Zoë Muntaner, a self-described long-term Santa Monica renter and bilingual educator, is running for the Santa Monica City Rent Control Board in the Nov. 3 general election.
The nonpartisan race has three open seats. Voters may choose up to three candidates. The other certified candidates are Heather Thomason, Kurt Gonska, Soledad Marcial and Sue Himmelrich, according to BallotReady election data.
Candidate information
- Name: Zoë Muntaner
- Party: Nonpartisan
- Residence: Santa Monica (long-term renter, according to the candidate)
- Background: Bilingual educator and community advocate, according to a candidate statement published by Santa Monica Daily Press. Muntaner identifies as Puerto Rican, according to her Muck Rack profile.
Experience and public service
Her background includes civic and media work in Santa Monica.
She founded Giving Tuesday Santa Monica and Compassionate Santa Monica, two civic and nonprofit organizations, according to her Threads account. She has contributed as a journalist to the Santa Monica Mirror and the Santa Monica Observer, according to her Muck Rack profile.
Muntaner ran for the Santa Monica College Board of Trustees in 2024 and for the California State Senate in 2026, according to her Muck Rack profile.
Her BallotReady profile lists her as founder and chief strategy officer at MOON Media & Communications since 2013 and founder and chief diversity officer at Diversity Matters since 2016. Those dates reflect BallotReady's records and could not be independently verified.
On the issues
Tenant protections and accessibility: Muntaner supports keeping Rent Control Board decisions focused on renters’ interests and preserving affordable, accessible housing. She calls for stronger protections and resources for renters with disabilities and those sharing housing with roommates. She also prioritizes addressing tenant harassment intended to pressure residents out of rent-controlled apartments.
Accountability and oversight: Muntaner proposes establishing an ethics commission to improve staff transparency, accountability and operational oversight. She also calls for greater oversight of the Rent Control Administration’s judicial affairs. Her statement does not detail the proposed commission’s membership, powers or process for establishing it.
Enforcement and legal assistance: Muntaner supports closer coordination between city code enforcement and the City Attorney’s Consumer Protection Division. She also proposes holding legal clinics in Santa Monica parks to make assistance more accessible to renters. Her statement does not specify funding, staffing or an implementation timeline for these proposals.
Editor's note: This profile is based on publicly available information and candidate-provided biographical details. No candidate questionnaire responses were available for this race. This profile will be updated as more information becomes available.
