🌟 Santa Monica Weekly with Mayor Lana Negrete — October 21, 2025

Hello Neighbors,

This week was a tough one. After Friday’s ICE operation on Pico, I went home and cried. I thought about the families torn apart in the middle of an ordinary workday, and about how quickly fear can ripple through a community we love.

But something else made me smile. I also saw what makes Santa Monica so powerful: neighbors checking on each other, volunteers stepping up, and local businesses making sure their workers felt supported. That’s who we are.

As your Mayor, I’ll keep insisting on transparency (so people know what’s happening and why), civility (so we argue policies without dehumanizing people), and real accountability (so criminal behavior doesn’t cycle back onto our streets). Because keeping Santa Monica safe and standing up for one another are not competing goals; they’re one and the same.

And because October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I hope you’ll join me at the Pier this Saturday to walk with my team, The Tough Titty Committee. Together, we’ll show that strength and empathy are not opposites; they’re the heart of this city.

🚓 Public Safety & Civic Life

🔹 Countering ICE activity: compassion + concrete support
 After Friday’s operation near Pico/Gilbert’s, our community came together quickly — identifying families, connecting them with legal aid, housing, and basic needs. I’m deeply proud of the volunteers and local partners who responded within hours. If you’ve asked how to help, here’s one verified need.
👉 Support Javier Celestino’s family (GoFundMe)

🔹 Accountability with our DA & local prosecution
 I convened our City Manager, Interim Police Chief, City Attorney’s prosecution team, and District Attorney Nathan Hochman to strengthen how we coordinate enforcement and prosecution. Why it matters: when misdemeanor cases warrant it, they should be elevated and prosecuted consistently so repeat offenses don’t recycle through our neighborhoods. That’s how we back our officers, protect victims, and restore trust.

🔹 By the numbers (recent snapshot)
 Targeted narcotics enforcement and multiple felony warrant arrests were completed; 20+ encampments cleared with 86 referrals to services (including a VA linkage for an elderly veteran). These actions keep our city safer and more humane.
👉 Learn about City public safety programs

💼 Economic Development & Downtown Vitality

🔹 Business roundtable next
 Following our public-safety coordination, I’m launching a business roundtable so storefront owners and workers hear directly how we’re aligning enforcement, prosecution, and cleanliness — and so we can hear your pain points in real time.
👉 Connect with Business resources

🔹 Unite Here Right-to-Recall request
 Roughly 60 Unite Here representatives delivered a letter to City Hall requesting adoption of a local right-to-recall regulation. I want to be clear: while I value every worker’s voice, I believe this proposal is inappropriate during a time when so many businesses are still struggling to stay open.
👉 Read the Unite Here letter (PDF)

🔹 Pier activation: “California Roadhouse” in review
 The former Rusty’s space has a preferred concept advancing — live music, local ownership, and a familiar Santa Monica vibe. Activating key spaces thoughtfully helps our Pier thrive while preserving its character.

🔹 Digital Display District proposal (Promenade & Santa Monica Place)
 A draft ordinance is moving to the Planning Commission with guardrails on size, lighting, and content. The goal: smart activation without losing our charm. Why I support: Activating Downtown in new, exciting ways supports economic recovery and local businesses.

🎓 Education, Arts & Community

🔹 Libraries & local arts = community glue
 From McKinley Elementary’s Family Literacy Night to Orchestra Santa Monica’s inclusive performance with Jazz Hands for Autism, our cultural spaces remain some of the most welcoming, barrier-free doors in the city — especially for families and neurodiverse neighbors.
👉 Explore Library & Arts events

🔹 Airport Arts Center
 “Laboratory for the Future” by Debra Scacco is now open, with the next artist talk on the horizon. If you haven’t yet, stop by and see what our local artists are creating.
👉Info about the Event

🎀 Community Spotlight: Make Strides with Us (This Saturday)

🔹 Walk with my team — The Tough Titty Committee
 As a breast cancer survivor, October is personal. This Saturday at the Pier, we walk to raise funds for research, treatment, and support. If you’ve been meaning to do one thing this month, make it this. Bring your family, bring a friend — and wear pink.
👉 Join or donate to our team

📅 What’s Next

🔹 Oct 24 — Spooky Splash @ Swim Center (5–8 pm)
 Floating pumpkin patch, crafts, haunted house, films, and food trucks. A fun and safe family evening.
👉 Get Event Details

🔹 Oct 28 — Council presentation: City “Realignment” plan
 Our City Manager will share an operations and investment realignment focused on homelessness, clean, and safe — a pragmatic roadmap for progress.

🔹 Oct 29 — Planning Commission (Digital Displays)
 Weigh in on how to balance activation and character downtown. City Hall @ 6pm.

🧰 Quick City Updates

🔹 Climate & renter resilience
 Santa Monica earned a Beacon Spotlight (Platinum) for cutting community GHG emissions by 54% since 1990. POD senior renter assistance has also expanded for tenants in rent-controlled homes (now including move-ins before 2010).
👉 More Info

🔹 Local business notes
 From coffee roasters to creative studios, our small businesses keep Santa Monica’s character alive. If you’re opening or hiring, reach out — I’m always happy to spotlight local entrepreneurs.

📱 Stay Connected

Got an issue to report? Want to make sure the City hears you?
👉 Report an Issue (Santa Monica 311)

Follow along for behind-the-scenes updates, event highlights, and candid thoughts as we keep moving Santa Monica forward together.
👉 Follow me on Instagram

🌟 Closing Thought

Cities are living, breathing things — and so are the people who lead and love them. This week asked us to be both strong and soft: firm on accountability, generous in compassion. That balance is how we keep Santa Monica safe, clean, and kind. I’ll keep doing the work in the room — and I’m grateful you keep showing up outside it.

See you on the Pier Saturday. 💗