Request of Councilmember Raskin, Mayor Torosis, and Councilmember Hall to direct that the City Manager Deprioritize and Pause Analysis on Mills Act and Structure of Merit Revision Considerations, and to align Landmarks work plans with the implementation of the Landmarks Commission’s recommendations in “A Place for Everyone in Santa Monica’s History.”

This item requests the City Council to direct the City Manager to deprioritize and pause analysis on potential revisions to the City's Mills Act program and Structure of Merit designation criteria. This pause is requested to provide stability and predictability in the city's historic preservation framework, especially considering the timelines for processing Mills Act property tax adjustments. Additionally, the request aims to align landmarks work plans with the implementation of recommendations from the Landmarks Commission's report, "A Place for Everyone in Santa Monica’s History." Council previously directed staff to begin implementing all recommendations from this report on February 11, 2025, and specifically to implement recommendations 2 and 3 by March 11, 2025. Further direction on October 28, 2025, asked staff to explore revisions to the Mills Act program. This new request seeks to halt those revision considerations for the remainder of the current year.

Residents and property owners involved with historic preservation programs, particularly the Mills Act, will experience stability and predictability in current incentives and criteria for at least the remainder of the year, as proposed revisions are paused.

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