No. Santa Monica is not part of the City of Los Angeles. It is a separate city with its own council, police, budget and tax rate. However, it is part of Los Angeles County, and it sits inside the wider LA metro area, which is why so many people treat it as part of LA.
So the honest answer depends on which “Los Angeles” you mean: the city, the county or the region.
City, county and metro: three different things
The word Los Angeles covers three layers, and they do not line up.
- The City of Los Angeles is one municipality with its own mayor and city council. It runs from the San Fernando Valley down to San Pedro.
- Los Angeles County is a much larger area. It contains 88 incorporated cities, including Los Angeles itself, plus unincorporated communities run directly by the county.
- The Los Angeles metro area is a loose term for the whole urban region. It also spills into Orange County and beyond.
Santa Monica belongs to the second and third layers, but not the first. Our guide to the population of Los Angeles shows how much the numbers change depending on which layer you count.
A city since 1886
Santa Monica has run its own affairs for a long time. According to the city’s own history of its charters, voters approved incorporation at a special election on November 30, 1886. The vote was 96 to 71. Today the city uses a council-manager system. Seven council members are elected citywide, and they appoint a professional city manager.
The city is small. It covers about 8.4 square miles of land, and the 2020 Census counted 93,076 residents. The Census Bureau’s estimate for July 2025 is about 90,100, according to Census QuickFacts. By contrast, the City of Los Angeles has close to 3.9 million people.
Santa Monica also never joined Los Angeles, even as LA grew around it. That makes it different from places such as Venice, which was its own city until it was annexed by Los Angeles in 1926.
Where Santa Monica ends and LA begins
On a map, Santa Monica looks like a bite taken out of the City of Los Angeles. The Pacific Ocean is on one side. On the others, it borders LA neighborhoods:
- Pacific Palisades and Brentwood to the north
- West Los Angeles and Mar Vista to the east
- Venice to the south
Because the line runs through ordinary streets, you can cross from one city to the other without noticing. For example, Ocean Park in Santa Monica blends into Venice along Main Street. Lincoln Boulevard, Pico Boulevard and Wilshire Boulevard all cross the boundary. The same is true of the coast further south, where Manhattan Beach is another separate city. A local business story such as this one about a learning center opening in Manhattan Beach will usually say “Los Angeles area” even though the city is independent.
What being a separate city changes
The difference is not just a label. It changes who you call, what you pay and which rules apply.
| Area | Santa Monica | City of Los Angeles |
|---|---|---|
| City government | Santa Monica City Council and city manager | LA mayor and 15-member city council |
| Police | Santa Monica Police Department | Los Angeles Police Department |
| Fire | Santa Monica Fire Department | Los Angeles Fire Department |
| Public schools | Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District | Los Angeles Unified School District |
| City bus | Big Blue Bus, run by the city | LADOT DASH and Metro buses |
| Sales tax from October 1, 2026 | 11.25% | 10.25% |
| Rent rules | Santa Monica Rent Control Board | LA Rent Stabilization Ordinance |
The sales tax gap is the one shoppers notice. According to the state’s rate table for October 1, 2026, Santa Monica charges 11.25%, while the City of Los Angeles uses the base county rate of 10.25%. Both rates went up half a point on October 1 because of Measure ER, a countywide tax. Santa Monica adds a further 1% of its own on top. Our guide to Los Angeles sales tax breaks down how these layers stack.
In practice, that means a $1,000 laptop costs about $10 more in tax at a Santa Monica store than at a store a few blocks east in West LA.
What Santa Monica shares with Los Angeles
Since Santa Monica is inside Los Angeles County, residents still use many county services. That includes the following:
- Courts: the Santa Monica courthouse is part of the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
- Elections: voting is run by the county registrar.
- Property tax: the county assessor values homes and the county collects the bills.
- Public health and social services: these come largely from county departments.
- Transit: the Metro E Line runs from downtown LA to downtown Santa Monica, so the two cities share one rail line.
The two cities also share area codes 310 and 424, beaches that draw the same crowds, and much of the same traffic. Then there is the mail. Santa Monica has its own ZIP codes, 90401 through 90405, and addresses there read “Santa Monica, CA.” Still, many national websites and maps list “Los Angeles” as the nearest big city, which adds to the mix-up.
What it means if you live or work near the line
For most visitors, the boundary only shows up on a receipt. For residents and small business owners, it matters more often.
Voting is a good example. A Santa Monica resident votes for the Santa Monica City Council and for a Los Angeles County supervisor. That same resident does not vote for the mayor of Los Angeles or for an LA City Council member. A neighbor two blocks away in Mar Vista does.
Business paperwork follows the same split. A shop or freelancer working in Santa Monica deals with the Santa Monica business license office. Someone working inside LA city limits registers with the LA Office of Finance instead. If you work in both cities, you may need to look at the rules of each one.
Housing rules differ too. Santa Monica has run its own rent control system since 1979, with an elected board. The City of Los Angeles has a separate rent stabilization program, and the two set their own yearly increase limits. So a tenant should check which city the building is in before reading any rent rule.
Even parking and street rules change at the line. Permit zones, meter hours and street sweeping days are set by each city. That is why two blocks that look the same can have different signs.
Is Santa Monica safe?
Because it is a separate city, Santa Monica keeps its own crime numbers, apart from LAPD’s. According to the city’s 2025 annual crime report, serious Part I crimes fell 12.5%, from 4,793 in 2024 to 4,194 in 2025. Those totals cover violent offenses and burglary.
The same report shows how the calls break down. Calls for service fell 3.1%, to about 124,800. Arrests, by contrast, rose 22.9%, to 3,446, as officers made more stops on their own initiative. The police department links the drop to more visible patrols downtown, along the beach and in neighborhoods.
In practice, safety in Santa Monica looks much like other busy coastal areas in the county. Most incidents are property crimes such as car break-ins and theft, and they cluster where crowds gather. So the usual habits help: leave nothing visible in a parked car, keep bags close on the Pier and the Promenade, and pick lit routes at night. The city posts updated figures on its crime statistics page each year.
Why people mix them up
Several things blur the line. First, visitors fly into LAX and stay on the Westside, so their trip to “LA” is really a trip to Santa Monica. Second, news and travel guides often say “Los Angeles beaches” for any beach in the county. Third, the boundary has no wall or sign on most streets.
Santa Monica is not alone in this. Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Culver City, Malibu, Pasadena and Long Beach are all separate cities in LA County. By contrast, Hollywood, Venice, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades and Sherman Oaks are neighborhoods inside the City of Los Angeles.
A quick test helps. If a place has its own city hall and police department, it is its own city. If it relies on LAPD and the LA City Council, it is part of Los Angeles. You can find more local explainers in our Los Angeles and California guides.
Frequently asked questions
Is Santa Monica in Los Angeles County?
Yes. Santa Monica is one of the 88 cities in Los Angeles County. It is not, however, part of the City of Los Angeles.
Is Venice part of Los Angeles?
Yes. Venice was a separate city until 1926, when it was annexed by Los Angeles. Today it is an LA neighborhood just south of Santa Monica.
Does Santa Monica have its own police?
Yes. The Santa Monica Police Department patrols the city, and LAPD does not. The city also has its own fire department.
Is Santa Monica safe?
Serious crime fell 12.5% in 2025, to 4,194 Part I incidents, according to city data. Most reported crime is property crime, so basic precautions with cars and bags go a long way.
Why is sales tax higher in Santa Monica than in Los Angeles?
Santa Monica adds its own local tax on top of the county rate. As of October 1, 2026, the total is 11.25% in Santa Monica and 10.25% in the City of Los Angeles.
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