November 5, 2024 -- Early voting results released by the County Registrar's Office shortly after 8:30 p.m. Tuesday show Santa Monica's establishment-backed slate sweeping the four open City Council seats.
Dan Hall, Ellis Raskin, Natalya Zernitskaya and Barry Snell all had more than 12,000 votes in the race for four Council seats, followed by incumbent Mayor Phil Brock behind by some 850 votes.
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Incumbent Councilmember Oscar de la Torre was in sixth place, nearly 2,000 votes behind Snell, followed by fellow Safer Santa Monica slate candidates Vivian Roknian and John Putnam.
Rent Board Chair Ericka Lesley was a distant ninth with little more than 5,000 votes, followed by street performer Wade Kelly with some 1,200 votes.
If the voting trend continues -- as it did with the release of additional results at around 9:10 p.m. -- the establishment candidates who form the United slate could gain a 6 to 1 majority on the Council.
The slate -- backed by Santa Monicans for Rentters' Rights (SMRR), the local Democratic Club and the hotel workers union -- needs to pick up two seats to regain a majority of the Council it has controlled for most of the past 40 years ("Who Runs the City?" September 20, 2024).
The campaign to regain power centered on a hard-hitting negative campaign to unseat de la Torre, who along with Brock is a staunch supporter of law enforcement.
If de la Torre retains his seat, he would become Santa Monica's next mayor ("Behind the efforts to unseat de la Torre," October 31, 2024).
The United slate is poised for a sweep despite being outspent by major business donors in what is easily the most expensive Council race in Santa Monica history.
As the race entered the homestretch, PACs and the candidates they support had spent a record $1.4 million ("Council Race Shatters Finance Record," October 30, 2024.)
Early results also show three local ballot funding measures poised to win by large margins.
Measure F, which would restructure the City's business taxes to fund essential City services, was leading with 78 percent of the vote -- 20,902 votes to 5,929.
Measure K, which would enhance public safety and create safe routes to school by imposing a tax hike on private parking lots, was leading with 74.62 percent of the vote -- 20,332 to 6,914.
While Measure QS, a $495 million School bond to improve and replace District facilities, led with 62 percent of the vote -- 16,562 to 9,956.
In the race for three seats on the School Board, the three incumbents -- Jennifer Smith, Jon Kean and Maria Leon-Vazquez are poised to regain their seats. Christine Falaguerra, who did not mount a campaign was a distant fourth.
There are no races for College or Rent Control boards due to a lack of challengers.