> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Negrete, Torosis, Oelsen lead Santa Monica council race; Raman edges Bass in LA mayor's race - URL: https://www.smdp.com/negrete-torosis-oelsen-lead-santa-monica-council-race-raman-edges-bass-in-la-mayors-race/ - Published: 2026-11-04T16:25:03.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T16:29:55.000Z - Author: Matthew Hall - Tags: Government & Politics Two incumbents and a challenger are likely to win the race for Santa Monica City Council with Councilwoman Lana Negrete, Mayor Caroline Torosis and Ashley Oelsen holding the top three spots through several overnight tally updates according to semi-official results from the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. Negrete led the 12-candidate field with 11,457 votes, or 16.2%. Torosis followed with 10,745 votes (15.2%), and Oelsen was third with 9,914 votes (14.1%). The top three finishers win seats. Doug Trussler was in fourth with 8,516 votes (12.1%), about 1,400 votes out of a winning spot. Daniel Ivanov (7,958) and Brett Morrow (7,910) were close behind. Phil Brock had 4,976 votes, followed by Ericka Lesley (2,918), Derrick Townsend (2,444), Eli Gill (2,212), Lindsay Davis (750) and Wade Kelley (715). If the results hold it would be the first time in the City's history that residents elected an all female group of Councilmembers. Should all three women take their seats, the Council would have a 4-3 female to male majority. About 28,700 ballots had been counted in Santa Monica as of the 3:11 a.m. update. Countywide turnout stood at 36.3%, and thousands of vote-by-mail and provisional ballots have yet to be counted. The first two rounds of votes counted are ballots recorded before election day, either through the mail or early voting centers. Subsequent updates count ballots received on election day including completed vote-by-mail ballots and in-person votes. Initial vote counts have been subject to significant revisions in recent elections as voters of different political positions chose different voting methods. However, the Santa Monica results saw little to no change throughout the night as the Registrar transitioned from early vote to election day results. Rent Control Board In the race for three Rent Control Board seats, Sue Himmelrich led with 16,062 votes (30.2%). Kurt Gonska had 14,388 (27.1%) and Heather Thomason had 12,040 (22.6%). Soledad Marcial (5,670) and Zoë Muntaner (5,009) trailed. City measures Voters were approving four of the five city measures and rejecting the school parcel tax: \- Measure TT, which keeps the existing hotel tax rates and lets the council set "Major Event Periods," was passing with 72.5%. \- Measure RR, a charter amendment barring evictions for nonpayment when a tenant owes less than one month of average fair market rent, was passing with 70.4%. \- Measure VV, which extends eviction protections to tenants of single-family homes and condos, was passing with 61.6%. \- Measure GG, a charter amendment that affirms the city's just-cause eviction laws and changes Rent Control Board terms and fees, was passing with 58.7%. \- Measure ES, a $495-per-parcel tax for Santa Monica schools, was failing with 47% in favor. It needs a simple majority. School boards In the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District race for four seats, Alicia Mignano led with 18,229 votes. Robbie Staenberg (16,973), Laurie Lieberman (16,346) and Stacy Rouse (15,777) followed, and Harry Leshner trailed with 8,215. In the Santa Monica College Board of Trustees race for four seats, Sion Roy led with 18,436 votes, followed by Tom Peters (17,257), Luis Barrera Castanon (16,121) and Kera Blades-Snell (14,517). Oscar de la Torre was fifth with 10,239. Regional races Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, was cruising to reelection in the 36th Congressional District. He had 148,056 votes (70.7%) to 61,486 (29.3%) for Republican Houston Brignano. In the 24th State Senate District, which includes Santa Monica, Democrat Brian Goldsmith led fellow Democrat John M. Erickson with 142,968 votes (58%) to 103,611 (42%). State Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, trailed fellow Democrat Jane Kim in the race for state insurance commissioner. In Los Angeles County, Kim had 990,433 votes (53.3%) to Allen's 867,266 (46.7%). Those figures don't include returns from the rest of the state. In Los Angeles, City Councilmember Nithya Raman held a narrow lead over Mayor Karen Bass. Raman had 377,458 votes (51.1%) to Bass' 360,864 (48.9%), a gap of about 16,600 votes. In the city attorney's race, Marissa Roy led John McKinney 457,393 (66.1%) to 234,219 (33.9%). The county will release updated results throughout the canvass. The registrar must certify results by early December.