Everything else on homelessness

Most homelessness spending, and nearly all the city budget, stays as is.

What it is

The petition names twelve budget lines to shrink: seven city lines and five county and state lines. Everything else stays as it is. On the diagram that is the grey bar called "Everything else on homelessness". It holds about $81.5M a year of homelessness spending that touches Santa Monica, the part that does not pay for a bed tonight.

Four kinds of spending sit in it (inference, mixed years). Police and fire time on homelessness calls is about $36.9M, almost all of it a share of salaried officers' and firefighters' time. Prevention, treatment and services are about $28.4M: eviction defense and rent help from the Measure GS property-sale tax, a rent subsidy for long-time low-income renters, the SaMo Bridge treatment program, STEP Court, human services grants and our estimate of health costs. Outreach and cleanup are about $8.7M: street outreach teams, the Fire Department's street medical unit, the Public Works cleanup crew, downtown ambassadors and library officers. Housing vouchers and rent help are about $7.5M, mostly federal. Two cautions on these sums. First, the bar overlaps three rows on the diagram: it still holds the FY2020-21 estimates for the cleanup crew ($4.16M) and downtown ambassadors ($1.26M) and the police time share, while the diagram also shows FY2026-27 versions of the ambassadors, the cleanup crew and police overtime as their own rows, so roughly $1.7M plus part of police overtime is counted twice (inference). Second, police and fire time uses FY2025-26 proposed budgets; at the same shares of the FY2026-27 adopted budgets ($152,920,089 police, $68,924,871 fire) it would be about $29.1M and $11.4M (inference).

Behind that bar sits the rest of the city. Santa Monica's adopted FY2026-27 General Fund, its main account, is $545.1M, of which $525.2M is the operating budget. All city funds together spend $908.8M once internal transfers are removed. Police is $152.9M, Fire $68.9M, Public Works $77.3M and Housing and Human Services $26.2M. The seven city lines we take from give up $6.27M to $8.90M a year, about 1.2% to 1.7% of the operating General Fund. About 98 cents of each General Fund dollar is untouched.

We leave this money where it is for four reasons. Some is locked by law: Measure GS money can pay only for prevention, rent help, affordable housing and their administration, and the bus, water and airport funds are bound by state and federal rules. Some is the doorway into a bed: outreach teams, the 24/7 shelter line and the Fire medical unit find people and bring them in. Some is not cash: the $34.6M of police and fire time is a share of salaries the city pays whether or not anyone calls about homelessness. Some is one-time: reserves and last year's surplus can open a site once but cannot pay for a bed every year.

How it started

The city first priced its whole homelessness response in a study by its outside auditor, Moss Adams, dated Nov 14, 2022. It found $42.5M of spending in FY2020-21: $12.9M on homelessness programs, most of it ($9M) from the General Fund, $4.2M of Public Works costs, and $25.4M of police and fire costs, 17.9% of public safety spending. That year 19% of police calls and 16.6% of fire calls involved homelessness. Two measures on the Nov 8, 2022 ballot grew this group. Measure CS raised the hotel tax, and the Council said about $4M a year of it would add Homeless Liaison police hours, take outreach teams beyond downtown and the beach, and allow 24/7 intake at SAMOSHEL. Measure GS taxed property sales over $8M and dedicated the money to homelessness prevention, affordable housing and schools. The city's 2025-2030 Homelessness Strategic Plan priced outreach teams at $1.2M a year, SAMOSHEL at $1.9M and SaMo Bridge at $2.6M, with up to $8M of Measure GS prevention money. On Oct 28, 2025 the Council adopted the Realignment Plan to restore public safety and return the budget to balance; the cleanup crew hauled 436 tons in 2025, up from 254 in 2024. The FY2026-27 budget adopted in June 2026 set police at $152.9M. On the county side, the Measure A sales tax took effect April 1, 2025, and the new county department HSH took over county homeless contracts on July 1, 2026 (secondhand). No full city homelessness total has been published since Moss Adams.

What we take and when

No line in this group is cut. The petition does ask some of these programs to work differently. D3 adds a public monthly report of beds, offers and placements. D6 asks police to staff the Homeless Liaison Program seven days a week on two shifts and to log a bed offer at every enforcement contact; its cost is not verified, and any new positions need a Council vote. D7 puts Project Homecoming on written rules, with about $100,000 a year for 200 trips added to services in our model (inference). Two of our seven city takes come from programs whose older, larger estimates also sit inside this bar: $0.29M to $0.58M from the Public Works cleanup crew and $1.0M to $1.5M of non-event police overtime. Both start in FY2028-29 and only after audited tonnage and overtime fall. The diagram draws those takes as their own bars, so the grey bar and those bars overlap by roughly $1.7M plus part of the police time (inference).

The numbers today

Homelessness spending touching Santa Monica that does not pay for a bed tonight ($94.2M minus $12.7M)$81,546,520 a year (low to moderate confidence)mixed, FY2020-21 to FY2026-27 inference
Police and fire time on homelessness calls, including the Homeless Liaison Program$36,883,261FY2025-26 budgets inference
Of that, a share of salaried time that is not movable cash (19% of police, 16.6% of fire)$34,582,023FY2025-26 budgets inference
Prevention, treatment and services, including an estimate of health costs$28,400,921mixed years inference
Outreach and cleanup$8,722,534mixed years inference
Housing vouchers and rent help$7,539,804FY2024 to FY2026-27 inference
General Fund, adopted: total; operating budget$545,070,499; $525,171,999FY2026-27 fact
All city funds, adopted, after removing internal transfers (gross $1,026,393,096)$908,836,502FY2026-27 fact
Department budgets: Police; Fire; Public Works; Housing and Human Services$152,920,089; $68,924,871; $77,250,250; $26,179,813FY2026-27 adopted fact
City positions: General Fund; all funds1,500.9; 2,287.6FY2026-27 adopted fact
What the seven city lines give up a year; share of the operating General Fund$6.27M to $8.90M; about 1.2% to 1.7%from FY2027-28 inference
Police overtime take as a share of the police budget (starts FY2028-29, only after audited overtime falls)$1.0M to $1.5M; about 0.7% to 1.0%FY2028-29 on inference
Human Services Grants Program, untouched$9,578,506FY2026-27 budget plan fact
Homeless outreach and related professional services, untouched$2,110,000FY2026-27 budget plan fact
24/7 access at an existing shelter site, untouched$600,000FY2026-27 budget plan fact
City outreach teams: contacts; placed in interim housing; placed in permanent housing6,666; 67; 6FY2024-25 fact
General Fund unassigned contingency reserve$63,238,145June 30, 2025 fact
Measure GS restricted fund balance (a February 2026 press figure of $49.3M conflicts)$33,040,525June 30, 2025 fact
Unobligated General Fund cashabout $94MMay 2026 fact
Restricted enterprise funds, adopted: Big Blue Bus; Water$128,731,676; $57,431,844FY2026-27 fact
Last full city accounting of homelessness spending (Moss Adams): total; programs; Public Works; police and fire$42.5M; $12.9M; $4.2M; $25.4MFY2020-21 fact
Police and fire time at the same shares of the FY2026-27 adopted budgetsabout $29.1M police; about $11.4M fireFY2026-27 inference

What we give up

By leaving these lines alone we give up the largest pool of homelessness money as a source for beds. The grey bar is more than six times what is spent on beds today. Outreach workers, officers and firefighters will keep meeting people with no bed to go to until the new places open between June 2027 and June 2028. We also leave the $63.2M contingency reserve and about $94M of unobligated cash for emergencies. That means beds are paid from ongoing lines, so they compete with the affordable-housing loans, ambassador shifts and communications staff we do cut. If the county pays nothing, about $2.5M to $5.4M a year of the city share has no clean source except reserves (inference, low to moderate).

Why this works

Beds reduce sleeping outside only when someone brings people to them. Outreach is that doorway. Santa Monica's teams made 6,666 contacts in FY2024-25 and placed 67 people in interim housing (CAPER). With more beds, the same teams have somewhere to send people; cutting them to pay for beds would buy rooms that fill slowly. Even with outreach in place, Los Angeles city-funded interim sites ran 82% full against a 95% target in 2025 (LA Housing Department). In San Diego, the share of police offers of shelter or services that people refused fell from 76% in FY2022 to 52% in FY2024, with preliminary FY2025 data at 42%, as safe-sleeping sites opened (city auditor). Police and fire time cannot be turned into cash without cutting officers or firefighters, and the calls continue until beds exist. Prevention money is restricted by its initiative to prevention, rent help and housing, so it could not pay for beds in any case. Leaving these lines alone lets the new beds fill and stay full.

The strongest case against

If 87 cents of every homelessness dollar does not buy a bed, leaving it alone is the problem. About $36.9M of police and fire time and $8.7M of outreach and cleanup manage the street without ending anyone's night outside, and the outreach teams placed 73 people from 6,666 contacts in a year. The petition still takes money from affordable-housing loans and ambassadors while it protects outreach contracts, a $63.2M reserve and about $94M of unobligated cash. A bolder plan would shrink outreach, fold ambassadors and the cleanup crew into one team, and pay for every bed from this bar without touching housing loans. From the other side, providers and police will say the petition does reach into this group: D6 asks for more police shifts, and two takes come out of police overtime and cleanup.

Our answer

Most of this money cannot become a bed. The $34.6M of police and fire time is a share of salaries; turning it into cash means laying off officers or firefighters, and the calls would still come until beds exist. Measure GS money is limited by its initiative to prevention, rent help and housing, and changing that takes a public vote. Outreach is how people reach the beds we are adding, and its placement numbers should rise once there are places to send people; the D3 monthly report will show whether they do. Reserves and unobligated cash are one-time money, and a bed costs money every year. Where a line here can shrink without leaving beds empty, we take from it, and only after the results show: the overtime and cleanup takes start in FY2028-29 and only once audited overtime and tonnage fall. D6's extra police shifts are unpriced and need a Council vote for any new positions.

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 the Council adopts it. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors decides the county lines. Changing what Measure GS money may pay for takes a public vote.
Votes needed: The two-year budget passes with a majority of councilmembers present at adoption, 4 of 7 if all attend. Any budget change after adoption needs five affirmative votes (FY2025-27 Adopted Budget p.295; City Charter section 1505). Board of Supervisors: 3 of 5.
When: FY2027-29 biennial budget: study sessions about May 2027, adoption about June 2027 (inference from the June 2025 and June 2026 schedule).
Where the rule is written: santamonica.gov

The agenda or process

Questions people ask

If most of the money isn't beds, why not move more of it?

Most of it cannot move. $34.6M is a share of police and fire salaries, Measure GS money is locked to prevention and housing by voters, and outreach is how people get into the beds. We take from the lines that can shrink without leaving beds empty.

Does the petition cut police or fire?

No officer or firefighter position is cut. The only police take is $1.0M to $1.5M of non-event overtime from FY2028-29, and only after audited overtime falls. The Fire Department is untouched.

Why not spend the reserves?

A reserve can be spent once. A bed costs money every year. We use one-time money only to open sites: up to $2.69M of Camera Obscura redesign capital (the $3.0M less $313,838 already under a design contract, inference) and up to $1.28M of last year's unassigned surplus.

Isn't this just moving money around?

Yes, a small part of it. The seven city lines are about 1.2% to 1.7% of the operating General Fund. The other 98 cents of each General Fund dollar, and every restricted fund, stay as they are.

Will my library, parks or buses change?

No. Libraries, parks, Big Blue Bus, water and the airport are not on the list. The one visible change outside homelessness is the Camera Obscura building redesign. It serves the House of Switzerland license for the 2028 Olympics (June 14 to Sept 21, 2028, a $300,000 fee, completion set for June 2027; fact), so moving the money likely loses that Olympic use (inference).

Sources

FY2025-27 Adopted Biennial Budget Addendum (FY2026-27)General Fund and all-funds totals, department budgets, positions, enterprise fund totals
FY2025-27 Operating Budget Line Item DetailHSGP $9,578,506, outreach services $2,110,000, 24/7 shelter access $600,000
FY2025-27 Adopted Biennial BudgetBudget vote rules and process
City of Santa Monica ACFR, year ended June 30, 2025Contingency reserve $63,238,145; Measure GS restricted balance $33,040,525
City Manager budget report (May 26, 2026)About $94M unobligated General Fund cash; FY2025-26 surplus; Camera Obscura one-time use
Moss Adams, City of Santa Monica Homelessness Study (Nov 2022)$42.5M FY2020-21 total and its parts; call shares; Measures CS and GS on the Nov 8, 2022 ballot
Homelessness Strategic Plan 2025-2030Costs of outreach teams, SAMOSHEL and SaMo Bridge; up to $8M of prevention
Realignment Plan update (March 24, 2026)Realignment Plan adopted Oct 28, 2025; HoST tonnage
Santa Monica FY2024-25 CAPEROutreach team contacts and placements
Measure GS initiative textAllowed uses of Measure GS money and the public-vote rule for amendments
Petition city funding ledgerThe seven city takes, their start dates, and the lines not used with reasons
Petition spending ledger$94.2M total and how each line is classified
City of Los Angeles Housing Department, May 2025 performance reportCity-funded interim sites 82% full against a 95% target
San Diego City Auditor, April 2026Refusal of police shelter offers 76% to 52% to 42%
LAist, county takes control of homeless spendingHSH took over county homeless contracts (secondhand)

Words on this page

all funds: Every city account added together, including the General Fund and restricted accounts like the bus and water funds.
allocated cost: A share of a department's budget assigned to a purpose by the fraction of calls it handles. The salaries are paid either way, so it is not cash that can be moved.
capital budget: Money for building or fixing things, such as parks, pipes and the Camera Obscura building.
contingency reserve: Money the city keeps for emergencies and sudden revenue drops.
enterprise fund: A city account that runs like a business on its own fees or grants, such as Big Blue Bus, water or the airport. State and federal rules keep its money inside that service.
fiscal year (FY): The budget year, July 1 to June 30. FY2027-28 runs July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2028.
General Fund: The city's main account. Most local taxes go in, and police, fire, parks, libraries and most staff are paid from it. The Council can move money in it by vote.
HLP: Homeless Liaison Program. Santa Monica police officers assigned to homelessness, who combine enforcement with referrals.
HoST: Homeless Support Team. A Public Works crew that clears encampment debris.
HSGP: Human Services Grants Program. City grants to nonprofits for child care, senior services, tenant help and other safety-net programs. Only part of it serves homeless people.
HSH: Los Angeles County's Department of Homeless Services and Housing, which took over county homeless contracts in 2026.
interim housing: A temporary place to sleep indoors with services, such as a shelter bed, motel room or tiny home, while someone waits for an apartment.
internal transfers: Money one city account pays another. Removing them avoids counting the same dollar twice.
Measure A: A countywide half-cent sales tax for homelessness and housing, in effect since April 1, 2025.
Measure CS: A 2022 voter-approved hotel tax increase. The Council planned to spend about $4M a year of it on police homeless liaison hours, wider outreach and 24/7 shelter intake.
Measure GS: A 2022 voter-approved tax on property sales over $8M. Its money is legally restricted to homelessness prevention, rent help, affordable housing and schools, and its terms change only by public vote.
Moss Adams study: The 2022 study by the city's outside auditor that added up all city homelessness spending for FY2020-21.
one-time vs ongoing money: One-time money can be spent once, such as a surplus or reserve. Ongoing money comes back every year, such as a tax. A bed costs money every year, so it needs ongoing money.
operating budget: Money for the city's day-to-day work in a year: salaries, contracts and supplies.
outreach team (MDT): A multidisciplinary street team, such as The People Concern's or the county's C3 teams, that finds people outside and connects them to care and beds.
overtime: Pay for hours worked beyond a regular shift. Non-event overtime excludes special events such as the 2028 Olympics.
POD (Preserving Our Diversity): A city program that pays monthly cash help to long-time low-income Santa Monica renters, mostly seniors, so they can stay housed.
Project Homecoming: The city program that pays for a trip home for someone with a family member or friend ready to take them in.
Prop 218: A 1996 California constitutional amendment that limits how cities can use fees, such as water rates, to the service they pay for.
Realignment Plan: The city's plan, adopted Oct 28, 2025, to restore public safety, revive downtown and return the budget to balance.
SaMo Bridge: A city-funded diversion program, run by Exodus Recovery, that connects people to treatment and housing.
STEP Court: Shelter, Treatment and Empowerment Program court. A city-run diversion court that offers treatment and housing in place of prosecution.
unobligated cash: Cash on hand that no contract or budget line has claimed yet.