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Palisades Charter High School Announces Return to Campus smmirror.com
January 16 – January 22, 2026 Volume CXXIII Issue 214
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Prosecutors File Murder Charges Against Mother in Santa Monica Child Death Case L.A. County Authorities Allege the Child Was Fatally Injured Inside a Broadway Apartment
Prosecutors have charged a Santa Monica mother with murder and felony child assault resulting in death following the killing of her young daughter earlier this week. Carmen Anita Degregg, 24, is charged in Los Angeles County Superior Court with one count of murder and one count of felony assault on a child under the age of 8, causing death, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Bail has been set at $2 million. Her arraignment was continued to January 9 in Department 30 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center. “The allegations in this case describe
extreme violence against a child who was entirely vulnerable and unable to protect herself,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. “When a parent is accused of causing a child’s death, our office has a duty to act decisively and to seek the maximum accountability permitted by law.” The charges stem from an incident reported around midday on January 6, when Santa Monica police responded to an apartment in the 2000 block of Broadway after being notified by UCLA Police. Authorities said an adult woman had been detained on the UCLA campus after making statements indicating she had harmed her child and left the toddler inside the apartment. Santa Monica officers located the child inside the residence with significant injuries. Santa Monica Fire Department personnel transported the toddler to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Degregg was taken into custody and booked at the Santa Monica Jail later that day. The child was between 15 and 17 months old, according to law enforcement and court records.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner will determine the cause and manner of death. If convicted as charged, Degregg faces a potential sentence of 25 years to life in state prison. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney MacKenzie Teymouri of the Family Violence Division’s Complex Child Abuse Section. Detectives with the Santa Monica Police Department’s Criminal Investigations
Division are continuing to investigate the case. Police said preliminary information indicates the incident appears to be isolated and that there is no ongoing threat to the community. Anyone with information related to the investigation is asked to contact Santa Monica Police Detective Isaac Reyes at isaac.reyes@santamonica.gov or the department’s Watch Commander at 310458-8427, available 24 hours a day.
Santa Monica Residents Allege Council Conflicts in Affordable Housing Vote Neighborhood Groups Call for Voiding Tainted Votes Ahead of Council Meeting
A coalition of neighborhood groups has filed a formal complaint alleging three Santa Monica City Council members violated conflict-of-interest laws in approving a major affordable housing project last month, demanding an investigation and voiding of the vote ahead of a scheduled ratification of other housing actions. The Jan. 8 complaint, submitted to the city attorney by Santa Monica Neighbors, targets Councilmember Jesse Zwick, Mayor Caroline Torosis and Councilmember Natalya Zernitskaya for their yes votes on Dec. 17, approving development agreements with Hollywood Community Housing Corporation. The deal commits city-owned land for 99 years
and $13.5 million in public funds. Residents claim Zwick engaged in undisclosed ex parte communications with HCHC's executive director during council proceedings, citing public records showing emails exchanged from the dais and private coordination on project alternatives. Zernitskaya is accused of violating the Levine Act by voting on the agreement after receiving $400 in campaign contributions from the CEO of The People Concern, identified as HCHC's supportive services provider. Torosis allegedly failed to disclose a professional tie, as she serves as senior policy director for Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, whose office is listed as an HCHC government partner. The complaint argues the violations invalidate the approval under state law, calling for a restart with recused members rather than a revote. Separately, several neighborhood associations, including Friends of Sunset Park and Wilshire Montana Neighborhood Coalition, urged the council in a Jan. 11 letter to reject ratifying five prior housing-
related votes tainted by Zwick's conflict, stemming from a December Fair Political Practices Commission ruling disqualifying him due to his employment with the Housing Action Coalition. The groups want all affected votes
voided and restarted only if moved by non-conflicted members, citing public trust and compliance with the city charter's affordability requirements. The council is set to consider the ratifications at its Jan. 13 meeting.