City Responds To Concerns About Controversial Harm Reduction Services

SANTA MONICA, CA — In response to questions and feedback from the community about harm reduction services offered in Santa Monica, city and Los Angeles County officials made a joint statement on Wednesday to clarify information about the services.

One service in particular, the syringe exchange service, has raised concerns about safety among residents and business owners in Santa Monica. According to the city, the current harm reduction services are critical to save lives and protect public health and safety.

"Harm reduction services represent an important tool and component of the multi-pronged provision of prevention, treatment, recovery, and enforcement needed to address the overdose crisis and other threats to health and wellbeing in Los Angeles County," city officials said.

LA County Public Health officials said they believe the county is experiencing the worst overdose crisis in its history. In response to the high overdose fatality rate, the county began offering evidence-based services to reduce the negative consequences associated with substance use, including preventing and reversing an overdose.

The services are funded by the county and include connections to medical, mental health and substance use treatment services, syringe service programs, distribution of the opioid overdose reversal medication naloxone and more.

Santa Monica offers these services at mobile locations near city parks in partnership with the Venice Family Clinic, which provides HIV and viral hepatitis testing, naloxone distribution and medical interventions.

"Because harm reduction services often engage people who do not always pursue health or social services and who are at increased risk of experiencing overdose, including people experiencing homelessness, it is a well-established best practice to provide mobile harm reduction services directly to people where they physically are," Santa Monica officials said.

Some business owners at the Third Street Promenade threatened to leave Downtown Santa Monica Incorporated, the organization that manages services and operations in the Downtown area, citing rising crime and unease due to the syringe exchange program.

Alle said he and other business owners would prefer if the program moved to an enclosed space. Alle contends that the presence of the syringe exchange program has brought down business due to people feeling unsafe in the Promenade.

"It's a nightmare that doesn't have to happen on the Promenade," Alle said. "We've got 5,000 signatures so far [on our petition], and it's going to grow against this needle distribution program."

However, according to DTSM Inc.'s CEO Andrew Thomas, the syringe exchange program does not operate on the Promenade. In fact, the program services are provided via mobile vans parked adjacent to Reed Park, Tonga Park and Palisades Park.

Former Mayor Sue Himmelrich also requested that the county relocate the program to a service-rich environment indoors last September, Thomas said in an email. Thomas said city staff met with county officials in April about modifying the delivery of the program.

" DTSM, Inc. staff will continue to engage with our City partners to ensure that attention is focused on this important issue," Thomas said.