> ## 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. # Future leaders or future losers? - URL: https://www.smdp.com/future-leaders-or-future-losers/ - Published: 2008-08-15T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-25T00:41:49.000Z - Author: Melody Hanatani - Tags: Government & Politics, Santa Monica, #archive-import *Council race will be crowded A TOTAL OF 26 RESIDENTS HAVE QUALIFIED TO RUN FOR FOUR LOCAL RACES FROM RACES PAGE 1* For 26 residents, the campaign season officially begins. That is the number of candidates who qualified to run for the four local races after submitting nomination papers by the Aug. 8 deadline, fighting for a combined 13 open seats on the City Council, Board of Education, Rent Control Board and Santa Monica College Board of Trustees. The race for the school board took an interesting turn on Wednesday when Judith Meister, the former PTSA president at Santa Monica High School, dropped out more than a week after failing to win an endorsement from Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights, the most influential political group in the city. Incumbents Maria Leon-Vazquez and Ralph Mechur, and UC Regent Ben Allen all received a SMRR endorsement during the group’s convention earlier this month. Jose Escarce, who narrowly failed to win an endorsement during the convention, received the support from the group’s steering committee less than a week later during a closed-door meeting. Meister, the long-time educational advocate, said she feels she is one of the most qualified candidates, but conceded that the political climate was not favorable. “It just didn’t appear to be my time,” she said. Nearly all incumbents will be running for re-election, the exception being Malibu resident Kathy Wisnicki, who after serving on the school board for four years decided to pursue other opportunities. Among the candidates defending their seat is Mayor Herb Katz, an architect who has served on the council since 2000. Katz said he is running because of unfinished business, including completing the Land Use and Circulation Element, the general plan update. The mayor said he is in the process of getting his campaign organized, meeting with his manager and getting his fundraising in order. “I understand the city,” he said. The council race will be the most crowded of them, featuring 13 candidates, including several who have ran in the past but never succeeded. The ficus tree controversy and development issues, which have boiled over in the past year, figure to play a significant role in the council race, which features several residents who were outspoken on both matters. Jerry Rubin and Susan Hartley, who both served as leaders of the Santa Monica Treesavers, which sued City Hall over a ficus tree removal plan, both qualified for the council race. Rubin has ran several times for the seat, dropping out at least once. Hartley, a lawyer who serves on the Airport Commission, has also been an outspoken supporter of the Residents’ Initiative to Fight Traffic (RIFT), a ballot measure that seeks to cap commercial development in the city. Another RIFT supporter, Recreation and Parks Commissioner Ted Winterer, has qualified for the council race. Winterer serves as the president of the Ocean Park Association. Perhaps one of the more interesting races will be the school board, which has been criticized the past few years for a series of controversies, including issues in the special education department and financial accountability. Two newcomers will be battling it out for the four open seats — Chris Bley, a history teacher at the Brentwood School, and Allen, both of whom grew up in Santa Monica and attended local schools. Allen recently received an endorsement from the Santa Monica-Malibu Classroom Teachers Association. “I’m going to get out and meet people all over town in Santa Monica and Malibu,” Allen said. “I’m hoping to get out there and meet as many people as I possibly can.” Two seats on the Rent Control Board will be battled between three candidates, including incumbent Joel Koury, Christopher Braun, and Robert Kronovet, a realtor in the Pico Neighborhood. Both Koury and Braun have received the support of SMRR. Kronovet previously ran unsuccessfully in 2004. The college board will feature three incumbents and one newcomer — recent SMC alum Heidi Hoeck — battling it out for three seats. Hoeck served as the president of the Associated Students at SMC. The election will be held on Nov. 4 Jump hedline: Council race will be crowded Suggested pullquote: “It just didn’t appear to be my time,” Judith Meister former candidate for school board \*\*\*BREAKOUT BOX\*\*\* A total of 26 residents have qualified to run for four local races City Council Richard Bloom Linda Armstrong Ken Genser Jerry Peace Activist Rubin Ted Winterer Susan Hartley Jon Louis Mann Herbert Silverstein Herb Katz Linda M. Piera-Ávila John Blakely Bobby Shriver Michael Kovac Rent Control Board Christopher Braun Robert Kronovet Joel Koury Board of Education Jose Escarce Ralph Mechur Maria Leon-Vazquez Chris Bley Ben Allen Santa Monica College Board of Trustees Margaret Q. Quiñónez-Pérez Susan Aminoff Rob Rader *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 15, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/081508.pdf?ref=smdp.com)