Join the Santa Monica Participatory Budget Assembly and advocate for community-driven investment decisions
Get Involved30-60 community members are randomly selected from across Santa Monica to serve on the Civic Assembly, ensuring diverse representation.
Assembly members learn about city services, review resident input, and deliberate together to make thoughtful budget recommendations.
The Assembly's recommendations are presented directly to City Council, giving everyday residents a meaningful voice in budget decisions.
City Council selects functional service areas (e.g., Parks & Recreation, Library) for the Civic Assembly to review.
All residents are surveyed to share their opinions on which services should be prioritized in each area.
Randomly selected Assembly members learn about services, review resident input, and deliberate to develop informed recommendations.
The Assembly presents its prioritized recommendations to City Council at a public hearing, directly influencing the budget.
Interested in learning more or getting involved? Send us a message and we'll get back to you.