Santa Monica is coming back. And if you haven’t been paying attention, now is the time to start.
For a few painful years, the conversation about this city was hard to listen to….
Empty storefronts.
Decades-old businesses quietly closing.
Families who stopped making the drive.
A place that somehow lost the thread of what made it special.
But something real is now happening.
In October 2025 the City Council approved a $60 million Realignment Plan and actually followed through on it. Police staffing hit full strength for the first time in over 20 years. A new downtown substation opened. Crime dropped 12.5% in a single year. Libraries reopened. Sidewalks got fixed. Small things, yes, but small things that tell you someone is paying attention again.
Then in March 2026 the city went further. A $3 million economic development fund. Fee waivers saving restaurants up to $70,000 to open or expand. Outdoor dining simplified. Parking at a dollar for 90 minutes. Permits turned around in as little as one week. The city is actively recruiting businesses back and removing every excuse not to come.
Southern California’s first outdoor Entertainment Zone launched on the Promenade last summer and is now expanding to all of Downtown, the Pier, Main Street, and Montana Avenue. A major music festival with Goldenvoice is planned for later this year.
And the timing could not be more significant. The FIFA World Cup. The Super Bowl. The 2028 Olympics. The world is heading to this coast, and Santa Monica intends to be ready for it.
This city has always been California’s front porch. The place you bring people when you want them to feel what this part of the world is really about.
When my family first moved here in 2013, this place was magical, vibrant and buzzing with opportunity. We are now starting to head back in that direction, and with a better governor in November and surrounding city mayor on the horizon, many people are optimistic about the path.
That front porch is getting lit again. It’s worth coming back.