By Jorge Casuso

September 16, 2026 – Santa Monica's police and fire unions on Tuesday announced they have endorsed two additional candidates challenging the city's political establishment in the November race for three open Council seats.

Santa Monica Firefighters, IAFF Local 1109, and the Police Officers Association are backing environmental activist Ashley Oelsen and local businessman Doug Trussler after initially backing Councilmember Lana Negrete, the lone dissenting vote on the seven-member Council.

The endorsements were informed by the findings of a survey of 250 likely voters in the November 3 race conducted by ECM Research between September 5 and 9 that "provide a clear picture of how residents view the direction of the city," union officials said.

The survey results show that 68 percent of likely voters say the city is on the wrong track and 61 percent say Santa Monica "needs new people who will change how things are done," compared with 32 percent who say it needs "experienced leaders."

“Our members respond to this community’s worst days, and we hear a consistent message: people love this city and they do not recognize it right now,” said Garrett Childers, president of Santa Monica Firefighters Local 1109 in a statement.

“We asked the residents we serve what they think, and they answered clearly," Childers said. "Standing with the community isn’t a political calculation for us. It’s part of the job.”

The poll was based on the responses to phone interviews "conducted by trained, professional interviewers," while email and text invitations included a link to an online survey, union officials said. The results have a margin of error of ±6.2 percentage points at the 95 percent level of confidence.

The survey found Santa Monicans deeply split on safety in their own neighborhoods, with 52 percent saying they feel safe walking alone after dark and 48 percent saying they don't feel safe, especially in the Downtown, where 71 percent say they don't feel safe.

While 43 percent of residents say they feel less safe than they did two years ago and only 8 percent say they feel more safe, "voters continue to hold Santa Monica’s first responders in high regard," union officials said

Eighty-eight percent rate the Fire Department’s performance as excellent or good, while 60 percent say the same of the Police Department, figures that union officials note "stand in sharp contrast to the ratings given to elected leadership."

According to the survey, the backing of public safety unions carries weight, with 75 percent of voters saying they are more likely to support a candidate endorsed by the firefighters union and 59 percent saying the same of the Police union.

“That trust is the most valuable thing our organizations have,” said Childers. “We don’t spend it lightly, and we’re spending it here because the stakes for this city are real.”

Police Union president Cody Green said, “This is about listening to the people we serve and making sure their voices are part of the conversation about Santa Monica’s future.”

The poll also found most respondents -- 56 percent – said they would have strongly opposed the interim housing projects for mentally ill homeless on Ocean Avenue that LA County officials pulled after strong community opposition, while 25 percent said they would have supported them.

Sixty-three percent say they are unlikely to support a Council candidate who backed those or similar projects, including 54 percent who say they are very unlikely to do so.

The unions said the results don't "suggest Santa Monica should stop building housing, but rather that the city should work more closely with residents when developing housing policies and explore options such as workforce housing."

The union's final endorsements come two weeks after they backed Negrete, who intensively lobbied the County to pull the Ocean Avenue project and proposed steps to make the process for new homeless housing facilities more transparent.

"While the community demonstrated a desire for fresh perspectives, the research also showed strong support for current Councilmember Lana Negrete," the unions wrote in announcing their endorsements of Trussler and Oelsen.

“Santa Monica can be a safe and prosperous city again, for everyone who lives and works here,” Childers said. “Lana Negrete, Doug Trussler and Ashley Oelsen understand that public safety and economic recovery are the same conversation. We are proud to support them.”