By Jorge Casuso

April 28, 2026 -- Councilmember Lana Negrete -- the lone voice on a dais dominated by Santa Monica's liberal establishment -- announced she is running for reelection in November.

Negrete joins Mayor Caroline Torosis as two of three incumbents who have declared their candidacy. Councilmember Jesse Zwick has not announced whether he plans to run for one of three open seats.

"I’m very excited to serve again, but the decision was not easy," Negrete wrote in her weekly newsletter Monday evening.

"I spent the back half of March wrestling with it: my family, my health, my business, and the resources it actually takes to do this job the way I want it done," she wrote.

"This is technically a part-time role. For me, and honestly for anyone doing it well, it is full-time. Showing up for your community, sometimes as the only voice or the minority voice, is a heavier lift than people realize from the outside."

Negrete was appointed to the City Council in June 2021 to fill the seat abruptly vacated by Councilmember Kevin McKeown and became the swing vote on a number of key issues.

"I had to just dive in at the deep end of the pool with no training," said Negrete, who served less than a year on the newly created Police Oversight Commission before filling the vacant seat.

Negrete successfully ran for re-election in November 2022, surmounting hard-hitting attacks from the City's powerful political establishment.

Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights (SMRR), the Democratic Club and the hospitality workers union Unite HERE Local 11 fired off a volley of hit pieces, circulated unfounded rumors and sent volunteers door-to-door.

"I didn't read everything," Negrete said after the votes were counted. "I kept my blinders on and I really focused. I'm glad it happened because it was the biggest eye opener to see who the people are behind all this and how they operate."

As the only shop owner on the Council, Negrete has spearheaded ordinances to help small local businesses survive an economic downturn that has persisted since the 2020 coronavirus shutdown and Memorial Day riots.

A staunch supporter of public safety, she helped lead efforts to boost police ranks and tackle a persistent homeless problem with a carrot-and-stick approach.

"I started this work on public safety, homelessness, and economic recovery," Negrete told supporters in her newsletter. "We have moved real ground on all three. We are not finished."