(38:17):
We started out with doing thisand now like I wanted to do
chocolate milk and now I'm likein watered down orange juice.
I don't even know how we gotthere and how those two connect,
but these legislators haveconvinced me that we'll get to
chocolate milk if we just startwith watery sugar free orange
juice.
So.
I'm just, I use those analogiesall the time.
'cause it's easy to kind ofvisualize.
That's where it's not effective.
(38:39):
Like I'll come in, I'll be like,this is stupid, let's not do it
that way.
And then they're just like, youcan't say that.
You just piss 10 people off andnow we won't be talking to you
for the rest of the year.
And I'm like, oh, I was justkidding.
So that's where it's noteffective.
Like that's where I've had tolearn how to play their game
too.
So I do my thing that comesnaturally.
But I have also had to learn howto play the political game.
(39:00):
And gone and tried to dosomething one way that just like
common sense, just walk acrossthe street way and I'm like, oh,
I gotta do the whole, like takea freeway and all this to get
over here.
And I've, I've realized that Ihave to do that.
And I think it's a lesson forme, like I have to travel those
roads.
Like I have respect for thegame.
Like these people that are inthe political game.
They know.
I mean, even you, you like, youknow all these people, they got,
(39:22):
they know all the folks in theoffices and who to get to and
where and they're like, Lana,you are over here.
Like wanting to just jump rightover in like the, you know, on
the toll thing and in thecarpool lane and you ain't got
nobody in your car with you.
You can't do that.
You have to like put thesepeople in the car and you gotta,
like, you can only drive when itsays three people in the car
more.
And like, this is just the routeyou have to take, otherwise it
(39:43):
won't get done.
And that's where I've had tolearn.
Patience and been like, okay, soI guess I have to do it this way
to get it done.
It's gonna take longer.
And that's the hard part as anelected with a short amount of
time.
'cause then you gotta go tellyour constituents, the assembly,
congress, Senate, they're so farremoved from their constituents.
We're over here boots on theground in this small room like.
(40:05):
Someone will be like, in 22, Iasked you about solving
homelessness and what have youdone?
I'm like, fuck nothing.
But it's, then I feel bad'causeI'm like, well then you gotta do
the whole, like there'sdifferent layers of government
and basically, you know, ittakes a really long time to get
things done and.
That's where folks like myselfget frustrated and termed out
(40:26):
and you see us and you, youknow, you don't hear about them
again because we're a businessentrepreneur mindset, common
sense problem solvers.
And it's like, this is so dumb,but you have to have this tricky
balance of like, okay, it mightbe dumb, but this is the way
they've been doing it forever.
And I've gotta like, it's likegoing to another country and
like changing culture.
I just came back from Japan,which is like a whole other
(40:48):
conversation'cause it's soamazing and beautiful there and
clean and it's about culture.
Everybody there does when theystep out of their private space,
they do for what?
The works for the collective.
Good of all, first.
Than themselves.
We operate governmentpersonally, culturally, in a
space of what works for me.
I mean, I mean, we all havefriends that are like, that's,
(41:10):
that's right.
Now I'm in my space.
You're in my space.
Like, or that doesn't work forme.
You know, like that's how we,that's our thing.
And I think that's how we do itin government.
It's like there's a culture ingovernment and I can't come in
there and be like changingculture, but it's, it is
shifting.
And I think if more people like.
Ourselves, get involved.
Problem solvers, entrepreneurs,you know, startup folks come in,
(41:33):
the culture will shift and theculture might change, and then
you couldn't just walk.
Now you can just walk across thestreet instead of having to take
10 freeways to get there.
So.
Yeah.
Actually I'll do a quick plugfor my podcast, Meyer Side
Chats.
I recently interviewed the, uh,mayor of San Jose, Matt Mahan.
Oh yeah.
Who actually said the exact, whosays the exact same thing.
(41:53):
And he was actually a, a civictech entrepreneur, a company
called Brigade before that, buthe said the exact same thing.
The way to solve those problems,a lot of these problems is to
get involved.
It, it can actually.
Fix the big problems that we'rehaving, but not enough people do
it.
Um, uh, I hope I'm notbutchering his exact comment,
but it, it was something, uh,exactly along the lines of what
(42:13):
you're saying.
All right.
Uh, I see a hand over here.
Great, great conversation.
Thank you.
Since you mentioned mayor of SanJose, I just came back from San
Jose and San Jose, the firstcity to announce the end of
unsheltered homelessness.
Wow.
They're using, they're usingthe, uh, the, the new bill that
just passed last fall.
They're gonna provide housing,interim housing.
(42:34):
It's not gonna cost$800,000 perunit we spent in la.
It'll be like 40,000 per unit.
We're a local company that makesthose units modular.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Why is, can we get started onthat?
Yeah.
I would like to, I have a, soworking with steadfast and.
As you know, during the fires,the mobile home parks were
destroyed, and the interestingcomplex thing about mobile home
(42:57):
parks is the right of entry.
The ROEs, the folks that lived,rented, or even owned their own
mobile home, they can't fillthose out without the person who
owns the land signing them.
And some of the people who onthe land may never, they may
not, some of these folks mayjust wanna get rid of the land.
And so now all these people losetheir homes.
(43:18):
And so, um, we were workingwith,'cause they were kind of
the last to be looked at withmodular, um, companies.
And I have a friend who's inthat space that dealt with the
lanai fires.
And so I think, I always thinkabout that.
Like, why can't we just findthere's so many open, lots, even
old, you know, business, uh,big.
Offices.
Like we just put four schools inthe Colorado Park.
(43:40):
That's how many, how much emptyoffice space there was.
Um, and so I think about thatall the time.
This, why doesn't that happen?
There's a lot of reasons wewould have to use public land to
do that.
Number one, we are in a hugedeficit.
We have a$700 million budget.
We just paid out over the courseof a few years, 229 million in a
lawsuit.
We have 157 more cases on thatlawsuit.
(44:02):
We have a$55 million debt.
We've been paying into another.
Um, litigation we're goingthrough, we have, um, colas
coming up and labor, you know,stuff coming up that we can't,
we have CIP projects, meaninglike potholes and basic lights
that we have to replace that wecan't do.
We've been putting on the backburner, so any land that we have
(44:22):
right now is called a suitablesite.
The city's looking at it torecuperate some funds and to
make money.
None of those projects, thefunding, I'll tell you this
homeless whole thing.
At the regional, state, andfederal level is where the money
is.
It's not at the municipal levellike.
So, but my point is that wewould have to provide the land,
(44:43):
or someone who owns land wouldhave to strike a deal and it
would have to be financiallysound for them, or they'd have
to just be some angel fromheaven that's like, I would like
to give my land.
The city would never be againstthat.
That's, that's the problem.
But to be honest with you, andI'm someone who feels that way,
if, if we're being real,'cause Ispend my time in multiple cities
(45:05):
and I grew up, you know, myhusband grew up in the projects.
Like I, for people who are like,oh my God, it's insane.
I'm like, oh my God, take aseven minute ride with me.
Like I go to soho downtown andyou're like.
Stepping over tents and then youlike go up to soho house, you're
like, woo.
God, that was rough.
I mean, we, we don't have, wedon't have encampments because
we've had strong encampment lawsfor a very long time.
(45:26):
But the reason you're seeingwhat we're seeing is we're a
service provider beyond anybodyelse.
Venice and Santa Monica has themost services where you can go
get a laptop shower.
We have a whole space where you,you line up, you'll see them by
the freeway at San Hel, they geta shower, a locker, they get the
resources to get their phone,all that right?
So that draws people here.
We also have the weather.
(45:47):
We have a lot of public spacesthat you can't police.
You can't say like.
I've had a, I walked with abusiness owner the other day and
they're like, look at that guyright there.
Look at him.
His butt cracks out.
He looks homeless, he's dirty,he's talking to himself.
He's got these bags around himand he, I go, I totally get you,
but close your eyes and imaginehe's wearing faragamo.
Those are Gucci bags and he iseating a air one salad.
(46:08):
Now what?
Do you know what I mean?
Like the police don't have thelaws to discern between a dirty
butt crack in your like shittytrash bags and not, and so
that's the problem.
I think people forget that, likethat's unsightly, but there's no
law that says that they candiscern because I could come
out, I might have like a benderone night with Evan and be
shitfaced and like fall asleepin the park.
(46:28):
Am I gonna get arrested?
I think that's the, so where theissue is, is there's mental
health and there's drug abuse,and that is what we see in the
streets.
87% of the folks out there arenot from California.
They're service resistant.
Okay.
And they have problems that arebeyond needing a frigging
apartment building.
I'm sorry.
We are not gonna build our wayout of homelessness.
This transitional housing issueis about getting people in.
(46:51):
I, it's in my family.
My brother and my uncle lives onthe streets.
My brother now is in soberliving.
You need to get people to help.
They need, because they will notbe able to maintain, you think
some guy that's talking tothemselves and shooting up is
gonna be able to like all of asudden be walking and getting
his groceries and like, youknow.
Taking care of an apartment.
No, these people need mentalhealth help, and that money
(47:12):
comes from the states, the fedsand the federal government.
Those places come from there.
So we can provide transitionalhousing all day long, but until
we do what a business does, ifwe were to open a hamburger
shop, first thing we'd say, howmany people can we serve Today?
I have 800 patties.
When 815 people come at fif,you're like, sorry, we're all
out.
We've never said, as a city, howmany homeless people can we
(47:33):
serve?
Effectively, we've never saidthat.
We just keep doing account andwe keep overflowing and we keep
saying we have a problem.
And as far as housing goes inSanta Monica, we are always
gonna be desirable.
We're in the city of SantaMonica.
We're on the coast and lookaround guys.
Is San Francisco the mostaffordable place to live?
Is New York?
No.
So we're not gonna createaffordability by building on our
(47:55):
beaches here, and we're notgonna solve homelessness by
building our way out of it.
We're gonna create.
We're gonna create opportunityand affordability by doing a lot
of the other things we talkedabout earlier, but we're gonna
solve that problem by addressingopioid addiction, drug abuse,
and mental health.
And that requires state andfederally funded facilities.
So I think we have time for onemore.
(48:22):
One more.
Oh, okay.
Who?
Oh, yep.
Yep.
There we go.
You have a room full ofentrepreneurs.
Are there problems that newbusiness owners or entrepreneurs
might solve or ideas that youhave for us from your
perspective?
I like that.
Yeah.
We have lots of vacant space.
We have small space, we haveflexible space, like I talked
(48:45):
about, those conditional usepermits, the entertainment zone,
the signage.
We've created more flexiblespace in our downtown area, and
I wanna let everybody know here.
When this problem came up on thepromenade of all the vacant
space, I was like, well, it'stoo expensive.
We don't own those buildings.
Right?
Those are two dozen propertyowners and they are not offering
often flexible leases'cause theymight have that building in a
(49:08):
portfolio of many others andthey're like live somewhere else
a lot of times and they'rewaiting for the heyday of$26 a
square foot to come back andthey, so they don't.
It's better for them to write itoff, right as a business owner
and show that as a loss than toactually be flexible and go out
there and get businesses.
So I would say touch base withthe city.
We have a new person in economicdevelopment who's phenomenal.
(49:31):
She's, I love her.
Her name's Armine.
She's coming in strong, hardwith, let's get businesses back
here.
Let's have that customerattitude.
I wanna bring back what's theyused to call an ombuds person.
I wanna call it a concierge.
'cause even that.
Word just says, we're servingyou.
We wanna help find and brokerdeals between landlords and
(49:53):
businesses to find space.
That I remember, I was like,well, I could never be on the
promenade.
And they were like, I wouldoffer you$5 a square foot.
There's people getting$3 asquare foot.
However, when I stepped into it,the guy was like three years
with a two year option.
I'm like, I.
I can't do half a million in TISand come in for that and then
like not know when I've beensomewhere else for 53 years.
(50:13):
So that's where I like as acouncil member, they're like,
oh, they're offering flexibleleases.
I'm like, do you guys knowanything?
It's triple net.
You know, these are all thingsthat are problems for businesses
like ours to get in.
So, but let me tell you, we'reinvolved.
We have econ development.
We, I've, there's a small amountof money that myself and another
council member are working on togive people ti money when they
go in.
(50:34):
Rents help.
We want businesses to come inand on these short term with
long term opportunities in thepromenade and downtown area.
And all over Santa Monica,there's a lot of vacant
buildings that we wanna seeactivated.
So wherever we can modifyzoning, conditional use,
permitting, or help with grantmoney, we are doing that to get
businesses in.
That's number one.
(50:54):
Number two, if you have somepublic private partnership
opportunity that helps expeditethose processes through AI or
tech or app or, um, you're inthe arts and music space, or in
the marketing space of lettingpeople know.
Come to Santa Monica.
We are in a.
Moment.
Right now we're having a momentthat's revved up LA 28 FIFA
(51:16):
World Cup.
These things are coming.
We want ways to attract peopleto Santa Monica.
We want, we don't wanna be likewhere you come to go to the
store that you could go to 10other cities to go to.
We wanna come, we wanna be theplace where you go to have
experiences that draw peoplehere.
So if that's something that youdo, um, you know, please, you
should reach out.
(51:36):
And like I said, this person isfresh and new economic
development.
They're not.
They don't have, you know, ifyou wait too long, then they're,
they got that thick skin wherethey're not responding to you.
So, um, I think this is a goodtime to jump in and at least
pitch your idea and say, Hey, Iknow you guys are trying to
bring concerts back to the beer.
You're offering, um, adesignated alcoholic beverage
(51:57):
zone and you're promenade.
Um, you're looking for AI toolsto help your staff be more
efficient.
Here's where I can.
Step in.
We're all ears right now.
Like people are eager to listento public-private partnership
opportunities.
And I think, uh, I think that'sit for today, sadly.
'cause I thank you.
(52:20):
I, I hope, I hope you all enjoyit.
Sounds like you did.
And as much as I enjoy talkingto you or speaking with you, oh,
I need to work on my grammar.
Um, the, um.
Thank you.
Thank you is a joy.
And um, we're stick around for alittle bit and thank you.
Have a wonderful day.
It was great.
(52:40):
Thank you guys.
This is an awesome room to be inamongst family.
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