Santa Monica Voters Show Support To Keep Airport Open

A survey of voters in Santa Monica, California, revealed that a majority support the city’s airport (KSMO) and prefer to keep it open, rather than closing it on Dec. 31, 2028. The city of Santa Monica signed a consent decree with the FAA in 2017, allowing the city to close the airport.

The survey was conducted by FM3 Research and funded by Spirit of Santa Monica, a nonprofit organization “dedicated to preserving and enhancing the innovation spirit of Santa Monica while fostering future generations of thinkers, builders, and community leaders through education, events, and engagement.” FM3 Research conducted 632 interviews of registered voters via telephone calls and online.

According to the survey, “67% of Santa Monica voters support keeping the airport open in some form, compared with 25% who favor closing it as soon as possible, with 8% undecided. Support for keeping the airport open spans every neighborhood and demographic group in the city, including voters living within one mile of the airport.”

“The survey found that Santa Monica voters value the airport and support keeping it open in a way that preserves options for the city,” said Ben Marcus, co-founder and president of Spirit of Santa Monica. “As the city faces a once-in-a-generation decision about a 227-acre site, voters are signaling clearly that they do not want to rush toward irreversible decisions driven by a vocal minority to close the airport.”