🌟 Santa Monica Weekly with Councilmember Lana Negrete

📅 February 2, 2026

Hello Santa Monica,

This week marks the beginning of February—Black History Month, the Month of Love, and the month our $35.5 million Pier Bridge project really hits its stride. We're launching one of the nation's longest-running citywide reading programs today, honoring a century of Black history commemorations, celebrating 400 guests at Marion Davies' birthday bash, and welcoming new businesses to our downtown.

Oh—and I’d love to explain in more detail why I voted NO on Item 10A last week.

That's a lot, but I promise it’s all worth noting. Here we go.

🚨 Public Safety

🔹 Year-to-date data reflects continued momentum. Through January, we've seen significant increases in both community engagement and enforcement activity:

→ 🎯 My take: More calls reflect more community engagement. More arrests reflect more targeted enforcement. And stronger coordination between SMPD and the City Attorney's Office is translating to approximately 88% filing rates, up from 65-70% previously. Enforcement without follow-through is theater. Follow-through makes the difference. This is something I've pushed for years; I’m happy it’s starting to catch on.

🔹 Crime suppression this week. Officers took multiple suspects into custody for firearm possession, outstanding felony warrants, parole and probation violations, and assault-related offenses. Downtown, beach areas, and parks remained a primary focus.

🔹 Traffic enforcement in action. Citywide DUI saturation patrols continued, along with high-visibility enforcement in school zones and major corridors.

🔹 Homelessness response this week. Our Homeless Liaison Program conducted 203 self-initiated outreach activities, completed 86 periodic checks, and addressed 9 encampments across the city. Individuals were connected to shelter, treatment, and housing—including a successful placement through SamoBridge.

🔹 2026 Homeless Count recap. On Thursday evening, more than 125 volunteers participated in the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, which is part of LAHSA's annual point-in-time census. St. Monica Catholic Church hosted our deployment site, with coordination from Downtown Santa Monica, Inc.  This is an effort that continues to draw increased attention and scrutiny. As the issue of homelessness and the programs funded to address these folks remain front and center for our community, residents are asking important questions about transparency, data integrity, and whether our current approaches are delivering real, measurable results. Compassion must be paired with accountability if we want lasting solutions. I don’t know that this point in time count is accurate but nonetheless we’ll get results from the count late spring / early summer.

🔥 Fire Department Update

🔹 Ambulance program now fully operational. As of Sunday, February 1, all six City ambulances are in service—providing exclusive, citywide emergency medical response 24/7. This marks the culmination of months of planning, phased deployment, and intensive training. Full deployment improves system reliability, strengthens response capacity, and ensures Santa Monica residents and visitors receive high-quality, timely emergency medical care.

🔹 Recruit Academy Week 2. Recruits were introduced to operating heavy fire apparatus through State Fire Training's Driver/Operator 1A course, covering defensive driving, vehicle inspection, and hands-on driver training using a cone course.

🔹 Community outreach. On January 27, SMFD attended Career Day at St. Anne's, engaging students and sharing the variety of career opportunities within the department.

Fire Prevention Weekly Data:

🏗️ Pier Bridge Replacement Project — Construction Is Here

🔹 A once-in-a-generation infrastructure investment. The Santa Monica Pier Bridge—built in 1939—is being replaced. This $35.5 million project will deliver a seismically upgraded, ADA-accessible bridge with a 15-foot-wide sidewalk, designed to serve residents, visitors, and businesses for the next 75 years, well ahead of the 2028 Olympics.

→ 💡 What's happening now: Construction crews have removed the staircase near Appian Way (closed since the Northridge earthquake in the '90s) and are preparing for upcoming structural work. Pier restaurants, shops, and entertainment remain FULLY OPEN throughout construction, so please keep enjoying all the fun!

🔹 Temporary impacts starting today:

Wayfinding signage and traffic control measures are in place. Access to the Pier remains open.

👉 Pier Bridge Project updates

💼 Economic Development

🔹 Cannabis retailer applications now open. On January 26, the City began accepting applications for adult-use commercial cannabis retailer business licenses. In the first week, two applications were submitted—both at key commercial addresses (Third Street Promenade and Main Street) from applicants participating in our social equity program. Applications are processed first-come, first-served in designated zones, with no cap on the number of retail applications the City will accept.

My Take: I have mixed feelings - I definitely wanted a cap on applications as I felt an unlimited supply of cannabis shops is not what we want to fill our vacant storefronts with. I also see the revenue opportunity for the city given so many of these are just outside of the city and we have an opportunity to capture some of that tax revenue and direct some of it towards addiction treatment programs. (Seems ironic I know …)

👉 Cannabis business info

🔹 Vacant property becoming active again. The former Wienerschnitzel site at 3010 Pico Boulevard—vacant for years and a source of repeated community complaints—is nearing reopening as an Intelligentsia Coffee location. This is exactly the outcome we've been working toward: bringing underutilized properties back into productive use, improving neighborhood conditions, and supporting economic activity.

→ 🎯 Coming in July 2026: New vacant property ordinance requirements take effect citywide, strengthening our ability to require active maintenance, security, and accountability from property owners when spaces remain unused.

🔹 Downtown openings continue. Couplet Coffee has opened at 525 Santa Monica Boulevard, and The Cube Virtual Reality is now welcoming visitors at 1248 Third Street Promenade. Additional businesses preparing to open soon include a second Equinox location (near Broadway and 7th), Cassetta Dessert Bar, ViviBowl, and Taco Bell Cantina.

🔹 City advocates for regional bike connectivity. The city has sent a letter urging Caltrans to restore its Ohio-to-Ohio protected bike lane project. As Santa Monica prepares to transform Broadway into a Class IV protected bike lane, restoring this Caltrans project would create a seamless regional connection to UCLA, the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, University High School, and the under-construction Metro D Line.

🗳️ My Vote on Item 10A: Here's Why I Said No

🔹 Let me explain my position. Last week, City Council voted on Item 10A: the Right to Recall ordinance. The title “sounds” good: protecting workers, saving jobs, making sure families can eat. But headlines, the loudest voices, and nice titles don't always tell the whole story.

This ordinance goes beyond state law and tells certain hospitality businesses on City-owned property how  they must hire, who they must hire, and for how long—even after a change in ownership. For small businesses without legal teams or HR departments, this creates rigid mandates and litigation risk that many simply can't absorb.

→ 🎯 My concern: Policies like this push out mom-and-pop businesses and favor large corporate operators who can absorb compliance costs. That's how you end up with a Pier full of chains instead of unique, locally owned businesses that give Santa Monica its character. As a small business owner myself, I understand what these kinds of mandates mean on the ground.

My concern is not about union members themselves, but about whether this item reflects a broad community priority or a politically active special interest (Unite Here Local 11) pushing policy through Council. In an election year, we need to carefully consider whether we are making policy based on demonstrated resident demand or organized political advocacy.

I respect workers. I support fair wages and dignity at work. However, I will not support policies rushed through without business roundtables, economic analysis, or real due diligence —especially when they risk doing the opposite of what's promised. That's why I voted NO.

👉 Watch my full statement (Instagram)

🚌 Big Blue Bus Updates

🔹 Transit Equity Day is Wednesday, February 4. Big Blue Bus is offering FREE RIDES all day to honor Rosa Parks' birthday and celebrate transit equity. A great opportunity to explore our system if you haven't tried it lately. One of my favorite quotes from a true American hero:

“Each person must live their life as a model for others.” —Rosa Parks 

🔹 Route 9 Palisades High Express is back. With Palisades High School returning to its home campus, BBB restored express trips from Downtown Santa Monica to the Pali campus. Based on strong ridership and direct student feedback during the first week, a third afternoon return trip was added to ease crowding.

👉 Watch the BBB welcome-back video (Instagram)

🏠 Housing Updates

🔹 PHA Plan open for public comment. The Santa Monica Housing Authority is in a 45-day public review period for its required Public Housing Authority Plan, which governs Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) policies. The review period runs through March 6, with final submission to HUD by April 17.

→ 📍 Key dates:

• Tuesday, February 3: Virtual workshop for voucher holders
• Thursday, February 6: Housing Commission reviews draft plans (6:15 PM)
• Thursday, March 26: Public hearing before Housing Authority Board

👉 Housing Authority updates

🔹 Housing Office Hours continue. On January 21, approximately 20 households attended the first quarterly session at Virginia Avenue Park, receiving hands-on assistance with Below Market Housing, Preserving Our Diversity, and other City programs in both English and Spanish. Next session: April 15.

📚 Education & Libraries

🔹 Santa Monica Reads 2026 launches TODAY. The nation's longest-running community-wide reading program begins its 23rd year with What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama—a heartwarming novel about how a wise neighborhood librarian helps people at crossroads find clarity and courage. Free copies and resource guides are available at all library locations while supplies last.

→ 📍 Featured event: Author Michiko Aoyama travels from Japan for a discussion and book signing on Saturday, February 28, 2–4 PM at Main Library.

👉 Santa Monica Reads info

🔹 Library team recognized for branch reopenings. At the January 27 Council meeting, we recognized Library staff for the months of coordinated work that went into reopening Fairview and Ocean Park branches—recruiting staff, rebuilding schedules, refreshing spaces, and restoring collections.

✨ Black History Month: A Century of Commemorations

🔹 This year marks the 100th anniversary of Black History Month. At our January 27 meeting, City Council honored local individuals and organizations whose leadership has enriched Santa Monica's cultural, civic, and social life:

👉 Black History Month events

🌊 Beach & Environment

🔹 Phase 3 Beach Dune Restoration underway. In partnership with The Bay Foundation, crews have begun restoring native sand dune habitat on South Beach—approximately 8 acres of coastal strand ecosystem. Early work includes post-and-rope fencing, informational signage, and native seed installation. Beach dunes absorb wave energy, support native wildlife, and improve long-term shoreline resilience in the face of sea-level rise. Public access along the beach remains available.

🔹 Zero Waste Team supports local businesses. Throughout 2025, the RRR Zero Waste team conducted hands-on outreach to help businesses comply with state recycling and composting requirements:

This work helps reduce contamination, improves diversion outcomes, and supports Santa Monica's climate goals—while centering partnership, education, and practical problem-solving.

👉 Recycling and composting info

🎉 Community Highlights

🔹 "Happy Birthday, Marion!"  drew 400 guests. Under sunny skies on January 25, the Annenberg Community Beach House hosted its largest celebration yet. Guests in vintage-inspired attire enjoyed music by Janet Klein & Her Parlor Boys, dance lessons from UCLA Historic Ballroom Dance Club, and a fashion show by the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles Makers Group. After last year's cancellation due to wildfires, the return felt especially meaningful—a joyful reminder of the Beach House's role as a place for history, community, and celebration.

🔹 California Youth Service Forum hosted in Santa Monica. On January 25, the City's Office of Sustainability partnered with Youth Service America to host a statewide forum bringing together youth leaders, educators, and community organizations. Each participant received a Certificate of Civic Engagement that may be applied toward school volunteer hour requirements.

🔹 Miles Memorial Playhouse Open House — Saturday, February 7. Stop by from 10 AM to 2 PM for free historic tours led by the Santa Monica Conservancy (11 AM–12 PM), information about the Reed Park Community Garden, and a preview of new community classes launching this year.

👉 RSVP for the Open House

📋 Council Update: Neighborhood Organization Grants

🔹 Program updates being finalized. Following Council action in September 2025 establishing updated parameters for the Neighborhood Organization Grant Program, staff circulated draft materials to current City-recognized neighborhood organizations for review. Several organizations have raised concerns about administrative expense restrictions, political endorsement policies, demographic data collection, and timing.

→ 💡 What's happening next: Staff is scheduling meetings with interested neighborhood organizations to walk through the draft materials, hear feedback directly, and clarify where policy decisions made by Council differ from implementation details staff can refine. Final guidelines will reflect Council-adopted policy while incorporating appropriate adjustments.

🏛️ Architectural Review Board — TODAY

🔹 ARB meets Monday, February 2 to consider design-related items for two proposed residential projects:

📅 Key February Dates

🔹 Monday, February 2 — Architectural Review Board meeting

🔹 Tuesday, February 3 — Housing Authority virtual workshop for voucher holders

🔹 Wednesday, February 4 — Transit Equity Day: FREE BBB rides all day

🔹 Thursday, February 5 — Housing Commission meeting, 6:15 PM

🔹 Saturday, February 7 — Miles Memorial Playhouse Open House, 10 AM–2 PM

🔹 Tuesday, February 10 — City Council meeting, 5:30 PM

🔹 Monday, February 16 — Presidents' Day (City offices closed)

🔹 Thursday, February 19 — Santa Monica Reads book discussion, 6 PM at Montana Branch

🔹 Saturday, February 28 — Santa Monica Reads author event with Michiko Aoyama, 2–4 PM at Main Library

📱 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

Yesterday at the Main Street Farmers Market, I spent time talking with neighbors and hearing personal stories, concerns, and ideas, along with thoughtful feedback. These conversations are why I value being out in the community.

I write these newsletters to stay connected and to keep you informed about what is happening in our city. I value your perspective and the conversations we have out in the neighborhood, and I will continue sharing what I know, what I am working on, and where I see opportunities to collaborate, always advocating for residents, local businesses, our kids, and a safer, cleaner, more livable Santa Monica. I hope to see you in person soon out and about in the city.

💙Please stop by the Pico Farmers Market this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. and say hi. I would love to hear from you.

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