SANTA MONICA, CA — Pigeons are continuing to die in damaged netting beneath the Santa Monica Pier, according to a UCLA doctoral researcher who says she has repeatedly encountered dead birds hanging from a structure intended to keep them away.
Nearly a year after acknowledging that the netting had been repeatedly breached and was no longer serving its intended purpose, Santa Monica officials confirmed to Patch that they are considering removing it. However, despite describing removal as a priority, the city has yet to establish a timetable.
Sierra Glassman, a third-year UCLA Ph.D. student studying how birds adapt to urban environments, said she first noticed the problem approximately a year ago while walking beneath the pier, where she counted 20 dead pigeons entangled in the netting during a single visit.
"There were clearly holes in the netting, and there were also pigeons perching above and on top of the netting," Glassman told Patch.
She said she also observed young pigeons perched on the damaged structure, sometimes close to dead birds. Although she has not repeated her original count, she said she continues to encounter multiple carcasses during subsequent visits. Glassman raised the issue during the Oct. 13 Santa Monica City Council meeting, urging officials to address what she described as an ongoing animal-welfare problem.
"We are aware of concerns regarding pigeons becoming entangled in the netting beneath the pier and are evaluating options to address the condition of the netting," city spokesperson Cecile Oreste told Patch in an Oct. 15 email.
Correspondence obtained by Patch establishes that city officials were aware of the deteriorating netting at least as early as October 2025. On Oct. 29 of that year, Joshua Carvalho, a principal civil engineer with Santa Monica's Engineering and Street Services Division, responded to Glassman's complaint about dead pigeons beneath the pier.
Carvalho said the city was examining alternative ways to manage the pigeon population above and below the pier and would look into removing the netting because it had been "breached continually and not serving its intended purpose."
The email did not establish a removal schedule or commit the city to taking down the structure.
Glassman said she initially believed the netting would eventually be removed, but subsequent visits revealed that dead birds remained entangled in it. She has not personally witnessed a live pigeon becoming trapped. Asked what action had been taken since the October 2025 correspondence, Oreste said the city was exploring options for removal but did not identify any specific repairs, replacements or other completed work.
"Removal of the existing netting remains a priority, and staff are evaluating the best way to complete the removal," Oreste said. "A specific timeline has not yet been established."
She confirmed that the Public Works Department is responsible for inspecting and maintaining the netting, although the city did not provide an inspection schedule.
The damaged structure is part of a much longer effort to reduce bacterial pollution around the Santa Monica Pier, where bird droppings have been identified as a significant source of contamination. According to Santa Monica's coastal planning documents, studies conducted in 2006 and 2008 identified birds and standing water near the pier's storm drain as major contributors to elevated bacterial levels.
The city subsequently installed bird-deterrent netting beneath the pier, with earlier installations credited for improvements in water-quality testing during the summers of 2010 through 2012. But the system has a history of maintenance problems. In 2014, city officials attributed deteriorating water quality partly to large tears in the netting, according to a Los Angeles Times report.
In a June 2022 statement, Santa Monica acknowledged the continuing difficulty of controlling bird droppings around the pier and announced plans to replace the existing netting. The newer installation was completed in 2023, according to a city announcement issued that November, when officials also approved restrictions on feeding birds and other animals at the pier and nearby beaches.
Yet questions about the effectiveness of the replacement emerged relatively quickly. Minutes from a February 2024 Clean Beaches Committee meeting record concerns about birds continuing to access the area beneath the pier despite the netting.
Glassman believes the holes have created an unintended consequence, allowing pigeons to enter while providing additional surfaces on which young birds can perch. However, she acknowledged that she has not established whether the damaged netting has increased the overall pigeon population or worsened bacterial contamination.
The question of how best to control pigeons comes as Santa Monica and environmental nonprofit Heal the Bay investigate persistent water-quality problems around the pier. mIn July, Heal the Bay announced a Santa Monica Pier Water Quality Task Force to investigate bacterial contamination, identify its sources and recommend solutions.
A published scientific study previously identified birds as contributors to bacterial contamination beneath the pier, while also finding that moisture and shaded sand could allow bacteria to persist. mThe study does not establish that the current damaged netting has worsened conditions.
Asked whether the city had assessed the netting's possible contribution to pigeon nesting or water-quality problems, Oreste said officials were evaluating its condition and function as part of their consideration of longer-term pigeon-control measures.
One possibility is replacing the netting with bird wiring, which is designed to discourage birds from settling on structures without enclosing the space beneath them.
"As a longer-term solution, we are considering replacing the existing netting with bird wiring," Oreste said. Any installation would be pursued as a future Capital Improvement Project, subject to funding and project prioritization. No replacement timetable has been announced.
Glassman suggested that reproductive-control feed and other deterrents might offer alternatives, although she acknowledged that pigeon management is not her academic specialty. mFor now, her immediate concern is the suffering of birds that become trapped.
"Death by entanglement is a very cruel way to die," she said, explaining that trapped pigeons may face prolonged suffering from dehydration or starvation. "They should take it seriously and address it as soon as possible."
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