My wife, my four-year-old, and I live and experience the day-to-day concerns that you do living in Santa Monica.  That is my “Why?”

 

Crime is up.  Homelessness is up.  Our streets, parks, homes - less safe every day.  Much of the Promenade vacant since the fallout of May 31, 2020.  Over-development, traffic, high rents, tenant displacement - major concerns.

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More than ever, Santa Monica needs a no-nonsense leader.  Someone with the strength, history, and courage to put residents first, provide solutions, and revitalize our downtown - the economic engine necessary to keep our neighborhoods clean, safe, and healthy.

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We don’t need another politician, policy wonk, or density advocate who wants to spend, build, or double-talk away our problems. That never works.

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As a civil/ environmental engineer (UCLA 1993) and a community leader (Residocracy founder) I know how to bring people together and provide real world solutions to complex problems.

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We can reduce crime by increasing neighborhood patrol dramatically. If we see police, criminals will too, sending a message that Santa Monica is no longer an easy target. 

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Re-imagine Homeless Services – We've been doing the same thing year after year, and its not working.  Santa Monica pays out over $18,500 per year, per homeless person, to in-town service providers with seemingly zero results.  We spend another estimated $30,000+ per homeless person, each year, in emergency services.  Our in-town service providers raise millions of more dollars from private donations to try and solve the problem.  And nothing has worked.  We don't even know how many people we help. But it sure seems like none.  We need an audit, tracking, and accountability. 

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Our fight to keep Santa Monica livable has never been more urgent. That's Why I am running for City Council.

 

When elected I promise to work hard to give us a safer, better, and livable Santa Monica.

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I would be honored to have your vote in this November's election.

 

Sincerely,

Armen Melkonians

Your neighbor, and with your support, Your next Santa Monica City Council Member