Backlash Intensifies Over Controversial Ocean Ave Housing Project Featuring Schizophrenics and Addicts

SANTA MONICA – Caroline Torosis was officially sworn in as Santa Monica's mayor on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, in a ceremony at City Hall that blended pomp with pointed public scrutiny, as residents confronted her over a contentious county-backed plan to repurpose two luxury Ocean Avenue hotels into transitional housing for individuals with severe mental illness. Administered by California Secretary of State Alex Padilla in a departure from tradition, the oath-taking drew a packed crowd for a pre-ceremony reception featuring light refreshments, but the festive air soured as over a dozen speakers accused Torosis of complicity in the project's secretive rollout.

The controversy centers on the proposed conversion of the 100-room Hilton Garden Inn and 50-room Courtyard by Marriott into interim shelters, a Los Angeles County initiative quietly advanced until late November, when neighbors learned of the impending influx of more than 150 clients-many relocated from out-of-state facilities-via a terse notice just days before Thanksgiving. Critics, including the Ocean Park Community Association, decried the "midnight dump" as a violation of local zoning and transparency laws, flooding the county supervisor's office with over 600 protest letters that prompted a temporary pause on the project. "This wasn't collaboration; it was ambush," said resident Maria Gonzalez during public comments, echoing widespread fears of neighborhood destabilization without adequate support services.

Torosis, a former planning commissioner elected in November on a platform of safety and affordability, vowed in her inaugural address to "restore trust through open dialogue" and prioritize unhoused veterans and families over non-local placements. Yet her prior role on the council's housing subcommittee has fueled speculation of insider knowledge, with opponents demanding an independent review. Incoming Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Zwick, sworn in alongside her by City Clerk Nikima Newsome-who announced her January departure-pledged to mediate, emphasizing the city's $15 million investment in regional shelters as context.

As the project hangs in limbo pending environmental reviews, the episode underscores Santa Monica's tightrope walk between humanitarian imperatives and NIMBY sentiments, with Torosis' first 100 days now shadowed by calls for accountability. Community forums are slated for mid-January, as the new administration navigates this flashpoint amid broader debates on Measure SMS, the city's realignment plan for public safety and fiscal health.