Return to sender: Shriver goes it alone
City Council candidate Bobby Shriver went on the offensive Monday, distancing himself from a batch of campaign literature distributed throughout the city last weekend.
Paid for by the well-funded local tourism industry, the mailers tied Shriver to City Councilman Herb Katz, an independent seeking re-election, and took aim at two controversial local issues —homelessness and excessive City Hall bureaucracy.
Both Katz and Shriver denied advance knowledge of the mailers, which were produced by a recently formed independent political expenditure committee calling itself “Santa Monicans for Change.” Election law prohibits candidates from communicating with independent committees, which can endorse any candidates or issues they choose.
Shriver, who canvassed Ocean Park over the weekend, said he was chastised by some residents for apparently sending confusing mailers. Shriver’s campaign has sent several mailers of its own, including one on homelessness. All of them tout Shriver as an independent candidate.
“I have to be careful,” Shriver said. “I haven’t been around (Santa Monica politics) long. People are just forming their first impression of me. It’s not like I’m Ken Genser, who’s been around for 20 years. I have to be very careful of what’s out there.”
In a statement issued to the press Monday, Shriver reiterated that he was running as an independent candidate and said, “I am requesting that any individuals or organizations planning to publish materials using my name either not do it, or make it clear that I am not aligned with their organization or any other candidates they may support.”
Seth Jacobsen, a spokesman for Santa Monicans for Change, said he was surprised Shriver would shun the free pre-election publicity. Mail pieces cost thousands of dollars apiece and are a preferred medium for reaching voters in local elections.
“I’m disappointed that he took this position,” Jacobsen said. “My inclination is that he’s trying to appeal to both the renters’ rights coalition, as well as the homeowners and newer renters, the non-rent control renters, in Santa Monica. He’s trying to build a broader base. The downside of a strategy like this is that you risk alienating one group or another.”
Both Shriver and Santa Monicans for Change plan to send more mailers before the election. Shriver said his mailers will list groups that support him from all different political viewpoints in Santa Monica. However, it’s unclear if the Santa Monicans for Change mailers will be altered.
“All of our materials are clearly designated Santa Monicans for Change,” Jacobsen said. “As an independent expenditure committee, we have to do that. There’s nothing illicit and nothing illegal going on here.”
He added that future mailers will list college and school board candidates, as well as more council candidates. Four council seats are at stake in the Nov. 2 election.
Santa Monicans for Change is funded by local luxury beach hotels, restaurants and about a dozen local residents, Jacobsen said. Because it was formed this month, it hasn’t yet had to report where its cash contributions have come from. All local candidates and political groups regularly have to report campaign contributions. The next deadline is Thursday.
In the meantime, Katz said he appreciated the extra publicity from the mailer, but was wary of having his name used without his knowledge.
“I care what my stuff says,” Katz said on Monday. “I care about my own views. Bobby likes me and I like Bobby, personally, but we’re not endorsing each other, yet — if at all... It’s not horrible, but I don’t like stuff going out without my OK-ing it.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 19, 2004. Read the original PDF.