By Jorge Casuso

October 27, 2025 -- County Commissioner Lindsey Horvath has terminated the two transitional housing facilities for the mentally ill homeless on Ocean Avenue after community outcry and intensive lobbying from Mayor Lana Negrete.

In a statement issued Monday, Horvath called for the California Department of Mental Health (DMH), which is providing $4 million to the County in funding, its operator St. Joseph Center and the City to "work together to find alternative locations."

The move comes two weeks after Horvath paused the program initially scheduled to open this month at 413 and 825 Ocean Avenue that caught Santa Monica City officials and neighboring residents by surprise.

"When a project moves forward without community awareness, it erodes trust," Horvath said. "In this case, that trust has been broken, and the community is right to be frustrated.

"The lack of transparency and coordination in this process is unacceptable," she said, adding that "the need for mental health and housing resources remains urgent."

Negrete, who placed an item on Tuesday's Council agenda to address the lack of transparency in the process, issued a statement on Instagram after the announcement.

"When I first raised concerns about the Ocean Avenue project, it wasn't to oppose mental health or bridge housing -- it was to shine a light on a process that was incomplete and lacked public input.

"I took a lot of punches for speaking up, but I stayed steady," said Negrete, who was organizing a town hall meeting with the key players before the project was paused.

"I listened to the community, asked hard questions and worked directly with our County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and her team to ensure that this project would be paused until a proper, transparent engagement process could take place.

"Now we've shown what's possible when government truly listens," the Mayor wrote. "I'm deeply grateful to Supervisor Horvath for her partnership and leadership -- and to our community for continuing to speak up with compassion and clarity."

The transitional housing program operated by Venice-based St. Joseph Center at the two Ocean Avenue facilities called for a total of 49 beds and services for homeless individuals with serious mental illness.

The properties are owned by developer Leo Pustilnikov, who applied for a Change of Use Permit (CUP) for the two properties across from Palisades Park.