City Manager communications

Two new city press jobs and a $750,000 publicity consultant budget.

What it is

Santa Monica's City Manager runs the day-to-day city government for the City Council. Inside the City Manager's Office is a small team that talks to the public for the city: press releases, the city's social media accounts, CityTV, the city website's news, answers to reporters, and messages during emergencies like the Palisades Fire. The city budget calls this the Public Information team. Its new boss, the Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer, reports to the City Manager.

This node on our diagram is two new lines the Council added to that office in June 2026, for the budget year that started July 1, 2026. The first is $387,238 for "staffing enhancements in the City Manager's Office to support internal and external communication efforts". The city's personnel list shows what that buys: two new full-time jobs, a Press Secretary and a Multimedia Services Manager, both at-will, which means they serve at the City Manager's pleasure and are not civil-service protected. The second line is $750,000 for "communications consulting services to support the Realignment Plan", which is money to hire outside firms.

On a normal Tuesday a press secretary answers reporters and speaks for the City Manager, and a multimedia manager runs video and digital content. The consultants are not named anywhere we could find. The city has not said which firm, for what work, or for how long.

Both lines are paid from the General Fund, the city's main account, with no legal restriction on what the money is for. The Realignment Plan is City Manager Oliver Chi's two-and-a-half-year plan, adopted by the Council in October 2025, to cut crime, clean up public spaces and close a budget deficit. The city says the plan is working, and these lines pay to tell residents about it.

How it started

The City Manager's Office has had its own communications staff for years. The FY2025-27 budget, adopted June 24, 2025, lists seven communications, marketing, public information and video jobs in the office's Administration division for FY2025-26, up from six in FY2022-23. That budget describes the Public Information team as handling "all digital and print communication channels", media relations, meeting coverage and city videos. Its non-salary budget was about $524,000 a year, including only $53,400 for outside professional services such as graphic design and photography (our sum of the line item). In the 2020 COVID budget crisis the Council voted 6-1 on May 5, 2020 to cut hundreds of city jobs (secondhand, SMDP); KCRW reported city messaging would be cut back (secondhand). We did not find how many communications jobs were cut that year. On Oct 28, 2025 the Council adopted the Realignment Plan, funded with $60M of reserves, against a projected $29.6M General Fund deficit for FY2026-27. In December 2025 the city recruited a new Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer, paid up to $258,756 (job posting), to run communications and legislative affairs. On May 26, 2026 staff proposed the two new jobs and the $750,000 consultant line as part of the FY2026-27 budget changes. The Council adopted that budget 7-0 on June 23, 2026 (secondhand, Santa Monica Next). The FY2026-27 adopted budget lists ten communications-related jobs in the office.

What we take and when

Starting with the FY2027-29 budget the Council adopts in June 2027, the two communications jobs added in June 2026, the Press Secretary and the Multimedia Services Manager, come out of the budget, and their $387,238 a year goes to bed operating contracts under demand D5. If the City Manager proposes the $750,000 consultant line again for FY2027-28 or later, we ask the Council to drop it and put that money to beds too. If the line does not recur, we count $0 from it. The seven communications jobs that existed before June 2026 and the new Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer stay.

The numbers today

Staffing enhancements in the City Manager's Office to support internal and external communication efforts$387,238FY2026-27 adopted change fact
Communications consulting services to support the Realignment Plan$750,000FY2026-27 adopted change fact
Positions added to the City Manager's Office2.0 FTE: Press Secretary (at-will) and Multimedia Services Manager (at-will), each subject to Personnel Board approvalFY2026-27 fact
Average yearly cost per new position, salary and benefitsabout $193,600 ($387,238 divided by 2)FY2026-27 inference
Communications, marketing, public information and video jobs in the City Manager's Office7 before the change; 10 after (adds Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer, Press Secretary, Multimedia Services Manager)FY2025-26 adopted; FY2026-27 adopted inference
Public Information team non-salary budget (cost center 01200010)$524,686 (FY2025-26); $523,995 (FY2026-27 plan)FY2025-26, FY2026-27 plan inference
Public Information team outside professional services before the consultant line$53,400 (FY2025-26); $52,642 (FY2026-27 plan)FY2025-26, FY2026-27 plan fact
City Manager's Office General Fund budget$12,980,293 (FY2025-26 adopted); $16,523,666 (FY2026-27 adopted, after a reorganization that moved units in and out)FY2025-26, FY2026-27 fact
Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer payup to $258,756 a yearrecruitment Dec 2025 to Jan 2026 secondhand
Amount the petition takes$387,238 a year, plus $0 to $750,000 if the consultant line recursfrom FY2027-28 inference
Beds that sum runsstaffing line: about 6 motel or tiny-home beds at $65,000, or 11 shelter beds at $35,000; consultant line: about 11 or 21 moreper year inference

What we give up

Two city jobs held by real people end, or are never filled if they are still vacant. The City Manager loses a dedicated press secretary to answer reporters and a manager to run video and digital content, and that work falls back on the existing team of about eight, led by the new chief. If the consultant line would have recurred, the city also loses up to $750,000 a year of outside help to explain the Realignment Plan, which is about 14 times what the team spends on outside professional services today (inference). Residents may see fewer videos, slower press answers and less polished campaigns. We do not expect emergency alerts to stop, because those staff and the Office of Emergency Management stay.

Why this works

A person sleeping outside tonight is helped by a bed that opens this year, and these lines pay for about 6 to 32 beds a year, depending on bed type and whether the consultant line recurs (inference). Places that added beds saw outdoor counts fall. Culver City paired its 2023 camping ban with a 73-unit Homekey site and a safe-sleep village, its unsheltered count fell from 51 in 2025 to 38 in 2026, and 164 people were sheltered by city programs on count night (secondhand, Wave). Houston saw unsheltered homelessness rise 15.8% in 2025 when shelter capacity fell (CFTH). San Diego's auditor found the downtown drop went largely into city safe-sleeping sites (audit). RAND found that removing tents without a place to go turned about three of every four into vehicles or rough sleeping (RAND). In Santa Monica's 2026 count, sheltered people rose by 20 while people outdoors fell by 86 (city). Telling residents about progress does not move anyone indoors; a bed does. These are new, discretionary General Fund lines with no legal restriction, so the Council can move them by vote (Attachment A p.6).

The strongest case against

This is the smallest money on our list and the most symbolic. $387,238 is about 7 percent of the low end of the city share, so cutting it looks like a political jab at the City Manager rather than a funding plan. The city just pulled itself back from a projected $29.6M deficit, and staff say the FY2026-27 changes were offset elsewhere in the budget for a net General Fund cost of about $9,000. A city with 718 homeless people, a World Cup, a Super Bowl and the 2028 Olympics coming needs people who can answer reporters fast and put out accurate information. In 2020 the city cut back its messaging to save money, and opponents would say it should not repeat that (KCRW, secondhand). The Santa Monica Lookout faulted the Realignment Plan for passing with little public input; cutting the people who explain it to residents makes that worse. The press secretary and multimedia manager are at-will jobs that may already be filled, so this is two layoffs. And the petition itself asks for a monthly public report of beds and outcomes (D3), which someone has to produce and publish.

Our answer

We agree this line is small, and we say so: it is about $0.39M of a $5.56M to $7.66M city share, and the consultant line counts as $0 unless it recurs (inference). We still ask for it because every dollar of the share has to come from a named line, and a new publicity budget is easier to give up than a park ranger or a library hour. The office had seven communications jobs before June 2026 and adds a new chief at up to $258,756; that team handled the Palisades Fire, the 2026 count release and the budget. The $9,000 net figure covers all FY2026-27 changes together; it does not mean the $387,238 is free, and taking it back frees real money (May 26 report p.22, inference). The D3 report is data that the Housing and Human Services and Police departments already collect; it needs an analyst, not a press secretary. If the positions are filled, the people in them could move to open city jobs, but we have not confirmed openings (not established).

Who decides

Who votes: Santa Monica City Council, seven members, including whoever wins the three seats on the Nov 3, 2026 ballot. The City Manager proposes the budget and can move money between categories within his own department, but the Council sets department totals and approves any change in budgeted positions.
Votes needed: "Adoption of the budget requires a majority Council vote (4 of 7 Council members)." "To change the budget after it is adopted requires a supermajority Council vote (5 of 7 Council members)" (FY2025-27 Adopted Budget p.295, also p.293 and glossary p.337; City Charter section 1505). The March 24, 2026 Realignment update's mid-year budget changes were marked "requires 5 votes".
When: FY2027-29 biennial budget: study sessions about May 2027, adoption about June 2027 (inference from the June 24, 2025 and June 23, 2026 adoptions), 4 of 7. Cutting the positions mid-year in Feb to Mar 2027 would need 5 of 7.
Where the rule is written: santamonica.gov

The agenda or process

Questions people ask

Isn't $387,238 too small to matter?

It is small: about 6 beds in motel rooms or tiny homes, or 11 shelter beds, every year. Six people indoors is not nothing, and the city share has to be built from named lines, small ones included.

Why cut press staff instead of something else?

These are new, discretionary jobs added in June 2026, on top of seven existing communications jobs and a new chief. We would rather the city explain itself with the team it already had than cut a service people use.

Won't the city be worse at telling people about shelter and services?

The existing team stays, including the people who covered the Palisades Fire and the 2026 count. The petition also asks for a monthly public bed report (D3), which is data the city already collects.

What are the $750,000 consultants for?

The city's budget says only "communications consulting services to support the Realignment Plan". We could not find a named firm, a contract or a scope. That is part of why we ask the Council not to repeat it.

Will two people lose their jobs?

If the jobs are filled, yes, unless the city moves them to other openings. We do not know whether they have been filled.

Sources

May 26, 2026 budget staff report, Attachment A (Budget Changes)Both amounts and exact wording, p.6; neither line labeled one-time or ongoing
May 26, 2026 budget staff report, Attachment C (Personnel Changes)Press Secretary and Multimedia Services Manager added, 1.0 FTE each, at-will, subject to Personnel Board approval
May 26, 2026 budget staff reportPosition titles and purpose (pp.22-23), contract services for the Realignment Plan, the $9,000 net figure, the list of one-time reserve uses (p.17), Realignment history
March 24, 2026 Realignment Plan update staff reportRealignment adopted Oct 28, 2025 with $60M of reserves; mid-year budget changes require 5 votes; no mention of communications consultants
FY2025-27 Adopted Biennial BudgetCMO budget and staffing (pp.167-168, 224-225), Public Information team duties, workplan, vote rules (pp.293, 295, 337)
FY2025-27 Operating Budget Line Item DetailPublic Information cost center 01200010 accounts, including $52,642 professional services (pp.178-180)
FY2026-27 Operating Budget AddendumCMO $16,523,666 adopted (p.11); FY2026-27 CMO position list with the new jobs (pp.18-19)
City of Santa Monica job posting, Chief Communications and Public Affairs OfficerPay up to $258,756, duties, Dec 2025 recruitment (secondhand, from a search summary)
Santa Monica Next, June 24, 2026Budget passed 7-0 (secondhand)
Santa Monica Daily Press, June 3, 2026Seven new positions citywide including communications, net $9,000 (secondhand)
Santa Monica Lookout, Oct 30, 2025Realignment Plan passed unanimously with little public input; $29M deficit, $60M reserves (secondhand)
Santa Monica Daily Press, May 2020 layoffs2020 layoff vote 6-1 (secondhand)
Santa Monica 2026 homeless count press release718 total, sheltered up 20, outdoors down 86
Wave Publication on Culver CityCulver City unsheltered count fell from 51 (2025) to 38 (2026); 164 people sheltered by city programs on count night 2026
Coalition for the Homeless, Houston 2025 countHouston unsheltered rose 15.8% when shelter capacity fell
San Diego City Auditor, April 2026Downtown drop moved largely into safe sleeping sites
RAND RRA4903-1Tents removed without places became rough sleeping
Petition city funding ledgerTake size, bed costs and the full list of lines considered

Words on this page

at-will: A job the employer can end at any time without civil-service cause. Most of the City Manager's Office staff are at-will.
Attachment A: The table of proposed FY2026-27 budget changes attached to the May 26, 2026 staff report. Both comms lines are on its page 6.
biennial budget: A two-year budget. Santa Monica adopts the first year and approves a plan for the second year, which it revises a year later.
budget plan: The second-year numbers in Santa Monica's two-year budget, approved in June of the first year and revised a year later.
City Manager's Office (CMO): The office of the city's top appointed official, who runs city departments for the City Council. Its communications team speaks for the city.
CityTV: Santa Monica's government TV channel and video unit. It broadcasts council meetings and makes city videos.
congregate shelter: A shelter where many people sleep in one shared room.
consulting services: Money to hire outside firms instead of city employees. This line pays outside communications firms.
fiscal year (FY): The city's budget year, July 1 to June 30. FY2027-28 runs July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2028.
five affirmative votes: Santa Monica's rule for changing the budget after adoption: five of the seven councilmembers must vote yes.
FTE: Full-time equivalent. One FTE is one full-time job; two half-time jobs also make one FTE.
General Fund: The city's main checking account. Most local taxes go in, and police, parks, libraries and most staff are paid out of it. Money in it can be moved by a Council vote.
interim housing: A temporary place to sleep indoors with services, such as a shelter bed, a motel room or a tiny home, while someone waits for an apartment.
Multimedia Services Manager: A manager who runs video, photo and digital content. Santa Monica created this job title in 2026.
non-congregate: Interim housing where each person or couple has their own room or unit, such as a motel room or tiny home.
one-time vs ongoing: One-time money is spent in a single year. Ongoing money repeats every year. The city did not label the consultant line either way.
Personnel Board: The city board that approves new job classifications and civil-service rules. Both new jobs were listed as subject to its approval.
PIT count: Point-in-Time count. A one-night count of people experiencing homelessness. Santa Monica's 2026 count found 718 people, 496 of them unsheltered.
Press Secretary: A staff member who answers reporters and speaks publicly for the city or the City Manager.
Public Information team: The city's communications staff inside the City Manager's Office: press releases, social media, CityTV, media relations and meeting coverage.
RAND: A nonprofit research organization in Santa Monica that runs its own homeless counts and studies.
Realignment Plan: City Manager Oliver Chi's plan, adopted Oct 28, 2025 and updated March 24, 2026, to cut crime, clean up public spaces and balance the budget, using $60M of reserves.
reserves: Savings the city sets aside from past years. Spending them helps once, but they run out.
structurally balanced: A budget where money that comes in every year covers money that goes out every year, without dipping into savings.
unsheltered: Sleeping outdoors, in a vehicle or in a tent, instead of in a shelter.