A new survey of Santa Monica voters found broad support for keeping California’s Santa Monica Airport (SMO) open, even as the city continues to plan for its closure at the end of 2028.
The poll, conducted by FM3 Research in September, was commissioned by the nonprofit Spirit of Santa Monica. The poll found that 67% of voters support keeping the airport open in some capacity, compared with 25% who favor closing it as soon as possible, with 8% undecided.
New Survey
According to the survey, more than six in 10 voters view the airport favorably, including residents living within one mile of the facility.
“The survey found that Santa Monica voters value the airport and support keeping it open in a way that preserves options for the city,” Ben Marcus, co-founder and president of Spirit of Santa Monica, said.
John Fairbank, an FM3 Research partner, said the results were consistent across the city.
“Support for keeping the airport open holds across the city, regardless of proximity to the airport,” Fairbank said.
Santa Monica is operating under a 2017 consent decree with the Federal Aviation Administration that allows the city to close the airport on Dec. 31, 2028, while requiring it to continue allowing qualifying aviation uses until that date.
Representatives from the city have not yet responded to requests for comment.
Legal and Political Challenges Continue
In the meantime, the airport has been the subject of several other debates. The airport, for instance, took heat from community groups as it approved commercial operations for JSX in December, despite the airport’s planned 2028 closure.
“Santa Monica Airport will close at the end of 2028, and nothing about this process with JSX Air changes that fact,” City Manager Oliver Chi said in a September statement, noting that compliance with the consent decree is required to preserve the city’s authority to close the airport.
In November, Santa Monica residents and the advocacy group Measure LC Defense filed a lawsuit alleging the city violated the California Environmental Quality Act when it approved the commercial operations permit for JSX without conducting additional environmental review. The city has said it lacks discretion to deny qualifying aviation uses under the federal consent decree.
Separately, the FAA issued a director’s determination in December finding the city violated federal revenue-use rules by accumulating surplus airport funds for non-aviation purposes. The administration ordered Santa Monica to revise its fee structure in order to remain tied to the airport’s anticipated closure.
Meanwhile, a proposed ballot measure submitted earlier this month would authorize housing on a portion of the airport site after closure, while Measure LC, approved by voters in 2014, restricts post-closure use of the land to parks or recreational space unless voters approve otherwise.
The FM3 survey was conducted Sept. 18–25, 2025, among 632 registered voters using a mix of telephone and online interviews in English and Spanish.
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