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# Opposition to city’s largest political party in total disarray?
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/opposition-to-citys-largest-political-party-in-total-disarray/
- Published: 2002-08-16T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T00:39:09.000Z
- Author: Bill Bauer
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import, Homelessness

People are concerned about things that directly affect them. The city’s annual surveys on community issues always indicate homelessness, overdevelopment, traffic, parking, lack of park space and other livability issues are at the top of the list of residents’ complaints.

Many Santa Monicans feel that Santa Monica for Renters Rights-backed elected officials ignore community problems and are more interested in solving the world’s social problems. So, you’d think SMRR opponents would be working hard to wrest control of city government from those who currently hold power. Think again.

SMRR co-chair, Denny Zane labels SMRR’s opponents as “those rich hotels, landlords, developers and business interests.” Denny conveniently forgets about the homeowners, renters and the rest of us who think that city government should represent “us” instead of every union organizer and transient looking for a free handout.

The problem in a nutshell is that SMRR’s opponents are like a gaggle of feuding factions unwilling and unable to unite to fight the common enemy.

There are the hotels opposed to the living wage. There are some groups who are concerned about too much development, and then there are the developers who say that it’s too hard to develop here. There are landlords out to protect their interests, and there are those upset about the seizing of property rights through landmarking and mandatory disabled access rulings. There are groups who want more parks and recreational facilities and lots of people who want better schools.

But, with no leadership and virtually no communication, these factions can get nothing done. All the disenfranchised who have been “left out” of the process for over two decades still couldn’t muster a single credible candidate for city council, school board and most other offices.

It’s unfortunate that Tom Larmore, Bob Holbrook, Herb Katz and other opposition leaders didn’t forge a coalition and develop a good slate of viable candidates for public office and a strong marketing plan to get them elected.

One reason why the SMRR opponents couldn’t come up with candidates was because few credible persons would run without assurance of financial backing and support from the deep pockets — which never came. One by one, top potential candidates decided not to run leaving no one to challenge the SMRR/Green/Big Labor juggernaut.

The big question is will the hospitality industry ride into town at the last minute with their beaucoup bucks and highly paid, out-of-town and out-of-touch public relations firm as they did in 2000? Maybe they will orchestrate the same kind of ignorant, uninformed and offensive issue-oriented campaign as they did in the last elections, proving to all of us that they’ve learned nothing from their overwhelming defeat at the polls two years ago.

But now that nine candidates have qualified for city council, a couple of names have risen to the surface, like cream. They could effectively challenge the SMRR/labor endorsees given the right backing and some breaks. Councilman Bob Holbrook, who entered the race at the last minute, is seeking reelection and will probably get universal support from SMRR opponents.

Outspoken activist Chuck Allord is feverishly gathering backing from widely divergent community groups opposed to SMRR. Physician Matteo Dinolfo also is now trying to drum up anti-SMRR support after he pursued and failed to get SMRR’s endorsement for city council.

It is unlikely there will be a Holbrook/Allord/Dinolfo slate. Unlike SMRR, whose strength is to agree and stand united, the opposition agrees to disagree, making a cohesive, united front impossible. It is unclear whether the hospitality and business community — a major source of non-SMRR money — will back candidates or funnel their resources into a repeal of the living wage and supporting VERITAS, a voter reform measure.

If the anti-SMRRs don’t get their act together, we will all be victims. If SMRR and the pro-unionists win big, the “mandate to govern” will lead to a lot more Green, extreme, big labor government and even less incentive to deal with community issues.

SMRR’s own enemies will have literally, once again, handed them the power to govern at our expense. (Bill Bauer has been a resident of Santa Monica for 25 years and is a free-lance writer.)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 16, 2002.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/081602.pdf?ref=smdp.com)