Politics & Government
City Manager Explains Feasibility Study to Move City Hall
City needs to build a new sheriff's station at Santa Monica Boulevard and San Vicente Boulevard. The feasibility study would examine also putting a City Hall building on that corner since the city is outgrowing the current City Hall.
City Manager Paul Arevalo provided an explanation for why a was included in the $68 million city budget which the City Council passed on Monday night.
That feasibility study would examine the possibility of putting a City Hall building on the southeast corner of San Vicente Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard. That location is where the currently stands. The proposed new City Hall building would include an expanded sheriff’s station.
The current sheriff’s station was built in 1980, designed for staff of approximately 110 people. The sheriff’s station now has staff of 183 and reserves of 75. There is so little room left in the building that some deputies have to keep equipment in their personal cars.
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Thus Arevalo explained that the feasibility study is primarily about getting a new sheriff’s station built there.
But as long as they are investigating a new building, Arevalo thought they should also explore moving City Hall there too since the city will likely outgrow the current at 8300 Santa Monica Blvd (at Sweetzer Avenue). The current building is getting very cramped.
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Councilmember John D’Amico questioned why the city was doing this study since Los Angeles County owns the land and runs the sheriff’s department.
Arevalo said the county doesn’t have the money to spend on a new station but the city does. Councilmember John Duran pointed out that in the late 1990s when an updated fire station was needed on San Vicente Boulevard, it was the city that paid for it.
Duran said he has long envisioned having the south side of Santa Monica Boulevard at San Vicente lined with shops and businesses just like the north side of the street.
However, achieving that would require cooperation from LA County and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority which owns the bus depot behind the sheriff’s station.
Duran said the feasibility study would be one way to get the discussion started about transforming the south side of the street.
Councilmember John Heilman suggested deferring the feasibility study until after the city holds public meetings on the issue.
