🌟 Santa Monica Weekly with Councilmember Lana Negrete

📅 March 30, 2026

Hello Santa Monica family,

Earlier this week, I spent an afternoon delivering meals with Meals on Wheels West. Knocking on doors. Sitting with people in their living rooms. Listening. They call them hidden neighbors: over 700 homebound clients a year, and for many, that delivery is the only visit they get all week. That phrase stuck with me.

Because this week also brought the other side of what "neighbor" means. A repeat break-in attempt at our family's music store. A Council meeting that moved real policy forward. Public safety numbers that show both progress and strain. And a moment on Palm Sunday that grounded me in the faith and resilience that shape how I lead.

Lots in this one. Take in what matters most to you, and then come out tomorrow night if you can to agree event for in person connection with me!

🚨 Public Safety

🔹 Weekly enforcement, March 15 through 21:

→ 🎯 My take: 79.4% more arrests year over year is not a talking point. It is the product of sustained staffing, coordination, and proactive enforcement I have pushed for since day one. We keep going.

🔹 Key crime suppression incidents, March 15 through 21:

→ ⚡ On the swatting call: As a mom with deep ties to our schools, I take incidents like that personally. Our officers handled it exactly right. The investigation into who made the call is ongoing, and I want accountability.

🔹 Traffic enforcement highlights:

🔹 Small businesses are still absorbing the impact. I posted about this on Instagram this week. Our family's music store, Santa Monica Music Center, was targeted again. Same individual who broke our window ten days earlier came back. Sat outside. Made a mess. Checked the windows again.

→ 💡 Why I'm being public about it: Not for sympathy. Because this is what small business owners across Santa Monica deal with quietly, repeatedly. We are making progress locally. But we also need to be honest: the system gaps in getting people real help have been catching up to cities like ours. We can care about people and still say parts of this are not working.

👉 View my Instagram posts

🔹 Fire Department: 329 calls last week, 4,024 year-to-date.

Recruit Academy Week 11 moved into Technical Rope Rescue. Two new Nurse Practitioners are onboarding for the Ambulance Practitioner Unit. And SMFD's Fire Prevention Coordinator delivered Hands-Only CPR training to students at McKinley Elementary's CREST Club using a music-based approach to teach proper compression timing. Bystander CPR saves lives.

🔹 C3 and HMST first-half results (July 1 through December 31, 2025):

→ 💡 Lisa's story: A 50-year-old woman received keys to her own apartment in November 2025 after 18 years without a home. She pays rent on time, keeps her appointments, has rebuilt her relationship with her parents, and is on track to graduate from probation. When she signed the lease, she thanked the HMST team for never giving up on her.

→ ⚡ Project Homecoming this week: HLP officers connected with an individual downtown who had recently become homeless after traveling from Texas for work. Through coordination with the Salvation Army, they facilitated a return home to family. Since 2006, Project Homecoming has reunited more than 3,200 people with family willing to provide housing in their respective states. Separately, a veteran experiencing homelessness was connected to VA detox and housing services through sustained officer engagement.

→ 🎯 My take: These incidents confirm these models can work when held accountable. But the system is still strained. We are the end of the Metro line, a beach city with year-round weather, managing consequences that require regional and federal support. I will keep pushing at every level.

🔹 The Realignment Plan moved from planning into action. I ran on public safety, homelessness, and economic recovery, and last Tuesday's Council meeting delivered real policy on all three. Here is what moved forward:

→ 🎯 Items I championed or co-sponsored:

• No-cost sidewalk dining program (eliminates permit requirements for qualifying outdoor setups)
• Retail-to-Restaurant Activation Program + wastewater capacity fee waiver for restaurant projects
• Entertainment Zone designations for Downtown, the Pier, Main Street, and Montana Avenue
• Metro MOU authorizing SMPD to enforce on Metro platforms within city limits
• $3 million Economic Development Fund reserve

→ 💡 Archistar is launching. The AI-powered plan review technology I have been working to bring to Santa Monica started at a community event hosted by Michelle Edgar, where one introduction turned into a staff meeting, then a Council item, and now a citywide tool. That is what civic engagement looks like in practice.

→ ⚡ The through-line: From increased police staffing and the Downtown substation expansion, to the Nurse Practitioner street medicine program, to the People's Academy, to these economic recovery tools: this is work I championed and am proud of. It is happening. There is still more to do, and I am not slowing down.

👉 Watch the March 24 Council meeting on YouTube

🔹 The Financial Times just featured Santa Monica on its global stage. The FT's Globetrotter series, which profiles destinations alongside London, Tokyo, and Paris, spotlighted Ocean Avenue's Georgian Hotel: its 1933 Art Deco restoration, speakeasy with Prohibition-era history, and ocean views. Being featured alongside the world's greatest cities speaks to our global appeal.

🔹 Big Blue Bus lands $4.3 million in competitive federal funding for five new battery-electric buses, advancing the fleet toward fully zero-emission by 2032. More than 20 electric buses currently operate across the 195-vehicle fleet, with new charging infrastructure at the 6th Street depot set to begin construction next month. Over $75 million in state and federal grants have supported this transition.

🔹 New businesses keep choosing us:

→ 🎯 My take: From wellness studios to world-class biotech, every one of these is a bet on Santa Monica. Walk in and say welcome.

🔹 Jyan Isaac Bread expands, Eater LA notices. The beloved Ocean Park bakery at 1620 Ocean Park Blvd has added weekday lunch and weekend brunch. Eater LA called it one of the best new brunch options on the Westside. A homegrown success story: Jyan Isaac Horowitz started baking sourdough out of his family kitchen during the pandemic and built one of the region's most recognized bakeries.

👉 Learn more about Jyan Isaac Bread

🔹 For the first time ever, our city will have a float in the 2027 Rose Parade. The Tournament of Roses has officially accepted Santa Monica's application for the 138th parade on January 1, 2027. The theme: "Waves of Welcome." A staff committee is already interviewing float builders, developing a design concept featuring the Pier, the Ferris wheel, Route 66, and the coastline, and building a fundraising and volunteer strategy for this summer. Community and youth participation, including SamoHi groups, is part of the vision.

→ 🎯 My take: Millions of people will watch this parade on television. This is our chance to showcase who we are to the world.

🔹 MODE program: modest fare adjustment starting July 1. The on-demand Lyft ride program for seniors (65+) and residents with disabilities (18+) will see fares adjust:

Everything else stays the same: free companion rides, 30 trips per month, seven days a week. MODE now serves 2,265+ active members with 40,000+ annual rides, and topped 5,000 rides in a single month for the first time since the pandemic. Still one of the most affordable transportation options for the residents who rely on it most.

👉 Learn about the MODE program

🔹 Overnight sewer maintenance this week. The Wastewater team worked through the night along Cloverfield Boulevard and other corridors: condition assessments, jetting, debris removal, and inspections. Scheduled overnight to minimize disruption. Not glamorous, but exactly the kind of work that keeps the city running.

🔹 Seascape magazine is coming back in April. The first printed edition since September 2022, featuring a comprehensive look at the Realignment Plan's early progress: data dashboards, SaMo Bridge profiles, the Ambulance Operator Program, downtown improvements, library reopenings, and more. It will be mailed to every Santa Monica household and available digitally.

🔹 Neighborhood Organization Grant Program: applications reopened through April 9. Following Council direction, staff finalized updated guidelines and a 14-question FAQ addressing the most common concerns from neighborhood groups.

My Take: I originally supported the motion based on conversations with many of our neighborhood groups. But as the discussion continued, I heard real frustration about limits on how they communicate—especially through their own mailers. That shifted my vote. I ultimately voted no because these groups should feel free to connect with our community without added pressure or oversight. Our role is to support them, not shape how they show up.

🔹 CDBG and HOME Action Plan: public comment open through April 27. The proposed plan directs federal funds toward park improvements, small business support, homeless services, rental assistance, and affordable housing capacity. Email humanservices@santamonica.gov with comments.

👉 Learn about CDBG and HOME programs.

🔹 Spring Break at the Annenberg Community Beach House:

• Pop-Up Pool Days: April 2, 4, and 9 (11 AM to 5 PM, first-come first-served)
• Weekend canopy reservations: April 4 through May 17 (9 AM to 1 PM)
• Marion Davies Guest House tours: select dates April 1 through 13 (noon to 2 PM)

📅 Dates & What's Coming Up

🔹 Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 31, 6 to 8 PM. Power in Partnership and Collaboration Across Cities. I will be alongside Traci Park and Michelle Edgar for a Community Collective event. As we close out Women's History Month: collaboration during crisis, women in leadership, and much more. Free. Open to everyone.

👉 Get tickets on Eventbrite

🔹 Today, March 30. Coffee with a Cop at Amazon (2401 Colorado Ave).

🔹 Wednesday, April 1. Coffee with a Cop at St. John's (2121 SM Blvd).

🔹 Through April 6. Farmers Market prepared food vendor applications open (Pico and Main Street markets).

👉 Apply to be a food vendor

🔹 Through April 9. Neighborhood Organization Grant applications open.

🔹 Through April 27. CDBG/HOME public comment period.

🔹 Book time with me. Virtual, in-person at City Hall, or find me at the farmers market on weekends.

👉 Book Office Hours with Councilmember Lana Negrete

📱 Stay Connected

Got an issue to report? Want to make sure the city hears you?

👉 Report an Issue

If you haven't already, be sure to follow me on Instagram too for behind-the-scenes updates, event highlights, and my thoughts along the way as I continue to go on this journey with you.

👉 Follow me on Instagram

🌟 Closing Thought: The People You Don't Always See

This week was a reminder that the work of a city is not just the big votes. It is also the quiet moments. Sitting with a homebound neighbor during a Meals on Wheels delivery. Reading about Lisa, who spent 18 years without a home and just signed a lease. Watching 80 first graders walk to the Ocean Park Branch Library and get their very first library cards.

Palm Sunday at St. Monica brought me back to something I carry with me always: the faith that has gotten me through losing my dad, facing cancer, and everything in between. It shapes how I lead. Stay grounded. Keep showing up. Bring people together even when it is not easy.

If you are a hidden neighbor, your city sees you. If you own a small business carrying more than your share, I am fighting for you because I am one of you. And if you are looking for a way to plug in, come tomorrow night. The Community Collective is free, open to everyone, and a reminder that the most impactful ideas often start with one conversation.

Forward this to someone who cares about Santa Monica. We are stronger when more people are paying attention. 💙

Together, we're building a Santa Monica that works for everyone — a city where families can thrive, businesses can grow, and community comes first.

With gratitude and determination,
Lana Negrete
Councilmember, City of Santa Monica