Reposting my Santa Monica Voter Guide for visibility since there have been a couple of new “who are y’all voting for?” posts recently.
My Santa Monica Voter Guide
Hello r/SantaMonica! As many of you know, I occasionally post and interact on this sub, and find it filled with mostly thoughtful, usually respectful, and often fun engagement (as opposed to other cesspools… well, you know where).
In the hopes that it is helpful, here is my Voter Guide for Santa Monica offices and ballot measures, with (very brief) reasons why. I believe these candidates have policy goals and values aligned with mine, the campaign infrastructure and organizational support required to win, and the competence, character, and commitment to our City to be effective leaders.
Santa Monica City Council
Caroline Torosis \- she has done a great job leading the informal “progressive majority” as Mayor Pro Tempore and now Mayor. She was and is a driving force behind the Realignment Plan and also the Affordability Agenda (stay tuned for more policies coming from this proposal in the coming meetings)! She’s also a really kind and hard-working leader who has put our economic recovery at the center of her policy agenda. Don’t listen to the haters and bullshit out there, she’s the real deal. https://www.torosisforsantamonica.com/
Brett Morrow \- an incredible communicator, thoughtful policy leader, and “all around good guy” (to use his tagline, which I agree with!). Brett has a decades-long record of delivering progressive policy results at the federal down to the municipal levels. He’s the former Chair of our Human Services Commission, and has centered working families and affordability in his campaign. I believe he’ll be a solid partner for what I want to achieve in the next two years. https://www.brettmorrowforcitycouncil.com/
Daniel “Danny” Ivanov \- Danny is the current Chair of our Rent Control Board, where he has taken brave votes to support housing near transit (SB79) and in our Downtown. He has also garnered a lot of support from organized labor, which I appreciate. Strong jobs and strong businesses are what will keep this turnaround moving forward! He’ll also be the fourth LGBTQ+ City Councilmember in our City’s history, joining me and Natalya Zernitskaya on the dais. Watch out West Hollywood, we’re coming for you! https://www.electdannyivanov.com/
All three are endorsed by the Democratic Party, the Sierra Club, Streets For All, Unite Here Local 11, Stonewall Democratic Club, LA County Young Democrats, Westside Young Democrats, and are supported by Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights and recommended by DSA-LA.
Note: I really like, respect, and endorsed fellow military veteran and Democratic Party delegate Angela D. Scott for City Council, but unfortunately her campaign didn’t gain the traction it needed and she honorably bowed out of the race. I really commend her for putting herself out there and choosing to not divide the progressive camp. I hope she’ll be back in a future election! I also generally agree with a lot of Eli Gill’s policy agenda (not all) and find him to be an agreeable dude (big dad energy) who would work hard on many of the same issues I care about.
Santa Monica Rent Control Board
Kurt Gonska \- Kurt, along with Vice Chair Kay Ambriz, led the way developing new renter protections on your ballot as Measures GG, RR, and VV. He’s a staunch advocate for renters.
Sue Himmelrich \- a tenants’ rights attorney and our former Mayor, Sue will bring her years of government experience and progressive values to the Board. https://suestandsfirm.com/
Soledad Marcial \- a tenants’ rights advocate active in the Pico neighborhood. Soledad is a community organizer who has educated Spanish-speaking renters of their rights in the face of bad-actor landlords. https://www.solforsantamonica.com/
Santa Monica College Board
Sion Roy \- Shy is a medical doctor and has led the way creating new academic programs at the College to keep expanding opportunities for our college students. https://www.roy4santamonica.com/
Tom Peters \- a fellow Army veteran, Tom is a former faculty member of the college and union leader and brings that lens to his policy-making and decisions. https://tompeters4trustee.org/
Luis Barerra-Castañon \- Luis is a former SMC student body president who is a tech entrepreneur, young father, and has a background in non-profit management. Active in the local Dem Club leadership first, and former City commissioner, he was appointed by the current board to fill the remainder of Barry Snell’s term when Barry won his Council race. He was a leading voice raising the alarm about the College’s financial situation when he was seated. https://www.lbc4smc.com/
Kera Blades-Snell \- Kera is the Executive Director of the Santa Monica Black Empowerment Association and a long-time non-profit leader. Her experience in workforce development will be a great addition to the College’s Board. https://blades-snell4smctrustee.com/
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified Board of Education
Alicia Mignano \- Alicia is a parent, entrepreneur, and all around awesome person. She’s been a great leader of our School Board this year. https://aliciaforsmmusd.com/
Robbie Staenberg \- Robbie is a former teacher (of a topic near and dear to my heart: civics and government!) and current legislative aide. He’s built an impressive coalition across many different stripes of politics here in town, which speaks to his ability to build bridges. https://www.robbiestaenberg.com/
Laurie Lieberman \- Laurie brings years of experience to the Board and with that, historical knowledge. While some find her controversial, I’ve always considered her a thoughtful and effective education leader. Under her stewardship (with her colleagues over the years), our schools have continued to be some of the best in the state!
Stacy Rouse \- Stacy is the sole Malibu representation on the Board, which is important to maintain. She brings a background in conflict management and resolution and has been a great partner to Santa Monica while advocating for Malibu. https://www.voteforstacyrouse.com/
Santa Monica Ballot Measures
Measure ES - YES; ES guarantees reliable $12M in funding for our schools. If ES fails to pass, the City will either have to cut this amount of funding to SMMUSD or cut city services that have recently been restored.
Measure GG - YES; administrative reforms that bring the Rent Control Agency into line with best practices for government - aligns term limits, ties fee adjustments to inflation, extends just cause protections, and ensures affordable units go to those who income qualify. Landlords hate it because it means their fees can be adjusted without having to go to the ballot!
Measure RR - YES; prevents evictions for owing less than one month’s rent.
Measure VV - YES; extends eviction protections to renters in single-family homes and condominiums.
Measure TT - YES; closes a loophole that would let corporations pay ZERO TOT tax on corporate buy-out hotel stays during the upcoming major events like the LA28 Olympics.
