We should be able to walk through our neighborhoods, run a business, or call for help knowing the city takes our safety seriously. We should also expect everyone involved to be treated with dignity. The question is which combination of prevention, response, and follow-through reduces harm, and how we would know.
A city also has to prepare for the days that overwhelm ordinary routines. In January 2025 the Palisades Fire burned to within 0.4 miles of Santa Monica's northern boundary1.
We start from shared commitments: protect people from harm, respect the rights and agency of everyone involved, use limited public money where it makes a real difference, and learn from results rather than reassurance.
Residents' experiences matter. A frightening incident and a citywide average both describe something real; neither describes everyone's risk. Being unhoused is not itself a safety problem; the housing policy area carries that argument.
Environment: this page covers Wildfire hazard zones and evacuation; Coastal bluff and freeway slope hazards; Sea-level rise in the Local Coastal Program; Hazard mitigation and climate adaptation planning. Go to that section.
Question 1
What would being safer actually mean?
TakeawaySafety includes fewer harms, reliable help, and confidence that public spaces are usable.
Suppose police activity rises. What would tell you life is actually safer? Fewer people victimized or injured, fewer repeat harms, help that arrives reliably, and the sense that a park or sidewalk is yours to use. That last one is a real outcome, measured differently from crime, and different neighborhoods, workers and visitors can experience the same policy differently.
Each measure has limits. Recorded crime depends partly on reporting and recording. A survey reflects its sample. Arrests and citations count police activity. Easier reporting can raise reports without more crime.
The city reported that Part I crime fell 12.5% from 2024 to 20252. Most of that year preceded the full deployment in December 2025, and the 2024 baseline was revised, so the decline cannot show what the deployment achieved. For the first months after, the city reported only activity counts, not crime or how safe residents feel.
What each measure can and cannot tell you
| Outcome | Suitable measure | Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer people harmed | Recorded offenses by type | Depends on reporting and recording; a total can hide different offense trends |
| Less repeat harm | Repeat victimization and repeat contacts | Needs consistent tracking over time |
| Reliable help | Response times against each service's own target | Each service defines its measure differently |
| Feeling safe | Resident survey | Reflects the people sampled and the questions asked |
| Police activity | Arrests, stops, citations | Counts effort, not results |
Arrests and citations are not safety outcomes. A full-year change that largely precedes a new deployment cannot establish that deployment's effect. We do not estimate unreported crime.
Why the 2024 crime baseline is uncertain
The June 2025 police annual report gave 2024 Part I crime as 4,8403. The March 2026 update used 4,793 for the same year, against 4,194 for 2025, without explaining the change2.
The department was also moving from summary counts to incident-based reporting, which counts offenses differently3. The March report describes Part I crime as violent offenses and burglary, while the 2024 report's Part I figures include larceny, the most reported category. We will not chart a trend until the city publishes consistent counts by category.
Police activity rose over the same year
From 2024 to 2025, arrests rose 22.9% and traffic citations rose 102%, while total calls for service fell 3.1%2. These describe what police did and what people asked for. They do not show whether fewer people were harmed.
Question 2
Who should respond, and how quickly?
TakeawayThe right capacity depends on the call and on what happens before help arrives.
A threat of violence, a heart attack, a harmless request for help and a recurring neighborhood problem each call for something different. Police, firefighter-paramedics, non-sworn Public Safety Officers and specialized teams bring different skills. Most Fire Department responses are medical: about 12,300 of 18,000 a year4.
Dispatch, backup, training and follow-up matter as much as staffing headlines. Authorized, hired, trained and deployed are different counts: the city reported full sworn staffing in March 2026, but training takes 12 to 18 months and solo-patrol counts are not reported25.
Police report an average for Priority 1 calls: 11.0 minutes in FY 2023-24 and an estimated 6.9 minutes in FY 2024-25, against a target of 7.0 minutes4.
Fire and medical response is reported as a 90th percentile, the time within which the first unit reached nine of ten incidents: 7:52 in FY 2023-24 and an estimated 7:47 in FY 2024-25, against a target of 6:004. Neither series has a newer figure.
From a 911 call to help on scene
- Call received Answered at the city's dispatch center. Not stated whether response measures start here. Gap: capacity or evidence missing
- Assessed and dispatched Call type and priority set; the after-action review recommends rules for changing triage in extreme conditions. Gap: capacity or evidence missing
- Responder available Depends on staffing, other calls and backup.
- Travel Distance, traffic and street access.
- Help on scene What follows depends on the responder's skills and on follow-up.
Marked steps are intervals the published response measures may or may not include; neither the police nor the fire measure states when its clock starts. We show the gap rather than guess interval values.
Why the police and fire numbers are not a league table
The police figure is an average across Priority 1 calls. The fire figure is a 90th percentile across fire and medical incidents. An average can hide the slowest responses that a 90th percentile is designed to show. Each should be read against its own service's target.
Both FY 2024-25 values are staff estimates made before the year ended. Both predate the Realignment Plan and the city's ambulance takeover in February 2026, so they cannot show either one's effect.
What different responders bring
Sworn officers can make arrests and are needed where violence is threatened. Non-sworn Public Safety Officers provide a uniformed presence on the Promenade, in three parks and in Downtown garages5. Since February 2026 the Fire Department has run the city's ambulances, about 650 transports a month6.
The Fire Department's Advanced Provider Unit, now two units, gives medical assessment and care in the field; the city says it eases strain on 911 and emergency rooms, but has published no outcome data2. Which responder fits which call depends on local call types and results the city has not yet reported.
Question 3
What happens after the immediate response?
TakeawayA stop, arrest, referral, or filed case is a step whose consequences still need examination.
Follow two people: the person harmed, who may need support, an investigation and a fair hearing, and the person subject to intervention, who may face prosecution, diversion or care. Enforcement and prevention can work together. Ask what each action should change and what follow-through it needs, counting safeguards in the comparison.
Responsibility is split. The City Attorney prosecutes misdemeanors, including Municipal Code violations5; the County District Attorney charges felonies. The council has only authorized a study of more capacity at SaMo Bridge, where police divert people to services. City police can act on E Line platforms only under a Metro agreement authorized in March 2026, whose signing has not been reported2.
The city reports the City Attorney filed on about 88% of legally fileable cases late in 2025, compared with 65–70% of all submissions before2. Different denominators mean different measures. A filing is also not a conviction, less victimization, or rehabilitation.
Paths after an incident, and who is responsible
| Path | Responsible | Result sought | Depends on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investigation | Police | Harm addressed, case solved | Reporting; investigator time |
| Misdemeanor or code case | City Attorney | Appropriate charge and resolution | Police referrals; courts |
| Felony case | County District Attorney | Charging decision | County priorities; courts |
| Diversion to services | Police, with SaMo Bridge | Services instead of prosecution | Capacity (expansion only studied); follow-up |
| Care and housing | County and city services | Treatment or a stable home | Placement capacity; see the housing policy area |
| Transit platforms | Metro; city police under agreement | Safer platforms | Agreement signed (not reported) |
An explanatory map, not every legal procedure. Council can direct city departments but cannot promise a decision by the District Attorney, the courts, County services or Metro.
What we would need to judge diversion
We found no city report of SaMo Bridge referrals or outcomes in council documents through September 2026. A referral is not a result. Comparable follow-up, such as services started, later police contacts and housing, for a defined population, would let readers compare diversion with prosecution.
Question 4
What must work when an ordinary day becomes a disaster?
TakeawayReadiness requires usable plans, practiced coordination, and completed improvements.
During the Palisades Fire, mandatory evacuation orders reached about 5,550 Santa Monica households and businesses1. An independent review found real strengths, including an early Emergency Operations Center and extra fire staffing before the Red Flag conditions7. It also found gaps, including the equivalent of 1.5 emergency managers when fully staffed and a 2021 evacuation traffic plan.
The review made 36 recommendations, each with a lead and timeline1. Staff asked the council on September 22, 2026 to direct the work; with minutes unposted as of October 2, the decision is unconfirmed. No funding came with it. A recommendation is not a tested capability.
Plans should answer practical questions. How do warnings reach people who don't read English, who are deaf or blind, or who are visiting? Who helps someone without a car leave? During the fire, alerts went out in English and Spanish and Big Blue Bus carried evacuees to a shelter7. Whether the coming evacuation plan serves people with disabilities is an open question, not a known failure.
Climate hazards belong here. In 2025 the state first mapped parts of northern Santa Monica as fire hazard zones, and the council adopted a Safety Element addressing climate change and a hazard mitigation plan with 14 high-priority actions1. Sea-level rise will run through the Local Coastal Program, targeted for certification by the end of 20278. Wildfire experience does not prove earthquake or tsunami readiness.
Selected improvements from the after-action review
| Recommendation | Lead | Timeline | Funding | Evidence of completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finalize evacuation zones and load them into the alert system | Emergency Management Division | 0–6 months | None attached | Not yet reported |
| Adopt a comprehensive evacuation annex | Emergency Management Division, with police | 6–12 months | None attached | Not yet reported |
| Formalize dispatch triage changes for extreme conditions | Fire Department | 6–12 months | None attached | Not yet reported |
| Stabilize emergency management staffing | Police Department, with Human Resources | 6–12 months | Not budgeted; may need funding | One vacancy filled; staffing review not reported |
| Update the crisis communications plan, including bilingual alerts | City Manager's Office | 0–6 months | None attached | Not yet reported |
| Hold multi-agency wildfire exercises | Emergency Management Division | Annual | None attached | Not yet reported |
Timelines are the review's own and it gives no start date; it also notes that some items were begun or completed before it was finished. 'Not yet reported' means no council document shows completion, not that work has stopped. Source: after-action report, printed pp. 9, 44–51; staff report p. 6.
Hazard planning already adopted
The council adopted the updated Safety Element in February 2025, designated Fire Hazard Severity Zones in June 2025 and adopted the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan in November 2025; the state emergency office and FEMA have approved the plan1. Staff say the review's priorities align with these plans on evacuation planning and on coastal bluff and freeway slope hazards. The review asks Public Works to keep monitoring the PCH bluff and I-10 slopes7.
The 2019 Climate Action and Adaptation Plan set adaptation goals that include coastal flooding preparedness9. We found no council progress report on it since adoption.
Sea-level rise and the coastal program
In May 2026 the council approved a non-binding agreement with the California Coastal Commission to update the Local Coastal Program, adding sea-level-rise resiliency to the 2018 draft land use plan, starting in July 2026 and aiming for certification by the end of 2027810. It is a schedule and a scope, not yet a rule.
Airport and roadway proposals
City budget documents plan closure of the airport to all aircraft operations after December 31, 20284. We found no city analysis of the airport's role in firefighting or disaster response, and the after-action review does not mention it.
Proposals to keep the airport for emergencies, or to protect roadway capacity for evacuation, should name the operations, responsible agencies, alternatives, costs and legal limits. The review recommends wildfire evacuation traffic modeling within 12 to 24 months, which could inform the roadway question7. Street design tradeoffs belong to the getting-around policy area.
Question 5
Where would the next public dollar do the most good?
TakeawayCompare the additional benefit and full cost of a specific change.
Police is the largest General Fund department, at $152.9M of $545.1M in FY 2026-27; Fire is $68.9M11. Totals are not program costs. The Realignment Plan added $4.0M to Police for FY 2026-27 and the March update $1.5M, both inside the total, and the plan started on $60M of reserves12132.
A useful candidate answer says what to continue, expand, redirect or stop, and names the service given up or revenue found for any recurring cost. Without comparable costs and outcomes, a bounded pilot with a reporting date and an adjustment rule says more than a promise to audit.
Receipts are not savings. The city estimated ambulance running costs at about $2.8M a year5. Revenue has been described three ways: $3.5M budgeted for FY 2026-27, 'generating' $7M a year in March, and $5.5M projected in May1226. No collections or full costs are published, and none of this measures patient care.
Weighing a proposed change
| Proposed change | Expected benefit | Full cost to identify | Depends on | Evidence that would change the decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| More sworn officers | Presence and faster response | Salaries and training, recurring after reserves | Recruiting; 12 to 18 months of training | Post-deployment crime and response results |
| More dispatchers | Faster call handling | Recurring salaries | Call volume and officer-initiated work | Call-handling times by priority |
| Expanded diversion | Services instead of prosecution | Facility capacity and case management | County services; capacity study | Follow-up outcomes and repeat contacts |
| Specialized medical response | Care in the field, fewer emergency trips | Staff and clinical contracts | Dispatch rules; clinical partners | Patient outcomes and 911 demand |
| Emergency management staff | Plans finished and exercised | Recurring salaries | Council funding | Completed improvements and exercise results |
A worked qualitative comparison. We do not estimate cost per crime prevented; comparable costs and outcomes are not published.
Counting each dollar once
Department totals, Realignment additions and program costs overlap. The Fire Department's FY 2026-27 budget already includes the ambulance program and $4.5M of Realignment additions12. Adding these to the department total would count the same money twice. The General Fund total shown includes capital spending.
Question 6
Which candidates reflect this approach?
Our position: we are committed to reducing harm, appropriate and reliable help, dignity and rights, full-cost scrutiny, and learning from outcomes. These are SM-Gov's judgments, stated so you can test them. Our preferences on responder mix, staffing levels, enforcement and funding are provisional and count against no one. Whether the airport site or roadway capacity should serve emergencies is open.
The comparison covers all 12 candidates, alphabetically by surname: each one's proposed approach, alignment with a named commitment and why, and the quality of their public case, shown separately. Everyday safety and emergency readiness are assessed separately, so policing detail cannot fill a gap on preparedness. Calls for enforcement, diversion, alternative responders and disaster infrastructure get equal scrutiny. Silence is recorded as silence, not opposition.
These assessments are drafts, not yet reviewed or sent to campaigns for reply.
Our assessments of each candidate are published after every campaign has had 72 hours to review them and respond. Each candidate's approach, public evidence and open questions are below.
Phil BrockSpecific commitments found on reviewed site · Has served on the council; votes reviewed
Everyday safety
Approach: A substantial increase in police, public safety officers and crime-fighting technology, plus education and licensing to address underage e-bike riders. As mayor in May 2024 he moved adding four police officers, paid partly by moving $500,000 of alley-renewal money into police staffing and cutting the facility program by $500,000 (7-0); he seconded the October 2024 'visibility option' (4-3) and voted to restore bedding as camping evidence (4-3). (Expands current policy.)
Tradeoff or open dependency: The department is already at full sworn staffing with 10 overhires; each 10 officers cost about $3.2M a year from a General Fund with little room, unnamed 'tools' may raise privacy questions, and rider licensing requires state action.
A question to ask: How many more officers and which tools would you add, at what cost, and what can the city do on e-bike licensing without the state?
Public evidence (7)
"A substantial increase in public safety personnel and equipment is still required." / "That means more police, more public safety officers, and state-of-the-art crime-fighting tools."promise · Brock #1 · 2026-09-27 · source
"We must make it a priority to ensure that juveniles riding e-bikes before they are legally allowed to do so are addressed through education and licensing."promise · Brock #20 · 2026-09-27 · source
Motion by Mayor Brock, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, to give direction to staff including adding four police officers to the 2024-25 budget, taking out the annual street paving program from the held list to support police department recruitment and hiring, add the CCTV program back into the funded list, to put the alley renewal funding of $500,000 into police department staffing and recruitment, reduce the ongoing citywide facility program by $500,000, and to take the quick build program out of the held list and put it into the funded list and to approve the item. AYES: Councilmembers Zwick, Parra, Davis, Torosis, de la Torre, Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, Mayor Brock. NOES: None. ABSENT: None.vote · minutes 2024-05-28 printed p. 10, FY 2024-25 budget direction · 2024-05-28 · source
Motion by Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, seconded by Mayor Brock, to give direction to staff to proceed with implementation of the visibility option (scenario 1) of the staff report, including the Special Investigations Unit, Drone Program Expansion, Security Monitoring Solution, and revising the Downtown Outreach funding to one outreach team only and adding one Lead Dispatcher and one Police Officer to the HLP Team, and rolling out the CRU until the APU can be established. AYES: Councilmembers Parra, de la Torre, Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, Mayor Brock. NOES: Councilmembers Zwick, Davis, Torosis. ABSENT: None.vote · minutes 2024-10-08 printed p. 9, public safety options · 2024-10-08 · source
Motion by Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, seconded by Councilmember Parra, to adopt the staff recommendation of options 2 and 3, repealing changes made in 2022 to Santa Monica Municipal Code Section 4.05.095 [sic], prohibition against camping in public places, to comply with the Ninth Circuit's Grants Pass ruling; and to give direction to continue to monitor what other cities are doing and return with additional options. AYES: Councilmembers Parra, de la Torre, Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, Mayor Brock. NOES: Councilmembers Zwick, Davis, Torosis. ABSENT: None. (Per the Feb 25, 2025 staff report, pp. 2–3, the repeal restored sleeping bags and bedrolls to the items that define a camp facility.)vote · minutes 2024-09-10 printed pp. 6–7, item 8.A · 2024-09-10 · source
Emergency Ordinance No. 2728 (CCS) amending SMMC 4.08.095, Prohibition Against Camping in Public Places, to clarify: (1) the applicability of the section's prohibitions in line with recent case law; and (2) the definition of "Camp Facility." Motion by Councilmember Davis, seconded by Councilmember de la Torre ... AYES: Councilmembers Parra, Davis, Negrete, Brock, de la Torre, Mayor Pro Tem McCowan, Mayor Himmelrich. NOES: None. ABSENT: None. (These are the 2022 changes repealed on Sep 10, 2024.)vote · minutes 2022-11-15 printed p. 11, item 10.A (Emergency Ordinance 2728, camping) · 2022-11-15 · source
Motion by Mayor Davis, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, to affirm the allocation Measure CS in accordance with the recommendation of staff. Substitute motion by Councilmember de la Torre, seconded by Councilmember Brock, ... replacing short-term rental enforcement with expanding and strengthening 311 dispatch ... the seconder and maker of the substitute motion withdrew the motion. The main motion ... was approved: AYES: Councilmembers de la Torre, Torosis, Brock, Parra, Zwick, Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, Mayor Davis. NOES: None. ABSENT: None.vote · minutes 2023-03-11 printed pp. 6-7, item 11.A (Measure CS allocation) · 2023-03-11 · source
Emergency readiness
No reviewed statement or vote on this subtopic. Silence is not opposition.
A question to ask: What must the city fix so that emergency plans, staffing and evacuation work when a disaster hits?
Lindsay DavisSpecific commitments found on reviewed site
Everyday safety
Approach: 'Love Enforcement': a restorative approach that responds to harm (e.g., a bicycle theft) by convening the person harmed, the person who caused harm, neighbors and resources, asking what needs went unmet rather than how to punish. (Changes or reverses current policy.)
Tradeoff or open dependency: Who convenes and pays for the process is unstated; felony cases belong to the County DA, and it is unclear whether this replaces or follows police reports, prosecution or existing diversion.
A question to ask: For a theft like your bicycle example, who would run the process, and would it replace or follow a police report and prosecution?
Public evidence (1)
Love Enforcement: "Imagine someone steals a bicycle. Instead of asking, "How do we punish them?" Love Enforcement asks, "What needs weren't met?"" / "Love Enforcement brings everyone together: the person harmed, the person who caused harm, neighbors, resources…"promise · Davis #5 · 2026-09-27 · source
Emergency readiness
No reviewed statement or vote on this subtopic. Silence is not opposition.
A question to ask: What must the city fix so that emergency plans, staffing and evacuation work when a disaster hits?
Eli GillSpecific commitments found on reviewed site
Everyday safety
Approach: Enforce a 'baseline public order' standard: parks for everyone, sidewalks for walking, no public drug use, with the city setting and holding a clear standard. Does not say what would change from current progressive enforcement. (Relationship to current policy unclear.)
Tradeoff or open dependency: The city already enforces sit/lie, camping and open-container rules progressively; a firmer standard needs officer time and a decision on what happens to people cited, with no cost or approach named.
A question to ask: Which rule is not being enforced enough today, and what would you change about how it is enforced?
Public evidence (1)
"Enforcing baseline public order. Parks are for everyone. Sidewalks are for walking. Drug use in public spaces is not acceptable. The city needs to set and hold a clear standard."promise · Gill #1 · 2026-09-27 · source
Emergency readiness
No reviewed statement or vote on this subtopic. Silence is not opposition.
A question to ask: What must the city fix so that emergency plans, staffing and evacuation work when a disaster hits?
Daniel IvanovNo specific commitments found on reviewed site
Everyday safety
No reviewed statement or vote on this subtopic. Silence is not opposition.
A question to ask: What would you change about how Santa Monica keeps people safe day to day, and how would we know it worked?
Emergency readiness
No reviewed statement or vote on this subtopic. Silence is not opposition.
A question to ask: What must the city fix so that emergency plans, staffing and evacuation work when a disaster hits?
Wade KelleyNo campaign site found in September review
Everyday safety
No reviewed statement or vote on this subtopic. Silence is not opposition.
A question to ask: What would you change about how Santa Monica keeps people safe day to day, and how would we know it worked?
Emergency readiness
No reviewed statement or vote on this subtopic. Silence is not opposition.
A question to ask: What must the city fix so that emergency plans, staffing and evacuation work when a disaster hits?
Ericka LesleySpecific commitments found on reviewed site
Everyday safety
Approach: Grow the police force as the city grows so trained professionals answer calls, while making unspecified 'smart investments in prevention'. (Expands current policy.)
Tradeoff or open dependency: Each 10 officers cost about $3.2M a year from a General Fund with little room, and the department already reached full sworn staffing; the growth trigger is undefined.
A question to ask: How many more officers, tied to what measure of growth, and paid for from which revenue?
Public evidence (1)
"We need trained professionals to answer the call and as our city grows, our police force has to grow as well." / "strengthens traditional public safety resources while making smart investments in prevention"promise · Lesley #1 · 2026-09-27 · source
Emergency readiness
No reviewed statement or vote on this subtopic. Silence is not opposition.
A question to ask: What must the city fix so that emergency plans, staffing and evacuation work when a disaster hits?
Brett MorrowSpecific commitments found on reviewed site
Everyday safety
No reviewed statement or vote on this subtopic. Silence is not opposition.
A question to ask: What would you change about how Santa Monica keeps people safe day to day, and how would we know it worked?
Emergency readiness
No reviewed statement or vote on this subtopic. Silence is not opposition.
A question to ask: What must the city fix so that emergency plans, staffing and evacuation work when a disaster hits?
Lana NegreteSpecific commitments found on reviewed site · Has served on the council; votes reviewed
Everyday safety
Approach: No campaign commitment on this subtopic was reviewed. On the council she moved the October 2024 'visibility option': a Special Investigations Unit, drone expansion, security monitoring, one more officer and a lead dispatcher for the Homeless Liaison team, Downtown outreach cut to one team, and a crisis response unit until an Advanced Provider Unit is set up (4-3). She seconded the May 2024 motion adding four officers with named budget offsets (7-0) and moved the September 2024 ordinance restoring sleeping bags and bedrolls as evidence of illegal camping (4-3). (Continues current city policy.)
Tradeoff or open dependency: Added officer positions were described during the October 2024 debate as 'already unfillable' (minutes p. 9), and each officer costs about $320k a year from a General Fund with little room.
A question to ask: Which of the 2024 'visibility option' units would you keep or expand, and what result would show they reduced harm?
Public evidence (5)
Motion by Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, seconded by Mayor Brock, to give direction to staff to proceed with implementation of the visibility option (scenario 1) of the staff report, including the Special Investigations Unit, Drone Program Expansion, Security Monitoring Solution, and revising the Downtown Outreach funding to one outreach team only and adding one Lead Dispatcher and one Police Officer to the HLP Team, and rolling out the CRU until the APU can be established. AYES: Councilmembers Parra, de la Torre, Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, Mayor Brock. NOES: Councilmembers Zwick, Davis, Torosis. ABSENT: None.vote · minutes 2024-10-08 printed p. 9, public safety options · 2024-10-08 · source
Motion by Mayor Brock, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, to give direction to staff including adding four police officers to the 2024-25 budget, taking out the annual street paving program from the held list to support police department recruitment and hiring, add the CCTV program back into the funded list, to put the alley renewal funding of $500,000 into police department staffing and recruitment, reduce the ongoing citywide facility program by $500,000, and to take the quick build program out of the held list and put it into the funded list and to approve the item. AYES: Councilmembers Zwick, Parra, Davis, Torosis, de la Torre, Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, Mayor Brock. NOES: None. ABSENT: None.vote · minutes 2024-05-28 printed p. 10, FY 2024-25 budget direction · 2024-05-28 · source
Motion by Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, seconded by Councilmember Parra, to adopt the staff recommendation of options 2 and 3, repealing changes made in 2022 to Santa Monica Municipal Code Section 4.05.095 [sic], prohibition against camping in public places, to comply with the Ninth Circuit's Grants Pass ruling; and to give direction to continue to monitor what other cities are doing and return with additional options. AYES: Councilmembers Parra, de la Torre, Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, Mayor Brock. NOES: Councilmembers Zwick, Davis, Torosis. ABSENT: None. (Per the Feb 25, 2025 staff report, pp. 2–3, the repeal restored sleeping bags and bedrolls to the items that define a camp facility.)vote · minutes 2024-09-10 printed pp. 6–7, item 8.A · 2024-09-10 · source
Emergency Ordinance No. 2728 (CCS) amending SMMC 4.08.095, Prohibition Against Camping in Public Places, to clarify: (1) the applicability of the section's prohibitions in line with recent case law; and (2) the definition of "Camp Facility." Motion by Councilmember Davis, seconded by Councilmember de la Torre ... AYES: Councilmembers Parra, Davis, Negrete, Brock, de la Torre, Mayor Pro Tem McCowan, Mayor Himmelrich. NOES: None. ABSENT: None. (These are the 2022 changes repealed on Sep 10, 2024.)vote · minutes 2022-11-15 printed p. 11, item 10.A (Emergency Ordinance 2728, camping) · 2022-11-15 · source
Motion by Mayor Davis, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, to affirm the allocation Measure CS in accordance with the recommendation of staff. Substitute motion by Councilmember de la Torre, seconded by Councilmember Brock, ... replacing short-term rental enforcement with expanding and strengthening 311 dispatch ... the seconder and maker of the substitute motion withdrew the motion. The main motion ... was approved: AYES: Councilmembers de la Torre, Torosis, Brock, Parra, Zwick, Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, Mayor Davis. NOES: None. ABSENT: None.vote · minutes 2023-03-11 printed pp. 6-7, item 11.A (Measure CS allocation) · 2023-03-11 · source
Emergency readiness
No reviewed statement or vote on this subtopic. Silence is not opposition.
A question to ask: What must the city fix so that emergency plans, staffing and evacuation work when a disaster hits?
Ashley OelsenSpecific commitments found on reviewed site
Everyday safety
No reviewed statement or vote on this subtopic. Silence is not opposition.
A question to ask: What would you change about how Santa Monica keeps people safe day to day, and how would we know it worked?
Emergency readiness
No reviewed statement or vote on this subtopic. Silence is not opposition.
A question to ask: What must the city fix so that emergency plans, staffing and evacuation work when a disaster hits?
Caroline TorosisNo specific commitments found on reviewed site · Has served on the council; votes reviewed
Everyday safety
Approach: No campaign commitment on this subtopic was reviewed; her site lists past actions. She moved adoption of the October 2025 Realignment Plan (Downtown substation and Downtown Services Unit, 8 Public Safety Officers, 10 police overhires, added City Attorney prosecution staff), seconded the March 2026 update (Metro platform-enforcement MOU, extended sit/lie and open-container rules, added police and dispatch positions), and co-requested a public scorecard reporting crime trends, Downtown crime and police response times with quarterly and annual targets. She voted against restoring bedding as camping evidence and against the October 2024 option adding an officer to the Homeless Liaison team. (Continues current city policy.)
Tradeoff or open dependency: The Realignment was started with $60M in reserves; its Police (~$4.0M) and City Attorney additions recur from a General Fund with little room, and the scorecard's post-deployment results had not appeared in council documents through September 2026.
A question to ask: When the scorecard shows a Realignment unit is not reducing harm, what would you cut or change, and how would the public know?
Public evidence (7)
Motion by Mayor Pro Tem Torosis, seconded by Councilmember Hall, to adopt staff recommendation items 1, 3-11, 16-19, removing the gondola. AYES: Councilmembers Zernitskaya, Snell, Raskin, Hall, Zwick, Mayor Pro Tem Torosis, Mayor Negrete. NOES: None. ABSENT: None.vote · minutes 2025-10-28 printed p. 11, item 11.A (Realignment Plan) · 2025-10-28 · source
16.C. Request of Mayor Torosis, Councilmember Hall, and Councilmember Raskin that the City Council direct the City Manager, in coordination with the City Attorney to establish a Citywide Realignment Performance Framework and public-facing dashboard that organizes outcome and output performance indicators across the Realignment Plan's five priority areas, was approved (Hall/Negrete motion approving 16.C–16.E; AYES: all seven). The request asks for the dashboard 'within 90 days', 'quarterly and annual performance targets for each indicator', and indicators including 'police response times, crime trends (including downtown-specific crime and calls for service) ... shelter placements, interim housing placements, and permanent housing outcomes' and 'number of affordable units in development and completed'.vote · minutes 2025-12-16 printed pp. 15–16, item 16.C; request text pp. 3–4 · 2025-12-16 · source
Motion by Councilmember Raskin, seconded by Mayor Torosis, to approve and adopt recommendations 1 through 20 of the staff recommendation, including direction given to staff [among them the Metro platform-enforcement MOU, extended sit/lie and open-container rules, and added police and dispatch positions]. AYES: Councilmembers Zernitskaya, Snell, Raskin, Hall, Negrete, Mayor Pro Tem Zwick, Mayor Torosis. NOES: None. ABSENT: None.vote · minutes 2026-03-24 printed p. 17, Realignment Plan update recommendations 1–20 · 2026-03-24 · source
Motion by Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, seconded by Councilmember Parra, to adopt the staff recommendation of options 2 and 3, repealing changes made in 2022 to Santa Monica Municipal Code Section 4.05.095 [sic], prohibition against camping in public places, to comply with the Ninth Circuit's Grants Pass ruling; and to give direction to continue to monitor what other cities are doing and return with additional options. AYES: Councilmembers Parra, de la Torre, Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, Mayor Brock. NOES: Councilmembers Zwick, Davis, Torosis. ABSENT: None. (Per the Feb 25, 2025 staff report, pp. 2–3, the repeal restored sleeping bags and bedrolls to the items that define a camp facility.)vote · minutes 2024-09-10 printed pp. 6–7, item 8.A · 2024-09-10 · source
Motion by Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, seconded by Mayor Brock, to give direction to staff to proceed with implementation of the visibility option (scenario 1) of the staff report, including the Special Investigations Unit, Drone Program Expansion, Security Monitoring Solution, and revising the Downtown Outreach funding to one outreach team only and adding one Lead Dispatcher and one Police Officer to the HLP Team, and rolling out the CRU until the APU can be established. AYES: Councilmembers Parra, de la Torre, Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, Mayor Brock. NOES: Councilmembers Zwick, Davis, Torosis. ABSENT: None.vote · minutes 2024-10-08 printed p. 9, public safety options · 2024-10-08 · source
Motion by Mayor Davis, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, to affirm the allocation Measure CS in accordance with the recommendation of staff. Substitute motion by Councilmember de la Torre, seconded by Councilmember Brock, ... replacing short-term rental enforcement with expanding and strengthening 311 dispatch ... the seconder and maker of the substitute motion withdrew the motion. The main motion ... was approved: AYES: Councilmembers de la Torre, Torosis, Brock, Parra, Zwick, Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, Mayor Davis. NOES: None. ABSENT: None.vote · minutes 2023-03-11 printed pp. 6-7, item 11.A (Measure CS allocation) · 2023-03-11 · source
Motion by Mayor Brock, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, to give direction to staff including adding four police officers to the 2024-25 budget ... to put the alley renewal funding of $500,000 into police department staffing and recruitment, reduce the ongoing citywide facility program by $500,000 ... AYES: Councilmembers Zwick, Parra, Davis, Torosis, de la Torre, Mayor Pro Tem Negrete, Mayor Brock. NOES: None. ABSENT: None.vote · minutes 2024-05-28 printed p. 10, item 7.A (FY 2024-25 proposed budget) · 2024-05-28 · source
Emergency readiness
Approach: No campaign commitment on this subtopic was reviewed. In January 2025 she co-requested a citywide after-action review of the City's Palisades Fire response, with a public report, improvement actions and an implementation plan due within 12 months (approved unanimously). (Continues current city policy.)
Tradeoff or open dependency: The independent after-action report lists 36 improvement actions (September 22, 2026 staff report); completing them competes with daily operations for the same staff, and council action on them was not verified.
A question to ask: Which after-action improvements would you fund first, and how would residents see that they were completed?
Public evidence (1)
16.M. Request of Councilmember Hall and Mayor Pro Tempore Torosis, that, in order to accurately capture lessons learned during the City's response to the Palisades Fire and to better prepare for the next natural disaster or emergency crisis, the Council direct the City Manager, City Attorney, and City Clerk's Offices to conduct an After Action Review across all City Departments and to return to Council no later than 12 months from now with a public report, improvement action items, and implementation plan, was approved. (Items 16.J through 16.N approved on motion by Mayor Negrete, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Torosis, by unanimous voice vote with all members present.)vote · minutes 2025-01-28 printed pp. 17, 19, item 16.M · 2025-01-28 · source
Derrick TownsendSpecific commitments found on reviewed site
Everyday safety
Approach: A mixed package: work with County law enforcement on repeat offenders, pilot data-targeted foot patrols with public results, pass and strictly enforce ordinances on sidewalk obstruction, public drug use and encampment fire hazards, enlarge the Police budget for staffing, dispatchers and proactive patrols, require response-time reports, and expand SaMo Bridge diversion with longer follow-up and published outcomes. (Expands current policy.)
Tradeoff or open dependency: The Police budget is already 28% of the General Fund ($152.9M) and the increase is unsized at about $320k per officer; SaMo Bridge runs on a Prop 47 grant with no adopted successor funding, and repeat-offender felony prosecution depends on the County DA.
A question to ask: How much more would you add to the Police budget, and which fund would pay for SaMo Bridge once its state grant ends?
Public evidence (4)
"Work with Los Angeles County law enforcement to prosecute repeat offenders and pilot foot patrols using Realignment Plan data, then track results publicly."promise · Townsend #6 · 2026-09-27 · source
"Pass and strictly enforce ordinances targeting sidewalk obstruction, public drug use, and encampment fire hazards. Require regular reports on response times."promise · Townsend #5 · 2026-09-27 · source
"Increase the SMPD budget to support higher staffing levels, more dispatchers, and proactive patrols." / "Derrick will fully fund SMPD, restore proactive patrols"promise · Townsend #4 · 2026-09-27 · source
"As your city council member, Derrick will expand and fund SaMo Bridge with more referral pathways, longer follow-up, and publicly published outcomes." / "Expand and fund the Main and Pico diversion hub"promise · Townsend #3 · 2026-09-27 · source
Emergency readiness
Approach: Keep the Santa Monica Airport, or portions of it, open as a fire resource while the site is transformed, and keep streets clear for emergency vehicles with enough roadway capacity for residents to evacuate quickly. (Changes or reverses current policy.)
Tradeoff or open dependency: Keeping any aviation-based fire role past the planned December 31, 2028 closure likely needs federal (FAA) involvement and has no cost or funding; a roadway-capacity rule could constrain street-safety and lane-reallocation projects with no capacity standard defined.
A question to ask: Which fire operations would use the airport after 2028, and what evacuation capacity standard would you apply to street projects?
Public evidence (2)
"…keeping the Santa Monica Airport open as a critical fire resource" / "Keep portions of the airport open while transforming the site"promise · Townsend #10 · 2026-09-27 · source
"ensuring our streets remain clear and accessible for emergency vehicles, maintaining enough roadway capacity so residents can evacuate quickly and safely"promise · Townsend #11 · 2026-09-27 · source
Doug TrusslerSpecific commitments found on reviewed site
Everyday safety
Approach: Sustain and fully fund the adopted Realignment model, keep the prosecution filing rate near 90%, publish monthly dashboards on crime, response times and prosecution rates measured on an absolute basis, encourage full crime reporting, press Metro and the County for station enforcement and an end to nightly end-of-line exits, expand police if needed to lower crime, and enforce the camping ban backed by low-cost beds inside or outside the city. (Continues current city policy.)
Tradeoff or open dependency: Realignment was started with $60M in reserves; keeping its Police (~$4.0M) and City Attorney additions, adding officers at ~$320k each and buying beds outside the city all draw on a General Fund with little room, and beds elsewhere need other jurisdictions' consent while Metro controls station operations.
A question to ask: If reserves run out, what would you cut to keep Realignment funded, and how many beds would you buy, where, and at what yearly cost?
Public evidence (7)
"Commit to publishing monthly public dashboards on crime, response times, and prosecution rates" / "Measure improvement or failure on an absolute basis"promise · Trussler #2 · 2026-09-27 · source
"Demand dedicated enforcement resources at and around the Expo Line stations … Confront LA County with a demand that Expo stop the nightly practice of exiting dangerous individuals in our downtown." / "I will push LA Metro to treat it as one." / "I will demand changes to how the Metro is managed."promise · Trussler #5 · 2026-09-27 · source
"Ensure all crimes are reported by businesses and residents to gain a real understanding of problem areas."promise · Trussler #1 · 2026-09-27 · source
"The current City Council voted not to enforce it. I will change that" / "We will secure ample capacity for beds to enforce these rules, primarily in low cost locations inside or outside the City."promise · Trussler #7 · 2026-09-27 · source
"Treat our police department, not as an expense of the City, but as an investment in the City and if it needs to be expanded to further improve Santa Monica's crime rate and revitalize tourism then we should invest."promise · Trussler #6 · 2026-09-27 · source
"Push to sustain the prosecution filing rate that has climbed from 65% to nearly 90% under the new approach and hold the City Attorney's office accountable for consistent follow-through on all chargeable cases."promise · Trussler #4 · 2026-09-27 · source
"Fully fund, support and sustain the police department's Realignment model — the proactive, visibility-based approach that is finally producing results."promise · Trussler #3 · 2026-09-27 · source
Emergency readiness
No reviewed statement or vote on this subtopic. Silence is not opposition.
A question to ask: What must the city fix so that emergency plans, staffing and evacuation work when a disaster hits?
Answer this policy area's questions yourself, and see how candidates answered.
Inspect our reasoning
Our position
Candidates are assessed against these commitments. Other choices on this page are open, and we compare approaches to them without grading.
- Public safety policy should be judged by whether fewer people are harmed: fewer victims, fewer injuries, less repeat harm, and public spaces people can use with confidence.
- People should get help suited to the situation, reliably and in time, both on an ordinary day and when a disaster overwhelms routine.
- Everyone involved, including people harmed and people subject to police action, should be treated with dignity, with their rights and agency respected.
- Safety and emergency proposals should be compared by their full recurring and start-up costs and their added benefit, counting each dollar once.
- Safety policy should be measured by outcomes, reported publicly on a consistent method, and adjusted when results warrant.
Why we hold these, what they depend on, and what would change our view
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