🌟 Santa Monica Weekly with Mayor Lana Negrete — December 2, 2025 • Reflections on My Final Week as Mayor

Hello Santa Monica,

As I enter my final week serving as your Mayor, I'm moved to share not just the updates from this past week, but reflections from a year that has changed me, tested me, strengthened me, and deepened my love for this community.

It was Thanksgiving week — a time for family, gratitude, and service — and also a week that required decisive action, transparency, and steady leadership. I spent Thanksgiving hosting family and close friends in my home, one of the traditions I cherish most. I hope each of you enjoyed a warm and meaningful holiday surrounded by the people you love.

On Wednesday, my family and I volunteered at the annual St. Monica's Thanksgiving Feast. Over 1,000 people in need were welcomed. More than 500 volunteers showed up. Guests received hot meals, clothing, haircuts, dental and medical checks. Providers offered onsite help with IDs, housing support, and other essential services. This event grows every year, and each time I leave deeply inspired by the compassion of our community. My kids and I spent time connecting with guests one-on-one — hearing their stories and offering support and dignity. It's one of the most grounding traditions my family shares.

But of course, in true Santa Monica fashion, the week also brought urgent challenges. Here's what happened and why it matters.

🚨 Public Safety & Accountability

🔹 Ocean Ave update — full inspection, transparency, and a 16-Item Accountability Framework coming December 9: On the day before Thanksgiving, residents raised concerns about people being moved into 413 Ocean Avenue under the label of "sober living," with no permit, no license, and no notification. Within hours, I escalated the issue to our City Manager and activated a full team response — Fire, Building & Safety, Code Enforcement, Housing & Human Services, and SMPD.

On Friday, November 28, our teams conducted a comprehensive inspection. What we found confirms what many of you suspected: the building is not in good shape and not ready for residential use, the facility was operating without permits or licenses, and over 30 people were still on-site even though some had been moved to Thousand Oaks.

→ 🏢 What the inspection revealed: The operator planned to house approximately 58 people (two per room), on-site staff described the use as a sober living program but claimed they were unaware the facility was unpermitted, and the operator appears to work through multiple legal entities. On-site staff also indicated a similar use may be planned for 825 Ocean Ave.

→ 🎯 My priority: Vulnerable people deserve dignity, stability, and real oversight — not to be shuffled into unsafe, unlicensed spaces. Over the holiday weekend I continued monitoring the situation, sharing transparent updates on Instagram, and communicating directly with the operator to confirm folks were safely relocated , the operator was instructed that no unpermitted activity can continue, and the City exercised every tool available under state law.

→ 🛡️ What's next — 16-Item Accountability Framework: This incident exposed a larger statewide problem of loopholes and lack of oversight that put both vulnerable populations and neighborhoods at risk. That's why I am formally introducing a 16-Item Accountability Framework at the December 9 Council Meeting, designed to create stronger guardrails, require earlier notification, set clearer safety standards, and prevent this type of surprise, unregulated placement from happening again. This is a priority for me — and I will continue fighting for these protections as your Councilmember.

These are documented findings, not allegations. Follow-up letters were issued to the owner, developer, and operator outlining compliance requirements, relocation timelines, updated citations, and clear identification of the actual use. Operations must cease until all permits, licensing, and a Certificate of Occupancy are secured.

🔹 School zone safety — what I'm watching and acting on: On Monday, November 25, I drove through the 7th & Michigan area during my morning school drop-off and saw exactly what myself and parents have been routinely reporting: someone blocking the sidewalk where students walk, activity in nearby alleys, and routes that don't feel safe. As a mom whose own kids take these same routes, that hits hard. I flagged it immediately with a Beat 1 SMPD officer and the area was cleared — but we all know this can't be a one-day fix.

Throughout this past week, I've continued working directly with SMPD and our City Manager on neighborhood safety updates — including 7th & Michigan, Lincoln, Pico, and school routes — to ensure safe passage for students and families. Our kids deserve safe, clear routes every single morning, and I'm committed to staying on this from the same sidewalks we all use.

→ 📱 See something? Report it: Use the 311 app to document what you're seeing so we can continue addressing hotspot areas and responding faster.

👉 Download the 311 app

💼 Downtown Economy

🔹 Downtown activation and public safety engagement continues: This past week I've continued business engagement, supporting downtown foot and bike patrols, and activating our public spaces with new events and music. We've expanded public safety presence across the city, strengthened our APU homelessness response unit, and I've continued using Instagram to provide real-time updates and education during emergencies — because government only works when people feel connected to it.

🎓 Education & Youth Engagement

🔹 Mayor's Tour with St. Matthew's 7th graders! Yesterday, I had the joy of hosting one of my favorite events: the Mayor's Tour with the seventh graders from St. Matthew's. We explored our sustainable City Hall East, the SWIP water-recycling infrastructure underground, our historic City Hall, and held a Q&A with the Santa Monica Police Department.

The students asked brilliant questions about homelessness, public safety, and civic leadership. Their curiosity reminds me why educating the next generation is one of the most important parts of this job. After the tour, I sat down with Officer Ricky Verbeck to record an episode of The Blue Notebook podcast — diving deep into service, accountability, and what we've learned from this year.

💛 A Year of Challenge, Service & Resilience

When I stepped into this role a year ago, I was still recovering from cancer and grieving the loss of my father and trying to keep the doors of our family business open. And somehow, this year asked even more of us:

A fire evacuation. Water outages. National Guard coordination. Caltrans road closures and encampment issues. Supporting bringing in five schools and multiple businesses during emergency displacement. A citywide manhunt. Hiring a new City Manager. Transitioning through the loss of our City Attorney. Meeting elected officials at every level — more in 30 days than my entire prior tenure. Hosting embassy leaders exploring Santa Monica for Olympic houses. Meeting with ESPN, festival organizers, and major event partners. Advocating for economic recovery and activation. Strengthening ties between the City, SMPD, SMFD, DA Nathan Hochman, and community partners.

And through all this, what I'm most proud of is the connection we built together.

I've held weekly community conversations. Walked neighborhoods. Activated downtown with new events and music. Expanded public safety presence. Supported our APU homelessness response unit. Strengthened transparency in development and prosecution. Advocated for safer parks. Protected longtime residents like the Virginia Avenue tenants. Used Social Media to provide real-time updates and education during emergencies. And welcomed more residents into City Hall than ever before.

Because government only works when people feel connected to it.

🏛️ Transition Ceremony — You're Invited!

This is my final week as your Mayor. On Monday, December 9, I will formally transition out of the role, and Mayor Pro Tem Caroline Torosis will be sworn in as the next Mayor for the upcoming 12 months.

You are warmly invited to attend:

📍 Santa Monica City Hall
🕓 4:30–5:30 PM – Small Reception
🕕 5:30 PM – Stay for the Council Meeting & Transition Ceremony

I will be sharing parting words of gratitude, and I would be honored to have you there.

🎄 Mark Your Calendar

🔹 Official City of Santa Monica Tree Lighting Ceremony — Thursday, December 4 • 6:00–8:00 PM • Third Street Promenade (1300 block): Santa lights the tree and takes FREE photos with everyone! Enjoy special performances by local choirs and the Nutcracker, "snow" on the Promenade, hot cocoa, holiday crafts, and a holiday dance party. All activities are free and open to all ages.

👉 RSVP for Tree Lighting Ceremony

🔹 Thursday, December 4th at 7pm. Is the NOMA meeting where state and county officials alongside myself and our city manager will discuss Ocean Ave.

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81526517066

🔹 Montana Avenue Holiday Walk & Marketplace — Saturday, December 6 • 12:00–8:00 PM • Montana Avenue: Tree lighting ceremony at 5:30 PM, plus FREE photos with Santa, train rides, the Grinch & Cindy Lou, Princess Elsa, live music, carolers, holiday market, and more. The street will be closed to cars!

👉 Learn about Montana Avenue Holiday Walk

🔹 Santa Monica's 150th Anniversary Grand Finale — Saturday, December 13 • 12:00–5:00 PM • Third Street Promenade: This free public festival brings together 3 blocks of the Promenade with live music, art activations, dancing (including salsa with me!), mega-mahjong, interactive installations, and family-friendly activities. It's the capstone moment of our 150th Anniversary campaign — honoring 150 years of history while launching the next chapter of Santa Monica's journey.

👉 Learn more about the 150th Anniversary Finale

🕎 December 26th on the 1200 block of the 3rd St., Promenade is the annual menorah lighting - the event will be ran by Gan Israel.

📱 Stay Connected

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

👉 Report an issue through 311

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 Mayor Lana Negrete on Instagram

🧡 Closing Thoughts

It has been the honor of my life to serve as Mayor of the city that raised me. Santa Monica is like any deep, long-term relationship — beautiful, complicated, full of challenges and growth. But I am committed to doing this work with you and for all of us.

Thank you for trusting me.
Thank you for challenging me.
Thank you for letting me show up — every day — with honesty and heart.

I'm not going anywhere. I will continue serving as your Councilmember. And we still have so much to do together.

December brings tree and menorah lightings, holiday gatherings, and our 150th Anniversary Grand Finale, Locals night at the Pier — moments to celebrate what we've built together and where we're headed next. I hope you'll join us.

Hit reply and tell me what you're seeing in your neighborhood. I read every message, and your input shapes what I push for next. Let's keep building this together. See you at the tree lighting on December 4th. 🎄

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
Mayor, City of Santa Monica