Holbrook on the run for fifth Council term
SANTA MONICA BLVD. — Fully expecting fierce competition from the city’s ruling political party, Mayor Bob Holbrook officially announced on Thursday his intention to run for reelection.
Surrounded by family, friends and City Council colleagues Bobby Shriver, his campaign co-chair, and Herb Katz, Holbrook said he wants to serve another four-year term because he feels that city government is finally moving in the right direction after decades of stagnation at the hands of Santa Monicans for Renters Rights, which has held a majority on the council for most of the last 26 years.
The SMRR-controlled council and citizen advisory boards have often been criticized for micro-managing and failing to adequately address the more pressing issues raised by citizens.
“I think it is important this fall to elect a council that will place the concerns of residents as their first priority and that’s what this is all about,” said Holbrook, 64, during a meet-and-greet at the Best Western Hotel. “I will continue to focus on the problems of homelessness, traffic and parking — the big three.”
Santa Monicans for Renters Rights was formed in 1979 out of a coalition of organizations that banded together to sponsor the local rent control law. The powerful, left-leaning group has spearheaded a variety of progressive local measures through the years, including campaigning for worker’s rights, unionization and slow growth.
Frequently, SMRR’s agenda and politics have clashed with the more conservative contingent, as well as business interests like luxury hotels and the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce.
Opponents of SMRR have long worked to break the organization’s stronghold on local politics, saying the progressive group doesn’t respond to resident and business complaints about homelessness, traffic and City Hall bureaucracy, among other issues.
Representatives from SMRR couldn’t be reached for comment.
“The SMRR people have taken the council on a road leading to the extreme and has left no room for compromise,” Holbrook said.
The filing date to run for the City Council, which in November will have three open seats, is from July 17 to Aug. 14., according to the city clerk’s office. Councilmembers Pam O’Connor, Kevin McKeown and Holbrook are all up for reelection.
In order to qualify, a candidate must obtain at least 100 valid signatures from registered voters. There is no filing fee. The election will be held Nov. 7. The last day to register to vote for that election is Oct. 23.
Holbrook, a pharmacist, has served on the City Council since 1990. He said he is proud of his tenure and points to the creation of Virginia Avenue Park, the new Main Library and the hiring of new City Manager Lamont Ewell as some of the recent accomplishments he has helped usher through.
If elected to his fifth term in office, Holbrook said he will look to make City Hall more responsive to residents and in doing so, look to create a sense of goodwill amongst residents.
“Often, we are so quick to regulate, regulate, regulate, then inspect, inspect, inspect, and enforce, enforce, enforce,” Holbrook said. “My philosophy is to regulate only as a last resort.”
Shriver said his main focus as co-chair of Holbrook’s campaign will be to raise as much money to combat SMRR’s large support base. Hundreds of people will donate time and money to their candidates.
SMRR typically spends close to $100,000 for its slate of candidates. Most of that money will be spent on direct mailers, which cost about $17,000 each to print and deliver to an estimated 35,000 households.
Shriver, who said he was elected on a wave of residents’ frustration with the City Council, called on the roughly 30 Holbrook supporters present Thursday night to get 20 to 30 of their friends to donate money, and then have them enlist 20 to 30 more. Holbrook asked Shriver if he could borrow the councilman’s famous supporters for his campaign, including actress Jamie Lee Curtis, Oprah Winfrey and rock star Bono of U2, who has worked with Shriver on drawing attention to the AIDS epidemic in Africa.
“He doesn’t care about Bono,” Shriver said smiling. “He’d rather just have Jamie Lee.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 18, 2006. Read the original PDF.