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 housingrelated 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.
Woman accused in death of Loyola tennis star Braun Levi pleads not guilty
Prosecutors allege the driver was intoxicated and driving on a suspended license.
The woman accused of driving drunk when she fatally struck Loyola High School senior and beloved tennis star Braun Levi entered a not-guilty plea on Tuesday to murder and other felony charges stemming from the collision.
Jenia Resha Belt, 33, appeared briefly in court and pleaded not guilty to all counts related to the death of the 18-yearold student, who was weeks away from graduation. She remains in custody on
$2 million bail, with her next court date scheduled for March 12.
The crash occurred on May 4, 2025, around 12:46 a.m., near 2nd Street in Manhattan Beach. Authorities said Levi was crossing the street when he was hit by a silver Infiniti FX35 driven by Belt. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Belt was allegedly intoxicated at the time of the crash, with a blood alcohol concentration measured at 0.19%, more than twice the legal limit. Prosecutors also allege she was driving on a suspended license following a prior DUI arrest.
Belt faces multiple felony counts, including second-degree murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and driving on a suspended license. If convicted as charged, she could be
sentenced to 15 years to life in state prison.
In addition to the criminal case, a civil lawsuit filed by Levi’s parents is moving forward. The family is seeking $200 million in damages and has requested a jury trial, according to court records. Braun Levi was just a few months away from attending college at the University of Virginia when he tragically died.
The Levi family founded the Live Like Braun Foundation to “keep Braun’s legacy alive through awareness-raising and grantmaking in three areas – scholarships, repair and building of public tennis centers, and raising awareness about impaired driving risks.” Jennifer Levi is a Mothers Against Drunk Driving California State Legislative Board Member and an Advocate for California DUI Sentencing Reform.
The Levi family lost their home in the Palisades Fire.
Rick Caruso ends political speculation, declines to seek elected office
Developer says he will continue civic work through philanthropy and wildfire recovery efforts.
Billionaire Rick Caruso said he will not seek elected office, ending months of public speculation about whether the Los Angeles developer and civic leader would mount another political campaign.
In a written statement on social media, Caruso said the decision followed a year of reflection and conversations with people across California, as well as discussions with his family about the personal impact of running for office. He said those conversations centered on where he could make the greatest difference and how a campaign would affect his family.
Caruso said he was encouraged by many people to run and expressed disappointment about stepping aside from what he described as a critical moment for California. Still, he said the timing was not right to pursue public office.
Although he will not appear on a ballot, Caruso said his work in public service will continue through other avenues. He pointed to his involvement with Steadfast LA, which has supported victims of the Palisades and Eaton fires, as well as ongoing efforts by his company and family foundation aimed at strengthening communities.
Caruso said those initiatives reflect his broader approach to civic engagement, which he described as listening, collaboration, and decisive action to produce long-term results. He said he plans to continue building on that work and addressing challenges facing the region.
“Public service does not require a title,” Caruso said, adding that serving communities will remain a central focus of his efforts, even outside elected office.
bote verde
What goes in the green bin?
¿Qué va en el bote verde?
Wooden cutler y along with food scraps are allowed in your green bin.
Los cubier tos de madera, ju nto con los restos de comida, está n permi tidos en el contenedor verde.
Escanea Aquí
Ocean Park Boulevard Proposed as the site of a 456-Unit, Eight-Story Mixed-Use Development
Plans outline 456 apartments, ground-floor retail at an Ocean Park Boulevard site
Materials released by the developer online provide additional details about a proposed mixed-use project planned near Santa Monica Airport, where an existing office property could be redeveloped, as reported by Urbanize Los Angeles.
The proposal centers on 2716 Ocean Park Blvd, where Trammell Crow Company plans an eight-story mixed-use building. Plans call for 456 apartment homes, with unit types ranging from studios to threebedroom residences. Of those units, 46
would be designated as inclusionary affordable housing, according to project information.
Residential space would be paired with approximately 6,200 square feet of groundfloor retail along Ocean Park Boulevard. The development would also include about 668 on-site parking spaces intended to serve both residential and commercial uses.
To proceed at the proposed scale, the developer is seeking approvals that would allow greater density than otherwise permitted under existing zoning regulations. Affordable housing units are proposed as part of those requests.
Trammell Crow has made project materials available online, including a project summary, plans, and elevations, at: https://trammellcrow.box.com/s/ zu2lyowubhkrsmdmpikh07j42yv09mfu
A virtual community meeting on the
project is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, and will be held via Zoom. Registration information is available at http://bit.ly/49xkg5W. Written comments and requests related to the project may be submitted to 2716opb@trammellcrow. com, according to the developer.
Fairview Branch Library to Host Reopening Celebration
The expansions, effective Jan. 20, restore librarian staffing, technical assistance and programs at both branches under the
two-year Realignment Plan
The Fairview Branch Library will hold a reopening celebration Jan. 20 following the restoration of full in-person services three days per week, reversing earlier budget-related reductions.
The drop-in event runs from noon to 2 p.m. at 2101 Ocean Park Blvd., with city leaders available to discuss library operations and the city's Realignment Plan. Light refreshments will be provided; no RSVP is required and all ages are welcome. A similar celebration is planned Jan. 21 at the Ocean Park Branch, 2601 Main St.
The expansions, effective Jan. 20, restore librarian staffing, technical assistance and programs at both branches under the twoyear Realignment Plan approved by the City Council in October 2025.
Fairview will operate Tuesdays and Wednesdays from noon to 8 p.m. and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ocean Park will be open Wednesdays and Thursdays from noon to 8 p.m. and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The branches had shifted to limited selfservice models amid fiscal constraints, prompting community advocacy last year to prevent potential closures. The Fairview Branch, serving the Sunset Park neighborhood with about 80,000 annual visitors pre-cuts, faced particular scrutiny.
The Realignment Plan includes further increases to four full-service days per week at Fairview, Ocean Park and Montana branches starting July 2026.
to Urban Jungle
Immerse yourself in a sanctuary where nature’s tranquility meets the vibrancy of city life. Urban Jungle is more than a plant store it’s a communitycentered oasis bringing a lush slice of paradise to your urban lifestyle. Here, we passionately believe in the power of plants to transform spaces and elevate well-being.
Why Go Beyond?
SM a.r.t.
Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow
One question echoed through City Hall’s chambers Tuesday night, asked almost four dozen different ways by four dozen different residents who stayed until nearly 1 AM: Why is this Council going beyond the already transformative state laws on housing density?
The ostensible issue was a re-vote on several housing-related local Santa Monica laws—none of them required by state law—that were passed or initiated while Jesse Zwick, one of our council members, had a conflict of interest between his day job as a lobbyist for a housing organization and his role voting on housing in the best interest of Santa Monicans. But underneath that issue, at its heart, was this question that united residents who showed up to comment…
Not opposition to housing. Not a denial of any affordability problem. Just: why more than what’s already mandated, which is considerable?
823 pages of public comment arrived before the meeting. The chambers were full. The meeting was so long that many who had wanted to stay to speak had to go home. But many people stayed, asking their own version of this same question.
No clear answers were given, but one did emerge.
What One State Law Already Does A new state law, SB 1123, went into effect in July. R1 lots can now be subdivided into parcels as small as 1,200 square feet, each with a starter home—up to five homes of 1,750 square feet on a typical lot.
This is already transformative. Already enabling substantially increased density. The law just took effect.
What the Council Wants to Add
The new state law only requires that normal local zoning standards apply to these new, smaller parcels. But our City Council has been quietly trying to piggyback off the new law, and to use the opportunity to amend our local zoning in several parts of Santa Monica: Sunset Park, Pico Neighborhood, NOMA, and Northeast. These neighborhoods would now be allowed to build 3 stories, with 50% more building area, and reduced setbacks. This represents density beyond what even R2 neighborhoods allow.
The main justification offered Tuesday night came from Dan Hall: we might need three stories to fit three bedrooms.
Something about that didn't sit right. I grew up in a modest 1,377 square feet with four bedrooms. We had space. We had life. Nationally, three-bedroom apartments average 1,336 square feet (according to RentCafe). Three-bedroom townhouses under 1,750 sq ft are abundant in LA. Councilman Hall's reasoning doesn't hold up and suggests a disconnect from how most families actually live.
Some on the Council raised
“affordability.” But the whole point of SB1123 is to make smaller houses, smaller parcels, more affordable. If you’re dividing a lot into 3, 4, 5… up to 10 starter homes (currently allowed on larger lots by SB1123), you’re inherently making the market more accessible to a wide range of incomes. This is already accomplished by the state law.
The logic doesn’t add up. But the math does. More square footage per lot means more revenue per project. Developers want maximum returns - that’s their business model. SB1123 relies on their profit motive to achieve its direct goal of density and its hopeful, secondary goal of affordability. Its proponents believe one will lead to the other. But the Council’s job is to balance those interests with residents’ concerns and responsible growth. Not to further maximize the opportunity for developer returns.
How We Got Here
The new local SB1123 ordinance started, at least in part, with a developer’s email to Jesse Zwick suggesting these precise terms. Three stories. 50% more building area.
Then came the “emergency” ordinance last summer. It bypassed the normal course of review of the Planning Commission, bypassed the regularly required public process, and claimed urgency where none existed. It was an “emergency” for us to go to 3 stories and 50% more building area in these neighborhoods, beyond the scope of the state law that was being debated at the time. The ordinance became law immediately.
Except there was no emergency. That ordinance is now being challenged in court and unlikely to survive—it doesn’t meet the legal definition of emergency. (Which is presumably why the Council at this same meeting went ahead and rescinded the emergency ordinance, killing the lawsuit.) Meanwhile, the FPPC ruled Councilperson Zwick conflicted on housing votes due to his Housing Action Coalition employment. Zwick is now barred from future housing votes. And previous votes had to be recast; the procedural foundation is compromised.
The Accountability Gap
In the days before Tuesday night, residents discovered what most had never heard about: this supersized SB1123 ordinance, going far beyond state requirements, representing a massive, unrequired change to their neighborhoods. People were furious. Not just at the proposal - at the secrecy. The speed. The presumption. They weren’t opposed to SB 1123. That's the law. People at the meeting didn’t argue against state law.
But one after another, they approached the microphone. They'd abandoned prepared statements, voices spilling out about the supersized ordinance: We didn't vote for this. What about safety? Evacuation capacity? Why are you doubling the dosage before the patient has taken the first pill?
A Santa Monica High School student
asked why the Council had unnecessarily upzoned a historic, two-story buildingsetting the stage for it to become an 85-foot apartment complex that's 90% market rate. Why go beyond what's required?
Around midnight, older residents fought to stay awake, taking notes to keep focused. They'd come this far. They weren't leaving without being heard.
Lana Negrete entered with reason: don't go beyond state law. The law just took effect. Let's see what it does.
Then came what looked like agreement. Caroline Torosis and Ellis Raskin both declared they didn't want to go beyond state law (except for requiring our standard AHPP housing fees). Torosis had voted yes on the emergency ordinance months ago, so this seemed like a change.
Torosis offered a motion that seemed to reflect that position. But Dan Hall and Natalya Zernitskaya amended it, twisted it until it became permission to study three stories after all. In the name of affordability and families. And Raskin, who'd just said he didn't want to go beyond state law, voted for it. Joined Snell, Zernitskaya, and Hall in sending it forward.
The question keeps getting asked. It keeps not getting answered.
But the Evidence of the Answer was Everywhere on Tuesday
We saw photos of developer emails proposing the ordinance terms. One Councilman had to recuse himself from an important housing vote on Tuesday because his foundation gets office space from one of the biggest development financiers in town. There was testimony of developers texting with Council members during meetings. Some Council members no doubt genuinely believe they're championing affordability—which makes the influence more troubling.
What this isn’t
This isn't opposition to SB 1123—that's the law. No one argued against it. This is
residents of all backgrounds asking elected officials to justify going further than required. And noticing they won't.
The Power of Showing Up
But Tuesday night proved something else. When residents show up in numbers, when forty-four people stay well past midnight, when 823 pages of comments create an undeniable record—the political calculation changes.
There was anger in that chamber. But there was also electricity. Solidarity. Voices raised in chorus are powerful.
Show Up
The Planning Commission will review this soon. Likely on February 18th at 6:00 p.m. We must all be there. Show up. Bring neighbors. Submit written comments. State law already mandates enormous change. To go beyond it without evidence, without clear rationale, without answering why. This isn’t housing policy. This is developer-driven rezoning disguised as progress.
These are our neighborhoods. Our streets. Our city. Tuesday night, residents who’d rarely or never attended a meeting before were reading staff reports and tracking votes and staying well past midnight.
That’s how this changes.
See you there.
Heather Thomason, Community Organizer for SMa.r.t., Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow Mario Fonda-Bonardi, AIA, former Planning Commissioner, Robert H. Taylor, AIA, Architect. Dan Jansenson, Architect, former Building and Life Safety Commissioner. Samuel Tolkin, Architect, former Planning Commissioner, Michael Jolly, AIR-CRE. Jack Hillbrand AIA, Landmarks Commission Architect, Phil Brock, former SM Mayor (Ret.), Matt Hoefler, architect, Heather Thomason. Community Organizer.
FILM REVIEW TRAIN DREAMS
BEHIND THE SCREEN
By Kathryn Whitney Boole
Train Dreams is based on a novella by Denis Johnson, published in 201,1 that originated as an article in The Paris Review in 2002. The novella was described as “a daring lament to the American West.” The screenplay for this film was written by director Clint Bentley with Greg Kwedar and premiered at Sundance 2025. Kwedar and Bentley were the forces behind the great documentary-style drama Sing Sing (2023).
Train Dreams is an exceptionally beautiful film that plays out against the historical backdrop of a young United States after the Civil War. The filmmakers, to their credit, do not try to put the story into words. They create for our view the open lands and nascent towns of our country in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. Industrialization and efficient travel options were just starting to appear in our vast western territories. In this fictional story, we follow the life of “Robert Grainier,” born in the 1880’s, who, as an orphaned child, never knows his parents nor a settled life.
Sent to Idaho at the age of 7 with his destination pinned to his jacket, he travels the land by railroad, and that railroad becomes the most stable part of his life. As he grows up, Grainier joins logging crews each year and goes to live among the trees, a wanderer of sorts, despite having a paying job. He marries, builds a home, and has a child.
Production designer Alexandra Schaller literally had to “cast a forest,” and the filmmakers did a fantastic job of coordinating the rich hues of each scene, shot on location in Washington State forests. Robert is at home
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in the vast landscapes that are the Northwest at that time. Many of those environments still exist today, and if you stand quietly in one of those forests, you can feel the hearts of the trees, many of which have been standing before you arrived on this earth and will be there long after you leave.
By preserving the simplicity of the story, the filmmakers capture this forested land in all its richly silent but almost musical shimmering aura. With its extraordinarily rich coloration, the film permits you to see vividly the world of Grainier, close to what existed during that time and place.
Australian actor Joel Edgerton as Grainier delivers a resounding performance in this quiet role. You feel like you’re traveling through place and time with him. The narration by Will Patton is straightforward and melodic, like a troubadour recounting a tale. Edgerton notes that he had read the book years ago and loved it, even asked about the rights to it. Years later, he found that it was being made as a film by Bentley and knew it would not be easy, but he watched Bentley’s film Jockey (2021) and knew the director could do it justice.
Edgerton wanted to understand as much as he could about the place and time of the story, so in preparation, he read diary entries and articles from the late 1800’s and early 20th century, written by sharecroppers, homesteaders, and others who settled those lands. As Grainier’s wife, “Gladys,” Felicity Jones is superb, as is Kerry Condon as “Claire,” whom Grainier meets later in his life. Both actresses make powerful impressions with little screen time.
Director Bentley grew up on a cattle ranch in Florida, and his uncle was a logger. His
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Rated PG-13
102 Minutes
Released in Theatres November 21st, Now Streaming on Netflix Nominated for one Golden Globe, may be nominated for the Academy Awards
Dad, a jockey, was tough but also could be tender, as he recalls, and though not highly educated, had a heightened sense of our existence alongside nature. Probably much of Grainier’s character is based on Bentley’s Dad.
Edgerton summarizes the impact of Train Dreams better than anyone. He says, “It leads you to this feeling that even though life can be awful, life can also be extremely, profoundly beautiful. And when you add it all up, for all the blows you might have absorbed in life, it ultimately is worth living.
Through Robert, we see resilience and regrowth. We see his ability to absorb these things and keep going, as we all have to do. We have a life, we live it out: Some of it is good, some of it is bad. At the end of the day, the movie really illuminates the beauty of life
despite some of the things that we’ve faced within it. And that it is a profoundly wonderful thing to have — that gift of an entire life, that collection of memory.”
Of all the films of 2025, Train Dreams will probably remain vivid in your memory and will surface whenever you are able to pull yourself away from your busy life and survey the vast world around you. I believe, as does Edgerton, that Train Dreams is a significant movie which examines the meaning of life and our relationship to our planet and other living things.
Kathryn Whitney Boole has spent most of her life in the entertainment industry, which has been the backdrop for remarkable adventures with extraordinary people. She is a Talent Manager with Studio Talent Group in Santa Monica. kboole@gmail.com
NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF JOHN MICHAEL MURPHY
To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of: JOHN MICHAEL MURPHY
A Petition for Probate has been filed by CHRISTOPHER MURPHY in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Superior Court Case No. 25STPB13513 The Petition for Probate requests that CHRISTOPHER MURPHY be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.
The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.
The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.
A hearing on the petition will be held in Los Angeles County Superior Court as follows:
Date: March 13, 2026, Time: 8:30 am. Dept.: 62 The address of the court: 111 North Hill St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.
If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the deceased, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code.
Other California statues and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.
You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.
Petitioner Attorney for Petition: Janet L. Brewer, 4 Main St. Ste. 20, Los Altos, CA 94022
Published in the Santa Monica Mirror, 1/16/26, 1/23/2026, and 1/30/2026.
