Santa Monica leaders, developers, and business owners gathered Monday for a rare alignment of voices at the Leadership Forum on the Future of Downtown Santa Monica and the Third Street Promenade, an event hosted by CALS and the Zacuto Group with support from the City of Santa Monica and Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. at the Museum of Illusions. The gathering came at a moment many described as an inflection point charting a coordinated path toward recovery with City Manager Oliver Chi's "Realignment Plan."
Mayor Lana Negrete set the tone, speaking with candid urgency about Santa Monica’s challenges and the momentum building through the city’s new Realignment Plan. “We’ve hit rock bottom,” she said. “And we can only go up from here.” Negrete pointed to tangible changes already underway: newly planted trees downtown, long-delayed pothole repairs across Pico, and a renewed focus on basic maintenance that residents had been calling for. She emphasized a new business concierge program to guide operators from start to finish, along with efforts to cut red tape so developers can reimagine and reinvest in aging buildings. Her message was clear - Santa Monica is stepping into a rebuilding moment, and the city intends to meet it with action.
Public safety dominated much of the conversation. Negrete highlighted the city’s plan to double police presence downtown beginning January 7, supported by an expanded Downtown Service Unit and a new police substation slated to open in 2026. She noted increased coordination with Metro to address safety concerns at the end-of-line station and the launch of the SAMO Bridge program, which provides two trailers at Main and Pico where officers can bring individuals to sober up and connect with permanent services. “Every city is trying to rebuild,” she said. “Our job is to make Santa Monica clean, safe, and inviting again for residents, businesses, and the millions who come here because this place feels special.”
Inside City Hall, leaders say the culture is shifting. Deputy City Manager of Strategic Initiatives Peter James described the transformation as overdue and decisive. “It’s refreshing to have a City Manager who paints a clear vision,” he said. “We’re seeing a tremendous change in pace and an awakening inside the organization.” James said the city is moving away from slow-moving, top-down governance and toward more collaborative, responsive structures. Rather than relying solely on commissions and task forces, the city is looking to form new advisory groups and business councils that can make decisions quickly, deploy resources immediately, and test ideas in real time.
Community Development Director Jing Yeo, who will mark 20 years with the city in February, reinforced that rebuilding trust requires reliability and predictability. She emphasized the transformation happening within planning, building safety, and code enforcement. Her department is implementing AI tools, guaranteed turnaround times, contracted services to reduce bottlenecks, and flexible pathways for adaptive reuse. “Improving the customer experience is central to what we do,” she said. “Revitalizing a city requires everyone. We need each partner bringing their strengths—and we need to make it easy to work with us.”
As the conversation expanded, panelists underscored the importance of public-private partnerships as the cornerstone of Santa Monica’s comeback. With the city realigning internally and property owners eager to invest, leaders described this moment as a rare window where shared priorities, clear communication, and rapid action could move in tandem. The private sector called for more direct collaboration on economic development, events, design interventions, and tenant recruitment, while city officials acknowledged the need to decentralize decision-making and empower business leaders as co-creators, not just stakeholders. This willingness to integrate strategy, resources, and governance across both sides, panelists said, may be the single most important shift determining whether Santa Monica’s revitalization becomes sustainable.
Developers and business owners echoed that sentiment. Jake Zacuto, founder of Zacuto Group, spoke for many in the room when he said, “We’re all here because we love this city and want to see it prosper. Events like this—where everyone is at the table—are how we get there.” Local hospitality entrepreneur Peter Trinh described Santa Monica’s brand equity as depleted but recoverable, saying the city’s decades of cultural experiences created a strong foundation. “The bones are still here,” he said. “If we come together, we won’t just recover—we can lead the region.”
DTSM board member and Cypress Equity Investments Chief Development Officer Bruce Fairty emphasized that private and public partners are more aligned than they have been in years. “There used to be a void,” he said. “Now city staff Peter, Susan, Jing are rowing in the same direction. It’s a concerted effort.” Fairty expressed the need to reactivate the Promenade with meaningful experiences, from music festivals to cultural programming. “We need real events and a lot of them to give people a reason to stay.”
Roberto Vazquez, HED Sector Leader, Housing and Mixed Use, highlighted the city’s adaptive reuse ordinance as one of the most significant opportunities for transformation. The ordinance allows older, underutilized office buildings to convert to housing without triggering demolition requirements, a change he described as “a real economic recovery tool.” With incentives for low-rise structures, additional mixed-use potential, and fee reductions, Vazquez said downtown is positioned for a more diverse and lively residential base. Yeo added that the city is pairing this ordinance with major flexibility and experimentation on 2nd and 4th Streets.
Throughout the forum, a shared vision emerged: Santa Monica must lean into what makes it unique the beachfront, the culture, the atmosphere and recreate the experiences that once defined it. Negrete pointed to upcoming tentpole moments such as the Super Bowl, FIFA World Cup, LA28 Olympics, and the revitalization of Route 66 as opportunities to reintroduce Santa Monica to the world. “We need a playbook for Santa Monica,” she said. “One holistic team.”
For the first time in years, city officials, developers, and business owners expressed a sense of alignment and urgency. As Mayor Negrete concluded, “This is our moment. We’re coming back together.”
California Affordable Lodging Solutions (CALS) hosted the forum; the discussion was moderated by Andrew Swerdloff.
Michelle Edgar, Special to the Daily Press