Olsen’s Reappointment Stirs up Political Storm

By Oliver Lukacs and Jorge Casuso
Staff Writers

July 2 -- The future direction of the City’s most powerful commission could hinge on one heavily lobbied vote when the City Council decides Tuesday night whether to reappoint Kelly Olsen to another four years on the Planning Commission.

The pending reappointment of Olsen -- a political lightning rod who many say is the backbone of the slow-growth board -- has ignited a frenzy of lobbying activity from fellow commissioners and neighborhood activists, as well as City staff members and even the police union, according to sources.

Supporters view Olsen as a champion of residents’ rights, a slow-growther who has tried to stop over development, battled to limit alcohol outlets and fought to retain what is left of the Santa Monica he grew up in.

“Kelly is a voice who helps maintain the notion that the City is progressive and does give a damn about its residents,” said Planning Commissioner Geraldine Moyle, who said that if Olsen is denied a second term she might step down.

Olsen, she added “will use (the commission’s) appropriate powers to preserve a livable, sustainable, desirable city. Subtract Kelly and all these assumptions will all be in question.”

Opponents paint the former council member as a self-righteous foe of businesses, a no-growther who will comb the City’s voluminous zoning code for a clause he can use to kill development, or at least make it a costly time-consuming process riddled with headaches.

“He is not known to be a particularly liked person,” said Dr. Michael Gruning, the chair elect of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce and one of the few business leaders willing to talk on the record. Olsen, he added, is “not known for streamlining the process.

“He makes the process a lot longer than it needs to be, nitpicking things,” said Gruning, who is an optometrist. “Things that should have gotten passed didn’t or got killed.”

For his part, Olsen views himself as a radical voice of social justice who the City is conspiring to unseat to send a political message.

“If they make a symbolic cutting of my head it sends a message to the rest of the planning commission to back off,” said Olsen, who is spearheading a move by the commission to put the planning department, which he believes is “corrupt,” through a “management audit.”

Moyle agrees that Olsen’s absence will remove a much-needed check on the department.

“I do believe that if Kelly isn't reappointed, this sends the message that any problems within the Planning Department, perceived or actual, will be left unexamined in order to protect the status quo,” Moyle said.

Moyle’s staunch stance illustrates the emotion stirred up by Olsen, who remains a dominant force after serving as chair and who continues to set the tone for the seven-member commission’s deliberations.

Olsen’s appointment in July 1999 was quickly followed by two resignations. Former planning chair Ken Breisch, who cited an increased workload at USC as the reason for his resignation in May 2000, privately expressed his dislike for Olsen, sources said.

John Zinner cited the revamped commission’s “radically different approach” when he submitted his resignation two months later.

Critics charge that under Olsen’s leadership the commission has come to be dominated by a monolithic “slow-growther” or “anti-development” mindset and uses its authority to micromanage every project.

Which is why Councilman Bob Holbrook “doubts” he will vote for Olsen’s reappointment. (Council members Herb Katz and Pam O’Connor also are expected to oppose Olsen, sources said.)

“My perception of the commission is that it flip flops,” said Holbrook who admits he doesn’t watch the commission on television. “It doesn’t seem to be a well-functioning, smooth-running group, and if Kelly is the backbone, I don’t see it as a well functioning unit.”

Holbrook said a representative of the police union was among those who called, urging him to vote for Olsen, who as a council member spearheaded the call for more police. Holbrook said he was told that his vote Tuesday “would be remembered” come reelection time.

“I went through without their support last election,” said Holbrook, who was the target of a campaign hit piece by the police union last November. “It was a tough election, but I won without them.”

Olsen’s supporters on the council counter that the Planning Commission is more responsive to the needs of residents who fear rapid growth would consume the city if left unchecked.

“Kelly stirs up passion because he is outspoken in his beliefs passionately, and not everyone agrees with him,” said Mayor Richard Bloom, a friend of Olsen’s who declined to say how he would vote.

“But I think he’s had a very strong influence on the commission, which is the most powerful commission in the City, and that doesn’t sit well with people that disagree with him,” Bloom added.

Bloom is expected to vote for Olsen’s reappointment along with Ken Genser, who also is a close personal friend of the commissioner, and Mayor Pro Tem Kevin McKeown, who shares Olsen’s staunch pro-resident views.

The swing vote Tuesday night will likely be cast by Councilman Michael Feinstein, who is holding his cards close to his chest.

For months, Feinstein has been the subject of an intensive lobbying campaign. “I had a wide range of people express their opinion…and there are very strong opinions on both sides,” said the former mayor, who declined to identify the lobbyists.

Asked if the police union had contacted him, Feinstein was evasive.

“In the world of politics the effects of one vote never end that night on the dais,” Feinstein said. “But I believe that myself and all of my colleagues will do their best for the community regardless of the consequence.”