Santa Monica City Council ratifies local emergency for Palisades fire, authorizes temporary zoning and tenant protections

The City of Santa Monica City Council on Jan. 8 ratified a proclamation of local emergency tied to the Palisades fire and approved a revised emergency order that allows displaced schools and childcare centers to temporarily relocate into properties not normally zoned for those uses, tightens enforcement against price gouging, suspends selected preferential parking and short-term rental restrictions, and preserves eviction protections for tenants and their pets.

City Attorney Doug Sloan summarized the legal basis for the action, saying the city manager “issued an emergency order or proclamation on January 8 due to the tragic fire in the Palisades adjacent to Santa Monica,” and that the municipal code requires council ratification within seven days to extend the order.

Council members said the measures aim to speed housing and service continuity for residents displaced by regional fires. The core provisions of the order include: temporary suspension of conditional-use permit requirements so schools and childcare programs can operate in nonresidential buildings; temporary suspension of some preferential parking enforcement to help displaced people park near family or hosts; emphasis on enforcement of local and state anti–price-gouging rules; eviction protections covering unauthorized pets of displaced households; a curfew in mandatory evacuation zones from sunset to sunrise; suspension of building permits in mandatory and warning evacuation areas; and relaxed purchasing rules for emergency-related city contracts. The order also authorizes hotels and motels to extend tenancies beyond 30 days for displaced persons.

Public commenters representing Palisades schools and early-childhood providers urged quick city action. Margarita Palaiay, founder of Little Dolphins by the Sea and 7 Arrows Elementary, described widespread displacement among families and said the schools provide continuity: “For me, it’s keeping childhood alive.” Scott Marlette, chair of the 7 Arrows board, told council members the group had identified vacant spaces and asked the city to “allow that in a blanket way that expedites that” so schools could reopen immediately.

Rent-control board members and others pressed the council to move quickly on a rent registry and to use all available tools to detect and deter rent spikes. A resident and rent-control board member (Camrice) cited the municipal code and state law, noting that “Penal Code section 3 96 and section 4.32 0.161 of the municipal code prohibit predatory price spikes following the declaration of an emergency,” and urged staff to deploy resources to capture advertised rents as evidence for enforcement.

During council discussion members asked staff to refine and expand several items. Directions recorded during the meeting and incorporated into the emergency action include: prioritize applicants on the city’s below-market-rate wait list who were displaced by the Palisades fire or other recent regional fires; expedite permitting and plan-check for schools, childcare centers and impacted small businesses and nonprofits; preserve the “natural person” requirement in short-term rental rules to limit corporate exploitation; adopt time limits on some suspensions (council signaled support for about 12 months for school/childcare use and six months for short-term/home-sharing suspensions, subject to later refinement); strengthen monitoring and enforcement of short-term rental and rent activity using existing contracts and tools (including the city’s contract with Host Compliance); and direct the city attorney and manager to return with specific legal language to prevent subleasing or other exploitation of the temporary allowances.

City staff also clarified reporting options: price-gouging complaints can be submitted through the city’s consumer protection portal (smconsumer.org), a staff member said. The council instructed the city manager to exercise ongoing authority to modify the order as conditions change.

The council moved to ratify the proclamation and adopt the revised emergency order and associated resolution. On roll call the motion passed unanimously, 7–0. Council members and staff repeatedly thanked first responders, the city’s emergency operations center and regional partners for their response during the fires.

The emergency order as ratified will remain in effect as authorized by the city manager or until the council takes further action. Staff committed to return with refined language on implementation details, including specific criteria for prioritizing displaced applicants, safeguards against exploitation of temporary zoning relaxations, and clarifying time frames for each temporary suspension.