Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights, one of Santa Monica’s most influential political organizations, will hold the 2026 Annual Membership Convention on August 9 at 1 p.m. at the Grant Elementary School Auditorium. Amongst other things, members will vote on endorsements for this November’s election.
To vote at SMRR’s annual convention, members must attend in person at the school auditorium, have paid dues, and joined the organization before May 12. There will be no mail-in ballots or virtual options for voters unable to attend in person. Sorry SMRR members who scheduled their family vacations during that time! Maybe next election.
In a message sent to members and signed by founder Denny Zane, leadership warned of “efforts by outside groups” to influence the endorsement process, specifically referencing supporters of last year’s State Senate Bill 79, which overrides local zoning to allow for more housing near transit.
Leadership described the bill’s original language as “very disruptive,” warning it could have created “a demolition derby” before amendments were adopted. The organization urged members to attend the convention to “reject neighborhood disruption and protect those threatened with displacement.”
SMRR endorsed six of the seven current councilmembers. Notably, the only current councilmember the group did not endorse, Lana Negrete, was also the only one to oppose SB 79 when the Council voted to endorse the measure.
Tensions also surfaced earlier this year when SMRR endorsed exploring a housing ballot measure for portions of the soon-to-be-former Santa Monica Airport land. The proposal has been highly controversial and drew formal opposition from Santa Monica Forward, a local advocacy group that has agreed with SMRR on many recent endorsements despite Forward’s support for more housing in general and SB 79 in particular.
If support for the ballot measure becomes a requirement for earning SMRR’s endorsement, another division could emerge. Both incumbent councilmembers now seeking reelection – Caroline Torosis and Lana Negrete – opposed moving forward with the concept, arguing the city should prioritize the voter-approved vision of the airport land primarily as park space.
Founded in 1979 to support rent control and tenant protections, SMRR has long played a defining role in local politics, often helping shape progressive governing coalitions at City Hall. However, SMRR’s leadership now appears to be moving in a different direction than other progressive political groups. Still, it is the organization’s members – not its leadership – who ultimately decide whom to endorse.
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