Oscar De La Torre, a Santa Monica native and former city councilmember, is running for the Santa Monica Community College Board. The nonpartisan seat is on the Nov. 3, 2026, general election ballot.
Three seats are open. Voters may choose up to three candidates. The other certified candidates are Kera Blades-Snell, Luis Barrera Castanon, Sion Roy and Tom Peters.
De La Torre said he decided to commit his life to public service while serving as student body president at Santa Monica High School in 1989-90. In a candidate questionnaire published by Santa Monica Next, he said he brings "22 years of public sector policy making, leadership, budgeting and governance experience serving Santa Monica and Malibu residents."
He pointed to his time as a former student and employee of Santa Monica College as a distinguishing qualification. De La Torre said he served as the first program coordinator for the college's Pico Partnership Program in 1995-96, according to his questionnaire response.
Candidate information
- Name: Oscar De La Torre
- Party: Nonpartisan
- Education: Master of arts in public affairs, according to De La Torre
- Family: Father of two children, according to De La Torre
- Hometown: Born and raised in Santa Monica
Experience and public service
De La Torre has held elected and appointed positions across Santa Monica government for more than two decades.
He served on the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education from 2002 to 2020, including two years as board president in 2008 and 2009, according to his city council biography. He won a Santa Monica City Council seat in 2020 on the "Change Slate" with Phil Brock and Christine Parra, breaking Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights' four-decade dominance on the council. He served on the council from 2020 to 2024.
De La Torre also chaired the Westside Cities Council of Governments in 2024 after serving as the body's representative starting in 2022.
Outside elected office, De La Torre founded the Pico Youth & Family Center and served as its executive director starting in 2000. He said the nonprofit delivered direct services to youth and young adults and created academic pathways between the center, the school district and Santa Monica College.
On the issues
The positions below are drawn from De la Torre’s campaign priorities page.
Student success and support services: De la Torre supports developing a 2026–2030 strategic plan that aligns Santa Monica College’s resources, staffing and programs with students’ educational and workforce needs. He identifies first-year retention as a priority, particularly for lower-income students facing high living costs. He wants to improve graduation and completion rates while protecting student support services and Emeritus courses from further budget cuts.
Workforce training and college access: De la Torre proposes a resident worker retraining initiative to help students and local employees prepare for economic changes, including those associated with generative artificial intelligence. He would seek residents’ input on training needs and pursue partnerships with local businesses, the city and SMMUSD. He also supports joint planning on dual enrollment, childcare, mental health and pathways from early education through college and careers.
Student and workforce housing: De la Torre supports exploring affordable housing on college-owned property for lower-income students, students experiencing homelessness and education employees. He would pursue partnerships among SMC, SMMUSD and the City of Santa Monica. His priorities page does not specify the number of homes, project costs, financing sources or a construction timeline.
Campus inclusion and local impacts: De la Torre supports expanding American Cultures and Ethnic Studies courses and holding discussions and events intended to address hate and promote understanding. He also favors priority enrollment for Santa Monica and Malibu residents, transportation and parking planning to reduce neighborhood impacts, and continued use of project labor agreements to incorporate union labor and local hiring goals into college construction.
Budget transparency and accountability: De la Torre says budget decisions should protect classroom instruction and student services as much as possible, with attention to students who depend most on the college. He supports clearer communication and meaningful participation by faculty, staff, students, residents and employee unions in decisions about SMC’s future.
Candidate responses referenced in this profile come from a questionnaire published by Santa Monica Next and from De La Torre's official city council biography. Statements attributed to De La Torre reflect his own claims about his record and qualifications.
