By Jorge Casuso

January 6, 2025 – Bucking Santa Monica's liberal tradition, local voters on November 5 opposed a statewide rent control law and joined a large majority of Californians who voted to crack down on crime.

They also turned on LA District Attorney George Gascon, who was elected four years ago with the support of nearly two-thirds of Santa Monica voters, who also helped him fend off a recall effort in 2022.

Voters in Santa Monica -– long considered a bastion of rent control -– helped defeat State Measure 33, which would have expanded local rent control, with 25,425 voting no and 22,249 voting yes.

According to final results from the LA County Registrar, the measure was rejected by 60 percent of California voters.

Former mayor Denny Zane believes local voters -- who approved rent control in 1978 and have been the dominant political force since then -- didn't fully understand the ballot measure.

"The intention of the opponents' campaign was to confuse people, and I think they succeeded," said Zane, a founder and co-chair of Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights (SMRR), the group behind local rent control.

"People really didn't understand it protected and expanded rent control," Zane said. "They were fooled into thinking that it would apply to all new construction."

Local voters, however, approved a lower threshold that made it easier for cities to fund public housing, with 27,541 yes votes to 19,227 no votes, or 59 to 41 percent.

By comparison, statewide voters shot down Measure 5, which would have lowered the local approval threshold to fund housing from two-thirds to 55 percent, with 55 percent voting no.

When it comes to public safety, Santa Monica voters backed State Measure 36 -- which imposes stronger penalties for repeat offenders of drug possession and retail theft -- with 25,722 voters supporting the measure and 21,739 opposing it, a 54 to 46 percent margin.

The measure -- which was approved by 68.4 percent of California voters -- rolled back criminal justice reforms under Prop 47 that had been strongly supported by Santa Monica voters in 2014 with 79 percent of the vote.

Meanwhile local voters helped oust Gascon, casting 24,364 votes for his opponent Nathan Hochman, or 54 percent, and 20,898 for the incumbent DA.

That was a stark reversal for Gascon, who soundly defeated incumbent Jackie Lacey in 2020 in Santa Monica, winning with 31,144 votes to 17,778, or 64 percent of the vote. Santa Monica voters also defeated an effort to recall Gascon in 2022.

In the presidential race, 18 percent of Santa Monica voters cast ballots for President-elect Donald Trump, whose victory was certified by Congress on Monday.

Despite his best local showing in three presidential elections, Trump was soundly defeated by Vice President Kamala Harris, who received 77 percent of the vote.

The margin was similar in other national and state races. In the race for U.S. Senate, Adam Schiff defeated Republican candidate Steve Garvey in Santa Monica with 38,851 votes, or 78 percent, to 11,102 votes.

U.S. Congressman Ted Lieu easily won re-election with the help of local voters who cast 37,836 votes for the incumbent, or 79 percent, and 10,053 for his Republican opponent Melissa Toomin.

In the 51st Assembly District race, incumbent Rick Chavez Zbur easily held on to his seat with 35,705 local votes, or 77 percent, to 10,472 for his Republican challenger Stephan Hohil.