Dinolfo, McKeown, O'Connor Win Public Safety, Teacher Endorsements

By Jorge Casuso

Sept. 24 -- Two City Council incumbents and a political newcomer won the endorsements of the influential -- and well-heeled -- Police and Firefighters unions, as well as the backing of the Teachers Union, which took a stance on council candidates for the first time in its history.

Challenger Matteo Dinolfo will join Council members Kevin McKeown and Pam O'Connor on the slates of all three unions, giving the candidates a major boost in the race for three open City Council seats. Surprisingly absent from the slates was incumbent Robert Holbrook, a former School Board member who has long taken a tough stance on crime.

"I am enthusiastic and proud to have their endorsement," said Dinolfo. "To be able to have traditional centers of influence endorse my candidacy is a clear message to the community that they're looking for new leadership. It's a wake up call that this is a whole new race."

"I am proud and excited to have the endorsement of three of the most important groups of public servants in the community," McKeown said. "We are working together for a safer, smarter future."

"I'm pleased that significant community groups feel positive about the work I've done as a council member and trust me to continue that work," O'Connor said.

Along with the endorsement of Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights (SMRR) -- which is backing McKeown, O'Connor and Abby Arnold -- the police union endorsement, which is usually accompanied by the support of the Firefighters Union, is arguably the most influential in the City.

Unlike the police union -- which has helped to shape the outcome of elections for years -- the Santa Monica Malibu Classroom Teachers Association has never ventured into City Council elections, sticking instead to school board races. But the time is ripe to break that tradition, said union president Harry Keiley.

"The union believes the City has been supportive of family and children issues for a long time, and we think it's time the union takes an active role in helping pro-family candidates get elected to the council," Keiley said.

"What better time than now?" he added. "We think the schools should be funded at the local level and we would like to see that funding continue and, if possible, enhanced. The community wants the City Council to be supportive of schools."

In the race for four open School Board seats, the teachers union endorsed incumbents Julia Brownly and Brenda Gottfried and challengers Emily Bloomfield and Oscar de la Torre.