Last night at the end of yet another very long council meeting, city council took a 4-3 vote ordering the city manager and the city attorney to break the law. This happened after minimal discussion on councilmember Oscar de la Torre’s discussion item 16G, which stated
Request of Councilmember de la Torre that the City Attorney and City Manager eliminate the distribution by the County or any County-affiliated, non County-affiliated, third party, and/or independent private entity, of all drug paraphernalia and equipment, including but not limited to any and all drugs, opioids, needles, syringes, glass pipes, straws, rolling paper, miniature spoons, etc., in our parks, other City-owned spaces and anywhere closer than 1,000 feet away from any school, other educational facility, church, senior center or senior living facility, YMCA/YWCA, or Boys and Girls Clubs. The only exception would be Narcan, which can help revive someone who is unresponsive. The terms of this item shall take effect immediately upon passage.
https://santamonicacityca.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_LegiFile.aspx?Frame=&MeetingID=1413&MediaPosition=&ID=6582&CssClass=
As was stated multiple times by councilmembers Gleam Davis, Caroline Torosis, and Jesse Zwick, as well as city manager David White and City Attorney Doug Sloan, this item is illegal because state law forbids cities from prohibiting county governments from operating these kinds of programs. You’d think Mayor Phil Brock, Vice Mayor Lana Negrete, and councilmember Christine Parra, who joined de la Torre in ordering the city manager and city attorney to break the law, wouldn’t need this explained to them, as the preceding item on the agenda was placed by the three of them and is about lobbying to repeal the law that they then voted to instead just have the city violate
Request of Councilmember de la Torre, Vice Mayor Negrete and Mayor Brock that the City Council direct the City Attorney and City Manager to draft language of proposed resolutions for consideration by the League of California Cities (CalCities), Independent Cities Association (ICA), and Westside Cities Council of Governments (WSCCOG) asking the State Legislature and Governor to change laws to provide for local control over the dissemination of syringes and other drug paraphernalia in local communities; and direct the City Manager to assist each of the Council’s appointed representatives to CalCities, ICA, and WSCCOG in submitting the draft resolutions to each of the above mentioned organizations for consideration of adoption. On two occasions, the City Council has taken action to demand that the County cease the distribution of syringes and other drug paraphernalia in its parks and away from schools. As part of previous Council actions, the City also demanded that the County relocate the distribution of syringes and other drug paraphernalia to an indoors location. Attached is the Resolution adopted by City Council on April 9, 2024 and a letter adopted by the City Council that was transmitted to the County.
https://santamonicacityca.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_LegiFile.aspx?Frame=&MeetingID=1413&MediaPosition=&ID=6576&CssClass=
Brock and de la Torre are currently running for reelection claiming to be “law and order” candidates. How can they claim that mantle with a straight face while openly instructing city staff to break the law, placing them in the completely untenable situation of having to choose between “just following orders” and refusing to follow the instructions from a council vote? City Manager White and City Attorney Sloan were visibly uncomfortable with this, seeking very explicit instruction about what the council majority had just voted for them to do.
Furthermore, as noted by councilmember Zwick, the list of banned paraphernalia here is absurd. Do the lawlessness and disorder majority intend to send in the police, who they’re always claiming are severely understaffed and underfunded, to seize the straws from every restaurant and supermarket within 1,000 feet of a school or a church? Or to raid pharmacies and other medical supply stores for their needles and syringes? Or to rifle through the bins at Goodwill making sure none of the spoons on sale are illegally miniature in size? Are baby spoons big enough to not be considered “miniature” by de la Torre?
These people have achieved nothing of note in four years in office, other than triggering the builder’s remedy, repeatedly killing Brown Act leak investigations, and even voting that councilmembers should be allowed to commit unlimited crimes with total impunity until the new council is seated in December following the election, invoking Republican talking points about “weaponization of government” to justify the latter two votes. Many of the things that they campaigned on fixing have only gotten worse during their time in office, even in the over two years in which Negrete has provided Brock, de la Torre, and Parra a majority.
And what we’re seeing now is increasingly unhinged panicked flailing from them as they desperately try to convince their base that they’ve achieved something, anything before the election.
