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# Jonathan Mann on City Government and His Six Council Runs
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/jonathan-mann/
- Published: 2004-10-23T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T05:19:58.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: local, Pico, #archive-import

Philosophy on life? Skeptic. (sic).

What keeps you up at night? Insomnia.

Where did you move from? Pico neighborhood.

Age: 59

Profession: Flight attendant.

Alternative career. What you do if you weren’t employed in your current profession? Parole agent or teacher.

How long have you lived in Santa Monica? 35 years.

What neighborhood do you live in? Sunset Park.

Why did you choose to live here? I like it.

Rent or own? Rented then owned, then rented.

Favorite place in Santa Monica? The beach.

Worst thing about living in Santa Monica? The government.

How many cars do you own? What do you drive? One car: Classic Mercedes Roadster.

If you could have dinner with three people from history, alive or dead, who would they be? Why? Hitler, Osama and Bush, so I could give them all a piece of my mind.

Favorite quote? “This above all, to thine own self be true” (advice of Polonius, to hisson Laertes). “Yeah, well — my mama loves me.” (Hud)

Pet peeves? Stupid questions.

How do you take the edge off? (How do you relieve stress). Body surf

What’s your biggest accomplishment in life? Running for city council six times.

What’s your biggest disappointment in life? Losing.

Tell us one thing people would be surprised to know about you. I’m not from this planet.

Fetishes? Why?

Hobbies/interests. How do you spend your recreational time? Read science fiction, water sports, ski, play with my kid.

What’s the last live performance you saw? Die Fliedermaus. Too expensive.

Last book you read? “The Case for Israel” by Dershowitz

Have you ever been arrested? If yes, what for? Protesting the Vietnam War and marching for Civil Rights.

Family: Marital status. Number of children? Married twice — two sons; age 32 years and 22 months.

Endorsed by: Association of Flight Attendants.

Public service/political experience? Internet activist. Worked for city, county, state, and federal bureaucracies.

Political affiliation: Green Party.

Educational background: Socio-logy degree.

Question #1:

In 300 words or less, answer this: If you were elected into office, what would be the first policy change you would make? How would you ensure a majority vote on that policy?

I would resurrect the Public Electronic Network, because that is my platform. If I was elected that would give me a mandate that the council would have to respect.

Question #2:

In 300 words or less, convince the public on why they should vote for you.

I have no conflict of interest, no endorsements (other than my union), and no contributions so I come to the voters with no strings.

Question #3:

In 300 words or less, what will be your top three priorities the first year of holding office?

Implement electronic democracy to poll the citizens of Santa Monica; hold city official and public agencies accountable and audit the entire city budget online.

OPTIONAL:

Is there an afterlife? Hell no!

Do you believe in extraterrestrials? Heaven no! Haven’t you heard of the Fermi paradox or the Drake equations?

What’s the meaning of life? Whatever you make of it, and the second law of Thermodynamics.

Have you inhaled? Damn right.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 23, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/102304.pdf?ref=smdp.com)