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By Jorge Casuso

January 26, 2022 -- A monthly poll of more than 200 "civically engaged" Santa Monica residents found nearly two-thirds felt less confident in City leadership than they did a year ago.

Conducted between January 21 and 25, the brief Santa Monica Pulse survey of some 225 residents also found little support for vaccine passports and reflected widespread concern that the local homeless population is growing.

The year's first Pulse poll asked if residents were "more or less confident today in the city’s leadership than you were a year ago."

Nearly two-thirds -- 64 percent -- said they were less confident, while 27 percent said they were more confident. The other 9 percent said their "confidence in city leadership has not changed."

The lack of confidence "could be the result of the city’s hesitation to make any dramatic changes to its strategy on homelessness," said Charlyce Bozzello, the communications director at the Center for Union Facts, the hotel union watchdog that oversees the poll.

Bozzello notes that the low confidence level comes "despite increasing concern from several City Council members and community members" about the City's homeless strategy.

The poll was conducted after a report to the Council detailed the City's $5 million strategy to connect with the homeless and bring them into Santa Monica's extensive social services network.

The report said the City "currently does not have a methodology for tracking all expenditures related to homelessness" ("Santa Monica Spends Some $5 Million a Year in Homeless Outreach, Report Says," January 20, 2022).

Asked if the City Council "must obtain information on program outcomes in order to more effectively address the city’s homelessness crisis," 84 percent said yes.

The remaining 16 percent were evenly split between those who don't believe the City needs more information and those who are "not sure," according to the poll.

Despite the City's costly outreach efforts, 90 percent of respondents said there are more homeless people in Santa Monica than there were in January 2020, when the latest census counted 907.

Seven percent said the number hasn't changed, while 3 percent said there are fewer homeless people now.

The annual count, which was canceled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, was pushed back until next month after cases surged to record levels fueled by the Omicron variant ("Homeless Census Count Postponed," January 18, 2022).

The poll, conducted via text, also asked respondents to weigh in on the Council's decision to delay a controversial vote to require vaccine passports at select Santa Monica businesses ("Council Tables Vaccine Passports at Santa Monica Businesses," January 12, 2022).

More than two-thirds -- 68 percent -- of respondents said they would be against an ordinance requiring "full proof of vaccination for patrons and employees of restaurants, theaters, personal care centers and government buildings."

Twenty-nine percent said they would favor requiring vaccine passports, while 3 percent said they were "not sure," according to the poll.

As with previous polls, the latest Santa Monica Pulse poll was sent to nearly 1,000 residents who "previously opted in to receive more information on education efforts surrounding crime and safety in their city." It had a 22.5 percent response rate.

Those who wish to be included in the next poll, should email their name and cell phone number to SaMoPulse@gmail.com. To view the poll results click here