In his campaign for Santa Monica City Council, Dan Hall draws upon his extensive expertise as a former servicemember in the U.S. Army and a graduate of West Point to explain the benefits of enhanced public safety measures. His involvement with drone operations during his military career allows him to appreciate the swift de-escalation capabilities that surveillance systems can provide.

“We’ve had a few incidents where teenagers or kids are playing in the alleys with BB guns or squirt guns or toys, but the toys look like a weapon, and so someone called them in, and police are routed to the scene,” he said. “The drone has the ability to identify that the alleged weapon in question is actually a toy gun, and it allows the police officers to enter the scenario with a lower amount of adrenaline, which creates a much safer interaction for the individuals who were called on and for our police officers who are responding.”

On the other hand, he does not expect to receive the endorsement of the Santa Monica Police Officers’ Association because he refuses to support the racial profiling that occurs during pretextual traffic stops when officers use a minor infraction to search for evidence of a more serious crime.

“I do bring this wealth of experience when it comes to public safety issues about tactics and techniques, procedures and weapons, but at the same time, I’m also a diversity, equity, and inclusion professional, and so I know how to read data,” he said, drawing upon his vocation as a program manager at a global tech and logistics company. “I understand statistical significance and confidence intervals, and when our data shows that black and brown people are being pulled over at a higher rate than other individuals, that is a problem, and it’s one that we need to address.”

A supporter of the drone program and the Real Time Crime Center, Hall would also like to see an expansion of speed cameras, noting that “these are all ways that we can invest in technology to scale our police department in a cost-effective, efficient, and safe manner.”

He criticizes the current city council for earmarking certain funds solely to be used for hiring police officers, especially when that capital could be deployed immediately to increase public safety, move homeless individuals into shelters, and provide clean sweeps of parks to curtail debris and drug paraphernalia.

In contrast to such inaction, he highlights his experience serving as Chair of the Santa Monica Pier Corporation Board of Directors, where he resolved public health and safety risks associated with unlicensed and unregulated vendors, who were using unclean serving utensils and asking workers to stand for hours without restroom breaks. Due to these inhumane conditions, he supported the creation of a Direct Action Response Team, a joint task force involving police officers, firefighters, and public health and code enforcement officials, which led to substantial improvements.

“That task force has cleaned up the pier significantly, and in partnership with changes made to our vending ordinances, which I also supported at the city level, we now have an incredibly successful and safe vending program that operates on the pier and around the pier beaches,” he said.

In addition, he helped secure lease extensions for Pacific Park and Heal the Bay Aquarium, ensured that the pier bridge replacement was bike and pedestrian-friendly, and voted to bring back Cirque du Soleil.

“I believe that bringing in a massive event like that elevates the experience at the pier and will draw more people to the pier, which then brings more customer base,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a really great and exciting return of that event to Santa Monica, and I think the residents are going to be really happy and excited for it.”

He also notes that the Pier Corporation hosts a variety of free programming for visitors and residents, such as Locals’ Nights and Dia de los Muertos, while partnering with local organizations for events such as car shows. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, he was particularly delighted by the events hosted during Pride Week, including the Drag Queen Story Hour.

“It was a very quiet and successful event, and tons of families were there,” he said. “It was really cool and very powerful to see such an accepting and welcoming and inclusive activity on the Santa Monica Pier.”

As he reflects on the magnetic pull of Santa Monica’s diversity and inclusivity, he recalls how it led him to the city after time spent on the East Coast and overseas. After eight years of military service, Hall attended Harvard Business School, where he met his partner Jason.

“I told him that I wanted to live in a gay-friendly city with good weather and good jobs,” he said. “The community has made significant investments in trying to remain affordable and diverse, and that was really important to us. We’ve been welcomed with open arms here.”

On the other hand, he has been disappointed by the political stances expressed by some of the current City Council members.

“The majority voted against fighting for trans children in court, and both incumbents on the ballot this year made disparaging dog whistle remarks to the local press about safety with all-gender inclusive restrooms,” he said.

As he advocates for transparency in local politics, he particularly castigates the current City Council for leaking confidential information from closed sessions and then voting to exempt themselves from investigation and from the same ethics rules that apply to all city staff and all members of city boards and commissions.

Yet his most strident critique of the City Council involves their lack of compliance with state law regarding affordable housing, which led to the “Builder’s Remedy” going into effect, allowing developers to bypass local zoning and general plan requirements to build high-rise apartment buildings.

“The incumbent majority promised to limit building heights to no taller than a palm tree, … and yet, skyscrapers are being built in our neighborhoods now, thanks to the majority’s negligence,” Hall said. “They passed a housing plan that wasn’t compliant with state law, which exposed us to a free-wheeling period where we lost all local control, and developers proposed skyscrapers in my neighborhood and other neighborhoods all over town. The important thing to note here is that staff could not say no to these proposals. We were out of compliance because of the majority’s failure.”

As he seeks to build a broad coalition of support for affordable housing within reasonable height and density limits, he maintains faith in the community’s capacity for compassion.

“I find that when I have conversations with folks that are skeptical of housing, reminding them of their better angels is what works for me,” he continued. “I find that most people want to do the right thing, but often act out of what they believe is in the best interest of themselves, their kids, their families, and their block. And I think it’s incumbent on us as pro-housing advocates to remind folks that getting people into housing is the safe thing to do…. I think it’s important we comply with state law, and I think it’s important that if we want to remain a welcoming and diverse and compassionate community, that we allow for opportunities for those who are formerly unhoused, for seniors, for young families to stay here, move here, and be part of a thriving community.”

Photo courtesy of Dan Hall.