City Council

C. Request of Councilmembers Zwick and Torosis that, upon the expansion of Santa Monica’s Preserving\nOur Diversity (POD) program, the City Manager take steps to address historic underrepresentation of\nPico Neighborhood residents in the program relative to the community’s percentage of residents over\n65 experiencing poverty. Specifically, this should include: New Item Received 6/21/2024\n1. Enhancing the Housing and Human Service Department’s outreach plan through\npartnerships with local faith- based and community-serving organizations including but not\nlimited to Familias Latinas Unidas, St. Anne’s, Calvary Baptist, The Venice Family Clinic on\nPico, the Pico Neighborhood Association, and the senior programming and food pantry at\nVirginia Avenue Park.\n2. Offering direct technical assistance with filling out the POD program application at Virginia\nAvenue Park.\n3. Assessing the Jan 1, 2000 habitation requirement as well as other eligibility criteria, with the\nauthority to make the program more flexible and expansive.\n4. Give preference to applications from census tracts designated as “disadvantaged” by the\nstate under SB 535 Disadvantaged Communities, subject to any limitations imposed by state\nand federal fair housing laws, in consultation with the City Attorney’s Office.\n5. Authorizing up to 5% of newly designated program resources to be spent on enhanced\noutreach and technical assistance in the Pico Neighborhood, if necessary.