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Carolyn Turosis sworn in as Santa Monica mayor; council honors outgoing Mayor Lana Negrete
Summary
Carolyn Turosis was sworn in as Santa Monica mayor Dec. 9; outgoing Mayor Lana Negrete was honored for her leadership through regional emergencies and personal health challenges. The council presented multiple commendations, including for Sequoia Thiessen and St. Monica Catholic Community.
Santa Monica — Carolyn Turosis was sworn in Dec. 9 as Santa Monica’s mayor, and the council used the meeting to honor outgoing Mayor Lana Negrete for a year of crisis leadership, including the city’s response to the Pacific Palisades wildfires.
Assembly and regional officials joined community leaders and dozens of residents for a series of commendations. Assemblymember Rick Zipper praised Mayor Negrete’s role in securing regional resources during emergency response and credited her with helping advance what he called the "FOUND Act" in Sacramento, an emergency‑pet‑and‑owner evacuation measure he said Negrete helped pass. "Lana was everywhere, organizing resources, sharing information, and providing the steady leadership that the city needed," the assemblymember said.
During the ceremony the council presented a commendation to Sequoia Thiessen for her advocacy on patient brokering and recovery‑sector accountability. Thiessen told the council that patient brokering "represents probably the biggest failure of our healthcare system in modern times," and thanked local leaders for elevating the issue.
Lana Negrete reflected on the year’s challenges and thanked staff, family and residents. In part of her remarks she said she would continue to serve on the council and urged the incoming mayor to "lead with accessibility, openness, and heart." At the close of the presentations council members offered gifts and a light‑hearted tradition: the former mayor displayed a commemorative mug that read "stay sassy," a phrase the outgoing mayor said she used to close many meetings.
Mayor Turosis used her inaugural remarks to outline a short list of priorities she called the "Renaissance agenda," emphasizing fiscal responsibility, public safety, renter protections and measurable transparency tools including a public scorecard to track progress on safety, cleanliness, housing and economic recovery. "I didn't come here to fill a seat, I came here to get things done," Turosis said in her remarks.
The meeting also included a ceremonial commendation for St. Monica Catholic Community for long‑standing local service and holiday outreach.
