Iconic Santa Monica beach turns into ‘sleeping bag city’ at sunrise — as locals erupt

A shocking new video has shown the reality of Santa Monica’s iconic beach at sunrise — with dozens of people in sleeping bags littered across the sand.

The video, shared by city council candidate Derrick Townsend, showed the coastline covered in what appears to be homeless people nappingas the sun came up.

“I’m going to start calling this ‘Sleeping Bag Beach.’ Another Saturday sunrise in Santa Monica,” he said on social media.

Santa Monica is known worldwide for its beaches, tourism and high-end real estate.

The average home listing price in the city is approximately $3.1 million, while median sale prices range from about $1.7 million to $1.8 million.

Yet critics say the city has struggled with a growing divide between its image as a premier California destination and the visible issues playing out on the streets.

Many residents and business owners blame decades of liberal leadership, arguing city policies have focused heavily on homelessness programs while failing to address concerns over public safety, downtown decline and quality of life.

Some trace the beginning of modern visible homelessness in Santa Monica back to 1981, when Santa Monica Renters’ Rights, a progressive political coalition, gained a majority on the city council.

Led by figures including future mayor Ruth Yannatta Goldway, the group helped shape a political direction that critics describe as a more permissive approach to enforcement.

More than four decades later, homelessness remains one of the city’s most debated issues.

Santa Monica has a density of roughly 97 unhoused individuals per square mile, a concentration critics say has contributed to ongoing tensions around the beach, downtown, and tourist areas.

Safety concerns have fueled that frustration.

The city faced another high-profile incident on May 24, when a 49-year-old man identified as Nay Min Tar of Illinois was arrested by Santa Monica police after an alleged targeted assault involving a dog attack on a Jewish couple.

During Labor Day weekend 2025, an employee at Pier Pizza Subs and Salad near the Santa Monica Pier was stabbed multiple times from behind while eating lunch.

In August 2025, the Santa Monica Police Department arrested a homeless man following an unprovoked multi-stabbing assault near the pedestrian staircase connecting Ocean Front Walk to Appian Way.

The following month, in June 2024, a homeless man was charged with attempted murder after allegedly grabbing an elderly woman and dragging her into the ocean surf in an attempt to drown her.

In May 2024, a homeless person was accused of brutally assaulting a female jogger and dragging her into a beach restroom.

In July 2023, former City Councilman Phil Brock was confronted, cursed at, and physically shoved by a homeless man on the Third Street Promenade. The individual was reportedly on his third felony arrest in a two-week period.

The controversy has also affected Santa Monica’s business community. The Third Street Promenade continues to struggle with a retail vacancy rate estimated between 25% and 30%, with numerous storefronts displaying “For Lease” signs.

The Santa Monica Fire Department’s Community Response Unit, launched in late 2021, has become another point of discussion. The program cost $523,000 during its initial two-year pilot period and continues at an estimated annual cost of $300,000. It operates with a two-firefighter team, a low-acuity ambulance, and specialized de-escalation equipment.

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