Santa Monica voters supported progressive candidates for City Council, with the Unity Slate of Dan Hall, Ellis Raskin, Barry Snell, and Natalya Zernitskaya retaining their top spots. Mayor Phil Brock’s re-election prospects are slim due to his fifth-place finish in early voting.
Brock needs about 1,000 votes to move into fourth place, but with around 3,500 outstanding ballots left to count, it’s unlikely he’ll catch up. His slate mates Oscar de la Torre and Vivian Roknian also trail behind in voter percentage, making it uncertain if they’ll secure council seats.
At the county level, Santa Monica voters aligned more closely with regional trends. Nathan Hochman, a conservative candidate, took 54% of the vote to defeat District Attorney George Gascon. Locals rejected rent control expansion (54% said no) and supported harsher penalties for crime (54% in favor), mirroring state opinions.
On social issues, Santa Monica voters strongly backed same-sex marriage repeal, higher school funding, and lower voting thresholds for housing bonds. However, they defied the state on raising the minimum wage.
The county’s total vote count stands at 2,696,482, with around 47% of registered voters participating. The registrar estimates about 1,116,100 outstanding ballots will be processed in the coming weeks, with final results expected in a 30-day period.
Source: https://smdp.com/2024/11/08/santa-monica-voters-back-hochman-and-harsher-criminal-penalties-while-opposing-rent-control-expansion