April 22, 2025 • 24 mins
In this powerful episode, Evan Meyer sits down with Santa Monica Mayor Lana Negrete and Los Angeles Councilmember Traci Park to explore how two neighboring cities are breaking down silos to address homelessness, emergency response, and community safety. From invisible borders on the beach to upcoming global events like the Olympics, this conversation unpacks what effective local collaboration really looks like.
đź“Ť Topics Include:
Joint operations on homelessness
Regional planning for tourism & transportation
Communication breakdowns across agencies
Why political differences shouldn’t stop progress
Building tools for cross-jurisdictional problem-solving
đź’ˇ This episode is a must-watch for anyone interested in local government, regional planning, and public innovation.
Time | Section Title | Summary
00:00 | Opening: Meet Lana & Traci | Intro to both guests and the purpose of their collaboration
01:00 | Shared Challenges: Homelessness at the Beach | Transit-driven inflows and cross-jurisdiction coordination
03:00 | Joint Policing & Outreach Efforts | Examples of Santa Monica & LA joint operations
04:00 | Future Goals: Olympics, World Cup, and Tourism | Preparing for global events through regional partnerships
05:00 | Origins of Collaboration | How Lana & Traci connected personally and professionally
06:30 | Breaking the “Invisible Line” on Beaches | Using outreach teams like West Coast Cares across borders
07:30 | Post-Fire Response & Mutual Aid | How disaster response accelerated regional unity
08:30 | Why Two Voices Are Louder Than One in Sacramento | The power of joint advocacy at the state level
10:00 | Big Ask: What Should Higher Governments Fix? | Calls for a shared dashboard, streamlined communication
13:30 | County-Level Homelessness Shakeup | LASA changes and the push for local control
15:30 | Vision for a Regional Dashboard Tool | Transparent, real-time issue tracking for agencies and public
18:00 | Navigating Political Differences | Governing across ideological lines and building
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 fasc
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Evan Meyer (00:00):
Hi everyone.
(00:01):
Today I am joined by Mayor LanaNegreti of Santa Monica, and
council member Traci Park of LosAngeles.
dive into howcross-jurisdictional
partnerships can tackle our mostpressing local challenges,
particularly homelessness.
So we're gonna jump right intoit.
How are Santa Monica and LosAngeles currently coordinating
on homelessness strategies?
And where do you see the biggestopportunities for deeper
(00:23):
alignment?
Why don't we start with councilMember Park?
Councilmember Traci Park (00:27):
Well, thank you for that and thank you
for the question and for havingus here today.
It has been just a, a greatpleasure to get to know and work
with my colleagues in the cityof Santa Monica, you know, on
the west side of Los Angeles.
Our.
Neighborhoods and communitiesshare a lifestyle, a coastline,
(00:53):
an economy.
A common set of challenges andvalues, and so working together
to address issues in ourneighboring communities has been
something that I have beenkeenly focused on since I took
office.
That is not historically howthings have always been been
(01:14):
done between the city of LosAngeles and City of Santa
Monica.
We've done some incredible jointoperations together over the
last couple of years, andfrankly, I think all of our
communities have been benefitedfrom that collaboration.
Evan Meyer (01:29):
Has there been any examples that you would consider
successful in the past?
Councilmember Traci Park (01:33):
So there's a Sure.
A few specific things.
You know, one of the sharedissues and challenges that we
deal with, of course, ishomelessness and you know, the
west side is, I.
The literal end of the lineSanta Monica Russells with the
challenge of, you know, aninflow through metro.
(01:55):
Certainly in city of LosAngeles, we th see that as well
through our transportationsystems as well as LAX.
And our other end of the, theline public transit routes.
You know, for a long, long timewe've had challenges with non
destination riders andoftentimes, you know, those are
folks that would.
You know, get off trains and,and, and end up being absorbed
(02:18):
into Santa Monica or wanderinginto Venice.
And a lot of times these arefolks who end up sleeping on the
beach in our parks and ourbusiness alcoves.
And so over the last couple ofyears, I've worked very closely
with City of Santa Monica andMetro.
To address our strategies aroundtransit our police departments
(02:40):
have collaborated on crossjurisdictional issues with
respect to our homelessinterventions and other law
enforcement operations and someof our border areas where we
have seen repeated challenges.
We have teamed up with ourintervention and outreach
resources so that when we'reworking together, we overall
(03:04):
have better outcomes.
Evan Meyer (03:08):
Awesome.
And, and where do you see someof that going in the future?
What what would you like to seein terms of the partnerships
with Santa Monica or what can bedone in that regard?
Do you feel now in the future?
Councilmember Traci Park (03:19):
Well, I think that continued
partnership around homelessnessis really important.
This isn't a city of SantaMonica issue or a City of Los
Angeles issue, or a Culver Cityissue.
This is an all of Los Angelesand beyond issue.
And so as we look at ourresources.
That continued collaboration andcooperation ultimately is how
(03:43):
we're going to continue to seereductions in homelessness on
the streets, but thinking evenbeyond that, some of the big
things that are on the horizonfor us, the Olympics are coming
to Los Angeles in 2028.
We have the World Cup.
That's next year already.
And so, you know, with ourtourism economy, that is
(04:04):
something that Santa Monica andcertainly Venice and
Westchester, through LAX beingthe entry point for tens of
millions of visitors to ourregion is a shared interest,
ensuring that we remain marqueedestinations for visitors from
around the world investing inthe tourism infrastructure.
(04:28):
That's necessary to supportthat.
And the big events that we'llcertainly feel the impacts from
in our communities really makingsure that our transportation
assets are available and, andfunctioning, and that we are
planning together as a regionhow we are all going to
economically benefit from thosebig events.
Mayor Lana Negrete (04:52):
Well, coming on council you know, I met Tracy
early on.
Actually.
I was appointed, so I wasgearing up for my 22 election
and we were introduced by a dearfriend Greg Morena and.
That began the discussion ofpartnerships.
Our beaches connect, our citiesconnect, and I in fact grew up
on Fourth and Ashland, which islike one block away from Venice.
(05:14):
So, I've always felt very closeto Venice and I felt it was
important that we know eachother and we work together
because we are sharing a lot ofthe same problems, yet we don't
share the same police departmentor fire department.
So it was crucial for us to worktogether and find ways to make
sure that.
Specifically when it came to ourbeaches and homelessness, there
(05:34):
was a, a real issue that was atthe forefront at that time.
We had this invisible line inthe sand, and if our police
officers were addressingencampment issues, they would
just move over to Tracy's sideand if there, if LAPD was
addressing it, they would justmove over to Santa Monica.
So.
Cross coordination, making surepeople are communicating.
(05:55):
That was something we bothagreed was key and I, didn't
closely follow before, if I'm,being honest, but I don't
remember anyone really workinglike that together.
And I think being able to befriends with someone where you
can just pick up the phone andcall them directly and work on
issues doesn't only expeditethem, but we have the ability to
share ideas.
So Tracy might be working withan organization or doing
(06:16):
something and be able to give meinsight as to what's working for
her or what's not, and I can dothe same.
And so I think that's been thebiggest advantage.
We've addressed a lot of thoseencampment, invisible line
issues on the sand.
We both utilize West CoastCares, Ron Hooks.
And his ability to, to go acrossfrom Santa Monica into Tracy's
area on the beach that'sbeneficial to all of us.
(06:38):
These folks don't knowboundaries in cities when we're
dealing with our unhousedpopulation.
So being able to communicate onon that front has been really
great.
And going forward, we, you know,since the fires we've been able
to address huge issues as itrelates to PCH mitigating
traffic concerns.
We have her residents now in ourcity, we wanna make sure that
(06:58):
we're serving them the best wecan, that we're hosting.
Resource centers.
We did that all through thefires.
We continue to make sure that weare a good partner city to help
those folks that have beenimpacted by the fires and going
forward as we rebuild ourbusiness community and our
economy, as we look to betterways to really stretch our
dollar and address homelessnessin a real way that.
(07:21):
Something people can see that'stangible on the streets.
I think it's gonna takecollaboration.
It's gonna take elected leadersgetting together and teaming up.
When we, when we went toSacramento, we were a force, the
two of us together.
If I were to go singularly orTracy, were, you know, that's
important.
But the two of us together, itmakes a statement.
It says, we're working together.
(07:41):
We need you to work with us.
So I think the more that localelected officials can, who are
really in touch with theconstituents who are boots on
the ground can take those issuesand bubble them to the top, to
our state and federal leaders,that's how we're gonna get
things done quickly.
That's how we're gonna applymore common sense approaches to
things because we'll be able totake exactly what the
(08:02):
constituents dealing withstraight to those state and
federal leaders.
So that's what I'm lookingforward to doing more of with
Tracy's being a good troublestarter and.
Troublemaker.
In a good way.
Problem solver.
Councilmember Traci Park (08:14):
be your force multiplier, Lana, and
you know, it's just really beenan absolute pleasure getting to
know and work with someone.
Who genuinely cares about hercommunity and the region and
what we can all do as publicservants to improve the lives of
the people who live and work andvisit our region.
(08:34):
And you know, I just gotta say,you know, you are always such a
good sport.
I, I can call you at any timeand say, Hey, let's go on a
mission.
I gotta take you on an adventurewith me, and you're always down
to let me come pick you up andtake you on some.
Wild adventure to see with ourown eyes what a problem in any
part of, you know, our littleneck of the woods looks like.
(08:56):
And really truly, I think thetwo of us together marina Gritty
put it exactly right, we're,we're a force.
Mayor Lana Negrete (09:05):
Yes.
And I've enjoyed that.
That's been that's been reallygreat.
I mean, she actually has helpedfacilitate, like we had a lot of
issues with Caltran signage and,you know, I utilized all our
efforts, including our countysupervisor, but it helps when
multiple people are asking forthe same thing.
Things tend to get done quicker.
So, it's been, it's been a joyto have that relationship.
(09:25):
I don't feel like I'm on anisland.
I feel like Tracy's got thebullhorn right behind me to
emphasize whatever I'm askingfor for Santa Monica.
Evan Meyer (09:35):
You mentioned the resources from county state
governments and working,collaborating with them.
If there was one thing that youcould change a request from
either county, state, or federalgovernment make collaboration
easier what would it be?
Councilmember Traci Park (09:50):
Where do we start?
Mayor Lana Negrete (09:52):
That's a loaded question.
Evan Meyer (09:53):
I know.
Mayor Lana Negrete (09:54):
You wanna start?
Councilmember Traci Park (09:56):
You know, I'll just jump in with an
initial thought on this.
You know, I, I, I think over thelast 92 days especially, we have
been challenged greatly bymultitude of government agencies
and partners on the groundtrying to address regional
(10:18):
impacts that stretch fromMalibu.
All the way down to the Venicearea, frankly.
And at times there can bechallenges in making sure that
information is flowing to allnecessary parties, that all the
correct stakeholders are at thetable in the decision making
(10:40):
process about things.
And, you know, we may be dealingwith, for example.
of lane closures on PCH.
That's not just an LA issue, itis a Santa Monica issue.
It's a Topanga issue.
It's a Malibu issue.
It's an everybody that needs toget to or commute through the
(11:00):
area issue.
And so, I think one of thethings that we just.
Probably need to do a better jobon, and this is, you know,
because it's what's been ondisplay as part of the disaster
recovery that the mayor and Iare both so heavily involved in
our better communication anddecision making platforms.
The reality is no one entity oragency can solve any of this
(11:24):
alone.
Whether it is disaster recovery,whether it is transportation,
regional transportation,investments.
Whether it is environmentalconcerns because we share a
Santa Monica be together I, I, Ijust think that that that
strategic coordination betweenvarious agencies needs to be
(11:45):
better.
And I know that that issomething that, you know, the
mayor and I have worked reallyclosely together to make sure
that, you know, we're in theright places, that we're invited
to the right meetings, and thatour constituents who we are the
voice for are being heard.
Well, you know, since we'retalking about it, you know, I
think on the issue ofhomelessness too, we are all
(12:05):
part of the county of LosAngeles and I think there are
some challenges ahead for all ofus.
You know, the county has now.
Retained control of all of theMeasure A Homeless Services
funding.
They are substantiallywithdrawing their funding out of
lasa, which has served theentire county, and the county is
(12:28):
pulling human capital.
I.
Out of lasa.
And I think that leaves manyother jurisdictions, including
the city of Los Angeles, and Iwon't speak for the mayor of
Santa Monica, but all of thecities in Los Angeles County in
a position of having to thinkabout what does our new
infrastructure.
(12:48):
For addressing homelessness inthe region.
Look like I, I mean, this is ashakeup in our status quo that
is happening in real time.
It's frankly something I'mexcited about.
I, I think we have been overdueto rightsize these programs and
return local control over howthe funding is being spent and,
(13:09):
and the transparency associatedwith that.
Back to the people who areclosest to the issues on the
ground, and that is people likethe mayor and people like me who
literally deal in the weeds ofthis stuff every single day.
Mayor Lana Negrete (13:22):
So county, state, support.
I think we need a dashboard.
I think communication with thelocal leaders.
I saw during the fires thatthere was opportunities.
To better coordinate across.
So, you know, I would ask my,contact for an assembly member,
senator could do a town hall forexample, and address a few few
(13:43):
key issues.
And I would get a multitude ofresponses over the course of
three days, which was great.
Fema, EPA, everybody's trying todig in and help and they have
reps that are servicing certainareas.
And with all that back and forthand time that was spent to
coordinate those responses forsimply putting together a q and
a town hall.
(14:04):
And I just wanna point out thatit was great.
Hands, hands on.
Everyone wanted to respond towhat we were trying to do.
I.
Just that piece of it andcoordinating it kind of gives
you a sneak peek into all of it,right?
Like the information could havebeen better disseminated across
political leaders if there was aone stop shop and everybody had
a PAL Palisades fire dashboard,but everybody had to click on
(14:27):
different links to get to allthe different agencies that were
working on it.
So, and that happens all thetime.
We don't really have one place,but I think government likes to
say, but we Do have it on ourwebsite.
You can click on this link andit'll take you here, and then
you can dig around forinformation.
It'll take you there as electedofficials.
You know, uh, be a little bitcloser to the resource or get an
(14:49):
answer quickly than maybe youraverage constituent, but we're
just constituents too in these,in these positions that are just
trying to get information.
Digest it and spit it back outto the community in ways that's
meaningful and that theyunderstand it.
So to me, if we could figure outa way to have a toolbox where
all officials that'stransparently can see what
(15:12):
issues are going on by region,and you can see who's contacted
what.
For example, if there's a billthat's, worked on and that's
actually happening, somethingthat I'm working on post fires
about rescuing animals.
Other elected leaders can benotified of that by looking at a
dashboard that says, you know,what's been going on with water
(15:33):
testing quality, what's beengoing on with roadway work?
By the way, here's bills thathave been produced from this
catastrophe and how you cansupport and get involved.
And so one, one place whereeveryone can get informed, where
everyone can communicate and beinformed.
And I think in turn.
That could also be somethingthat the community better
informed as well.
They could see that in realtime, all that information being
(15:55):
shared.
So if there was one thing, Iwould say that communication is
key.
There's a lot of redundancy.
Also a lot of lag time andgetting things settled.
I mean, Tracy and I went outover the weekend to point out.
We're having around incorrectsignage on the 10 freeway, the
closure of the number one lanethat's creating a bottleneck and
traffic, and we're now onWednesday and nobody has called
(16:19):
me back about that.
I have ran that up the flag polethree different ways.
And I'm sure those people areworking on it and they've got
other things to work on, butit's frustrating because I have
to answer.
I'm really close to theconstituents.
I have to answer to theconstituents, and I don't have a
better way to communicate andshow on a dashboard if someone's
(16:39):
working on it.
I have no idea if everyone'sjust forgotten about it and I
need to bother them 10 moretimes.
Or if their staff is actuallyactively communicating with the
folks That be, and what'llhappen is all of a sudden
tomorrow morning, I'll find out,oh, we went ahead and changed
the signage, but maybe theydidn't take into account
anything I suggested aboutnotifying parents dropping off
their kids in P.
(17:00):
So I.
It's communication, it'sconcise, clear communication,
and it's a platform where it'sall in one place.
That would be really crucial inhelping us understand where the
gaps are, where things aren'tgetting done, and help us
communicate to the communitywhere we're at.
'cause I'm sure Tracy can speakto this or, or did you know that
(17:21):
people are banging down ourdoors about a multitude of
issues?
Some are not the most crucial atthe moment.
But they're crucial to them.
And it's our job to get thoseanswers and fix those things.
And when we don't have peoplegetting back to us and we don't
understand ourselves who'sworking on it or, or who to go
to to fix it, well then it makesus inefficient.
(17:42):
And I don't wanna do that.
I didn't run this time away frommy family and my own business.
to not Get anything done.
I'm, doing this to get thingsdone for my community and
hopefully be able to look backand say, wow, I made a
difference.
Evan Meyer (17:57):
How do you navigate political differences between
jurisdictions maintaining ashared agenda?
Mayor Lana Negrete (18:06):
I'll just say that I reach across the
table.
I'm not afraid to talk tosomebody.
I mean, look, we're supposed tobe in local government.
you know, nonpartisan.
This is not Republican ordemocratic.
We all know though, that that'soften not the case.
You know, you can be callednames, if you will, if you don't
say the right thing orcoordinate with the right
(18:27):
groups.
But I think what's key, and Ithink hopefully we're moving to
that, is that I could easily goand speak to an echo chamber
about an issue where everybodyagrees, but that's not gonna
make impact or change.
I'm just gonna get confirmationbias.
I'd rather speak to a group ofpeople or reach across the aisle
to those that maybe disagreewith me and find a solution
(18:48):
somewhere in the middle thatserves both of us and the
communities within those groupsas well.
Councilmember Traci Park (18:54):
she said.
I mean, know.
A bunch of council members andmayors and other elected
leaders.
You got a bunch of a typepersonalities who all come from
different walks of life andbackgrounds and experiences.
(19:14):
It is 100%.
Unreasonable to expect that manyelected officials and mayors are
are all gonna agree on anyparticular issue.
I mean, look, we all come fromdifferent backgrounds and walks
of lives.
We all have different reasonsfor why we round for office and
what we hope to accomplish whilewe're here.
(19:36):
I think at the end of the day,most of us all want the same
thing.
At the end, the disputes reallyare in the weeds about how do we
accomplish that particularthing, and if we all just
remember that we're in ittogether and that our success
(19:57):
overall is dependent upon eachother, it makes having those
difficult conversations a loteasier.
And, and I think the mayor isjust absolutely right about
that.
No reason not to reach acrossthe table to resolve hard
challenges.
I don't think any of us signedup because we thought it would
be easy.
Mayor Lana Negrete (20:20):
I agree.
Councilmember Traci Park (20:21):
I.
Evan Meyer (20:23):
Awesome.
last words, thoughts for thepeople?
Thoughts for our residents,thoughts for our communities?
Councilmember Traci Park (20:31):
Well, you know, what I would say is,
you know, as we head intoelection season next year, you
know, people should think verydeeply and carefully about the
choices they make in theballots.
Always really important to getto know candidates and what they
stand for.
(20:52):
I also think it's reallyimportant that we focus on
steady responsible leadership.
What we are dealing with in thewest side of Los Angeles, all
the way from Malibu to SantaMonica is gonna take a long-term
commitment to each other and toour shared goals.
(21:17):
And it's gonna take voterssticking together to see all of
that through.
And so, you know, I just wouldreally encourage folks to take
the time to make these decisionsand get them right.
Mayor Lana Negrete (21:28):
couldn't agree more.
And just to dovetail and addonto that, I think that
everybody's hyper involvedbehind their keyboard often it's
an easier place.
To be, it's easy to sit back andcritique and, and inquire from
afar, but I encourage everyoneto get involved in their local
politics.
(21:49):
It starts here.
Oftentimes, your senators andyour congressmen and women start
it out as your local councilmembers, school board members.
So I encourage everyone to joina board or commission to show up
to city council.
Understand who your city councilmembers are, how your city
council operates.
And where change can reallyhappen and be made.
(22:09):
And then that way, you know, theissues you bring up, you're
really being more part of thesolution as opposed to just, you
know, sort of sitting back andcomplaining about.
Things that you feel you have noability to help in creating
change.
Because I will tell you betweenneighborhood groups all the way
to, you know, organizedpolitical organizations, those
(22:30):
are the folks that are runningthe elections, those are.
the folks that are.
Communicating to everybody inthe community about who to vote
for.
So you wanna make sure thatyou're a part of that and you
understand who these people arethat you're electing into your
local government, and that it'snot just from reading a flyer or
because your friend said, so,it's because you've done your
due diligence and you've showedup to a coffee with the council
(22:53):
person.
You've watched a few councilmeetings from the luxury of your
couch, or even shown up Andspoke to one of your council
members and seen how.
How do they respond?
Do they engage with thecommunity?
Are they responsive to you?
These are things that areimportant and I think that's
something I try to do with thecommunity.
And yesterday I had somebody whooften.
Makes not so nice comments.
(23:14):
And he got to share 30 minuteswith me.
We had a little food and somecoffee and we hugged before he
left.
He just never got to know me.
So I think it's important to dothat and I think it's important
that everybody be a part of thechange.
You gotta be a part of it.
There is a role for everyone inthe community.
So look up your.
Boards and commissions andorganizations in your community
and see how you can get involvedand if you have it in you,
(23:37):
there's an election coming up inSanta Monica in 26, so I always
tell people, you know, when theytell me I would do it this way
or that way, I say, I lookforward to seeing your name on
the ballot in 26.
I will support you.
Evan Meyer (23:52):
Awesome.
Well this was great.
Thank you so much for being heretoday.
Very much admire and, andrespect your involvement in all
you do for your communities andlooking forward to the future.
Hi everyone.
(00:01):
Today I am joined by Mayor LanaNegreti of Santa Monica, and
council member Traci Park of LosAngeles.
dive into howcross-jurisdictional
partnerships can tackle our mostpressing local challenges,
particularly homelessness.
So we're gonna jump right intoit.
How are Santa Monica and LosAngeles currently coordinating
on homelessness strategies?
And where do you see the biggestopportunities for deeper
(00:23):
alignment?
Why don't we start with councilMember Park?
Councilmember Traci Park (00:27):
Well, thank you for that and thank you
for the question and for havingus here today.
It has been just a, a greatpleasure to get to know and work
with my colleagues in the cityof Santa Monica, you know, on
the west side of Los Angeles.
Our.
Neighborhoods and communitiesshare a lifestyle, a coastline,
(00:53):
an economy.
A common set of challenges andvalues, and so working together
to address issues in ourneighboring communities has been
something that I have beenkeenly focused on since I took
office.
That is not historically howthings have always been been
(01:14):
done between the city of LosAngeles and City of Santa
Monica.
We've done some incredible jointoperations together over the
last couple of years, andfrankly, I think all of our
communities have been benefitedfrom that collaboration.
Evan Meyer (01:29):
Has there been any examples that you would consider
successful in the past?
Councilmember Traci Park (01:33):
So there's a Sure.
A few specific things.
You know, one of the sharedissues and challenges that we
deal with, of course, ishomelessness and you know, the
west side is, I.
The literal end of the lineSanta Monica Russells with the
challenge of, you know, aninflow through metro.
(01:55):
Certainly in city of LosAngeles, we th see that as well
through our transportationsystems as well as LAX.
And our other end of the, theline public transit routes.
You know, for a long, long timewe've had challenges with non
destination riders andoftentimes, you know, those are
folks that would.
You know, get off trains and,and, and end up being absorbed
(02:18):
into Santa Monica or wanderinginto Venice.
And a lot of times these arefolks who end up sleeping on the
beach in our parks and ourbusiness alcoves.
And so over the last couple ofyears, I've worked very closely
with City of Santa Monica andMetro.
To address our strategies aroundtransit our police departments
(02:40):
have collaborated on crossjurisdictional issues with
respect to our homelessinterventions and other law
enforcement operations and someof our border areas where we
have seen repeated challenges.
We have teamed up with ourintervention and outreach
resources so that when we'reworking together, we overall
(03:04):
have better outcomes.
Evan Meyer (03:08):
Awesome.
And, and where do you see someof that going in the future?
What what would you like to seein terms of the partnerships
with Santa Monica or what can bedone in that regard?
Do you feel now in the future?
Councilmember Traci Park (03:19):
Well, I think that continued
partnership around homelessnessis really important.
This isn't a city of SantaMonica issue or a City of Los
Angeles issue, or a Culver Cityissue.
This is an all of Los Angelesand beyond issue.
And so as we look at ourresources.
That continued collaboration andcooperation ultimately is how
(03:43):
we're going to continue to seereductions in homelessness on
the streets, but thinking evenbeyond that, some of the big
things that are on the horizonfor us, the Olympics are coming
to Los Angeles in 2028.
We have the World Cup.
That's next year already.
And so, you know, with ourtourism economy, that is
(04:04):
something that Santa Monica andcertainly Venice and
Westchester, through LAX beingthe entry point for tens of
millions of visitors to ourregion is a shared interest,
ensuring that we remain marqueedestinations for visitors from
around the world investing inthe tourism infrastructure.
(04:28):
That's necessary to supportthat.
And the big events that we'llcertainly feel the impacts from
in our communities really makingsure that our transportation
assets are available and, andfunctioning, and that we are
planning together as a regionhow we are all going to
economically benefit from thosebig events.
Mayor Lana Negrete (04:52):
Well, coming on council you know, I met Tracy
early on.
Actually.
I was appointed, so I wasgearing up for my 22 election
and we were introduced by a dearfriend Greg Morena and.
That began the discussion ofpartnerships.
Our beaches connect, our citiesconnect, and I in fact grew up
on Fourth and Ashland, which islike one block away from Venice.
(05:14):
So, I've always felt very closeto Venice and I felt it was
important that we know eachother and we work together
because we are sharing a lot ofthe same problems, yet we don't
share the same police departmentor fire department.
So it was crucial for us to worktogether and find ways to make
sure that.
Specifically when it came to ourbeaches and homelessness, there
(05:34):
was a, a real issue that was atthe forefront at that time.
We had this invisible line inthe sand, and if our police
officers were addressingencampment issues, they would
just move over to Tracy's sideand if there, if LAPD was
addressing it, they would justmove over to Santa Monica.
So.
Cross coordination, making surepeople are communicating.
(05:55):
That was something we bothagreed was key and I, didn't
closely follow before, if I'm,being honest, but I don't
remember anyone really workinglike that together.
And I think being able to befriends with someone where you
can just pick up the phone andcall them directly and work on
issues doesn't only expeditethem, but we have the ability to
share ideas.
So Tracy might be working withan organization or doing
(06:16):
something and be able to give meinsight as to what's working for
her or what's not, and I can dothe same.
And so I think that's been thebiggest advantage.
We've addressed a lot of thoseencampment, invisible line
issues on the sand.
We both utilize West CoastCares, Ron Hooks.
And his ability to, to go acrossfrom Santa Monica into Tracy's
area on the beach that'sbeneficial to all of us.
(06:38):
These folks don't knowboundaries in cities when we're
dealing with our unhousedpopulation.
So being able to communicate onon that front has been really
great.
And going forward, we, you know,since the fires we've been able
to address huge issues as itrelates to PCH mitigating
traffic concerns.
We have her residents now in ourcity, we wanna make sure that
(06:58):
we're serving them the best wecan, that we're hosting.
Resource centers.
We did that all through thefires.
We continue to make sure that weare a good partner city to help
those folks that have beenimpacted by the fires and going
forward as we rebuild ourbusiness community and our
economy, as we look to betterways to really stretch our
dollar and address homelessnessin a real way that.
(07:21):
Something people can see that'stangible on the streets.
I think it's gonna takecollaboration.
It's gonna take elected leadersgetting together and teaming up.
When we, when we went toSacramento, we were a force, the
two of us together.
If I were to go singularly orTracy, were, you know, that's
important.
But the two of us together, itmakes a statement.
It says, we're working together.
(07:41):
We need you to work with us.
So I think the more that localelected officials can, who are
really in touch with theconstituents who are boots on
the ground can take those issuesand bubble them to the top, to
our state and federal leaders,that's how we're gonna get
things done quickly.
That's how we're gonna applymore common sense approaches to
things because we'll be able totake exactly what the
(08:02):
constituents dealing withstraight to those state and
federal leaders.
So that's what I'm lookingforward to doing more of with
Tracy's being a good troublestarter and.
Troublemaker.
In a good way.
Problem solver.
Councilmember Traci Park (08:14):
be your force multiplier, Lana, and
you know, it's just really beenan absolute pleasure getting to
know and work with someone.
Who genuinely cares about hercommunity and the region and
what we can all do as publicservants to improve the lives of
the people who live and work andvisit our region.
(08:34):
And you know, I just gotta say,you know, you are always such a
good sport.
I, I can call you at any timeand say, Hey, let's go on a
mission.
I gotta take you on an adventurewith me, and you're always down
to let me come pick you up andtake you on some.
Wild adventure to see with ourown eyes what a problem in any
part of, you know, our littleneck of the woods looks like.
(08:56):
And really truly, I think thetwo of us together marina Gritty
put it exactly right, we're,we're a force.
Mayor Lana Negrete (09:05):
Yes.
And I've enjoyed that.
That's been that's been reallygreat.
I mean, she actually has helpedfacilitate, like we had a lot of
issues with Caltran signage and,you know, I utilized all our
efforts, including our countysupervisor, but it helps when
multiple people are asking forthe same thing.
Things tend to get done quicker.
So, it's been, it's been a joyto have that relationship.
(09:25):
I don't feel like I'm on anisland.
I feel like Tracy's got thebullhorn right behind me to
emphasize whatever I'm askingfor for Santa Monica.
Evan Meyer (09:35):
You mentioned the resources from county state
governments and working,collaborating with them.
If there was one thing that youcould change a request from
either county, state, or federalgovernment make collaboration
easier what would it be?
Councilmember Traci Park (09:50):
Where do we start?
Mayor Lana Negrete (09:52):
That's a loaded question.
Evan Meyer (09:53):
I know.
Mayor Lana Negrete (09:54):
You wanna start?
Councilmember Traci Park (09:56):
You know, I'll just jump in with an
initial thought on this.
You know, I, I, I think over thelast 92 days especially, we have
been challenged greatly bymultitude of government agencies
and partners on the groundtrying to address regional
(10:18):
impacts that stretch fromMalibu.
All the way down to the Venicearea, frankly.
And at times there can bechallenges in making sure that
information is flowing to allnecessary parties, that all the
correct stakeholders are at thetable in the decision making
(10:40):
process about things.
And, you know, we may be dealingwith, for example.
of lane closures on PCH.
That's not just an LA issue, itis a Santa Monica issue.
It's a Topanga issue.
It's a Malibu issue.
It's an everybody that needs toget to or commute through the
(11:00):
area issue.
And so, I think one of thethings that we just.
Probably need to do a better jobon, and this is, you know,
because it's what's been ondisplay as part of the disaster
recovery that the mayor and Iare both so heavily involved in
our better communication anddecision making platforms.
The reality is no one entity oragency can solve any of this
(11:24):
alone.
Whether it is disaster recovery,whether it is transportation,
regional transportation,investments.
Whether it is environmentalconcerns because we share a
Santa Monica be together I, I, Ijust think that that that
strategic coordination betweenvarious agencies needs to be
(11:45):
better.
And I know that that issomething that, you know, the
mayor and I have worked reallyclosely together to make sure
that, you know, we're in theright places, that we're invited
to the right meetings, and thatour constituents who we are the
voice for are being heard.
Well, you know, since we'retalking about it, you know, I
think on the issue ofhomelessness too, we are all
(12:05):
part of the county of LosAngeles and I think there are
some challenges ahead for all ofus.
You know, the county has now.
Retained control of all of theMeasure A Homeless Services
funding.
They are substantiallywithdrawing their funding out of
lasa, which has served theentire county, and the county is
(12:28):
pulling human capital.
I.
Out of lasa.
And I think that leaves manyother jurisdictions, including
the city of Los Angeles, and Iwon't speak for the mayor of
Santa Monica, but all of thecities in Los Angeles County in
a position of having to thinkabout what does our new
infrastructure.
(12:48):
For addressing homelessness inthe region.
Look like I, I mean, this is ashakeup in our status quo that
is happening in real time.
It's frankly something I'mexcited about.
I, I think we have been overdueto rightsize these programs and
return local control over howthe funding is being spent and,
(13:09):
and the transparency associatedwith that.
Back to the people who areclosest to the issues on the
ground, and that is people likethe mayor and people like me who
literally deal in the weeds ofthis stuff every single day.
Mayor Lana Negrete (13:22):
So county, state, support.
I think we need a dashboard.
I think communication with thelocal leaders.
I saw during the fires thatthere was opportunities.
To better coordinate across.
So, you know, I would ask my,contact for an assembly member,
senator could do a town hall forexample, and address a few few
(13:43):
key issues.
And I would get a multitude ofresponses over the course of
three days, which was great.
Fema, EPA, everybody's trying todig in and help and they have
reps that are servicing certainareas.
And with all that back and forthand time that was spent to
coordinate those responses forsimply putting together a q and
a town hall.
(14:04):
And I just wanna point out thatit was great.
Hands, hands on.
Everyone wanted to respond towhat we were trying to do.
I.
Just that piece of it andcoordinating it kind of gives
you a sneak peek into all of it,right?
Like the information could havebeen better disseminated across
political leaders if there was aone stop shop and everybody had
a PAL Palisades fire dashboard,but everybody had to click on
(14:27):
different links to get to allthe different agencies that were
working on it.
So, and that happens all thetime.
We don't really have one place,but I think government likes to
say, but we Do have it on ourwebsite.
You can click on this link andit'll take you here, and then
you can dig around forinformation.
It'll take you there as electedofficials.
You know, uh, be a little bitcloser to the resource or get an
(14:49):
answer quickly than maybe youraverage constituent, but we're
just constituents too in these,in these positions that are just
trying to get information.
Digest it and spit it back outto the community in ways that's
meaningful and that theyunderstand it.
So to me, if we could figure outa way to have a toolbox where
all officials that'stransparently can see what
(15:12):
issues are going on by region,and you can see who's contacted
what.
For example, if there's a billthat's, worked on and that's
actually happening, somethingthat I'm working on post fires
about rescuing animals.
Other elected leaders can benotified of that by looking at a
dashboard that says, you know,what's been going on with water
(15:33):
testing quality, what's beengoing on with roadway work?
By the way, here's bills thathave been produced from this
catastrophe and how you cansupport and get involved.
And so one, one place whereeveryone can get informed, where
everyone can communicate and beinformed.
And I think in turn.
That could also be somethingthat the community better
informed as well.
They could see that in realtime, all that information being
(15:55):
shared.
So if there was one thing, Iwould say that communication is
key.
There's a lot of redundancy.
Also a lot of lag time andgetting things settled.
I mean, Tracy and I went outover the weekend to point out.
We're having around incorrectsignage on the 10 freeway, the
closure of the number one lanethat's creating a bottleneck and
traffic, and we're now onWednesday and nobody has called
(16:19):
me back about that.
I have ran that up the flag polethree different ways.
And I'm sure those people areworking on it and they've got
other things to work on, butit's frustrating because I have
to answer.
I'm really close to theconstituents.
I have to answer to theconstituents, and I don't have a
better way to communicate andshow on a dashboard if someone's
(16:39):
working on it.
I have no idea if everyone'sjust forgotten about it and I
need to bother them 10 moretimes.
Or if their staff is actuallyactively communicating with the
folks That be, and what'llhappen is all of a sudden
tomorrow morning, I'll find out,oh, we went ahead and changed
the signage, but maybe theydidn't take into account
anything I suggested aboutnotifying parents dropping off
their kids in P.
(17:00):
So I.
It's communication, it'sconcise, clear communication,
and it's a platform where it'sall in one place.
That would be really crucial inhelping us understand where the
gaps are, where things aren'tgetting done, and help us
communicate to the communitywhere we're at.
'cause I'm sure Tracy can speakto this or, or did you know that
(17:21):
people are banging down ourdoors about a multitude of
issues?
Some are not the most crucial atthe moment.
But they're crucial to them.
And it's our job to get thoseanswers and fix those things.
And when we don't have peoplegetting back to us and we don't
understand ourselves who'sworking on it or, or who to go
to to fix it, well then it makesus inefficient.
(17:42):
And I don't wanna do that.
I didn't run this time away frommy family and my own business.
to not Get anything done.
I'm, doing this to get thingsdone for my community and
hopefully be able to look backand say, wow, I made a
difference.
Evan Meyer (17:57):
How do you navigate political differences between
jurisdictions maintaining ashared agenda?
Mayor Lana Negrete (18:06):
I'll just say that I reach across the
table.
I'm not afraid to talk tosomebody.
I mean, look, we're supposed tobe in local government.
you know, nonpartisan.
This is not Republican ordemocratic.
We all know though, that that'soften not the case.
You know, you can be callednames, if you will, if you don't
say the right thing orcoordinate with the right
(18:27):
groups.
But I think what's key, and Ithink hopefully we're moving to
that, is that I could easily goand speak to an echo chamber
about an issue where everybodyagrees, but that's not gonna
make impact or change.
I'm just gonna get confirmationbias.
I'd rather speak to a group ofpeople or reach across the aisle
to those that maybe disagreewith me and find a solution
(18:48):
somewhere in the middle thatserves both of us and the
communities within those groupsas well.
Councilmember Traci Park (18:54):
she said.
I mean, know.
A bunch of council members andmayors and other elected
leaders.
You got a bunch of a typepersonalities who all come from
different walks of life andbackgrounds and experiences.
(19:14):
It is 100%.
Unreasonable to expect that manyelected officials and mayors are
are all gonna agree on anyparticular issue.
I mean, look, we all come fromdifferent backgrounds and walks
of lives.
We all have different reasonsfor why we round for office and
what we hope to accomplish whilewe're here.
(19:36):
I think at the end of the day,most of us all want the same
thing.
At the end, the disputes reallyare in the weeds about how do we
accomplish that particularthing, and if we all just
remember that we're in ittogether and that our success
(19:57):
overall is dependent upon eachother, it makes having those
difficult conversations a loteasier.
And, and I think the mayor isjust absolutely right about
that.
No reason not to reach acrossthe table to resolve hard
challenges.
I don't think any of us signedup because we thought it would
be easy.
Mayor Lana Negrete (20:20):
I agree.
Councilmember Traci Park (20:21):
I.
Evan Meyer (20:23):
Awesome.
last words, thoughts for thepeople?
Thoughts for our residents,thoughts for our communities?
Councilmember Traci Park (20:31):
Well, you know, what I would say is,
you know, as we head intoelection season next year, you
know, people should think verydeeply and carefully about the
choices they make in theballots.
Always really important to getto know candidates and what they
stand for.
(20:52):
I also think it's reallyimportant that we focus on
steady responsible leadership.
What we are dealing with in thewest side of Los Angeles, all
the way from Malibu to SantaMonica is gonna take a long-term
commitment to each other and toour shared goals.
(21:17):
And it's gonna take voterssticking together to see all of
that through.
And so, you know, I just wouldreally encourage folks to take
the time to make these decisionsand get them right.
Mayor Lana Negrete (21:28):
couldn't agree more.
And just to dovetail and addonto that, I think that
everybody's hyper involvedbehind their keyboard often it's
an easier place.
To be, it's easy to sit back andcritique and, and inquire from
afar, but I encourage everyoneto get involved in their local
politics.
(21:49):
It starts here.
Oftentimes, your senators andyour congressmen and women start
it out as your local councilmembers, school board members.
So I encourage everyone to joina board or commission to show up
to city council.
Understand who your city councilmembers are, how your city
council operates.
And where change can reallyhappen and be made.
(22:09):
And then that way, you know, theissues you bring up, you're
really being more part of thesolution as opposed to just, you
know, sort of sitting back andcomplaining about.
Things that you feel you have noability to help in creating
change.
Because I will tell you betweenneighborhood groups all the way
to, you know, organizedpolitical organizations, those
(22:30):
are the folks that are runningthe elections, those are.
the folks that are.
Communicating to everybody inthe community about who to vote
for.
So you wanna make sure thatyou're a part of that and you
understand who these people arethat you're electing into your
local government, and that it'snot just from reading a flyer or
because your friend said, so,it's because you've done your
due diligence and you've showedup to a coffee with the council
(22:53):
person.
You've watched a few councilmeetings from the luxury of your
couch, or even shown up Andspoke to one of your council
members and seen how.
How do they respond?
Do they engage with thecommunity?
Are they responsive to you?
These are things that areimportant and I think that's
something I try to do with thecommunity.
And yesterday I had somebody whooften.
Makes not so nice comments.
(23:14):
And he got to share 30 minuteswith me.
We had a little food and somecoffee and we hugged before he
left.
He just never got to know me.
So I think it's important to dothat and I think it's important
that everybody be a part of thechange.
You gotta be a part of it.
There is a role for everyone inthe community.
So look up your.
Boards and commissions andorganizations in your community
and see how you can get involvedand if you have it in you,
(23:37):
there's an election coming up inSanta Monica in 26, so I always
tell people, you know, when theytell me I would do it this way
or that way, I say, I lookforward to seeing your name on
the ballot in 26.
I will support you.
Evan Meyer (23:52):
Awesome.
Well this was great.
Thank you so much for being heretoday.
Very much admire and, andrespect your involvement in all
you do for your communities andlooking forward to the future.
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