🌟 Santa Monica Weekly with Mayor Lana Negrete

 📅 October 13, 2025

Hi Neighbors —

If this week had a headline, it would be “Show the work.” 

We’ve got more updates than usual — from Tech Week on Ocean to the Pier sign glow-up and a long list of community events — but the thread running through all of it is honest coordination and practical fixes. That’s why I authored Item 16B: when new County or State programs come to Santa Monica, you deserve early, clear information and a real chance to weigh in.

It’s the same reason we’re tightening our work with Metro and pushing treatment-first approaches for people in crisis. As a mom, renter, and small-business owner, I don’t have time for government theater — I want the simple things to work: safe streets, clean parks, buses that connect where people actually go, and a City Hall that speaks plainly.

This newsletter is my way of “showing the work” each week — the progress, the learning, and where I need your voice next.

🛡️ Public Safety & Community Well-Being

🔹 Behavioral Health Bridge Housing: Push for Clarity & Care
 We can’t treat acute mental illness with half-measures. That’s why I authored Item 16B on this week’s agenda — calling for clear, early communication from County/State when programs launch here, and for stronger coordination with DMH and St. Joseph Center. We need treatment-first models that actually stabilize people and support our neighborhoods.
👉Council Meeting Info

🔹 Fire Prevention Week: Education & Open House
 Thank you to everyone who came out to Fire Station 1 — battery safety demos, kids meeting firefighters, and lots of questions answered. Our Fire Department will keep bringing safety education out to markets and schools.
👉 See SMFD community programs & safety tips

🔹 Public Safety Snapshot (Oct 6–13)
 Shout out to our awesome SMPD & SMFD! They’re tough, compassionate, and get results.

SMPD responded to 2,607 calls (89 arrests; 33 encampments addressed). SMFD handled 316 calls (40 involving unhoused residents). We’re focused on crime reduction, traffic safety, and compassionate response — week in, week out.

💼 Economic Development & Downtown Vibes

🔹 Tech St. Santa Monica — Today on Ocean Ave
 We’re launching LA Tech Week right here: innovation showcases, music, and community energy along Ocean & Palisades Park. Library cardholders and BBB TAP users get free/discounted entry. Come meet the builders shaping what’s next — and keep dollars local while you’re at it.
👉 Get event details & tickets
👉 Free/discounted entry info (Library/TAP)

🔹 Pier Sign Glow-Up (and Bridge Timeline)
 A half-scale replica sign is now in Central Plaza by Pier Burger to keep the selfies snapping while the original 1941 neon gets restored during the Pier Bridge project. Work ramps up late 2025; the restored sign returns in 2027, just in time for the Olympics.
👉 Read the city’s project update

🔹 Holiday Construction Pause (Nov 26–Jan 2)
 To support small businesses through the shopping season, right-of-way work is paused in retail corridors except emergencies. Translation: fewer cones, easier strolling.
👉 City holiday moratorium info

🔹 Library Card = Local Discounts
 Twenty local businesses are offering cardholder perks — another way we link culture, learning, and our small-biz economy. Businesses can still join through Nov 30.
👉 Browse perks / apply to join

🔹 Deputy City Manager Christopher Smith — New Chapter
 Wishing Christopher all the best as he heads to Malibu to serve as Assistant City Manager. We’re grateful for his service to Santa Monica.
👉 About Christopher’s City service

🎓 Education, Mobility & City Services

🔹 Big Blue Bus: Route 9 to PCH & Sunset
 With the Gladstones redevelopment moving forward, Route 9 will finally close a key gap to the Palisades/Sunset area — better access for workers and visitors, fewer car trips.
👉 Route/service improvements overview

🔹 Metro Partnership — Safety & Outreach
 We met again with Metro leadership, including new Chief Bill Scott, to align fare enforcement and code-of-conduct protocols, expand shelter pathways (including potential SamoBridge coordination), and better sync County outreach teams with our local resources. This is the boring-but-essential plumbing of safer stations and better outcomes.
👉 Latest city meeting & agenda hub

🎉 Around Town: What’s Happening

🔹 Gather & Grow — Final Night (Sat, Oct 18 @ Reed Park)
 Vinyl Vibes, dance party, art workshops, wine garden, food by ¡Quesadilla Mía! Family-friendly, free — bring a blanket.
👉 Event details & RSVP

🔹 Pumpkin Day @ Downtown Farmers Market (Wed, Oct 15)
 $10 for all the pumpkins you can carry (8:30 a.m. until they’re gone). A local classic — and a workout.
👉 Market announcement & rules

🔹 Feed the Soil Workshop (Sat, Oct 18 @ Ishihara Park, 11–12:30)
 Composting with artist Debra Scacco — turn scraps into garden gold.
👉 Workshop details

🔹 Day of the Dog — Main Street (Sun, Oct 19)
 Pet parade, costume contest, beer garden, live music. Yes, there will be very good dogs.
👉 Event info

🔹 Off the Hook Seafood Festival — Santa Monica Pier (Sun, Oct 19)
 Seafood tastings, live music, supporting Heal the Bay — and 100% single-use-plastic-free.
👉 Tickets & details

🔹 Playland Arcade Turns 71 (All October)
 Giveaways, vintage displays, and Locals’ Night fun — celebrating a true Pier classic.
👉 See what’s planned

🔹 Community Gardens Keep Growing
 Dozens of volunteers, hundreds of pounds donated, and a seventh garden on the way. Want in?
👉 Volunteer with our gardens

🥕 Weekly Markets

Fresh produce and neighborhood hangs — see all four weekly markets and hours.
👉 Farmers Market schedule & locations

📱 Stay Connected

Got an issue to report? Want to make sure the City hears you?
👉 Report an Issue (Santa Monica 311)
For behind-the-scenes updates and quick takes as things unfold:
👉 Follow me on Instagram

🌟 Closing Thought

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and as a survivor I’m here because of early detection, good care, and a community that wouldn’t let me carry it alone.

Policy can feel huge, but change usually looks small at first: a neighbor showing up to a meeting, a gardener donating a Saturday, a bus line finally closing a gap, a tough question asked with kindness. Thank you for the grace you’ve given me to be direct and sometimes uncomfortable — I promise to keep telling you the truth, fighting for treatment-first solutions, and inviting everyone to the table.

If you’ve been putting off a screening, please make the appointment. If you’ve got a thought on this week’s agenda, share it. We’ll keep “showing the work,” together.