Powerful Line Up Likely for Council Race

By Olin Ericksen
Staff Writer

June 7 – Six contenders with 60 years combined experience in elected office may soon take their marks in what could be the strongest field of candidates for City Council in at least a quarter century.

While Mayor Richard Bloom is still weighing his options, most of the four incumbents -- Council members Michael Feinsten, Ken Genser and Herb Katz -- have indicated they will almost certainly run for four open council seats in November. So have two former School Board presidents, Patricia Hoffman and Julia Brownley.

Joining the fray will be two challengers -- Matt Dinolfo and Jerry Rubin -- who have previous experience running for the City’s highest posts.

“This is the strongest field of candidates I’ve seen,” said Steve Alpert, who has been a close observer of Santa Monica politics since 1977. “If these people stay in, it should be a wild and wooly race.”

How many candidates will be left standing will likely be decided in August, when the powerful tenants group Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights holds its nominating convention.

Despite an unexpected announcement last week by Abby Arnold -- the convention’s top vote getter in 2002 -- that she will not run, the bid for a coveted spot on the SMRR slate is expected to be hotly contested.

"I recently decided, after much thought, that I'm not going to be running," said Arnold, who came within less than 200 votes of winning a seat on the City Council two years ago.

“The field is pretty crowded already, although it doesn't mean I won't run again sometime in the future."

If the City last month had not entered into an agreement with the School District that secures at least $6 million a year for the cash-strapped education system, Arnold said her decision could have turned out differently.

"I was waiting to see how the City Council handled the education agreement,” Arnold said. “If they didn't act on it, then I would have probably run because some of the (incumbents) would have been more vulnerable."

Arnold -- who brought dozens of supporters to the convention two years ago -- said she intends to throw her support behind Brownley, whose election would boost the number of women on a seven member council currently occupied by six men.

"She is already an incumbent on Santa Monica's political scene, and beyond that, she would give such a huge boost to women's issues in the City," said Arnold. "She is experienced and capable."

Brownley, who was first elected to the School Board in 1994, has yet to formally announce her candidacy.

"I haven't made up my mind yet if I'm running, but I'm seriously considering it,” she said last week. Calling it a "big commitment," Brownley said she is waiting to see how "the political landscape unfolds."

"When and if I decide to run," she said. "I'll run an aggressive campaign."

"I've held office in Santa Monica for ten years now, so I believe I enjoy broad support in the community. The school community certainly supports me, but I believe it reaches across the entire community."

Brownley wouldn’t be the only woman seeking the SMRR endorsement, which can automatically translate into thousands of tenants’ votes. Hoffman, who also served on the School Board, formerly threw her hat into the ring last week.

"If I don't get the endorsement, I'll drop out of the race," said Hoffman, who is a member of the Bayside District board.

Hoffman, who served two terms on the school board, will go head to head with as many as three incumbents seeking SMRR’s backing.

Councilman Ken Genser, who has served on the council since 1988, said he has already launched his campaign for a record fifth term.

“There’s no major announcement,” Genser said. “I’ll be running on the SMRR platform.”

Councilman Michael Feinstein said he plans to announce his candidacy soon. "I'm strongly leaning towards running," said Feinstein, who was first elected in 1996.

Feinstein, a Green Party leader, already has signed up new members who will support him at the SMRR convention.

The wild card in the race could be Mayor Richard Bloom, who has declined to announce his intentions despite repeated prodding by The Lookout.

"My answer is the same as last time," said Bloom, who has been on the council since winning a special election in 1999. "I'm biding my time. There is no real pressure to make a decision on announcing my candidacy."

Before he decides to run, Bloom said he must first be "comfortable with the idea of another four years."

"Bottom line, my life is pretty full between a demanding professional life and my family,” he said.

Bloom said that, aside from his campaign manager, he has not signed up any new members for SMRR's August convention.

The only City Council incumbent who will not be seeking SMRR’s endorsement is Herb Katz, who plans to launch his campaign this month.

"I'm an independent," said Katz, who won a council seat four years ago, after having served two terms between 1984 and 1992. "SMRR is always a big factor in elections, but part of what they've done is create a big bureaucracy, which may eventually come back to bite them."

For the first time, the SMRR slate could be challenged by a political action committee capable of raising big money. The November election will mark the first time the Chamber of Commerce will endorse and help bankroll a slate of candidates.

Seeking the chamber endorsement, in addition to Katz, will be Matt Dinolfo, a doctor of internal medicine who made a surprisingly strong showing in the 2002 council race, despite failing to win the SMRR endorsement and starting his campaign late.

"I see myself as a bridge candidate to the various constituencies in Santa Monica," said Dinolfo, who plans to formally announce his bid within the next week.

Dinolfo will not be seeking SMRR’s endorsement this time because historically "they have never supported a homeowner North of Montana Avenue" and are not "going to start now."

"There needs to be a more representative democracy in Santa Monica," said Dinolfo, who has been the chief of staff at the Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center. "Right now, the way things stand, there's really no debate per se."

Another potential challenger who would likely turn to the chamber for support is Tom Viscount, the Red Cross’ director of resources, development and communications. Viscount said he is holding off because of the major time commitment involved in running a campaign.

"I would basically say that I'm undeclared," said Viscount. "I'm not sure whether or not I'm going to be able to run."

While some candidates are still weighing their options, Jerry Rubin timed his announcement to coincide with Earth Day five weeks ago. Rubin will be seeking a council seat for the third time in November.

The field of contenders won’t become clear until August, when candidates must submit their qualifying papers with at least 100 signatures from registered Santa Monica voters.