Democrats back latest SMC bond
LOS ANGELES A campaign that wants to institute a commercial development ceiling in Santa Monica got a major boost on Tuesday when a sponsored ballot measure and one of its biggest proponents received endorsements from a major political player.
The Los Angeles County Democratic Party voted to support Proposition T — also known as the Residents’ Initiative to Fight Traffic — and City Council candidate Ted Winterer, one of the authors of the contentious proposal that will be presented to residents in the November election.
If approved, the measure, which is sponsored by the Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City, would put into place a 75,000-square-foot cap on new commercial growth for the next 15 years.
“This is a very powerful endorsement of Proposition T and one of its authors by the Democratic Party,” Diana Gordon, who chairs the coalition, said.
Winterer, who serves on the Recreation and Parks Commission and is the president of the Ocean Park Association, was endorsed along with council incumbents Richard Bloom, Bobby Shriver and Ken Genser for the four open seats. Mayor Herb Katz was the lone incumbent who did not secure an endorsement.
“It’s incredibly significant to me and a great kick off to my campaign,” Winterer said.
The incumbents all attended the Democratic Party meeting instead of a regularly scheduled council meeting that night, leaving the dais without the four members necessary for a quorum. The meeting was canceled and rescheduled for next Tuesday.
All four candidates who received the nod from the party were recommended for endorsements by the 41st Assembly District Delegation, which interviewed all candidates and later forwarded their suggestions to the Central Committee, making the decisions final on Tuesday.
The party consists of 26 Assembly district delegations, whose members are elected during every other primary elections. The delegation interviewed candidates on Sept. 7 and the committee acted on the recommendations — as well as those from seven others — during its meeting at the United Teachers Los Angeles Auditorium in Koreatown.
The endorsement came a week after Winterer failed to earn one from the Santa Monica Democratic Club despite receiving the recommendation by its steering committee.
The committee also suggested supporting Shriver, Genser and Bloom, the latter two of which ultimately received endorsements.
Katz, a life-long Democrat, did not attend the Democratic Club meeting last week.
First elected to the council in 2000, Katz has been a Democrat since he registered in 1952, voting for Adlai Stevenson in his presidential bid against Dwight Eisenhower.
Katz said he has heard different reasons as to why he wasn’t chosen, including one that the party did not want to endorse four incumbents.
“I was perturbed because I thought I should’ve been,” he said.
The endorsement of Proposition T should lend strong support to the cause, Gordon said, pointing out that the recommendations for the ballot measures were made by a committee that specializes in analyzing initiatives.
“They believe it’s well written and deserving of full community support,” she said.
The party also voted to back the Utility User’s Tax, which seeks to modernize the tax on telecommunications, and a $295 million Santa Monica College bond measure, which will pay for capital projects.
School Board candidates Ben Allen, Chris Bley and incumbent Maria Leon-Vazquez also received support.
Ralph Mechur, who is vying to fulfill the remaining two years on former board member Emily Bloomfield’s term, was also endorsed.
Incumbent Jose Escarce was not able to make the meeting because of scheduling conflicts.
The three college Board of Trustees candidates — Margaret Q. Quiñónez-Pérez, Susan Aminoff and Rob Rader — also joined the list of endorsees.
The endorsement is one of the first from a major party that Bley has earned, having previously been snubbed by Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights and the Santa Monica Democratic Club.
“I think it’s good that people are seeing I have support and show there is an independent voice out there that is backed up,” Bley said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 11, 2008. Read the original PDF.