More City Services, Animal Shelter To Reopen, Officials Say

SANTA MONICA, CA — Several public locations and services will start to reopen in May in Santa Monica, the city announced this week.

Here are locations across the city that are slated to reopen:

• Santa Monica’s Permit Services Center public counter will offer in-person services by appointment on select days. The public counter is a one-stop hub for a range of services offered by the City Planning division, Building and Safety division, Mobility division, the Public Works Department, and the Finance Department for utility and other payments.
• The Santa Monica Animal Shelter will also re-open its doors for walk-in services beginning May 1. Adoptions continue to be by appointment only.

“We look forward to welcoming residents and customers back to our new streamlined public counter to conduct business safely by appointment,” Acting Assistant City Manager Susan Cline said in a statement.

“As we continue to make progress in our recovery, we’ll continue to expand in-person services in the months to come," Cline said. "Book an appointment and our dedicated team looks forward to assisting you!”

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For the public counter in the new City Hall East, accessible from Olympic Drive, the following services are available during the hours listed by appointment, city officials said. Virtual permitting services will also remain available during regular business hours.

• All CHE Permit Services Center public counters: Monday and Wednesday, 8 a.m. to noon; This includes mobility, civil engineering/public works, building & safety, zoning consultation/general planning questions, business license, performers permits, tax payments, and utility billing.
• Building & Safety Permit Specialists: Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to noon by appointment (Tuesday & Thursday is for building permit issuance for projects that have completed the plan review process and fee payment only)
• City Hall is closed Friday – Sunday

To schedule an appointment, visit http://checkin.smgov.net and follow the prompts to select a service date and time. For more information, including instructions for a safe experience while visiting the public counter, check out: https://www.smgov.net/Departments/PCD/Permits/Permit-Services-Center.

The public counters have operated virtually since the beginning of the pandemic and will continue to be available for people who want to do business remotely, the city said. For more information about the services offered online, visit: https://www.smgov.net/Departments/PCD/Virtual-Services/Virtual-Services/

Face masks and physical distancing are still required at city buildings.

"Members of the public should not come for city in-person services if experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms or under a quarantine or isolation order," city officials said. "Public spaces will provide instructions for safe distancing, but the public’s support in being mindful of COVID-19 best practices, including frequently washing hands and using hand sanitizer, is appreciated."

Anyone with any special disability-related accommodations can contact the City’s Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator Mirna Medina at 310-434-2605 or ADACoordinator@smgov.net at least 3 days prior to the scheduled appointment.

Santa Monica is expanding the city's in-person services now that Los Angeles County is in the Orange Tier of recovery from COVID-19. Additional services will be announced in the weeks to come in accordance with Los Angeles County Public Health guidelines, the city said.

For more news and information about the vaccine rollout in California, visit Patch's information hub. Also, be sure to check out How To Get The Coronavirus Vaccine In California.

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