🌟 Santa Monica Weekly with Councilmember Lana Negrete

📅 January 13, 2026

Hello Santa Monica friends,

Sometimes the most important work happens when you're away from the place you call home. I'm writing to you from New York, where I'm spending a few days with my youngest daughter—our friends are  performing in a musical and couldn't miss it. Being a mom doesn't pause when you become involved in public service, and frankly, I've learned that showing up for family makes me a better leader when I show up for you.

But even while I'm away, I'm staying engaged. I'll be calling into tonight’s City Council meeting because your voice—and mine—matters too much to sit out. This week's newsletter covers big items: downtown parking changes, our first-responders' incredible (and often heartbreaking) work, and some genuinely exciting things happening around the city. Let's see what we got.

🚨 Public Safety

🔹 A moment of acknowledgment. Last week, our firefighters and police officers responded to the heart-wrenching murder of a 15-month-old child. No words can fully capture what our first responders witness and carry with them after scenes like that. It's a sobering reminder of what they endure so our community can be protected. Please take a moment to thank our police officers and firefighters when you see them—they go through far more than most of us can ever imagine, and they show up anyway.

🔹 2025 by the numbers. SMPD responded to 124,848 calls for service last year—down from the prior year, reflecting smarter, more focused operations. Arrests were up nearly 23% due to more targeted enforcement. About 25% of calls are homelessness-related, involving outreach, mental-health crises, and welfare checks. These are complex calls that require time, patience, and care.

→ 📊 2025 Year-End Public Safety Snapshot:

→ 🎯 My take: Our Fire Department continues responding to all-hazards emergencies while also doing critical prevention work that keeps our community safe. This isn't just about enforcement—it's about showing up with professionalism, restraint, and care. I'm proud of our SMPD and SMFD.

🔹 Law Enforcement Appreciation Day (January 9). This one was personal. I grew up with many of the men and women who serve in our police department. I've known them as friends, classmates, and neighbors. Some of the very people who encouraged me to run for City Council are in uniform today. At a time when trust in law enforcement is tested across the country, I'm deeply proud of Santa Monica's police department—for their professionalism, their restraint, and the values behind the badge.

👉 Watch Council meetings live on YouTube

💼 Economic Development & Downtown

🔹 Downtown parking rates paused—your voice was heard. Many of you—especially downtown businesses and residents—spoke up about how the proposed parking changes would impact access and vitality. We heard you. As a result, the City is holding off on implementing new downtown parking structure rates while a downtown-specific approach comes forward for Council review on January 27.

→ 💡 What this means: This is proof that advocating for your business and your community matters. Voices raised thoughtfully do lead to action.

🔹 What's being proposed. Staff has been working on a Downtown Parking Access Program (DPAP) in response to feedback from fitness, health, and wellness businesses that rely on frequent, short visits. The original plan—cutting free parking from 90 minutes to 30 minutes—would have materially impacted their membership-based models. Several operators told us they'd reconsider staying in downtown Santa Monica.

→ 🎯 The new framework under development:

• First 90 minutes: $1 (weekdays and weekends)
• 90 minutes–3 hours: $3 weekdays / $4 weekends
• 3–5 hours: $10 weekdays / $12 weekends
• 5+ hours: $20 weekdays / $22 weekends

This approach preserves longer-stay pricing while providing a workable short-term option for high-frequency downtown users. My vote was not to shorten free parking until we filled up our storefronts - I think even though this may be cheaper for longer stays it is just the optics and until we fill up our stores we should try everything to attract shoppers.

🔹 Fitness & Wellness Pilot. Staff is also evaluating an 18-month pilot for gyms, yoga studios, and similar businesses with tiered annual parking validation programs. Schools operating downtown would also be able to provide 30-minute drop-off/pick-up validations at no cost.

→ 🔮 What's next: Staff will bring the full proposal to City Council on Tuesday, January 27. A future phase may explore spend-based validation for restaurants and retail in coordination with Downtown Santa Monica, Inc.

👉 View the City Council calendar

🏘️ Housing Re-Vote: What You Need to Know (January 13)

🔹 Why we're re-ratifying. On Tuesday, January 13, City Council will re-vote on five housing production–related actions originally adopted in 2025. State law requires this due to a conflict-of-interest determination that affected housing matters during that period. When a conflict is identified, we must formally reconsider those decisions so they remain legally valid and transparent.

🔹 What's being re-ratified:

1. SB 9 / SB 450 and SB 1123 – Resolution of Intent (Aug 12, 2025)
2. Affordable Housing Production Program (AHPP) Emergency ordinance (Aug 12, 2025)
3. High-Rise Definition Updates / Single-Stair Provisions (Sep 9, 2025)
4. Housing-Related Building Code Updates (Sep 30, 2025)
5. Direction to Extend and Amend the AHPP Program (Sep 30, 2025)

My take - we should not have gone above and beyond state requirements- I think the state is overreaching and taking away local control as it is around housing. I hope that we can reset as I see too many huge vacant and now for losing large developments that are filled with overpriced units and very few affordable options for working families.

🔹 Digital Billboard District. Also on Tuesday's agenda: final adoption of the Digital Display District along Third Street Promenade. If approved, this could generate up to $7 million annually for downtown revitalization.

→ 💡 Why this matters: These decisions permanently shape zoning standards, neighborhood scale, infrastructure, and livability. January 13 gives us a chance to re-examine what we adopted and ask: do these policies reflect the outcomes we actually want long-term?

👉 View the City Council agenda

🎨 Arts & Community Highlights

🔹 Art of Recovery: New microgrants and producing partners announced. The City's Art of Recovery program continues bringing free, accessible cultural experiences to Santa Monica's public spaces. New microgrant recipients include solo dance performances at Historic Belmar Park, sound-arts experiences at Camera Obscura, Drag-STEM musicals at the Annenberg Community Beach House, and natural-dye workshops at YALLWEST in collaboration with our library.

→ 🎯 My take: As someone who grew up in a musical family and runs the Santa Monica Music Center, I believe arts and culture are essential civic infrastructure—not extras. These programs activate public spaces, support local artists, and strengthen community connection.

🔹 Operation Make-a-Wish-Come-True recap. Last month, Virginia Avenue Park staff hosted a holiday celebration where children received gifts donated by community members. The Food Pantry also expanded assistance during the holidays, helping more than 250 families prepare holiday meals. Huge thanks to our Human Services staff, Virginia Avenue Park team, and Westside Food Bank for making this happen.

🌿 Sustainability Update

🔹 Low Carbon Concrete Ordinance showing results. Eighteen months in, early data is encouraging: of 11 projects that reached the construction phase, 10 met the ordinance's requirements. On average, compliant projects used concrete mixes with 10% lower carbon emissions than required—and one project achieved a 45% reduction.

→ 💡 What this means: While the sample size is still small, this is an early indicator that the policy can deliver meaningful reductions in greenhouse gas emissions as more projects come online.

🏖️ Around Town & Coastal Updates

🔹 Beach Dune Restoration Phase 3 begins Thursday, January 15. The California Coastal Commission has approved Phase 3, which will restore approximately 38.5 acres of foredune and back-dune habitat along nearly three miles of our coastline. This is a major milestone in Santa Monica's long-term coastal resilience and habitat restoration efforts.

🔹 ARB Special Meeting yesterday (January 12). The Architectural Review Board will review a proposed six-story, 59-unit mixed-use development at 2929 Pico Boulevard 1/12 at 7 PM. The project includes ground-floor commercial space and one subterranean parking level.

👉 View ARB meeting details

🗓️ What's Coming Up

🔹 Tuesday, January 13, 5:30 PM — City Council Meeting: Housing re-votes, digital billboard district final approval, and more. I'll be calling in from New York.

🔹 Thursday, January 15, 3:30–9:30 PM — Pier Drive-In Movie Night: "Grease" 🎬 This is the first-ever drive-in movie at the Santa Monica Pier! A limited number of vehicles can drive onto the upper Pier deck for a true retro experience above the Pacific Ocean. Movie starts at 6:30 PM. Plus: live DJ, classic car showcase, SamoHi Acapella performances, free popcorn for the first 200 guests, and a 1950s costume contest. Free tickets required via RSVP.

👉 RSVP for Pier Drive-In Movie (Free tickets)

🔹 Monday, January 19 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day

🔹 Tuesday, January 27, 5:30 PM — City Council Meeting: Downtown Parking Access Program review

🔥 One Year Later: Remembering January 7

This week marked one year since the Palisades and Eaton fires tore through our region. I had been mayor for just 30 days. I watched close friends, families, and business owners lose everything. I saw fear, exhaustion, and heartbreak up close. And I learned, very quickly, what it truly means to show up as a leader in a crisis.

Those days felt endless—coordinating across city, county, state, and federal agencies, working with Caltrans on roadblocks and traffic flow, pushing through bureaucratic barriers so information could move faster. It was painful. It was overwhelming. And it changed me.

A year later, the rebuilding continues. My heart remains with everyone still finding their footing. I stand with you—today and always.

📱 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: Showing Up, Even From Afar

Being a councilmember doesn't mean being everywhere physically—it means being present in the ways that matter. This week, that means calling into Council from across the country, staying on top of what's happening at home, and yes, supporting my daughter on her performing arts school tour.

Santa Monica isn't like other coastal cities. We have a major transit line, a pier, more tourist attractions, and more access points than most communities our size. That means we face unique challenges—but it also means we have unique opportunities to lead. Managing those realities requires collaboration, transparency, and a willingness to listen.

Thank you for staying engaged. Thank you for speaking up about parking, about housing, about the day-to-day stuff that matters. Your voice is what drives action.

See you in the neighborhood next week. 💙

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