> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Candidate questionnaires are starting to exact a toll - URL: https://www.smdp.com/candidate-questionnaires-are-starting-to-exact-a-toll/ - Published: 2006-09-26T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T21:25:56.000Z - Author: Kevin Herrera - Tags: Government & Politics, Santa Monica, #archive-import, Homelessness *Candidate questionnaires are starting to exact a toll* CITYWIDE — Santa Monicans have a burning question to ask their political candidates, and then some. In the weeks leading up to the election, the list of queries keeps growing, so much so that City Council hopefuls are quietly complaining about the time they’ve spent recently responding to nearly a dozen questionnaires, leaving some to ask a question of their own — “It’s become a huge burden,” said Mayor Bob Holbrook, who is running for reelection, of the dozen questionnaires he’s received in the last month. “(Answering them) has taken up half of my time. Most of us do not have a staff, and even if we did, a candidate should really answer all of the questions themselves. I’m telling you, it’s worse than taking a writing class at a major university.” Asking price can be steep Creating a standard questionnaire, with two or three direct questions from each community group, is an idea that has been circulating this campaign season, but the possibility of that occurring seems unlikely as groups are wary of losing individuality and the influence they can wield through endorsements. “I know what a burden it is for candidates to answer so many questions. I completely empathize with them,” said Shari Davis, a former City Council candidate and chair of CEPS, or Community for Excellent Public Schools, which sent out its questionnaire last week. “But it would be difficult (for us to consolidate) because each group is focused on a particular issue. Ours is education and we want to know how candidates feel about certain issues surrounding education, and that is not going to be the same as other advocacy groups in the city.” While candidates understand the need for community groups to inquire about issues specific to their causes, the problem some hopefuls have is that not all groups are offering endorsements in exchange for the time spent behind a computer screen formulating original responses. “We just got an e-mail over the weekend from a group informing us that we only had a few days to complete (the questionnaire) and then don’t expect them to use it for an endorsement,” said Council candidate Terry O’Day, who estimates 20 percent of his time campaigning is spent answering questionnaires, even more last week when several where due. “If you’re not going to be using them to help you make endorsements, then I have to ask myself, is it worth it?” Bob Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies, which measures civic participation in elections, said candidates should answer as many questionnaires as possible because not only do they give aspirants a better chance of securing votes, they also provide a valuable learning experience and help candidates stand out in the crowd. “Questionnaires force candidates to take a position on issues as opposed to just saying what a great person they are,” Stern said. “More importantly, they give candidates some guidelines (about) what groups think are important. It really is more of an educational opportunity for a candidate than it is for the groups.” Another reason to fill out questionnaires is that they help candidates gain favor with community groups, Stern said. “More and more, consultants are telling their candidates to not fill them out … because they can get in trouble … Basically, they’re telling candidates not to commit themselves,” Stern said.“That does a disservice to the voters and to the candidates because for many groups, if a candidate doesn’t respond, that only makes them mad.” There is no one reason why more questionnaires are popping up than in years past. Current council members, former candidates and observers all have their theories. Some believe groups are trying to jockey for positions of influence and do not want to be left out of the campaign, while others feel the stakes are higher, with the Council grappling with the city’s growing pains. “I think there are more special interest groups formed and they are looking to have sort of a role in the choice of the Council, and you see that with more forums, more questionnaires and more people who want to put their stamp on the election,” said Nancy Greenstein, a Santa Monica College trustee running for reelection and an honorary chair of Santa Monicans for Renters Rights, an advocacy group that sent out a scaled-back questionnaire early in the campaign season. > “Can we consolidate?” “I really think there are more groups, more issues and more people looking to take a leadership role,” Greenstein added. Holbrook said it’s a case of jumping on the bandwagon. “When I first ran several years ago, there were none,” Holbrook said. “One did it and now everyone else has been trying to copy it. Some suggested getting together and put out one questionnaire, but with so many groups, I just don’t see that happening.” While there has been a reluctance to consolidate, O’Day is one who would like to see it occur, and not just because it would save him time, which he could spend speaking with voters in person. “I think groups ought to be communicating with each other, building alliances and presenting shared visions. That could only help enhance voter participation and the community’s voice at the Council,” O’Day said. Friends of Sunset Park and Citizens Against Airport Pollution, two groups which share a common interest — the Santa Monica Airport — consolidated their questionnaires, O’Day said, which proves it can be done. “I’d also like to see the City Clerk receive a list of when questionnaires are sent out and what the due dates are, then post that on-line so people can have a better idea as to what the candidates are going through, and the groups sending them can see when a good time is to do so,” O’Day said. “I think there could be better coordination between the groups, so not all questionnaires are due at once. This is all in the context of having a day job.” Council candidates receive more questionnaires than those running for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School Board, SMC board of trustees and the rent control board. Even so, candidates for those seats are also suffering from time constraints. Barry Snell, a candidate for school board, said he has received only three questionnaires so far, but expects at least three more from local media outlets. While he admits some have been grueling, he believes they are necessary, particularly for first-time candidates like himself. “How are people going to get to know me if I don’t put down my thoughts in writing?” Snell said.“I’ll admit, I have cut and pasted a few responses and added a thing or two, but really, my platform hasn’t changed and many of the questions are asking the same thing.” In the end, a candidate may be unable to respond to all of the questionnaires sent out, and that’s OK, said Patricia Hoffman, a member of SMRR who helped write that group’s questionnaire. “I think the importance of a questionnaire is so you have a record in writing of where the candidates see themselves in terms of the issues, like traffic and homelessness. Everybody wants to know something about that,” Hoffman said. “That said, I think what people have done is more important than what they say.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 26, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/092606.pdf?ref=smdp.com)