2025 State of the City: Speech by Mayor Lana Negrete

July 21, 2025 10:26 AM
by Mayor Lana Negrete

The city of Santa Monica hosted the annual State of the City on July 17 in a new format. This year’s event was a community gathering, with a reception in the newly revived and reopened Miles Memorial Playhouse and performances, interactive city booths, activities, and giveaways in Christine Emerson Reed Park.

It also marked the kickoff of the community's 150th anniversary celebration, which includes city and community events through December 2025.

More than 700 community members, city staff, and partners joined the fun, which included tours of the Miles Memorial Playhouse by Santa Monica Conservancy docents, music by DJ Bukue One, booths, games and giveaways from nearly every city department and partners including Santa Monica Travel & Tourism, Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. and the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, and performances by Downbeat 720 (who also emceed the evening), String Theory, and Los Angeles Performance Practice BRIDGE THE GAPS initiative.

A video and an informational display inside the Miles highlighted the city’s progress and future goals in key strategic areas: Economic Opportunity and Growth, Clean Streets and Safe Neighborhoods, and Affordable, Livable and Secure Housing for All.


And in case you missed it, here is the text of Mayor Lana Negrete’s address:

Hello, everyone! Welcome to the 2025 State of the City: A Celebration of Resilience and Growth!

For those who don’t know me, I’m Lana Negrete, born and raised right here in Santa Monica, and honored to serve as your mayor.

I am especially thrilled to be here with you in Reed Park — not just because it’s home to the beautiful, historic Miles Memorial Playhouse, but because this park holds deep personal meaning for me. This was my childhood park. I spent so many days here growing up — from watching my dad perform at the Miles to picnicking under the trees, just like many of you are doing tonight.

We chose to host this year’s State of the City here very intentionally. The Miles, like Santa Monica itself, is a symbol of resilience. And Reed Park, too, has been at the center of some of our city’s most pressing challenges — particularly around public safety, cleanliness, and homelessness.

So, I want to be clear: choosing this location is not an oversight. It’s an acknowledgment. We know that we still have a ways to go. The regional and countywide issues surrounding homelessness have shifted over the decades, and we must continue to pivot and adjust the way we address them. Reed Park’s story is still being written — and tonight is part of its next chapter.

I also want to acknowledge that today, four brand-new officers are graduating and will soon join the Santa Monica Police Department. It’s a testament to the significant work underway to increase public safety in our community. It’s happening, and it matters.

And I want to make another important point: activating our community is a huge piece of the puzzle. My goal as mayor is not to only engage those who are always engaged. It’s to reach every resident — every neighbor, every business owner, every young person, every elder — and make sure they feel seen, heard, and invited to be part of shaping our future.

Tonight, we’re celebrating the reopening of the Miles, 150 years of Santa Monica, and a year of hard work and transformation in our city. This isn’t just a look back — it’s a rallying point for what’s ahead.

The Miles has been through a lot — earthquakes, a pandemic, closure and rebirth. It reminds us: it’s not about whether you get knocked down. It’s truly about how you get back up. And that rings deeply true for me personally.

Many of you know that this has been the most difficult year of my life — facing cancer, surgeries, chemo, radiation, the devastating loss of my father and then the heartbreaking wildfires at the border of our community that impacted us all.

But I’m here. A little worn, but healing. Cancer-free and grateful to God for the wisdom all of this has given me…And celebrating in a place where my dad’s music once filled the air.

We’ve set up a display with his beautiful photographs inside, I hope you check it out.

And I bet many of you have similar memories here.

Downbeat 720, our incredible emcees for the evening, and one of the stellar performances you’ll get to see shortly, began right here at the Miles more than 20 years ago!

And another claim to fame – Christine Emerson Reed Park was previously named Lincoln Park, and inspired the name of Linkin Park, the band. There’s even a little plaque right here memorializing Chester Bennington, the band’s late front man.

The Miles suffered extensive damage from the 1994 Northridge Earthquake.

After that devastation, the Playhouse was rebuilt and re-opened in 1999 ― only to be shuttered just over 20 years later during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But thanks to passionate and dedicated city staff – huge shoutout to Recreation and Arts Director Jenny Rogers, Patricia Garza and the city’s Cultural Affairs Division, Arts Commissioners, Parks Commissioners, the Wilmont Neighborhood Group and other members of the community, our County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath – and a lot of hope and vision – it’s been revived to its beautiful and iconic self.

As your mayor, I’ve had to navigate through my own personal and professional struggles as a local business owner here in our city, while working alongside my colleagues to help steer the city through complex challenges.

For those who followed our budget process this year, you know that Santa Monica is at an inflection point.

Our traditional revenue streams of tourism, retail sales, and entertainment have all seen fundamental shifts.

The fact is that the world has changed, and so must Santa Monica.

And we will, because Santa Monica is resilient and has so many wonderful things to offer our community, and the world.

But we do so with eyes wide open to current realities.

But like the Miles, our city will rise, rebuild, and reimagine itself — because I have deep faith in where we are headed.

I’m here today celebrating this beautiful evening with you all – carrying the marks of the fight in many ways just like our city.

Grateful to be amongst the community that has lifted this city, and me, up during times of need.

All while paying homage to my father, who always said music brings people together.

You can already see the tremendous progress we’ve made ― building on the work of the previous City Council and accelerating even more over the past six months with this new City Council.

Together, we’ve been pushing forward with fresh energy and focus.

We are shifting the role of our local government from one of regulations to one of service delivery focused on outcomes and getting to one of council’s favorite words to hear from staff: YES!

This is reflected in the City Council’s three strategic priorities:

We are committed to housing people affordably while continuing to find ways to make room for our workforce and middle-income families to be able to live and grow together in our city.

Our new SaMo Bridge program provides another opportunity for justice-involved folks who show a willingness and desire to tread a different path. It’s building on the incredible success of STEP Court – which just marked its first year - a diversion program for people living in homelessness looking to change their lives.

The Santa Monica Police Department’s SMART Center is almost ready for prime time, using technology to complement the unparalleled dedication and skill of our officers to keep us safe.

We’ve also implemented curb extensions, upgraded lighting and made other enhancements at several intersections along Wilshire Boulevard to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety as we continue to work toward Vision Zero.

We are bringing together our City Council and department heads to work more closely as one team — breaking down silos and making things easier for everyone in Santa Monica.

We’re aligning our efforts to make real change — whether that’s cleaning up our streets, making it easier to open a business, or bringing more life back into our public spaces.

A big part of that is listening to you — and acting fast.

Our Recreation and Arts department has worked to streamline permitting for events like the SLS Skateboard event that just happened on the Pier as well as tons of free and ticketed programming around the city.

And we’ve started talks about bringing back the beloved Pier concerts.

We’re cutting through the red tape that’s held back small businesses and event opportunities in the past.

Even before I became mayor, I joined with the previous Council to push forward a plan to lower business license taxes — and we also passed a ballot measure to raise more funds for public safety.

Now, we’re looking at things like self-certification for permits and using AI to help our city work smarter and more efficiently.

This is the kind of leadership Santa Monica deserves, and we’re just getting started.

After a nationwide recruitment, we’re pleased to officially welcome our new city manager, Oliver Chi, who brings the perfect blend of experience, enthusiasm and passion for our city to see us through this next chapter of economic revitalization.

This was his VERY FIRST WEEK with the city, and we could not be more excited that he’s here. Welcome!

So that’s a lot of good news!

Does this mean everything is going to be smooth and perfect going forward?

No. Far from it.

These times call for everyone’s support and commitment because WE ARE SANTA MONICA.

We are resilient. We care. And we’re sassy. Some might even call us scrappy.

We’ve done hard things before, we’ve been through tough times and made it through ― together.

I believe we’ll come out of this even stronger, wiser, more focused and driven to keep moving forward.

Seeing the Miles reopen, seeing Reed Park full of life – today is a symbol of the optimism I hope you join me in feeling.

Thank you for being here, and for celebrating our city today. Please enjoy the amazing performers, stop by the booths, and if you are of legal drinking age grab a beer from our friends at Santa Monica Brew Works!

Be sure to check out the inside of the Miles, where you can learn more about the Playhouse’s history, plus highlights of the city’s accomplishments and goals.

Today’s event is just the first of many ways we’re celebrating our city and continuing to make Santa Monica a welcoming and beautiful destination for all.

We have a summer full of free programming for you. And for the next six months, we’re going to be celebrating 150 years of Santa Monica with lots of events, some hosted by the city and more hosted by you, our community.

Visit santamonica150.com to see all the incredible happenings, and please, spread the word.

Now my speech is done, but please come find me at my booth back there and say hi or ask questions about our city’s history, progress and future.

I also brought some cards and would love for you to join me in an old family favorite activity: Roses and Thorns, to share the things you love and you’d like to see change in the city. I love hearing from you!

Thank you for listening, Santa Monica!

Authored By

Mayor Lana Negrete

Categories

Arts, Culture & Fun, City Parks, Council And Commissions, Programs, Services, The Arts, Your City Hall, Youth And Seniors