# Santa Monica City Council Compare records and positions simply between Wade Kelley, Ashley Oelsen, Ericka Lesley, and 9 more for Santa Monica City Council at VoteOrElse.com. On the November 3, 2026 California general election ballot. This person holds one of three at-large seats on Santa Monica's seven-member City Council. Terms are four years and staggered. Members vote on the city budget, land use, and city laws. They also confirm top appointments, including the city manager and police chief. Each year, the council picks one member as Mayor. It also picks another as Mayor Pro Tem. - Jurisdiction: City of Santa Monica - Election: November 3, 2026 California general election - Seats: 3 - Publisher: Vote or Else (https://voteorelse.com) — a free, nonpartisan ballot guide for California voters. No endorsements. - Canonical page: https://voteorelse.com/2026/santa-monica-council - Full ballot: this page covers one race. Every contest on a voter's own ballot, by address, with the same breakdown for each: https://voteorelse.com/ - Sources last retrieved: August 31, 2026 - Source-objectivity score: 84 out of 100 (Strong), across 7 cited sources. This grades the mix of sources, not the candidates. Rubric: https://voteorelse.com/about#methodology ## On the ballot - **Wade Kelley** - **Ashley Oelsen** - **Ericka Lesley** - **Lindsay Davis** - **Lana Negrete** — Incumbent - **Phil Brock** - **Daniel Ivanov** - **Eli Gill** - **Brett Morrow** - **Derrick Townsend** - **Caroline Torosis** — Incumbent - **Doug Trussler** A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot. Twelve candidates are running for three of Santa Monica's seven at-large City Council seats on November 3 — the largest local field this project has authored. Two incumbents, Mayor Caroline Torosis and Councilmember Lana Negrete, are seeking new terms; a third incumbent whose seat is up this cycle, Jesse Zwick, chose not to run. There's no primary: all 12 go straight to November, and the three highest vote-getters win. Each winner serves a 4-year term as one of seven votes on the council that sets Santa Monica's budget, land use, and municipal ordinances, and confirms top city appointments including the city manager and police chief. The council selects one of its own members to serve as Mayor and another as Mayor Pro Tem each year — neither title is separately elected — while day-to-day operations run through the appointed city manager. Two informal slates have emerged: SMRR, the city's dominant renters'-rights political organization, endorsed Torosis and Ivanov and later added Morrow; Negrete is running alongside Oelsen and Trussler without a formal group endorsement. The other five candidates — Brock, Lesley, Gill, Kelley, and Townsend — are running independent of either slate. Twenty candidates originally pulled nomination papers; weigh each candidate's own record and platform rather than treating a slate label as a substitute for one. ## Caroline Torosis Caroline Torosis is the sitting Mayor and a first-term councilmember, an attorney who served on the Rent Control Board before winning one of Santa Monica's three City Council seats in 2022. They're seeking a second term, framing their campaign around the city's fiscal recovery from a budget shortfall they say the city faced four years ago. They were sworn in as Mayor in December 2025 and delivered the city's 2026 State of the City address in July. **Strengths:** Two years of council experience plus prior Rent Control Board service, current standing as Mayor, and an SMRR endorsement, the city's dominant renters'-rights political group. **Trade-offs:** Torosis's fiscal-recovery pitch ties their record to decisions the full council made collectively, including any a voter wants changed; credit for it is necessarily shared. **Keep in mind:** No controversies surfaced in this pass's research. Torosis is one of two incumbents on this ballot, alongside Lana Negrete, after a third incumbent up this cycle, Jesse Zwick, chose not to run. ## Lana Negrete Lana Negrete is a councilmember and small-business owner seeking a second full term, first appointed to the council in 2021 to fill a vacancy and elected outright in 2022. They served as Mayor from December 2024 to December 2025, a term that included public statements on immigration-enforcement activity in Santa Monica. They own the Santa Monica Music Center. **Strengths:** Incumbency plus a business background outside city government, and direct experience as Mayor during a period of local immigration-enforcement tension in 2025. **Trade-offs:** Negrete's path to the council started with a 2021 appointment to fill a vacancy, not a first win at the ballot box — a fact a challenger can raise about how they got there. **Keep in mind:** No controversies surfaced in this pass's research. Negrete has not aligned with the SMRR-endorsed slate of Torosis, Ivanov, and Morrow, instead running alongside Ashley Oelsen and Doug Trussler. ## Phil Brock Phil Brock is a former councilmember and one-time Mayor of Santa Monica running to return to the council after losing their seat in the November 2024 election. They served on the council for several years, including a term as Mayor. They're running independent of either informal slate in this race. **Strengths:** The field's longest council tenure and a prior term as Mayor give Brock a governing record voters can weigh directly against their bid to return. **Trade-offs:** Brock already lost their seat in the November 2024 election — a result a voter can weigh alongside whatever case they make for a different outcome this time. **Keep in mind:** No controversies from Brock's tenure surfaced in this pass's research. The Santa Monica Lookout's own framing of the field names them specifically as a former mayor who suffered a 2024 defeat. ## Daniel Ivanov Daniel Ivanov, who goes by Danny, chairs Santa Monica's Rent Control Board and is an attorney running for their first City Council term. Ivanov is one of three candidates endorsed by SMRR, the renters'-rights political organization, alongside Mayor Torosis and Brett Morrow. They have filed a Candidate Intention Statement (FPPC Form 501) for their 2026 committee with the city's campaign-finance portal. **Strengths:** Current chairmanship of the Rent Control Board gives Ivanov direct experience with one of the city's most active regulatory bodies, plus an SMRR endorsement signaling institutional backing. **Trade-offs:** No prior City Council experience; the SMRR endorsement that some voters read as an asset is, for others, a reason to see Ivanov as tied to an existing political bloc. **Keep in mind:** No controversies surfaced in this pass's research. Ivanov's rent-board record was not independently audited beyond their chairmanship title in sources this pass reached. ## Brett Morrow Brett Morrow is a Los Angeles County health official and Santa Monica commissioner running for his first City Council term. He was added to the SMRR-endorsed slate by the organization's steering committee, alongside Mayor Torosis and Daniel Ivanov. His ballot designation is Health Official/Commissioner. **Strengths:** A professional background in Los Angeles County public-health work, plus an SMRR steering-committee endorsement added after the group's initial slate. **Trade-offs:** No prior City Council experience; the specific county role he holds and the city commission he serves on were not detailed beyond his ballot designation. **Keep in mind:** No controversies surfaced in this pass's research. His SMRR endorsement came by steering-committee addition rather than the group's initial vote, per the Santa Monica Lookout's account. ## Ericka Lesley Ericka Lesley chairs Santa Monica's Rent Control Board and sits on the board of Downtown Santa Monica Inc., the downtown business-improvement district; she ran for City Council in 2024 and lost. She's campaigning on a platform of equity, inclusion, and justice, per her own campaign site. She's one of five candidates running independent of either informal slate this cycle. **Strengths:** Direct experience chairing the Rent Control Board plus a seat on Downtown Santa Monica Inc.'s board, spanning both housing regulation and the downtown business community. **Trade-offs:** She already lost a City Council bid in 2024; a voter can weigh what, if anything, has changed in her case for a second run two years later. **Keep in mind:** No controversies surfaced in this pass's research. Her campaign site names a platform of equity, inclusion, and justice without itemized policy proposals this pass could verify. ## Eli Gill Eli Gill is a business operations manager and self-described housing advocate running for their first City Council term. Gill is one of five candidates running independent of either informal slate in this race. Their ballot designation is Business Operations Manager. **Strengths:** A described focus on housing issues, in a city where rent control and housing policy are central council business, though this pass could not verify a specific advocacy record. **Trade-offs:** No prior elected office or city commission service; no independent news coverage of their candidacy beyond roundups naming Gill as qualified was found. **Keep in mind:** No controversies surfaced in this pass's research. Their 'housing advocate' framing, per the Santa Monica Lookout, was not detailed with named organizations or specific work in reachable sources. ## Wade Kelley Wade Kelley is a musician and community volunteer, one of five candidates running independent of either informal slate that has formed in this race. Their platform centers on human rights, which they have called their reason for running. They are a former SAG-AFTRA actor and a regular public commenter at meetings of the city's Measure GS Resident Oversight Committee, which tracks spending from Santa Monica's local sales-tax measure. **Strengths:** A visible, independent voice with a record of showing up: Kelley is a regular public commenter at Measure GS oversight meetings through much of 2026, engaging with city fiscal detail firsthand. **Trade-offs:** No prior elected office, city commission seat, or professional government experience; their public statements emphasize values over specific policy proposals. **Keep in mind:** No controversies surfaced in this pass's research beyond roundups naming Kelley as qualified. Weigh their human-rights framing, and their SAG-AFTRA acting background, on their own terms. ## Derrick Townsend Derrick Townsend is an occupational therapist at Kaiser Permanente running for their first City Council term. Townsend is one of five candidates running independent of either informal slate in this race. Their ballot designation is Healthcare/Rehabilitation Specialist. **Strengths:** A healthcare background distinct from the field's attorneys, business owners, and government officials, in a city where housing and public health intersect. **Trade-offs:** No prior elected office or city commission service; no independent news coverage of their candidacy beyond roundups naming Townsend as qualified was found. **Keep in mind:** No controversies surfaced in this pass's research. Weigh their healthcare-professional background on its own terms against candidates with prior city-government experience. ## Ashley Oelsen Ashley Oelsen is a scientist and city commissioner running for their first City Council term, informally aligned with Councilmember Lana Negrete and Doug Trussler in this race. The Santa Monica Lookout describes them as an environmentalist. Their ballot designation is Scientist/Commissioner. **Strengths:** A scientific and city-commission background distinct from the field's attorneys and businesspeople, plus a visible alignment with incumbent Lana Negrete's informal slate. **Trade-offs:** No prior City Council experience; which city commission Oelsen serves on was not detailed beyond their ballot designation in sources this pass reached. **Keep in mind:** No controversies surfaced in this pass's research. Their informal alignment with Negrete and Trussler, per the Lookout, is a slate dynamic, not a formal party or committee endorsement. ## Doug Trussler Doug Trussler is a businessman running for their first City Council term, informally aligned with Councilmember Lana Negrete and Ashley Oelsen. Their ballot designation is Businessman/Coach/Parent. Their 2026 campaign committee has recorded at least one payment, $675.75, in the city's NetFile campaign-finance portal. **Strengths:** A business background and an informal alignment with incumbent Lana Negrete's slate; Trussler's 2026 committee shows at least one recorded expenditure in the city's own finance portal. **Trade-offs:** No prior City Council experience; no independent news coverage of their candidacy beyond roundups naming Trussler as qualified was found. **Keep in mind:** No controversies surfaced in this pass's research. Weigh their business background and Negrete alignment against the SMRR-endorsed slate's institutional backing. ## Lindsay Davis Lindsay Davis is a yoga instructor who markets themselves online as 'Daisy the Venice Healer,' running for their first City Council term. They qualified for the ballot after the Santa Monica Daily Press's mid-August roundup of qualified candidates, later than most of the field. Their ballot designation is Yoga Instructor. **Strengths:** A wellness-and-community background distinct from the rest of the field's attorneys, business owners, and government officials. **Trade-offs:** No prior elected office or city commission service; no independent news coverage of Davis's candidacy beyond social media and the city's own candidate list was found. **Keep in mind:** No controversies surfaced in this pass's research. A co-campaigner named in their own social posts, Ryan Blomberg, does not appear on the city's final qualified-candidate list. ## Review notes - Ericka Lesley's own campaign website (erickalesleyforcitycouncil.com) may have more bias because it is an advocacy voter guide compared to other formal government and nonprofit journalism sources. ## Sources 1. [City of Santa Monica — General Election 2026 page (November 3, 2026: lists all qualified City Council, Santa Monica College Board, Rent Control Board, and School Board candidates with ballot designations, five ballot measures, and the full election calendar including the write-in nomination window)](https://www.santamonica.gov/elections/2026-11-03T00%3A00%3A00Z) 2. [City of Santa Monica — Public Portal (NetFile), Campaign Finance Elections page, showing the 11/03/2026 General Election's Candidate Seats (City Council, Santa Monica College Board of Trustees) and hundreds of registered candidate and committee filers](https://netfile.com/public/CSM/campaign/elections) 3. [Santa Monica Daily Press, by Matthew Hall — Santa Monica 2026 Ballot Takes Shape With Contested Races (Aug. 13, 2026: confirms three four-year City Council seats contested; names 7 qualified candidates plus 5 then-pending verification; two withdrawals, Nathaniel I. Jones and Angela D. Scott)](https://www.smdp.com/ballot-takes-shape-with-contested-races-in-all-local-elections/) 4. [Santa Monica Lookout, by Jorge Casuso — 11 Candidates Qualify to Run for Council (Aug. 17, 2026: field narrowed from 20 who pulled nomination papers; SMRR endorsed Torosis and Ivanov, later added Morrow; Negrete running with Oelsen and Trussler; Brock, Lesley, Gill, Kelley, and Townsend running independent of a slate; Jesse Zwick did not run after accepting a position directing statewide housing-advocacy work)](https://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2026/August-2026/08_17_2026_11_Candidates_Qualify_to_Run_for_Council.html) 5. [Santa Monica Daily Press — Rent Control Board Chair Ericka Lesley announces run for City Council (May 10, 2024: identifies Lesley as a Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. board member and Chair of the city's Rent Control Board)](https://www.smdp.com/2024/05/10/rent-control-board-chair-ericka-lesley-announces-run-for-city-council/) 6. [Ericka Lesley's own campaign website (erickalesleyforcitycouncil.com) — stated platform of equity, inclusion, and justice](https://erickalesleyforcitycouncil.com) 7. [Wikipedia — Santa Monica City Council (roster as of Dec. 2025: Caroline Torosis, Jesse Zwick, Dan Hall, Ellis Raskin, Barry Snell, Natalya Zernitskaya, Lana Negrete; cites the city's own Dec. 10, 2025 press release for Torosis's mayoral installation and Zwick's move to mayor pro tem)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Monica_City_Council) ## The rest of the ballot Santa Monica City Council is one contest among the many a California voter decides on November 3, 2026 — Congress, the Legislature, county, city, and school board races differ by address. Vote or Else builds the full list for any California address and breaks down each contest the way this page does, with no account and without storing the address: https://voteorelse.com/ ## How to cite this page Vote or Else, "Santa Monica City Council — November 3, 2026 California general election," https://voteorelse.com/2026/santa-monica-council (sources last retrieved August 31, 2026). Link the canonical page above rather than this Markdown file. Coverage is updated as the race develops, so quote it with its retrieval date.