u/Biasedsm

As council members they voted in lock step for years. Both voted multiple times against an independent investigation into known council corruption, opposed new family housing and used their platform to tell tourists Santa Monica was unsafe and not to come. The list of shared votes and policy prescriptions are long while they accomplished nothing of note.

Neither has publicly addressed resident concerns about why they are suddenly at odds.

The establishment democrats on the council have voted to delay implementation of SB79 entitled new home construction for 10 years. The area around the Bundy/Expo line needs a local zoning change in order to be part of the delaying strategy. The choice 6 council members made was to allow SB79 zoning in a small area of single family homes instead of a multi family zoned neighborhood.

The vote was 6-1. Lana Negrete, who is the center right democrat champion, is trying to force the zoning changes into the multi family rental area. The outcome she advocates for is displacing renters in order to save single family homes from becoming duplexes.

The impacted single family homeowners are objecting even though they stand to make millions just by owning a home in the area. They are incensed that a new family friendly building with five 3 bedroom units is being proposed on one of the lots. They even started their own neighborhood group!

There is an informational meeting tonight in Council Chambers on this subject. Mayor Torosis will be leading the meeting and our center right democrats, as is well documented, hate her. If you like the idea of exploding NIMBY heads, this shows for you!

Our housing stock is aging and deferred maintenance is both a safety and quality of life issue for residents.

Santa Monica’s political establishment seems focused on making sure property owners cannot rebuild. Single family homeowners fight every single new housing development or new state law like it’s a life or death battle.

What Santa Monica never discusses are the day to day struggles of residents in crappy buildings. Property owners never get a chance to justify their lack of investment so government remedies are not even considered.

Negrete has been on the council for nearly 6 years, did a stint as mayor and is running a campaign for the second time. She has excellent name recognition, too.

Should Lana Negrete drop out of the council race?

That’s right – Zombie’s.

Ideas voters overwhelming rejected in ’22 and ’24 are trying to crawl back to life. The old Slate of Change is trying to make a comeback.  Boomer “political” clubs are aligning and they plan to lead the attack.

Defeated and disgraced establishment politicians are dying to get re-elected. The Slate of Change is on the march even though we buried them in '22 and '24. SMRR and the neighborhood groups have popped out of their graves in the hopes of eating our future. NIMBY's are still wailing about losing a past that never existed

Our Zombies scream “supply and demand doesn’t work in Santa Monica”, “Santa Monica is a dangerous crime hellhole”, “stop new home development” and “get rid of those bike lanes”. They scare themselves into a frenzy of illogic.

Santa Monica's Zombies have no plans. They have no solutions to our local affordability crisis nor do they have data to back up their plaintive wails.

Election 2026 is, in part, about making the undead dead again.