California Infrastructure Improvements
California must invest in the future of its water, energy and transportation infrastructure. We enthusiastically support fully funding Phase II of the Exposition Light Rail Line from Culver City to Santa Monica and building the “Subway to the Sea.”
Education and Workforce Development The Santa Monica Chamber believes that high quality local schools are essential in building a quality future workforce.
Green Business Incentives
Santa Monica is leading the way in environmentally-friendly development and business practices. The Chamber's partnership with the City of Santa Monica on the annual Sustainable Quality Awards and business greening and certification programs is an innovative and successful approach to encouraging the business community to "go green." The City's Solar Santa Monica program represents a new, ambitious effort that aims to make the City energy self-sustaining by 2020. We support legislation that would provide incentives for businesses and developers to make their operations, especially new construction; energy and resource efficient.
Healthcare
The Santa Monica Chamber supports health care reform, the availability of affordable health coverage and access to quality health care for all Californians. We support the expansion of current government funded programs, including Medicare, Medi-Cal and Healthy Families only after each program is fully funded. We support incentives, but not mandates, to purchase health coverage. We oppose the creation of a single-payer, government run, universal healthcare system.
Transportation Traffic congestion adversely affects the businesses and residents of Santa Monica and is getting worse each year. We enthusiastically support fully funding Phase II of the Exposition Light Rail Line, including state/federal matching funding; and building the "Subway to the Sea."
Workforce Housing and Homelessness
80% of Santa Monica’s workforce lives outside the city. Our first-responders are often long-distance commuters. We need additional housing options for teachers, nurses, police officers, fire fighters, non-profit workers and government employees. We support state-wide incentives for housing developments that provide alternatives for our commuting workforce by including units priced for medium-income residents.
There are more than 2,500 homeless residents living in Santa Monica and at least 10% of these are veterans. We support increased funding to provide regional solutions, especially housing connected to intensive services for homeless veterans. Specifically, locating supportive housing on the West Los Angeles VA campus would provide a solution for 300-500 veterans.
GO Expo, GO Subway, GO Westside
