Santa Monica’s Messy Governance Loop | Venice Beach News

Venice Beach News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Aug 21, 2026 · 1m

Santa Monica City Hall’s in a legal loop—passing ordinances only to immediately undo them in special meetings, like shooting first and then scrambling to clean up the mess. A recent charter amendment meant to help rent-controlled tenants by letting family caretakers live with them backfired: it let anyone take over a lease forever, risking permanent loss of housing for property owners. Despite a council member’s warning, the vote went through. This isn’t an isolated case—earlier this year, they held emergency sessions to fix bills that threatened the Coastal Commission and unconstitutional…