It’s been four months since the first debate of the election season at the Santa Monica Democratic Club, which I wrote a column about at the time. For better or worse, not a lot has changed.
School board candidate, Robbie Staenberg, and Rent Control Board candidate, Heather Thomason, have continued to showcase a rare ability to listen to—and empathize with—a broad range of the public, which has deservedly won them endorsements from an equally broad range of organizations.
The Rent Control Board is fortunate to have two other candidates, Sue Himmelrich and incumbent Kurt Gonska, who are passionate about affordable housing and deeply knowledgeable about the topic.
As for the candidates for Santa Monica College Board of trustees, the less said the better. With the exception of Luis Barrera Castanon, who has only served for a year, the incumbents bear responsibility for a capsized organization, yet refuse any accountability. The only thing more disturbing is that their supposed challengers have also demurred from holding them accountable.
Before addressing the City Council, I’m going to circle the bases on the Sacramento races. Most of them are Democrat vs Republican, and as long as the Republican party remains sycophantic to the President, the lines are rather strongly defined. (FYI, the candidates for Superintendent of Public Instruction aren’t listed by party, but Richard Barrera is the Democrat in the race and the nominee who isn’t disparaging transgender students).
Of the remaining races, the only saving grace of losing term-limited Ben Allen as our state senator is the opportunity to have his conscientious leadership as Insurance Commissioner. Meanwhile, the race to succeed him in the senate has resulted in a deluge of mailers and mudslinging.
Brian Goldsmith entered the race with minimal name recognition and maximal endorsements, from Nancy Pelosi and Pete Buttigieg to Traci Park and Eric Garcetti. I was skeptical about his skillset beyond befriending politicians. However, he has come across as knowledgeable, thoughtful and willing to listen to contrary views. “My mother always told me that you have two ears and one mouth, and you should use them in that ratio,” he said at a debate this summer.
His opponent, John Erickson, is a quick-witted West Hollywood council member, with a narrower progressive outlook. As a retail politician, he can run circles around Goldsmith. It’s as a person that he comes up a little short. Frequently glib, at the same debate, he mocked Goldsmith for his studious consideration of issues, when “gut instinct” should be enough.
Erickson’s instincts resulted in him approving a $10 million contract with a security firm facilitating ICE deportations, but he brushed aside the embarrassing error, explaining that West Hollywood was breaking the contract despite significant penalties. “I’m happy to pay those penalties,” he said. Meaning he’s happy for residents to pay for his impetuous mistakes.
The problem isn’t mistakes. That’s just being human. The problem is the echo chamber created when leaders surround themselves with too many like-thinking people and become deaf to contrary voices, and that’s a primary concern for our Council.
So I’m particularly interested in Ashley Oelsen, a conservation biologist and sustainability commissioner, who’s one of the only candidates expressing apprehension about the city’s diminished interest in environmental issues that impact residents’ health and quality of life. She’s also clearheaded about economic development and displays a willingness to hear all perspectives.
On the flip side, Brett Morrow continues to sound like a walking, talking progressive chatbot. His day job is as a communications director for the county, which means he’s mastered the art of not communicating. He’s one of the candidates endorsed by Santa Monicans for Renters Rights (SMRR), even though the members of the group didn’t vote to endorse him. That’s allowed by SMRR’s bylaws, but it raises questions all the same.
Unfortunately, questions also need to be asked about Daniel Ivanov for a different reason. Three months ago, the Council was forced to call an emergency meeting to rescind a rent control ballot measure they had passed 6-1 at their previous meeting, because it violated state law. This is a serious blemish on the record of the six councilmembers, but even more so for Ivanov, who as chair of the Rent Control Board is accountable for the mess. It’s not a good time for him to be asking the voters for a promotion, but he’s only 30 and has ample opportunity to prove himself in the future.
When I wrote about the first Democratic Club debate this summer, I said that the two most qualified candidates were Mayor Caroline Torosis and former Mayor Lana Negrete. That hasn’t changed. Both incumbents are hardworking and sincere civil servants who devote countless hours to the city, with Torosis offering detailed policy acumen and Negrete providing authenticity and empathy. What’s changed is that I’ve grown increasingly concerned about the repercussions of an insulated and imbalanced 6-1 council (including the ballot measure fiasco), and Torosis is one of the six.
There are also four county judge races, and while it’s hard to know much about them, in Office 64, Rhonda A. Haymon has been held in contempt of court by one judge and had her courtroom temperament criticized by another, while her opponent, Maria Ghobadi, received the highest rating from the American Bar Association. For office 131, I’m leaning toward David Ross, because prior to his 30 years as a public defender, he spent 10 years as a news reporter. We all have our biases.
Devan Sipher can be reached at Devan@smdp.com