Mayor Caroline Torosis is refuting accusations that newly released emails show she was aware of, and involved with, proposals to house mentally ill individuals on Ocean Ave. saying she personally thought the location was inappropriate but was prevented from commenting earlier due to the confidential nature of the process.
As proposed, the two buildings along Ocean Ave. would have housed about 50 individuals under the care of the St. Joseph Center. The facility would have been funded through a grant administered by the County but was first paused, then cancelled, when residents organized in opposition.
News of the project was first made public in October by then Mayor Lana Negrete. Since then, residents have questioned how the project was able to proceed, why they were not informed earlier and have demanded accountability from elected officials about its origins.
The new emails show communication to the City began in at least December of 2024 with a request from the project’s representatives for the City to support a grant application.
Torosis, who became mayor Tuesday night, said the request was one of hundreds received by the Council and that her only involvement was to bring the request to the attention of then City Manager David White and Housing Director Heather Averick.
“If you could share a draft with us as well as more information about the projects that would be appreciated,” she wrote.
Gina Gribow with Englander Knabe & Allen provided a summary of the project.
“I am reaching out to request your support for a grant funding application for proposed interim housing sites in Santa Monica. Our client Leo Pustilnikov owns a couple of former assisted living facilities in Santa Monica and is looking to transition them to interim housing with St. Joseph Center serving as the operator,” she said. “In response to the LA County Department of Mental Health’s request for applications for interim housing (through Shine BC LA, and with funding from California's Behavioral Health Bridge Program and the Mental Health Services Act), St. Joseph Center is submitting a proposal for grant funding for both of these sites. The proposed facilities will provide temporary safe and clean shelter, 24-hour oversight, bed availability, case management, restrooms and showers, laundry, meals, accommodations for service and support animals, security, and linens, hygiene products and toiletries. For reference, the facilities are located at 825 Ocean Avenue and 413 Ocean Avenue.”
Staff then begin a discussion with the various representatives for the program that includes discussions about appropriate zoning for the project and a guarantee of dedicated beds for individuals originating in Santa Monica.
The City asked for, and eventually received, a promise to be able to use some of the beds at the facility but while the emails include the name of an attachment that appears to be a draft letter of support no letter was submitted by the city.
Torosis was copied on a flurry of emails in those initial conversations over the next two months and eventually asks to be kept in the loop as the project representatives work to contact staff members at Supervisor Lindsay Horvath’s office.
Torosis said the request to support a grant application didn’t constitute a final project and as such, wasn’t something she paid close attention to at the time.
“To insinuate we did anything other than handing off a request to staff is incorrect,” she said. “We get hundreds of requests and I only found out that it was actually a project at the same time as the rest of council.”
She said the idea was worth staff time to evaluate even if she ultimately felt the location was inappropriate.
“It’s my responsibility as a councilmember to explore improving the quality of life for all residents, not just those with resources,” she said.
The project was first made public by Mayor Lana Negrete. There have been questions raised about the timing of her knowledge and while Negrete has said she may have missed or failed to remember early communications she has maintained she spoke up publicly as soon as she realized it was happening.
A prior release of emails included a statement from the project representatives that said they had been working with Torosis and city staff on both funding and concept. When that email was made public, Torosis denied working with the developers and at a public meeting she denied early knowledge of the project.
During the Oct. 14 Council meeting, speakers said any possible collaboration between the council and the developer was a betrayal of the public trust and Torosis was accused of collusion dating back to Nov. 2024.
"I just want to refute that statement that was just made. It is not true that I've known about this project since then,” Torosis said at that meeting. She said she did not want to say more at that time given a pending threat of litigation over the subject.
Torosis reiterated this week that the initial email was vague and after forwarding it to staff, she hadn’t spent any time working with or on it in a way that would constitute prior knowledge.
“To insinuate I knew something about this project when there was not project is false,” she said. “If I’m guilty of anything it’s of forwarding this project to staff.”
Torosis was part of a subsequent unanimous council vote for new transparency standards for supportive and transitional housing projects, responding to the community backlash over a proposed behavioral health facility. Mayor Negrete drafted the measure to direct staff to develop coordination protocols with Los Angeles County and developers to ensure community engagement before projects advance.
The framework requires written council briefings when projects are first discussed, comprehensive community engagement, clarification of zoning requirements, and creation of a communications system including a webpage and hotline.
Pustilnikov, who does not own the properties but does have a master lease on them, did not give up after the initial project was rejected. Instead he pivoted over Thanksgiving and attempted to open a sober living facility in the buildings with a different operator and funding source. Individuals were moved into at least one of the buildings the day overnight and without the required permits or business license. The illegal housing operation was shut down by the City within days of opening and as of today, both remain vacant.