THE CONTROVERSY OVER SCHOOL board incumbent Jose Escarce’s behind-closed-doors endorsement by the secretive Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights (SMRR) Steering Committee has raised questions such as, “Who are they?”
It’s the cabal that dictates the philosophy and priorities for the most powerful political organization in Santa Monica. When SMRR speaks, thousands of voters salute and mark their ballots, accordingly.
SMRR’s Web site (www.smrr.org) spells it out clearly: “1979-2000 … Seventeen members elected to Santa Monica’s City Council. Many serve multiple terms. From its inception in 1979, SMRR candidates win every seat on Santa Monica’s Rent Control Board and 11 of Santa Monica’s past 12 mayors are SMRR members.”
Today, virtually every seat on the Board of Education, Santa Monica College Board of Trustees, Rent Control Board and four out of seven City Council seats represent SMRR interests. SMRR also influences governance by appointing supporters and cronies to city and school posts, commissions and committees.
Surprisingly, SMRR isn’t run by renters, many of committee members are condo or homeowners. Most have served on the Steering Committee for years, even decades. Their strength is that everybody has the same mind set, and they vigorously support each other’s agendas.
The committee is united in its priorities for the community, which include protecting rent control, build and expand affordable (rental) housing and support sustainable development (including reducing motor vehicle travel), education, workers rights/social justice/living wage, housing and services for the homeless and local historical preservation.
Current SMRR Co-Chairs are Patricia Hoffman and Gleam Davis. Hoffman is Chair of the Board at Community Corp. of Santa Monica (the city-affiliated public housing provider), former chair of the Santa Monica/Malibu Unified School District, current vice-chair of the Bayside District Corp. and former chair of the Santa Monica Democratic Club. She’s served on numerous school committees.
Gleam Davis is a corporate attorney for AT&T. Her background includes serving as chair of the SMMUSD District Advisory Committee on Child Care and Development and Parcel Tax Committee. She’s a Community for Excellent Public Schools (CEPS) Steering Committee member. Davis ran for City Council in 2006 and lost despite SMRR’s endorsement. She’s currently on the Planning Commission.
Secretary Linda Sullivan is a long time SMMR activist. Her husband, Robert Myers, was the former city attorney. A former city employee herself, Sullivan is an attorney and a consultant on venue and property management and is being paid $90,000, plus expenses for work on SMC’s new Broad Stage (formerly Madison Theater) and other programs.
SMRR’s treasurer is Roger Thornton, a veteran SMRR activist who has been treasurer for numerous political campaigns and ballot measures over the years.
Denny Zane is one of SMRR’s founders and was a long time co-chair of the group. Zane is a political consultant. He’s managed campaigns for Julia Brownley for state Assembly (2006) as well as numerous school and college bond and tax measures. Zane is currently on retainer at SMC and is running the campaign for Proposition AA, SMC’s $295-million bond proposal on the fall ballot.
He’s a former city councilman (1981- 1992) and mayor (1988-1990). He’s executive director of the Subway to the Sea Coalition, Move L.A., and the Los Angeles County Transportation Funding Collaborative and is promoting a proposed half-cent county-wide sales tax increase for transit. He was also a CEPS founder and steering committee member.
Judy Abdo, also a veteran SMRR leader, was on the council (1988-1996) and served twice as mayor (1990-1991, 1992-1994). She is currently on the Metropolitan Water District’s Board of Directors Executive Committee. She is employed as the director of Child Development Services for the school district and is a member of CEPS among other activities, according to MWD’s Web site.
Ana G. Hara is active with the Pico Neighborhood Association Board of Directors. She works with the Pico Neighborhood branch of Young Life, a nondenominational Christian youth services organization.
Bruce Cameron is also a long-time steering committee member and pollster. He’s a key SMRR strategist and behind the scenes player with interests in planning and historic preservation issues.
Genise Schnitman is a local activist and girlfriend of Councilman Kevin McKeown. She’s a writer and an editor specializing in art and music.
Richard Tahvildaran Jesswein is a political science professor at SMC and president of the Academic Senate. He’s been active in CEPS and on February’s “Yes on R” school parcel tax renewal committee.
Todd Flora is manager of Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs at IBM Corp. Flora is a board member of the Bayside District Corp. and Heal the Bay.
Bruria Finkel is an artist and patron of the arts. She served on the Rent Control Board. Her husband, David Finkle, was on the City Council (1986-1990) and he is currently an SMC trustee.
Behind the scenes power brokers include former long-time SMRR Co-Chair Nancy Greenstein, now an SMC trustee, SMRR organizer Michel Tarbet and a host of local politicians.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 25, 2008. Read the original PDF.