By Jorge Casuso

August 5, 2024 -- A monthly poll of "civically engaged" Santa Monica residents found strong support for pro-law enforcement candidates vying for four open seats on the City Council and in the LA County race for District Attorney.

The Santa Monica Pulse poll of some 110 residents interested in public safety found nearly full support for California Governor Gavin Newsom's recent executive order asking state agencies to begin the process of removing homeless encampments.

The survey, taken via text between July 31 and August 4, asked residents to weigh in on the hotly contested November 5 race for control of the seven-member City Council.

Unsurprisingly, the three Change incumbents -- Mayor Phil Brock and Councilmembers Oscar de la Torre and Christine Parra -- were favored with 53 percent of respondents saying they would give them another four-year term.

The slim majority approval from respondents concerned with public safety comes after the incumbents have made combating crime their number one priority.

Seventeen percent of respondents backed the four challengers supported by Santa Monicans of Renters' Rights (SMRR) -- Santa Monica College Trustee Barry Snell, Planning Commissioner Ellis Raskin, Natalya Zernitskaya and Pier Board Chair Dan Hall.

Another 5 percent said they would vote for a mix of candidates from both slates, while 24 percent said they were not sure.

The establishment candidates need to win two seats to regain a majority of the Ciy Council, which SMRR has controlled for most of the past four decades.

Meanwhile the three Change incumbents need to win three of the four open seats to maintain the current 4 to 3 majority they hold on the Council.

In the race for LA County District Attorney, 75 percent of respondents said they would support Nathan Hochman's bid to unseat George Gascon.

Gascon received the support of 4.5 percent of respondents, with an equal percentage saying they would support neither candidate. Sixteen percent said they were not sure.

The poll noted that "critics of Gascon say he’s soft on crime, while critics of Hochman say his former Republican affiliation could hurt him at the ballot box" in an overwhelmingly Democrat county.

Hochman has the strong support of prosecutors and law enforcement, while Gascon is supported by justice reform advocates, including the four political establishment candidates running for City Council.

In the 2020 DA's race, the majority of Santa Monica voters supported Gascon against DA Jackie Lacey, who was backed by law enforcement.

Meanwhile, 97 percent of respondents to the monthly Pulse poll said they support Newsom's executive order, while only 1 percent did not support the order and 2 percent were not sure.

The poll noted Newsom's order "includes asking local governments to take action to remove homeless encampments from public spaces such as parks and sidewalks."

As with previous polls, the latest Pulse poll was sent via text to about 1,000 Santa Monica residents who "previously opted in to receive more information on education efforts surrounding crime and safety in their city." It had a 11 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.