On a typically sunlit Wednesday afternoon in Santa Monica, the atmosphere on the renowned Third Street Promenade feels unusually somber.

Once a bustling hub teeming with tourists and locals reveling in the refreshing Pacific breeze, the promenade, along with the nearby pier and the famous 3.5-mile stretch of sandy beach, was a vibrant showcase of Southern California’s allure.

Today, however, the scene has transformed drastically. The promenade stands nearly empty, with more storefronts shuttered and displaying ‘For Lease’ signs than those that remain open. Brightly colored benches meant for visitors to unwind and watch street performers are largely vacant. The performers who once animated the area have disappeared.

In their absence, the promenade has become home to individuals experiencing homelessness, alongside visible issues with substance abuse. Many find refuge against abandoned shopfronts, and the once-iconic ‘Santa Monica Pier’ sign now presides over a starkly different landscape, where open drug use is a common sight in nearby parks.

Once celebrated as California’s ‘crown jewel,’ Santa Monica now finds itself teetering on the edge of financial collapse—a stark reality that strikes at the heart of its residents.

Steven, a local shop owner who preferred to keep his surname private, recently closed his business after enduring two years of economic hardship, marking the end of his struggle in late October.

He told me his store on the promenade – selling colorful women’s blouses and beach attire – never stood a chance.

He said: ‘We sold off everything for $9.99. It’s so sad. The tourists aren’t coming anymore, nor are the locals. We simply couldn’t survive. It’s the same story all over town.’

Santa Monica’s dramatic descent is painfully clear to those who live there

The unhoused are often sprawled on the pavement in front of the ‘Santa Monica Pier’ sign, while there is open drug use in the parks

What was once the ‘crown jewel’ of California is now a city on the brink of going bust

As of last year, overall retail vacancies on the promenade hit an estimated 25 percent, and the once-bustling street saw a recent exodus of retail behemoths. In 2024, the local REI closed its doors, and this past January, the promenade’s H&M shuttered.

One Japanese tourist asked for directions to Nordstrom, the flagship store of Santa Monica mall. The department store closed at the end of August after 15 years.

In fact, the city’s retail and office vacancies are among the highest in the county, according to the Los Angeles Times, and it has failed to rebound from the slump in tourism during the pandemic.

But even as tourists started traveling again, social media lit up with stories about Santa Monica’s public safety issues. It has become a chief concern among locals, too, and business owners have previously criticized the city for its alleged inaction against the city’s homelessness crisis.

Local media reported that last year, the Third Street Promenade saw a two percent rise in Part I crimes (which include homicide, robbery, burglary and aggravated assault) and a five percent rise in Part II crimes (such as narcotics, disorderly conduct and vandalism, among other crimes). Meanwhile, police responded to 8,874 calls in the area and made 256 arrests, 70 percent of which involved homeless individuals.

In 2022, Santa Monica was named one of the most unsafe cities in Golden State, and in June this year, a police officer was shot on the promenade. The accused shooter allegedly shot at two teens in a Waymo self-driving car just days earlier.

One friend of mine lived in Santa Monica with her husband and three children for ten years. At first, she loved it, raving about the beautiful beaches, great neighborhood diners and stellar public school system. 

A few years ago, the promenade, neighboring pier and iconic 3.5-mile-long sandy beach would have been packed with tourists and locals enjoying the gentle breeze coming off the Pacific Ocean

Yet today, the promenade is virtually deserted

Colorful seats, set out for tourists to relax and enjoy the street performances, often sit empty

Homeless people, drug addicts and drunks slump against abandoned storefronts

In 2022, Santa Monica was named one of the most unsafe cities in Golden State

But around 2022, her mood changed. She was physically attacked as she walked her daughter to school, shoved to the ground by a mentally ill man. She stopped taking her kids to the park because drug addicts would leave needles strewn around the children’s play area.

Last year, she moved out for good, saying: ‘I didn’t feel safe. The kids didn’t feel safe. So, we left.’

One Republican fundraiser told us: ‘Democrats complain all the time, but their hatred of Trump is so blinding that they can’t bring themselves to vote for him. This isn’t about politics. This is about a place which should be a magnet for tourism and prosperity. Santa Monica is failing. And that is a tragedy for everyone, no matter what your political beliefs.’

The city’s left-wing council, according to one local, has long allowed what he described as ‘a homeless invasion.’

The man, a lifelong democrat, declined to give his name because he was fearful of ‘backlash against me, my business and my family.’

‘Look around you. This is what voting left does for you,’ he said.

‘When the schools started bringing in gay drag queens to talk to my six-year-old about LGBTQ issues, my wife and I were horrified, as were many of the other parents. But no one dared say anything. My ten-year-old is in a class where a third of the kids identify as non-binary.’

Now, he said, his family is moving to San Diego.

‘There’s a saying, “go woke, go broke.” I always thought it was a joke,’ he continued. ‘But that’s what has happened here.’

In September, the city council voted to declare itself in a state of fiscal distress to address Santa Monica’s financial crisis, a move that allows the city to seek funding at the state and federal level. It is also on track to declare a nearly $30 million budget deficit this year.

While Covid is partly to blame for a loss in revenue, the city also took a hit of around $229 million in legal settlements related to sexual abuse claims against former police dispatcher Eric Uller, straining its budget.

The city’s left-wing council, according to one local, has long allowed what he described as ‘a homeless invasion’

Boarded up shops with ‘For Lease’ signs outnumber those that are open

‘There’s a saying, “go woke, go broke.” I always thought it was a joke,’ one man said. ‘But that’s what has happened here’

Santa Monica’s city council recently voted to take $60 million from its cash reserves to invest in local infrastructures and law enforcement

One of President Donald Trump’s closest advisors Stephen Miller, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy & Homeland Security Advisor, was born and raised in Santa Monica.

‘Huge swathes of the city where I was born now resemble third world nations,’ he once said of the liberal enclave, scathingly called ‘The People’s Republic of Santa Monica’ by local conservatives.

The handful of tourists who have made their way to this once prosperous city seem bewildered.

Ian Strang, 40, an entrepreneur from Berkhamstead in Hertfordshire, England, was walking along the deserted Third Street Promenade with his wife Joanne and children Atlas,12, Ryder, 10, and Fox, seven.

He said: ‘I asked ChatGPT where we should go today, and it suggested Santa Monica. I expected it to be a lot busier. I think I’m going to be in trouble with the wife for bringing us here. I thought it would be packed with street performers but it’s empty. It’s just tumbleweed. It’s like a ghost town.’

But those in charge of Santa Monica remain hopeful it can bounce back.

Santa Monica’s city council recently voted to take $60 million from its cash reserves to invest in local infrastructures like crumbling pavements, more police and ‘public safety officers’ (civilians who monitor tourist sites like the pier), and to beef up the city attorney’s office to prosecute more crimes.

Councilmember Dan Hall said such plans to reinvest in the city and double the number of police officers is the first step forward.

He told the Los Angeles Times: ‘We’re trying to usher in a rebirth, a renaissance of the city, by investing in ourselves.’

There are plans for a musical festival on Third Street Promenade next year in a bid to lure back tourists and locals. For the sake of Santa Monica, a once-vibrant city seemingly on the brink of collapse, you have to hope the rescue plan works and is not too little, too late.

Additional reporting by Kelly Garino