By Jorge Casuso
September 3, 2025 -- In an unusual move, Santa Monica's most prominent slow-growth group on Tuesday joined an effort to retain Police Chief Ramon Batista after his surprise resignation last month.
The Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City, which for 20 years has kept its focus on development, joined five neighborhood groups that have asked the City Council and City Manager to reject the popular chief's resignation submitted on August 22.
"While crime and homelessness have never been our focus, like many Santa Monicans, we find it impossible to ignore our City’s slow -- and at times seemingly rapid -- decline," the Coalition wrote in an email to supporters.
The group cited a recent LA Magazine article that ties the Chief's decision to resign to recent Council actions to remove six Downtown Board members and take steps to silence critics of its pro-development policies.
The article "succinctly identifies how the firing of Santa Monica’s police chief is another example of a City Council more interested in asserting its power than the well-being of its residents," SMCLC wrote.
There is no evidence for the "firing" of Batista, who attributed his resignation to "demands set by the new administration" that were at odds with his principles ("Clashing Views on Public Safety May Have Led to Police Chief's Departure," August 25, 2025).
The Coalition, however, believes the Council was behind the surprise move. "(T)o the Councilmembers who will complain that they don’t make hiring and firing decisions -- we know," SMCLC wrote.
"Just as we also know that major decisions like this are not made without your tacit approval or even prodding. We see you. And what we see is a Council that is tone deaf to residents, out-of-control, and -- with the exception of Lana Negrete -- needs to be replaced."
In a response sent over the weekend to the Neighborhood groups calling for rejecting the Chief's resignation, City Manager Oliver Chi notes that under the City Charter, the Council "has no authority to either remove or appoint any individual who works for the City" except for the City Attorney, City Clerk and City Manager ("City Manager Offers Insight into Law Enforcement Decisions", September 3, 2025).
The letter from the boards of Friends of Sunset Park, Mid-City Neighbors, Northeast Neighbors, the Pico Neighborhood Association and the Wilshire Montana Neighborhood Coalition praises Batista for his "focus on transparency and engagement."
The Chief's engagement through "community meetings, digital dashboards, podcasts, and innovative outreach programs is unprecedented and has immensely strengthened trust between the police and residents.
"These collective efforts contributed to a measurable decrease in Part I crime and a renewed sense of safety across the city where 70 percent of arrests are of homeless individuals," the groups wrote.
The letter also notes that Batista boosted the department's ranks from 177 sworn officers to 231, secured a $6 million grant for a Real-Time Crime and Information Center, expanded camera networks and launched a drone program.
"The leadership of Chief Batista was badly needed when he arrived and continues to be valued by Santa Monica residents every day.
"For these reasons we request that the City Council and City Manager Chi ask Chief Batista to withdraw his resignation and to remain in Santa Monica where his values align with the residents, making him an admired and highly effective public safety leader."
