SANTA MONICA, CA — City Councilmember Lana Negrete and Mayor Caroline Torosis led the race for three seats on the Santa Monica City Council early Wednesday, with political newcomer Ashley Oelsen holding third place as election officials continued counting ballots from Tuesday's election.
Negrete had received 11,457 votes, or 16.2%, followed by Torosis with 10,745 votes, or 15.2%, according to Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk figures updated at 3:11 a.m. Wednesday.
Oelsen, a first-time candidate and environmental activist, was third with 9,914 votes, or 14.1%, giving her a 1,398-vote lead over Doug Trussler, who was fourth with 8,516 votes, or 12.1%. The results were preliminary, with additional ballots still to be counted before the county certifies the election.
Speaking to Patch on Wednesday morning, Oelsen said she was encouraged by the early returns but remained reluctant to declare victory.
"I'm cautiously optimistic," she said.
Oelsen, who watched the results with supporters at 1212 in Santa Monica on election night, acknowledged the responsibility that would come with securing a seat on the council.
"I was more nervous to win than I was to lose," she said, recalling her feelings before the first results were released.
Twelve candidates competed for three four-year council seats in a contest shaped by competing political alliances and disagreements over housing, public safety and the city's future.
Rent Control Board Chair Daniel Ivanov was fifth with 7,958 votes, or 11.3%, narrowly ahead of Brett Morrow, who received 7,910 votes, or 11.2%.
Former Councilmember Phil Brock, seeking a return to City Hall after losing his reelection bid in 2024, was seventh with 4,976 votes, or 7.1%.
Rent Control Board member Ericka Lesley followed with 2,918 votes, Derrick Townsend had 2,444, Eli Gill received 2,212, Lindsay Davis had 750 and Wade Kelley received 715.
The early standings also reflected a split between the election's principal political alliances.
Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights endorsed Torosis, Ivanov and Morrow, but only Torosis occupied one of the three available seats in the latest count.
Negrete and Trussler campaigned together with backing from public safety unions and the Believe In Santa Monica group, while Oelsen also received support from police and firefighter political action committees.
Oelsen said she was particularly proud of the support her campaign received from Santa Monica residents, including those who stood by her after she decided to break away from an electoral slate.
"I'm just so grateful that so many people in the community stuck with it and stuck with me when I made some tough choices to break off from the slate," she said.
Looking ahead, Oelsen said she would prioritize restoring two-minute public comment periods at City Council meetings, allowing residents and business owners more time to address elected officials. She also questioned the practice of making consequential decisions during meetings that sometimes extend into the early morning hours.
Her other priorities include improving ocean water quality, advancing sustainability initiatives ahead of the 2028 Olympics and addressing homelessness, which she described as a central challenge facing Santa Monica.
"I think that is the keystone issue in our city," she said.
Despite the political divisions that have characterized recent council debates, Oelsen expressed hope that the election would encourage greater cooperation among council members.
"I definitely think that we're going to see some behavioral changes, and there's going to be a stronger will to work together," she said.
Although Negrete and Torosis held the two leading positions, the contest for the third seat remained unresolved as counting continued.
Santa Monica voters also considered five local ballot measures, with four receiving majority support in early returns and a proposed school parcel tax trailing.
Measure ES, which would impose a $495 annual parcel tax to raise approximately $12 million for local public schools, had received 10,142 yes votes, or 47%, compared with 11,423 no votes, or 53%, according to election figures published by ABC7 early Wednesday.
The tax would be adjusted annually for inflation and would help replace approximately $12 million in annual payments the city currently makes to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District under an agreement scheduled to expire in June 2027. Exemptions would apply to certain qualifying seniors, affordable housing properties, nonprofit organizations and other tax-exempt properties.
The four other measures were leading by considerably wider margins.
Measure TT, which would preserve existing hotel tax rates while allowing the City Council to establish special taxation periods during major events for certain extended corporate stays, had approximately 73% support.
Measure RR, which would prohibit evictions for unpaid rent when a tenant owes less than one month of the area's average fair market rent, was supported by approximately 71% of voters.
Measure VV had approximately 61% support. It would extend eviction protections to tenants renting single-family homes and condominiums while imposing additional occupancy requirements on landlords who evict tenants from certain properties to move in themselves.
Measure GG, which would affirm the city's just-cause eviction protections, allow Rent Control Board commissioners to serve up to three terms and increase the annual cap on rent-control registration fees, had approximately 59% support. All five measures require a simple majority for approval.
Former Santa Monica Mayor Sue Himmelrich led the contest for three seats on the city's Rent Control Board, followed by incumbent Kurt Gonska and Heather Thomason, according to early election returns. Soledad Marcial and Zoë Muntaner trailed the three leading candidates.
In the race for four seats on the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education, incumbent Alicia Mignano led the field, followed by Robbie Staenberg and incumbents Laurie Lieberman and Stacy Rouse. Harry Leshner was fifth.
Meanwhile, incumbents Sion Roy, Tom Peters and Luis Barrera Castanon occupied the top three positions in the Santa Monica College Board of Trustees race, with Kera Blades-Snell holding fourth place ahead of Oscar de la Torre. Four seats were available.
Those standings were based on earlier returns and remained subject to change as additional ballots were counted. Los Angeles County election officials will continue processing outstanding vote-by-mail and provisional ballots in the coming days and weeks.
Updated totals for the City Council, local ballot measures and other contests are available through the county's official election results website.
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