January 12, 2026
Councilmember Jesse Zwick took a paid job advocating for housing developers while continuing to vote on housing issues that would financially benefit his employer.
The SMCLC, with residents like you, pointed out this obvious conflict of interest and called on Zwick to resign. https://www.smclc.net/PDF/SMCLC-Zwick112125.pdf
Six neighborhood organizations asked our City Attorney to investigate, leading to an inquiry by the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC).
The FPPC has now ruled that Zwick’s day job working for developers does indeed conflict with his Council job voting on development issues.
In a stinging rebuke, the FPPC specifically ordered Zwick not to participate in any way in long-range and short-range planning decisions, those related to zoning and housing policy as well as distinct development projects. He can’t even be in the room when Council considers these matters, whether in open or closed sessions.
The FPPC’s charter only allows it to look forward to future votes—it does not examine votes Zwick previously cast. However, the City, aware that Zwick’s past conflicted votes could invalidate the actions taken and expose the City to lawsuits, has asked Council to re-vote on some but not all of the issues in which Zwick should not have participated.
For example, the City has not yet investigated whether votes Zwick cast starting as early as June—when he began negotiating prospective employment with HAC— should cause other housing-related Council actions to be invalidated and redone without his participation. SMCLC will be demanding that the City now do so.
The situation is a mess. One entirely of Zwick’s making.
Going forward, every Council session the City Attorney will be forced to decide on which subjects Zwick can vote and which he cannot. And the votes she does allow him to cast could then be subjected to a lawsuit by those who believe he should have recused himself.
For example, the FPPC has ruled that Zwick cannot participate in any future decisions involving the Santa Monica airport because anti-park advocates are advocating for building housing on that site. The same reasoning should apply to any future Council decisions involving the Civic Center, including the Civic Auditorium, as Zwick has explicitly stated that instead of rehabbing this iconic landmark as an entertainment venue, the City should consider replacing it with housing.
And just this week, a group of residents challenged Zwick’s participation on a major housing development because, unbelievably, he was texting the housing provider for its guidance from the dais. https://www.smclc.net/PDF/ZwickExparte010826.pdf
All this makes Zwick’s Council position untenable, creating a burden for the City, potential lawsuits, and a cloud over Council’s actions. This is why we continue to call for Zwick to resign. It’s the only reasonable course of action.
The FPPC’s ruling is a major victory for Santa Monica residents and good government. It would not have happened without residents coming together to demand the City do the right thing. Now Councilmember Zwick must do the same.
