One of the shortest Santa Monica City Council meetings in recent history occurred on Tuesday night when newly elected council members began their four-year terms.

In his initial remarks, Barry Snell heralded the turn of the tide as he kept his speech brief. “So many of you know my advocacy and my love for this city,” he said. “I also like short meetings, so I’m not going to say a whole lot… Hopefully, that is something that we will see and something that we will all cherish on some level.”

After the certification of the election results, Dan Hall, Ellis Raskin, Barry Snell, and Natalya Zernitskaya took their oaths and were installed as new members of the City Council. The new council then selected Lana Negrete as Mayor and Caroline Torosis as Mayor Pro Tem, both serving a one-year term. In December 2025, Jesse Zwick will take over as Mayor Pro Tem for the following year.

“Uplift” was the theme of the night, as the verb was repeatedly used to convey the mood and movement of the current moment.

As they gave their inaugural remarks, the new members expressed gratitude for the support they received, while acknowledging the challenges faced during the election, including opposition from corporate interests and personal attacks. They emphasized their commitment to progressive values, such as affordable housing, racial justice, and environmental protection, and they underscored the importance of collaboration, inclusivity, and integrity in their roles.

Dan Hall, in particular, hit all of these highlights in his speech.

“This election presented a stark choice between two visions for Santa Monica, and I’m proud that voters overwhelmingly chose a compassionate, progressive, and abundant future,” he said. “Voters told us they were not afraid to build more homes to support renters and uplift workers while rebuilding our economy. They asked us to continue repairing racial injustice, invest in education and street safety, enforce equitable public safety, and treat our unhoused neighbors with dignity, and protect our environment.”

“We faced an onslaught of over $1 million spent against us by corporate interests attempting to drown out the voices of regular people,” he continued. “We have faced grotesque comparisons to pedophilia, vile antisemitism, rude misogyny, blatant racism, and even threats against our lives. While painful, these experiences have strengthened our resolve to lead with integrity, guided by our values… I promise we will double down on our efforts to fight racism, misogyny, transphobia, and antisemitism, and to work to dismantle white privilege that continues to harm Black, Latino, Asian, and Indigenous communities. I am here to learn from you, stand with you, and uplift you, especially as we face troubled days ahead, given the change in federal administration and national climate.”

Zernitskaya also voiced her concern regarding federal and national changes that may be at odds with the majority of voters in California and Santa Monica.

“With the incoming federal administration, we’ll have even more work to do to protect vulnerable people in our community, including but not limited to immigrants, LGBTQ+ folks, Black and Brown folks, and women, and we need to ensure that we are a safe place for all,” she said. “But Santa Monica has been through difficult times before, and I know that this council can and will do the work to get us through what lies ahead.”

Continuing the theme of inclusivity, Raskin emphasized the council’s dedication to addressing issues like homelessness, economic growth, and equity, while also looking forward to working with regional partners to tackle broader regional problems.

“I ran for city council to make our city more affordable, more inclusive, and more sustainable,” he said. “I promise to work on behalf of all Santa Monicans, and I invite all of you to reach out to me. Let’s talk about the issues that matter to you. I look forward to the good work that we can accomplish over the next few years.”

New council members also recognized the contributions of outgoing council members, including Gleam Davis, Christine Parra, Phil Brock, and Oscar de la Torre, who gave farewell speeches.

While a video montage of photographs from his life played in the background, outgoing Mayor Phil Brock urged new council members not to be overly concerned with publicity, social media, and public relations. He also highlighted his accomplishments with the U.S. Mayors’ Homelessness Task Force, in which he and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass participated, visiting Washington, D.C. to meet with senators and members of the House of Representatives to contest a policy affecting homeless veterans.

“Homeless veterans who were disabled were prohibited from getting housing if they received any of their other benefits,” he said. “That, to me, was obscene… We have anywhere from 90-110 homeless veterans on our streets. How could people who served our country be left on our streets to suffer?  I’m proud that, at the end of August, HUD [U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development] and the V.A. changed the policy. It’s now an appropriations bill that will surely pass before the end of this year. I think that was important because it helped not only people in Santa Monica, but people throughout the nation.”

Brock peppered his speech with inspirational quotations from John Wooden, the former UCLA basketball coach, who once said, “You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.”

“That was my philosophy on the city council,” Brock continued. “There are so many little things that all of us do to help people that aren’t for publicity, aren’t for anything else. They’re just to uplift people on the streets and help them rise. I hope for the new council, that’s what you also do.”