Santa Monica
LOOKOUT

By Jorge Casuso

May 6, 2025 -- Public parking structures and digital kiosks could soon become advertising venues for alcohol in an effort to boost revenues for Santa Monica's cash-strapped government.

The City Council on Tuesday will consider modifying the City's internal advertising guidelines to "permit alcohol advertising on select City-owned assets," according to the staff report.

The change -- which would generate an estimated $1 million a year -- would pave the way for the private company ads to appear on 12 of the City's digital kiosks, six of them on the Promenade.

The revenue generated "would support City programs and services and help reduce reliance on traditional funding sources" without increasing taxes or fees, staff said.

The advertisements would be prohibited within 500 feet of schools, parks, libraries, medical facilities, youth centers, places of worship and "other sensitive sites."

"These buffer zones aim to minimize exposure in locations frequented by minors, vulnerable populations, and community-serving institutions," staff wrote.

The City would review the locations for compliance with the exclusion zones and provide "ongoing monitoring" to ensure the guidelines are being followed, staff said.

The digital kiosks on the Promenade offer the best opportunity to cash in after the Council approved an entertainment zone that "is expected to draw increased visitor traffic and advertiser interest," according to staff

Staff's proposal comes two months after the Council floated both predictable and extraordinary ways to balance its upcoming budget ("Council Floats Bold Moves to Balance Budget," March 10, 2025).

At the special budget study session March 8, the Council asked staff to craft a biennial budget for Fiscal Years 2025-27 that "emphasizes a focus on added revenue generating opportunities."

These include eliminating the 90-minutes of free parking in Downtown parking structures, charging market rates for events at City facilities and boosting digital advertising Downtown.

"This proposal," staff wrote in the report for next Tuesday's agenda item, "represents a strategic and responsible way to tap into a new advertising category while safeguarding the values and character of Santa Monica’s neighborhoods."