Goals
● Community members of all ages participate actively and effectively in civic affairs and community improvement efforts.
● Community members of all ages understand the basic principles of sustainability and use them to guide their decisions and actions - both personal and collective.

Santa Monicans are engaged with their community and participate in community events and neighborhood meetings.  There are seven active neighborhood organizations and five active business improvement districts throughout the community. More than 49% of residents contacted a city department in 2006 and almost half of all residents attended an arts or cultural event. Santa Monica residents have widespread awareness of community issues.  Residents and business leaders have been active participants in the update to the Land Use and Circulation Elements. Santa Monicans voter participation rates typically exceed LA County, state and federal averages, although off-year voter participation continues to be marginal. Santa Monicans also utilize their public resources. Last year, the Santa Monica Public Library celebrated its 1,000,000^th visitor.  The consistent grade reflects the continued community participation in the update of the Land Use and Circulation Elements as well as major civic projects.  Further, it reflects the leadership of the Cultural Affairs Division in developing a Cultural and Community Arts Master Plan to forge a common vision of the artistic and cultural life of the city.