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SANTA MONICA, Calif. (KABC) — Santa Monica city leaders have approved a plan to take direct control of the city’s homeless response programs, ending reliance on Los Angeles County to manage those services.
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Under the locally controlled model, the city will have direct authority over homeless services, including street outreach and permanent housing efforts.
One component of the plan involves transferring the 34-room Palm Motel on 14th Street to city management to help place people in need of shelter.
City officials outlined four priorities as part of the new approach.
The plan will prioritize people considered local or those with long-term connections to the Santa Monica area. Officials also plan to focus on robust on-site services, city-directed security and good-neighbor agreements.
Santa Monica Mayor Lana Negrete said the move is designed to improve coordination and accountability in the city’s homeless response.
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“Rather than relying on others to coordinate our homeless response activities, Santa Monica is choosing instead to build a system that we control so no one falls through the cracks between agencies,” Negrete said.
The announcement comes days after Santa Monica reported a year-over-year decline in its homeless population.
According to the 2026 count, the city recorded 718 unsheltered people, compared with 812 the previous year.