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Ashley Oelsen Newsletter — July 20, 2026
🌎 Protect What You Love with Ashley Oelsen
📅 July 21, 2026
Hello, neighbors,
Welcome to the very first Protect What You Love newsletter. If we have not met yet, I am Ashley Oelsen: a mother, a biologist, a renter, and your Commissioner for Sustainability, Environmental Justice, and the Environment. I am running for Santa Monica City Council because this is my community, and I refuse to watch it be mismanaged. I raise my child here. I pay rent here. I face the same housing pressures as most people in this city. My roots here run deeper than any campaign, built through years of showing up at City Hall, on our beaches, at regulatory hearings, and in our neighborhoods.
This newsletter is my promise to keep showing up for you in writing, too. You can expect plain English, real science, honest numbers, and plenty of reasons to get involved. In this first one: what happened at last week's Democratic Club endorsement vote, where I stand on the issues that will define this election, an update on our fight for the coast, and the dates worth circling on your calendar.
Thank you for reading, and thank you for caring about this city as much as I do.
☀️ From the Campaign Trail: We Are Just Getting Started
🔹 Last Wednesday's endorsement vote sent a message. On Wednesday, July 15, Santa Monica Democratic Club members voted on their endorsements for City Council, and no candidate received the endorsement. In the first round of voting, our campaign earned 44 percent, and I could not be prouder of what that number represents. We are a grassroots campaign powered by neighbors, not special interests, and our message is resonating.
→ 🙏 My gratitude: To every neighbor who showed up, stayed through the entire process, helped organize support, and believed in this campaign: your time, effort, and encouragement meant more than I can say. Every conversation and every vote mattered. We are just getting started.
👉 Read my full post-vote message (Instagram)
🧭 Where I Stand: Three Pillars for Santa Monica
Since this is my first newsletter, I want you to know exactly what I am asking for your vote to do. My campaign is built on one governing philosophy: a city that makes sustainable decisions today will be a healthier, more equitable, and more vibrant community for the next generation. That philosophy shows up in three pillars.
🔹 A sustainable environment. The health of our environment is the health of our community. Clean water, safe beaches, and a resilient coastline are not luxuries. They are the foundation of our public health, our economy, and our identity as a beach city. As a conservation biologist, I will bring evidence to every environmental decision this Council makes.
🔹 Sound city finances. Sustainability is a budget principle too. I believe in financial responsibility and ensuring that every dollar of taxpayer money is spent wisely, with long-term consequences considered in every budget decision, every land use vote, and every contract this Council awards. You deserve a Council that reads the fine print, and I am the kind of person who genuinely enjoys reading it.
🔹 Safe streets. Every family deserves to feel safe walking to the beach, to school, and to work. I believe we can address homelessness with compassion and accountability, restore local control over our human services, and support our police in keeping our community safe. These goals belong together, and I will treat them that way.
→ 💡 Why I lead with principle: I am not running to protect an asset or advance a career. Leadership means showing up, speaking up, asking the hard questions, and standing tall when it matters most. That is the standard I have brought to my Commission work, and it is the standard I will bring to the Council.
👉 Watch my campaign video on YouTube
🏖️ Protecting Our Coast: The Work Continues
🔹 AB 1740 is not finished, and neither are we. The bill is expected to return in the Governor's trailer bill this August, and I want to recognize what this community has already accomplished. Over the past several months, neighbors, students, scientists, environmental organizations, business owners, and advocates invested countless hours researching, asking questions, writing letters, attending meetings, traveling to Sacramento, and speaking up for our coast. This movement has never been about politics. It has always been about protecting the California coast, preserving local decision making, and ensuring our community has a voice in the future of Santa Monica.
→ 🎯 What gives me hope: We have built an informed, engaged, and determined community that is ready to keep showing up. A special thank you to California Coastal Commissioner Ray Jackson, who has been incredibly generous with his time throughout this process, answering questions and bringing clarity to complex issues. When August arrives, we will be ready.
🔹 Shining a light on coastal contamination. Through my work leading The Coastal Alliance, our team has been fighting to bring public attention to the toxic contamination affecting our beaches in the aftermath of the fires, an issue that has been ignored for far too long. KTLA recently featured this work, and I am grateful to every scientist, advocate, and neighbor demanding accountability and protecting public health. When you know what is in the sand and the water, you can protect your family and demand better. That is why we do this work.
🤝 Out in the Community: More Than a Meal
🔹 Delivering meals, and something bigger, with Meals on Wheels West. Last week I had the privilege of delivering meals with Meals on Wheels West, and I left reminded that this work is about more than food. It is about connection, dignity, and making sure our seniors and homebound neighbors know they are seen, valued, and not forgotten. Thank you to the incredible volunteers who make this possible every single day.
→ 💙 Why this matters: Caring for one another is what makes a community strong. A city's character is not measured by its skyline. It is measured by how it treats the neighbors who need it most, and Santa Monica is full of people who understand that.
🐚 Dates to Know
🔹 Thursday, July 23, 4 to 7 PM: State of the City on Main Street, with free Big Blue Bus rides to and from. Come hear where our city stands and ask your questions in person.
👉 See the State of the City details
🔹 Tuesday, July 28, 5:30 PM: City Council meeting at City Hall, 1685 Main Street. Council meets the second and fourth Tuesday of each month, and public comment is your right. If you have never attended one, consider this your invitation.
👉 Find Council agendas and staff reports
🔹 Tuesday, August 4, 5 to 8 PM: National Night Out on the City Hall lawn with the Santa Monica Police Department. Community and public safety, side by side. Exactly how it should be.
👉 See the National Night Out details
🔹 Tuesday, November 3: Election Day. Every Santa Monica voter will help decide the future of this city.
💙 Join the Movement
We have learned that meaningful change only happens when people get engaged. We cannot sit back and expect someone else to solve the challenges facing our city. Whether it is hosting a coffee chat, volunteering, writing postcards, knocking on doors, or chipping in, every action matters. The future of our city belongs to the people willing to participate in shaping it.
This campaign is powered by people, not special interests. The maximum contribution is $1,200 per person and $2,400 per couple, but every amount makes a difference and is deeply appreciated.
🌊 Onward
Every week between now and November 3, I will be somewhere in this city listening: at the farmers market, at City Hall, on the beach, at your door. This newsletter is how I will report back. If something in it made you think, made you curious, or made you want to roll up your sleeves, reply and tell me. I read every message, and I answer them too.
We need to protect what we love. Thank you for being part of this journey. Good things are in our future, together. 💙
