> ## 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. # Holbrook takes reins as mayor - URL: https://www.smdp.com/holbrook-takes-reins-as-mayor/ - Published: 2005-12-15T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T08:17:44.000Z - Author: Ryan Hyatt - Tags: Government & Politics, Santa Monica, #archive-import, Homeless *Holbrook wants to bring city and college together* CITY HALL — Santa Monica has a new mayor — sort of. City Councilman Bob Holbrook became mayor on Tuesday, a position with which he’s quite familiar, serving in that capacity in 1998. Mayor Holbrook replaced City Councilwoman Pam O’Connor to head Santa Monica’s mostly ceremonial post for the next year. C i t y C o u n c i l m a n Bobby Shriver was appointed as mayor pro tem and will spell Holbrook when need be. Santa Monica has a strong city manager form of government, meaning that the city’s seven councilmem-bers, who are elected into office, appoint a mayor and are charged mostly with helping City Hall shape its policies, according to officials. As Santa Monica’s mayor, Holbrook will typically represent the city at government and other public events. He’ll also set the agenda for City Council meetings along with the city manager. Within the city, Holbrook said there are a number of issues Santa Monica is facing which he hopes to be able to help address in coming months. Holbrook said he will work with other councilmembers and city staff to look for ways to better address Santa Monica’s homeless problem. On Tuesday, City Hall also officially approved Edmund D. Edelman, a former county supervisor, as Santa Monica’s homeless czar — a first-of-its-kind post. Edelman will earn $200,000 this year to help get several homeless-related social service projects off the ground. He will also be charged with investigating whether greater regional cohesiveness might be possible to better serve the down and out. Holbrook said he will be helping Edelman in any way he can. On a similar note, Holbrook also pledged his assistance to Lamont Ewell, who in January will be coming on board as Santa Monica’s new city manager, to better orient him with his position and the city. As a first order of business, Holbrook would like to see Ewell meet with the new president of Santa Monica College, who will be taking that institution’s top position in coming weeks. City Hall and SMC — which have been on ill-footing for years, mostly due to traffic and growth issues — have come close to a lawsuit recently over concerns related to SMC’s Bundy satellite campus near Santa Monica Airport. This summer, City Hall closed access ways into and out of Bundy in an effort to stifle resident traffic issues. Holbrook feels his appointment as mayor and the two new top administrators selected to run City Hall and SMC should provide a fresh start for both institutions. “I would like to organize a meeting with Lamont and SMC’s new president in the hopes we can get those two on the right foot and start to improve relations between the city and college,” Holbrook said. Holbrook will also be administering Santa Monica’s City Council meetings, a position he intends to use to better manage public discussions. Holbrook and other elected officials have been critical of the hours spent at council meetings in recent years. The meetings usually start at 5:45 p.m. on Tuesdays and often go until after midnight. Holbrook said he felt his first night as Santa Monica’s mayor went well, despite the fact the meeting still stretched until the midnight hour. “We did pretty good,” Holbrook said. “But I will be looking at ways to end the meetings earlier, so we are all not so tired the next day. I’d even support breaking up the council meetings so we can continue them the next day, if the Tuesday meetings can end earlier. “I’ll also be reminding the public on occasion to try to be succinct in its remarks, but mostly I’ll be doing everything I can on the council end to make sure the meetings are managed well.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 15, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/121505.pdf?ref=smdp.com)