By Michael J. Tittinger
Daily Press Staff Writer

CITYWIDE — It’s no secret that mid-term elections don’t hold the same attraction over voters as do heated White House showdowns, or even City Council shakeups, but the race for the 41st Assembly District seat should be of utmost interest to city voters.

For one, six of the seven candidates vying for Assemblywoman Fran Pavley’s office call Santa Monica home. The other has received the endorsements of both Mayor Bob Holbrook and Mayor Pro Tem Bobby Shriver.

Pavley (D-Agoura Hills), who has held the seat since 2000, has expired her term limits, and will vacate the office after serving three two-year terms. The race to succeed Pavley has attracted a varied group — five Democrats and a pair of Republicans, four men and three women — each with their own slant on what will make life better for Santa Monicans.

Despite the preponderance of area resident hopefuls, the 41st District encompasses a wide swath of bordering communities — Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Encino, Hidden Hills, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Port Hueneme, Oak Park, Santa Monica, Tarzana, Topanga, Woodland Hills and portions of Oxnard and Westlake Village.

The last Santa Monica resident to hold the seat is Sheila Kuehl, who is now a state senator.

As to be expected, most of the candidates are in unison on subjects such as the need to make school funding a priority, to keep making progress on the cleanup of the Santa Monica Bay and working towards bringing the Expo light rail line to Santa Monica, via Culver City and downtown Los Angeles.

However, as in Congress, the issue of border control and the swelling illegal immigration population is a divisive issue among this group of would-be Assembly members, as is the need to either continue on with or alter the current administration’s foreign policies.

This week, each of the seven candidates responded to a Daily Press questionnaire grilling them on the most pressing of issues, and seeking insight into their political philosophies and how they might affect change here on the local level.

But voters will have the final say when they take to the ballot boxes and election booths this Tuesday, June 6, for the mid-term primaries.