Candidate Forum Highlights Deep Divisions

By Jorge Casuso

September 10, 2024 -- A packed candidates' forum on Sunday highlighted the stark policy differences staked out by two slates that will go head-to-head in the November race for control of the City Council.

The forum, sponsored by six of Santa Monica's seven neighborhood groups, drew a crowd of more than 400 to the Lincoln Middle School auditorium, where they heard the candidates explain their positions on key issues.

Candidates during Lightning Round at forum (Photo by Beau Marks)

But it was the Lightning Round "yes" and "no" answers to 21 questions that revealed the sometimes deep divisions between the ten candidates vying for four open seats, including those who make up the two opposing four-member slates.

Members of the Change slate, which is focused on public safety, said they would fight the County's outdoor needle distribution program and ban sleeping in public spaces.

They also are opposed to using parcel taxes to pay for City services and allowing multi-family developments in single family neighborhoods. The slate also backs switching to District elections.

The opposing slate, which is backed by Santa Monicans Renters' Rights (SMRR) and the local Democratic Club, took the opposite position on the five key issues.

The Change slate is comprised of Mayor Phil Brock, Councilmember Oscar de la Torre and two small business owners, John Putnam and Vivian Roknian who are backed by businesses and residents concerned that crime and homelessness is out of control.

The slate composed of College Trustee Barry Snell, Planning Commissioner Ellis Raskin, Pier Board Chair Dan Hall and Natalya Zernitskaya is backed by the political establishment that has controlled local politics for most of the past four decades.

The other two candidates are Rent Board Chair Ericka Lesley, who failed to win the backing of the political establishment, and street performer Wade Kelley.

The establishment slate needs to win two of the four open seats for to regain the Council majority SMRR lost when Councilmember Kevin McKeown abruptly departed three years ago.

While all 10 candidates agreed the Council should fund more police officers, they were divided on the two other public safety questions.

Only Hall and Snell opposed pretextual traffic stops that allow police to make stops for minor traffic violations to investigate for potentially more serious crimes.

Asked if the Council should fight to end needle distribution in Reed Park, the Change slate and Lesley answered Yes, the establishment slate and Kelley answered No.

Asked if they supported changing from an at-large election system to district elections (the subject of an 8 1/2 year old voting rights lawsuit), the Change slate answered Yes, the other 6 candidates answered No.

The establishment slate, along with Kelley, supported funding City servives with parcel taxes; the Change slate and Lesley opposed the taxes.

While all 10 candidates said they support existing rent control protections, only Roknian opposed combating vacancies with a residential vacancy tax.

Three of the establishment candidates -- Raskin, Snell and Zernitskaya -- opposed replacing parking lots near the Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center that will be lost when affordable housing is built.

Meanwhile, Snell, Zernitskaya and Kelley said Main Street business parking lots should be used for affordable housing without replacing the parking.

Only Kelly opposed turning the Airport land into a park when the airport closes at the end of 2028, and only Lesley and Kelley said housing should be allowed on the land.

All ten candidates support restoring library services to the hours maintained before the coronavirus shutdown in March 2020.

The answers to the Lightening Round questions are based on a tally sheet assembled by the committee of neighborhood leaders who mounted the forum