By Jorge Casuso

August 27, 2021 -- A monthly poll of "civically engaged" Santa Monica residents found that a slim majority opposes vaccine mandates for City employees and for indoor public spaces.

The Santa Monica Pulse survey -- conducted between August 18 and 25 -- also found that more than two-thirds of the respondents were not sure who they would vote for in the upcoming Board of Supervisors race.

As for the recall of Gov. Gavin Newsom, the results of the poll -- which received about 165 responses -- remained unchanged from last month, with most saying they planned to vote yes.

The poll was sent via text to nearly 1,000 residents days before the City on Tuesday issued a policy requiring all City employees, contractors and volunteers to be fully vaccinated by October 29.

Only Councilmember Oscar de la Torre voted to express his opposition to the mandate issued by Interim City Manager John Jalili, while newly appointed Councilmember Lana Negrete abstained ("Santa Monica Mandates Vaccinations for City Employees," August 26, 2021.

The poll found that half of the respondents oppose the vaccine mandate -- which also covers those who serve on City boards, commissions and task forces, as well as Council members -- while 47 percent support it. The rest were undecided.

The poll also found that 52 percent oppose implementing a vaccine mandate for indoor public spaces in Santa Monica, while 47 support it, with only 1 percent saying they weren't sure.

When it comes to next June's race to fill County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl's seat in District 3, which includes Santa Monica, 69 percent said they weren't sure who they would vote for.

Another 19 percent said they would choose none of the three candidates who have launched campaigns, which includes Assemblymember Richard Bloom, a former Santa Monica Mayor.

Bloom led the field with 8 percent of the respondents saying they would vote for him, while less than 2 percent backed either West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey Horvath or Los Angeles City Controller Ron Galperin.

"That’s not too surprising, considering the election is still several months away," Charlyce Bozzello, communications director at the Center for Union Facts, which oversees the poll.

"However, despite being the former Mayor of Santa Monica and a longtime resident, Bloom enjoys only a slight lead over the other two candidates at this stage," Bozzello said.

In the recall election, the result was the same as in July, with 54 percent saying they planned to vote to recall Newsom and 41 percent saying they would vote no.

Of those who said they would vote for the recall, 40 percent said their preferred candidate was Libertarian candidate Larry Elder, while 6 percent preferred San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer.

The remainder of the respondents were split or preferred a candidate other than the five listed in the poll.

As with previous polls, the latest Santa Monica Pulse poll conducted by the hotel union watchdog group Eyes on Local 11 was sent via text to some 1,000 residents and this time had a 16.5 percent response rate.

Those polled had "previously opted in to receive more information on education efforts surrounding crime and safety in their city."

Those who wish to be included in the next poll should email their name and cell phone number to SaMoPulse@gmail.com. To view the poll results click here