For the last week, Next has been publishing the responses to one question from the Santa Monica Democratic Club’s candidate questionnaire for candidates seeking seats on the Rent Control Board, SMMUSD School Board, and Santa Monica College Board of Trustees. Today, we’re publishing the answer 11 candidates for City Council gave to the question, “Why Are You Running?”
In addition to the ten responses gathered by the Dem. Club, Next reached out to Phil Brock, the former Mayor who announced his candidacy after the club published the questionnaire answers for his response. It is included below.
Respondees were placed in a random order determined by ChatGPT.
Caroline Torosis (Dem Club Questionnaire)
I am running for re-election because the work I started in 2022 is not finished, and this is a pivotal moment for our city. Santa Monica is finally moving in the right direction after years of instability, and we are finally starting to see a comeback as we step onto the world stage with the FIFA World Cup, the Super Bowl, and the LA28 Olympics arriving at our doorstep. That is an extraordinary opportunity, but it also means the pressure on our housing market, our neighborhoods, and our most vulnerable residents will only intensify.
I want to make sure Santa Monica meets that moment by choosing inclusion over displacement and affordability over speculation. The airport closure still needs to be seen through. Our affordable housing pipeline still needs to be built. The Pico Neighborhood still needs the investment it was promised. We have to re-commit to our sustainability goals. We must protect our tenants and show the rest of the state and nation what is possible. I am running to finish that work, and to keep Santa Monica a place where working families, renters, and longtime residents can actually afford to stay.
Danny Ivanov (Dem Club Questionnaire)
I’m running because the fundamentally American ideal of social mobility that we’ve come to expect – the concept that we expect to do well but we expect our kids to do better – we’re losing it, and we’re losing it in Santa Monica in an even more profound way than other parts of the country given how unaffordable it has become to live here. At 30, instead of thinking about home ownership like previous generations, I find myself scraping by. I want to be a voice for my generation by being on the front lines of making the necessary long term investments that we need to begin to turn the tide on our affordability crisis.
Wade Kelley (Dem Club Questionnaire)
To stand up for HUMAN RIGHTS!
Ericka Lesley (Dem Club Questionnaire)
I am running for City Council because working-class residents in Santa Monica deserve a strong voice at the decision-making table, and throughout my service on the Rent Control Board, I have worked to be that voice.
As the first Black woman elected to the Santa Monica Rent Control Board, I have used my position to help residents navigate complex systems, advocate for policies that better serve working families, and ensure that communities too often overlooked are included in decisions that affect their daily lives.
My experience on the Rent Control Board has given me a firsthand understanding of the challenges facing our city—from seniors living on fixed incomes and families struggling with the rising cost of living to long-term residents at risk of displacement. I have seen how policy decisions impact people’s lives, and I have learned that effective leadership requires both listening and action. I am running to bring that experience, advocacy, and commitment to City Council so that Santa Monica remains a place where everyone—not just the privileged few—has the opportunity to thrive.
Phil Brock (Candidate Statement)
Born and raised in Santa Monica, I grew up on these beaches, body-surfed these waves, and played on these fields. I am a product of Santa Monica schools, and I have spent decades volunteering for our charities and our city government. This city is not an abstraction to me — it is my home, my community, my life.
That is why I am running.
Angels Scott (Dem Club Questionnaire)
As a mother of three, I wonder whether our city will remain affordable enough for families to stay here and whether future generations will have the same opportunities that drew many of us to Santa Monica. I am running because I believe Santa Monica can and must do better to ensure that opportunity remains accessible to everyone who calls our city home.
Santa Monica is a remarkable community, yet too many residents are struggling with housing affordability, housing instability, economic uncertainty, and public safety concerns. Longtime residents worry about displacement. Working families face mounting financial pressures. Young people who grow up here often cannot afford to stay, and small businesses continue to recover from significant economic and affordability challenges.
I am running because I believe local government should be responsive, transparent, and results focused. We need leadership that understands residents’ lived experiences and can navigate complex policy challenges.
My campaign is rooted in three principles: Community, Opportunity, and Accountability. Every resident deserves to feel safe, have access to opportunity, and trust that their government is working on their behalf.
Doug Trussler (Dem Club Questionnaire)
I am running with a specific mission: to fix Santa Monica’s finances so that this city can once again be what drew me here in the first place – one of the most socioeconomically diverse and livable communites in America.
Santa Monica is in financial distress, and residents are not being told the truth about it. The 2026 budget projects $477 million in revenue while spending $512 million – a deficit of more than $35 million – built on revenue assump?ons that require a 15% increase in hotel receipts from a hospitality sector that has s?ll not recovered from its collapse. Tourism is down more than 50% from 2019 levels.
Retail spending, in inflation-adjusted terms, has fallen more than 43% from its peak. The City is currently funding its deficit through land sales which is the fiscal equivalent of burning furniture to keep warm.
I would not be running if I didn’t believe these problems are fixable. They are. But fixing them requires leadership willing to be honest about what the numbers say and experienced enough to do something about it. When the City’s finances are restored, everything else becomes possible again: deeper investment in affordable housing, a Great Park at the airport, downtown residents are proud of, programs that allow Santa Monica to remain the kind of place where teachers, nurses, and service workers can actually afford to live.
Brett Morrow (Dem Club Questionnaire)
I’m running because Santa Monica still has some challenges in front of us. It’s still too expensive to live here for families, workers, students, and seniors. We need safer and cleaner streets, stronger support for our local businesses, more park space and recreation opportunities, and solutions that help families continue to afford to live here so our schools, neighborhoods, and local economy can thrive.
Throughout my career, I’ve learned that good government has to improve people’s daily lives while also addressing the causes of the problems they’re facing. Santa Monica doesn’t need more political arguments about why problems exist. We need leaders who know how to bring people together, focus on implementation, and deliver results and I believe I am the best person to accomplish that.
Ashley Oelsen (Dem Club Questionnaire)
I am running because Santa Monica needs leaders who are willing to put the community ahead of politics, follow the science, and make decisions based on facts, transparency, and long-term public benefit.
My commitment to public service comes from a lifelong passion for protecting both people and the environment. As a conservation biologist, environmental advocate, and community leader, I have spent my career working on issues that directly affect public health, quality of life, and the future of our community. Through my service on the Environmental Justice, Sustainability, and Environment Commission and as Chair of the Clean Oceans and Beaches Measure V Oversight Committee, I have seen both the strengths of our city and the challenges we must address.
I am also the founder of Santa Monica Neighbors, a civic accountability organization. I have spent considerable time filing public records requests, analyzing government conduct, and documenting accountability failures that have eroded public trust. Residents deserve a council member who takes that responsibility seriously.
The recent environmental and public health challenges facing our coastline reinforced for me the importance of strong local leadership. In response, I founded the Coastal Alliance to bring together residents, scientists, and advocates to protect our beaches, ocean, and public health. That experience showed me the power of community action and the need for elected officials who are willing to listen, collaborate, and act when residents’ concerns are being overlooked.
Eli Gill (Dem Club Questionnaire)
Santa Monica is a great city that is not living up to its potential, and too often City Hall feels disconnected from the practical needs of the people who live and work here. Families are being squeezed out by the cost of living. Too often, renters in this city are being subjected to substandard housing and negligent landlords. Small businesses are struggling under red tape and high fees. Our public spaces have become less welcoming. And too many city programs spend money without clear accountability for results.
I am running because I believe we can do better. Not through grand gestures or ideological posturing, but through better management, clearer priorities, and a relentless focus on execution. I want to bring that discipline to City Hall.
Lana Negrete (Dem Club Questionnaire)
I am running because I love Santa Monica and believe there is still important work to do.
Over the last several years, our city has faced significant challenges, including homelessness, public safety concerns, economic recovery following the pandemic, affordability pressures, and declining public trust in government. While progress has been made in many areas, I believe residents continue to want a city government that is accessible, transparent, accountable, and focused on delivering results.
My goal is to continue building a Santa Monica that is safe, compassionate, economically vibrant, environmentally sustainable, and welcoming to people from all backgrounds. I am running to continue advocating for practical solutions that improve quality of life for residents while preserving the character and values that make Santa Monica unique.
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