SANTA MONICA, CA — Eli Gill was born in Glendora in 1982 and grew up in La Verne before attending UCLA, where he studied art history. Although his degree might seem an unlikely starting point for a career in technology, Gill says his education reflected a longstanding interest in learning, analytical thinking and solving problems.
After working summers at a Santa Monica car dealership while attending college, Gill decided to settle in the city following graduation. He has now lived in Santa Monica for 22 years and resides in the Wilmont neighborhood with his wife and their two daughters. Gill previously owned an art gallery in Culver City and now works in operations for a technology company in the insurance sector, a role he describes as identifying problems, removing obstacles and finding practical solutions. He says that approach has shaped his thinking about some of Santa Monica's most persistent challenges.
Making his first run for City Council, Gill advocates a more assertive approach to homelessness, greater investment in downtown revitalization and substantial changes to the city's housing policies. He supports gradually increasing residential density throughout Santa Monica rather than concentrating most new development along major boulevards, while arguing that the city must become more willing to accommodate growth.
What is Santa Monica getting wrong about homelessness today, and what would you do differently?
We've allowed the conversation to reach a point where people living on the streets has become accepted as normal. I think residents are beginning to push back and question whether we really have to tolerate these conditions.
The first step is changing that narrative and reaching an agreement as a community that we no longer want to live this way. Once we've established that expectation, we can begin taking the steps necessary to change things.
What measurable result would convince you that a city-funded homelessness program is working, and what result would cause you to stop funding it?
The counts. How many people are waking up every morning in our parks and on our beaches? I want to see that number decrease drastically.
If an organization or program isn't producing those results, I would seriously question whether we should continue funding it.
What should happen when someone living on the street repeatedly refuses an offer of shelter, treatment or services?
Homelessness is a regional problem, and Santa Monica cannot solve it alone. We need to push Los Angeles, the county and the state to take meaningful responsibility rather than continuing to accept the situation.
For people refusing services in Santa Monica, I believe they should be moved along. If we cannot find somewhere for them to go, that doesn't mean they should automatically be allowed to continue sleeping in our streets and parks.
Other cities either connect people with services or tell them to move on. Continuing to tolerate these conditions in a city that depends on tourism and business is damaging Santa Monica.
What's your default karaoke song?
"Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie. I'm not a particularly good singer.
What song or band makes you crank up the volume in the car?
LCD Soundsystem. They put on fantastic live shows, with lots of synthesizers and energy.
Santa Monica Airport is scheduled to close at the end of 2028. What, specifically, do you believe should replace it?
I think a great park is a wonderful idea, although I'm open to other proposals. People's opinions vary considerably depending on where they live. In Wilmont, the airport doesn't affect us much, but residents of Sunset Park experience it every day.
The airport doesn't serve most of the community particularly well, and I understand why voters supported the idea of a park. There are significant challenges involving funding and development, but it could be a tremendous asset. If somebody presents a better idea, I'm interested in hearing it.
The airport site is roughly 192 acres and converting it will be enormously expensive. How much should Santa Monica taxpayers be expected to pay for the project, and where should the rest of the money come from?
I don't see where the taxpayer money would come from to fund an entirely new park.
One possibility is state funding. California has developed parks such as Los Angeles State Historic Park near Chinatown, and a park at the airport would serve the wider Los Angeles region, not just Santa Monica.
Private philanthropy could also contribute, potentially through naming rights, while revenue-generating uses such as an amphitheater might help support the park financially.
What's your guilty-pleasure TV show?
"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."
When was the last time you took public transport and where was it to?
I took Metro to Beverly Hills.
What is the single most important thing City Hall can do in the next two years to bring businesses and residents back to Third Street Promenade?
In the immediate future, it's largely a public relations problem. There isn't much you can physically build or substantially change within two years, so we need to change how people perceive the Promenade.
I'd like better coordination with landlords, easier opportunities for pop-up businesses and perhaps an effort to concentrate activity on one block rather than spreading everything across the entire Promenade. Abbot Kinney's First Fridays is a good example. Regular events created something people could anticipate and plan around. Santa Monica has successful activations, but they're often irregular and don't have a recognizable identity.
We should establish a consistent schedule, improve conditions surrounding homelessness and invest in a targeted marketing campaign aimed at people living within about 15 miles. Don't worry about international tourism right now. If we create a downtown that works for local residents, tourists will want to visit it too.
Is downtown Santa Monica fundamentally suffering from a public-safety problem, a business-model problem or a development problem, and what role should new housing play in its recovery?
It's all three, but housing is an enormous part of the solution.
Retail has fundamentally changed, and downtown offices are largely empty. I have an office downtown, and it's remarkable how few people are coming into those buildings. We can no longer rely on office workers buying lunch, visiting restaurants and spending money after work.
To make downtown sustainable, we need more people living there. Residents provide a dependable customer base for shops, restaurants and other businesses.
Montana Avenue and Main Street benefit from having neighborhoods within walking distance. Downtown needs that same relationship between housing and commerce if it's going to recover over the long term.
Who would you most hate to be stuck in a lift with?
I'd rather not be stuck in a lift with anybody. I enjoy silence and privacy. But somebody particularly annoying, like Gilbert Gottfried, might be difficult.
What's your most irrational superstition or habit?
I'm a compulsive hand washer. I feel like I can tell when my hands are dirty, and during winter they become quite chapped.
Does Santa Monica have a revenue problem or a spending problem, and if finances deteriorate, what specifically would you be prepared to cut or change?
Right now, it's primarily a revenue problem, although we spend tremendous amounts on things that aren't necessarily priorities.
One area I'd examine is code enforcement. I've been displaced from my apartment for several months because of maintenance issues, and that experience has shown me how understaffed and underfunded enforcement can be.
If the city properly enforced its regulations and fined landlords when appropriate, that could generate revenue while improving conditions for tenants.
As for cuts, I'd examine aspirational programs that sound good politically but don't contribute to the city's recovery. I don't have a specific program in mind, but over the years I've seen millions allocated to projects while we failed to reinvest adequately in successful public spaces.
The Promenade is an example. We should have maintained and improved it when business was thriving rather than allowing it to deteriorate. I'd prioritize spending that supports the city's growth, economic recovery and public spaces.
Who was your childhood hero?
My grandfather Jack, on my mother's side. He was a solid guy who knew how to get things done.
What's the most recent book you gave up on, and why?
"The Power Broker" by Robert Caro. It was incredibly interesting, but incredibly long.
Has Santa Monica gone too far, not far enough or roughly the right distance in redesigning streets around bicycles and pedestrians, and would you support removing or substantially redesigning a project that was shown to create new safety or access problems?
We're on the right track, but there are things we haven't done enough of, particularly slowing vehicles down. We're still experiencing unacceptable numbers of serious injuries and deaths on our streets.
I absolutely support reassessing projects that aren't producing the intended results. Just because we've completed something doesn't mean we shouldn't evaluate it and make improvements.
People initially object to some bicycle lanes, but often become accustomed to them. The 17th Street project is an example. Santa Monica also benefits from having a street grid that allows drivers and cyclists to choose alternative routes.
For decades, we devoted too much public space to cars, and correcting that imbalance takes adjustment. I walk and cycle frequently, and I'd also like wider sidewalks, particularly on Montana Avenue, where pedestrians compete for space with strollers, mailboxes and restaurant tables.
What's the worst job you've ever had?
Shoveling manure at my father's nursery when I was about 10 years old.
What completely different job would you secretly love to do?
A hotel concierge. I enjoy meeting people, talking about local history and showing visitors interesting places. Bartending also appeals to me, but I'm not much of a night owl.
Santa Monica faces major decisions over the future of both the Civic Auditorium and Bergamot Station. What should happen to each, and how much should preserving their existing cultural uses influence those decisions?
As someone who studied art history and previously owned an art gallery, I understand the importance of cultural spaces. But Bergamot Station occupies valuable land beside a train station, much of it devoted to surface parking.
The galleries are operating on city-owned land at rents I believe are below market rates, effectively subsidized by taxpayers. I don't think most residents realize that. I'd support redeveloping the site with a mixture of affordable and market-rate housing while incorporating gallery space into the new development. That could create an interesting neighborhood with housing and cultural activity together.
As for the Civic Auditorium, I'd love Santa Monica to have a modern performance venue. I'm a huge music fan, and there aren't many comparable venues on the Westside. The Civic has tremendous history and architectural significance, but it's been closed for more than a decade. Preserving an unused building doesn't necessarily preserve culture.
If renovating it costs less than constructing a modern replacement, we should consider that. The important thing is restoring a venue that serves the community, whether for concerts, theater or other performances.
When did you last do something for the very first time?
This morning. I was cutting an avocado for my daughter's lunch, and when I opened it, the pit had somehow split perfectly in half. I'd never seen that happen before.
Do you have any tattoos?
No.
Should Santa Monica continue challenging state housing mandates, or accept that Sacramento has largely removed the city's discretion and concentrate on deciding where new housing goes?
I've generally supported California's housing laws, and I think challenging them is counterproductive.
Santa Monica has done a terrible job of planning for growth. For decades, we've acted as though the city didn't need to change, even as California's population grew and housing became increasingly unaffordable.
We stopped allowing taller buildings in many places, leaving older structures surrounded by neighborhoods that haven't evolved significantly.
I'd like us to plan proactively for a larger population rather than simply reacting to state requirements. Allowing more people to live near jobs, businesses and transportation is environmentally responsible and can reduce the need for long commutes.
Does Santa Monica need substantially more housing, and if so, where should it be built? Would you concentrate most new development downtown even if that means substantially taller buildings, and what areas should be protected from additional density?
I support something called the next increment of development. Historically, neighborhoods evolved gradually, from small homes to duplexes, smaller apartment buildings and eventually larger buildings. I'm not suggesting putting a 10-story building in the middle of a single-family neighborhood. But why shouldn't somebody be able to build a duplex or four townhouses where there's currently one house?
That allows neighborhoods to increase density gradually over 20 or 30 years rather than concentrating development into enormous projects along major boulevards. When we restrict almost all new housing to those corridors, we create the dramatic changes that people object to. I'd rather spread growth throughout the city.
One area where I'd discourage additional residential development is immediately beside freeways. Research has repeatedly demonstrated the health risks associated with living close to heavy traffic, particularly for lower-income communities.
We should create more affordable housing opportunities in healthier locations rather than continuing to concentrate residents near freeways, where industrial or warehouse uses may be more appropriate.
Eli Gill's campaign website is eli4sm.com
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Related:
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
Santa Monica Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.