INSIDE
Black Bear Revealed as Buyer of Former Bad Robot HQ in $31M Santa Monica Deal smmirror.com
December 5 - December 11, 2025 Volume CXXIII Issue 214
See Page 7
Caroline Torosis to Be Sworn in as Next Santa Monica Mayor, Jesse Zwick as Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Zwick Selected as Mayor Pro Tem as the City Prepares for a New Year of Leadership
On Dec. 9, Caroline Torosis will be sworn in as the next mayor of Santa Monica, and Jesse Zwick will take the position of mayor pro tem. Torosis was elected to the city council in 2022 and has served as mayor pro tem for the past year. She previously served as commissioner on the Santa Monica Rent Control Board. Torosis will take the helm from outgoing Mayor Lana Negrete, who has served in the post since 2024. Born and raised in Santa Monica, Negrete owns Santa Monica Music Center. Negrete also previously served on the Public Safety Reform and Oversight Commission. During her tenure, Mayor Negrete served as part of the city’s response to the Palisades Fire, including recovery efforts focused on business support. She also focused on involving young people in government and on educating community members about the city’s processes. Negrete, who was first appointed to the City Council in 2021 and served as mayor
pro tem from 2022-2024, will transition back to the role of councilmember. A UCLA alumna, Torosis is a government affairs attorney and workforce and economic development expert with a juris doctorate from Washington University. In her full-time job, she is the Policy Director for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Supervisor Holly Mitchell. She is also a member of the County's Women's Leadership Council. Zwick was also elected in 2022. He
grew up in Santa Monica, graduated from Harvard University, and worked as a journalist in Washington, D.C. before returning home to write for film and television. He currently works as Southern California Director for the Housing Action Coalition. Per the established council rules, the longest continuously serving councilmember will serve as mayor for a one-year term. If two or more councilmembers were elected in the same
election, the councilmember receiving the higher number of votes shall be considered as having served longer for purposes of the rule. To celebrate the mayoral transition, a reception will be held in the City Hall lobby on December 9 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. with light snacks and refreshments. The reception is free and open to the public.
Santa Monica City Council Orders Waymo to Shut Down Late-Night Charging at Two Stations Residents Say Autonomous Taxi Hubs Brought Sleepless Nights, Prompting the City to Order Shutdowns
Santa Monica officials have directed autonomous taxi operator Waymo to halt late-night charging at two neighborhood facilities following months of complaints about noise and increased vehicle activity. The City Council approved the order unanimously last week, requiring the company to stop operations between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. at its charging hubs on the 1200 and 1300 blocks of Broadway. Residents living near the stations began
reporting issues shortly after the hubs opened in late 2024, according to city staff. Complaints centered on the constant movement of autonomous vehicles in adjacent alleys, beeping from reverse sensors, and mechanical noise from charging equipment. A letter obtained by the Los Angeles Times shows the city warned Waymo that litigation was possible if it failed to comply with the overnight shutdown directive. Waymo, which can charge up to 56 vehicles at once at the two sites, told the city in July that it had made several adjustments, including lowering reversealert volumes on its robotaxis and reducing alley congestion. But residents argued the changes fell short and said they had never been notified that large-scale charging depots would be operating in their neighborhoods. The company has rapidly expanded its
Los Angeles footprint while the dispute unfolded. In June, Waymo announced an expansion of its service area to more than 120 square miles, offering autonomous rides through Playa del Rey, Echo Park, Silver Lake, Ladera Heights, and stretches of the Sunset Boulevard corridor. Earlier
this month, Waymo said its driverless taxis would begin using freeways in both Los Angeles and San Francisco, extending trip distances and broadening route options. Waymo’s fleet also currently serves Santa Monica, Culver City, and downtown Los Angeles.