Santa Monica creates $3.5 million Restorative Justice Fund, to form commission and hire program administrator

The council on Jan. 27 authorized establishment of a Restorative Justice Fund seeded with $3.5 million from proceeds of a recent settlement and directed staff to form a council-appointed Restorative Justice Commission and to retain an independent program administrator. The program is intended to respond to historically rooted harms in Santa Monica, including but not limited to the Ebony Beach Club settlement that prompted the initiative.City Manager Oliver Chi told the council the $3.5 million is one‑time seed funding; staff noted an additional $2.0 million tranche is expected within three years and that further resources may be identified as the program and its criteria is developed. The council directed staff to ensure work of the existing Land Back and Reparations Task Force and its harms report inform the commission’s work.Council members asked that the program include both reparations (claim-based remedies) and programmatic investments — examples discussed included financial‑literacy training, childcare subsidies, and targeted grants or matched savings — and that community co‑governance and outreach be central to program design. The council also asked staff to explore philanthropic and corporate partners and to return with a program framework, administrative procurement plan and a proposed schedule. Council approved the staff recommendations by unanimous vote.