By Jonathan Friedman
Associate Editor

December 28, 2015 -- There was lots of change in Santa Monica during 2015. Rick Cole became the new person in charge when he was appointed City manager in June and Tony Vazquez made history by becoming the first Latino mayor in December. A former mayor, Judy Abdo, lost her post on the powerful Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights Steering Committee. And there’s a new way to ride bikes in Santa Monica with the Breeze program.

It was also a year of struggle about the future--what is in store for the Santa Monica Airport, whether young students should be required to get vaccinated against preventable disease and how ethics issues should be handled in local government.

Much happened in Santa Monica in 2015, and here are some of the top stories from the year:

Big Dollars Settles Job Offer Dispute

Elizabeth Riel never worked for Santa Monica, but she got a huge payday from the City in July when the City Council approved a $710,000 settlement with her over last year’s hire/fire episode (“Santa Monica Council Approves $710,000 Settlement in Hiring Case,” July 17, 2015).

Council members made no comment during the vote, but City Attorney Marsha Moutrie said the settlement was made “without admission of liability.” Riel was named to Santa Monica’s top communications post in May 2014, but two weeks later then-City Manager Rod Gould rescinded the offer. A reason was not specified, but Riel alleged in a First Amendment lawsuit that it was due to her past political activity in favor of Kevin McKeown and in opposition to his arch-rival on the dais, Pam O’Connor. Finger pointing soon started, and the matter is not settled even though Riel’s direct involvement has ended following the settlement. The council voted in November to hire attorney John Hueston, lead trial lawyer in the Enron price-rigging case, to conduct an ethics review about the handling of the Riel affair. Political observers are eager to learn the review’s conclusions sometime in 2016 (“Santa Monica Hires Outside Firm to Conduct Ethics Review,” November 13, 2015).

Santa Monica Has Its First Latino Mayor

The changing of the guard on the City Council had a greater significance than usual in December when Tony Vazquez earned the mostly ceremonial title of mayor when he became the first Latino to receive the honor in Santa Monica's 140-year history. Vazquez, 60, has lived most of his life in the city and has achieved a couple of other firsts for a Latino in Santa Monica--serving as mayor pro tem the previous 12 months and being elected to the council in 1990. He lost his seat in 1994 and returned to the council 20 years later. Fellow elected Latino Oscar de la Torre, who sits on the school board, told the Lookout about the significance of Vazquez’s achievement in 2014 when it was determined he would serve as mayor one year later: “I think it’s great to show that we’re acknowledging the diversity of our city” (“Santa Monica’s First Latino Mayor Prepares to Take Office,” November 30, 2015).

Taking the Air out of Airbnb

Officials from the popular website Airbnb, which allows users to post rooms and other spaces available for short-term rental, led a rally in front of City Hall to oppose a plan that would all but eliminate the practice. It had no effect. Later in the evening, the City Council without comment finalized an ordinance it had voted for two weeks earlier that prohibits the rental of an entire unit for less than 30 days and requires hosts be on site during the rental period, obtain a business license and pay the City’s 14 percent hotel tax. The council approved the measure, said to be one of the strongest in the nation, in response to cries that the proliferation of short-term rentals was squeezing out the already stressed housing stock in Santa Monica and creating a hotel party scene in residential neighborhoods. "We have hotels and motels for that and a vibrant downtown with visitor services," said Planning Commissioner Jennifer Kennedy during a rally in favor of the measure prior to the first council vote. Those who opposed the measure said it would be devastating for people who needed the short-term rental income to make ends meet (“Santa Monica City Council Bans Short-Term Rentals Despite Protests,” May 14, 2015).

SMRR Ousts Longtime Leader

Former Mayor Judy Abdo’s nearly four-decade leadership role with Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights (SMRR), the city’s most powerful political group, ended abruptly in November when she was not re-elected to its steering committee. There was no shortage of opinions--both public and shared behind closed doors---on why Abdo was ousted, including that she actively supported two candidates in the 2014 City Council election who had failed to gain the SMRR endorsement. This could be a sign of the growing influence of slow-growth advocates in SMRR, which has always had its factions, but in the end backs candidates from both ends of the development debate. It will soon be seen how significant Abdo’s absence is as a new election season approaches in 2016 (“Longtime Leader of Politically Powerful Santa Monica Renters Group Ousted,” November 11, 2015).

Living Wage Revisited

Thirteen years after a significant increase to the minimum wage, called a living wage by proponents, was defeated in a close election, the proposal is back on the table. More than 50 people addressed the City Council about a plan to gradually raise the hourly rate for the lowest-earning workers (with some exceptions) until it reaches $15 in 2020. The council did not finalize anything at that meeting, asking City staff to study some specific issues. But a new proposal is expected to go before the governing panel in January, and it would also include a higher and more quickly reached raise for hotel workers. Meanwhile, an expected challenge from hotel owners looms. If Santa Monica does raise the minimum wage, unlike in 2002 when it would have been paving new territory, it would be following the lead. Los Angeles City and County already as well as other local governments nationwide have already approved significant minimum wage hikes (“Santa Monica Council Poised to Approve Minimum Wage Early Next Year,” December 22, 2015).

New City Manager

Rod Gould ended his five-year tenure of running day-to-day operations in Santa Monica at the end of January, several months after he had announced his retirement in the wake of the Elizabeth Riel affair (although this incident was not mentioned in his announcement to the media). For the next several months, veteran City employee Elaine Polachek ran the operation, until June, when Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Rick Cole was appointed to City Hall’s top spot. “I want to immerse myself in the life of this city in its City government,” said Cole after the council unanimously approved his contract. “I want to listen to your hopes and to your apprehensions, to your concerns and your frustrations and your observations, so I can better understand how to build that enduring and effective partnership between your community and your government in these changing times.” Santa Monica College also selected a new leader this year. Kathryn E. Jeffery was named the school’s next president. Currently serving in that role at Sacramento City College, she will take the helm at SMC in the spring (“New Santa Monica City Manager Will Earn $329K a Year,” June 1, 2015).

Harrison Ford Crashes Airplane

The debate about Santa Monica Airport is a loud one in this city and adjacent portions of Los Angeles, but it received international attention in March when one of the airport’s most well-known advocates, actor Harrison Ford, crashed a plane he was piloting shortly after take-off. Ford was not seriously injured in the crash, which the National Transportation Safety Board later determined was caused by an engine malfunction in the World War II-era plane. Many people say it was the first Santa Monica Airport-related crash since 2013, but others saw it differently, with the Santa Monica Airport Association refusing to use the c-word. It instead called the incident a “beautifully executed forced landing” onto a Venice golf course (“Harrison Ford’s Plane Crash Brings International Attention to Santa Monica Airport,” March 9, 2015).

Airport Not Shutting Down Soon

Those hoping this summer’s expiration of the 1984 agreement between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the City on the use of Santa Monica Airport meant a shutdown was on the horizon were dealt a blow in December when the FAA determined the municipal-owned property must continue operating as an aviation facility for at least eight more years. But City officials are not backing down, noting there are further levels of appeal within the FAA and in federal court. Earlier in the year, City leaders traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with FAA officials. Although then-Mayor Kevin McKeown called the FAA session “frustrating,” he was optimistic about what he called solid support from Congressman Ted Lieu. Other airport disputes continue. Aviators filed a class-action lawsuit against the City over what they say are illegally adopted higher landing fees, and the National Aviation Business Association declared it would take “appropriate actions” following a City Council decision in October restricting certain types of aircraft fuels (“FAA Rules Santa Monica Airport Must Stay Open,” December 7, 2015).

Bike-Share Program Launched

In its ongoing effort to get more people out of their cars in Santa Monica, the City Council approved a $10 million bike-share effort in 2014, and the program known as Breeze had a soft launch in August and an official start in November. The first of its kind in Los Angeles County, the program allows people to pay monthly or one-time fees to rent a bike at one of 75 docking stations and then return them to another station once the riding is finished. The program secured a well-known sponsor in Hulu. Initial usage numbers are lower than expected, but it’s early and backers, including City leaders, remain optimistic (“Santa Monica Officials Release Early Bike-Share Ridership Numbers,” December 3, 2015).

School District Split Possibly Near Reality

The forced union between non-adjacent Santa Monica and Malibu in a single K-12 school district has often been a contentious relationship. And in recent years, a group of Malibu activists with strong local support have been leading the difficult process toward severing ties. Although issues remain, they have reason to be optimistic. All the Board of Education members, made up of six Santa Monica residents and one person from Malibu, voiced support for a split if it can work financially for the students of both communities. How that will happen could come down to negotiation, and during the final meeting of the year, the board set up a process to begin one. The question of whether to create a separate Malibu school district could soon go to the ballot (“Santa Monica Board Members Support Malibu Split, Questions Remain,” December 2, 2015).

Vaccine Wars

The national debate over whether vaccines against diseases once thought to be near extinction in the developed world should be required had several local angles this year. A preschool at Santa Monica High School was temporarily closed in February when an infant contracted measles. Statistics released by the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District showed that the percentage of students not receiving the measles vaccination was in double digits in several schools, including 40 percent at Santa Monica Alternative Schoolhouse (SMASH). Next year’s statistics should change dramatically. A bill co-authored by Sen. Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica) calling for the elimination of most exemptions, including religious, for the requirement of student vaccinations went through the Sacramento pipeline throughout much of the first half of 2015. The first-term senator and Santa Monica native was a guest on various national news programs promoting his bill, and Gov. Jerry Brown signed it into law in June (“High Percentage of Santa Monica Students Not Vaccinated Against Measles,” February 6, 2015).