The battle for City Council has become clear this week with a new candidate slate announcing themselves and earning endorsements.
Incumbents Phil Brock and Oscar de la Torre are running alongside newcomers Dr. Vivian Roknian and John Putnam under the Safer Santa Monica name. The group is a new iteration of the Change Slate that took three seats in 2020. The original group included Councilwoman Christine Parra but she chose not to run this year, setting the stage for a new alliance. The group will face off against Dan Hall, Natalya Zernitskaya, Ellis Raskin and Barry Snell for the four seats up for election this year.
The new slate has won endorsements from a pair of business organizations, Hospitality Santa Monica and Santa Monicans United.
Hospitality Santa Monica formed this year when a group of local businesses worked with the California Restaurant Association to establish an organization in response to what they describe as a crisis driven by homelessness and crime. The Daily Press worked with them to host a panel discussion on homelessness earlier this year. Santa Monicans United describes itself as a non-partisan organization focusing on crime, homelessness and reviving the local economy.
"Violent crimes and property crimes in Santa Monica have increased dramatically during the past decade," stated Ashley Oelsen, Director of Santa Monicans United in the endorsement announcement. "Our City’s population keeps growing, but city leaders have only marginally increased its police force, hampering crime prevention efforts and putting our communities at risk."
"We met with several well-qualified candidates, and clearly John, Vivian, Phil, and Oscar were unyielding in their commitment to public safety and providing law enforcement and first responders the tools they need to combat crime and improve the quality of life for all Santa Monicans," added Oelsen.
The endorsement said all four candidates are committed to preserving rent control in addition to working to support businesses.
"Local restaurants and businesses are the lifeblood of our community but are struggling to stay open as crime and homelessness have made operating more dangerous and more expensive. We need a City Council that will bring accountability and results on homelessness to protect and improve the City’s iconic Third Street Promenade, overall Downtown retail, and Main Street, and that will support our City’s independent small businesses, hotels and restaurants," added Lucian Tudor with 1212 Santa Monica and member of Hospitality Santa Monica. "These businesses provide good jobs for residents while also delivering critical City revenue that supports essential services."
Three of the four candidates in the new slate also earned the endorsement of Santa Monica’s public safety unions.
In a joint endorsement, the police and fire unions backed Brock, de la Torre, Ericka Lesley and Vivian Roknian.
"These candidates have shown a strong commitment to prioritizing the safety of Santa Monica's residents, businesses, employees and visitors. With their extensive experience and unwavering dedication to the city, they are well equipped to address our homelessness crisis, maintain clean and safe spaces, and ensure that Santa Monica remains a vibrant and secure city for everyone."
The unions said all four candidates are deeply rooted in Santa Monica.
"They are truly representative of the diversity and localism our residents expect," they said. "We urge you to support them in their campaign. From our perspective as the police officers and firefighters who serve our city, their success is crucial to shaping Santa Monica's future as a safe and innovative place to live, work and visit."
Lesley isn't part of any organized slate of candidates after she was passed over by the city's liberal establishments.
matt@smdp.com
