> ## 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. # Snack attack: What SM’s council craves - URL: https://www.smdp.com/snack-attack-what-sms-council-craves/ - Published: 2006-02-15T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T17:16:13.000Z - Author: Ryan Hyatt - Tags: Government & Politics, Santa Monica, #archive-import *Cost of snacks: $30 to $35 each meeting* CITY HALL — Everyone gets the munchies, and Santa Monica’s elected leaders are no exception. And whether it’s to pass the time or to boost their energy during their marathon meetings, City Councilmembers are routinely seen behind the dais in their chambers at City Hall munching away while the public looks on, mouths watering, stomachs growling. The City Council is known for its long, drawn-out meetings, during which elected leaders spend hours listening to issues that concern the public. This extraordinary effort to hear and be heard for hours requires significant energy. City Hall ensures the council is up to the task, providing its members with a variety of snacks. City Clerk Maria Stewart’s staff sets up the council chambers and is responsible for stocking the Tuesday council meetings. The snacks include: Coke, Diet Coke, Dr. Pepper, water, cookies (Fig Newtons, Famous Amos, chocolate chip), health bars, jelly beans, gum drops, bite-size chocolates, cashews, peanut butter, cheese and crackers, hard candy, and chips (Cheetos, Fritos). For City Councilman Kevin McKeown, who has trimmed down in recent months, his favorite is candy. “Even since last summer, as I’ve been losing weight, I’ve found it helps my listening during long meetings to keep my blood sugar up with spice drops,” he said. The cost to taxpayers is $30 to $35 per council meeting. Stewart’s staff does the shopping, but it rarely takes requests, she said. “Staff tries to keep a variety on hand, and every once in a while tries a different item,” Stewart said. “Those items that we notice are used up consistently, we keep buying.” So what does the council keep eating that staff keeps buying? Cashews are popular. They’re the favorite of Mayor Bob Holbrook, Councilwoman Pam O’Connor and Councilman Herb Katz. “I’m ashamed to say it’s the cashews,” Mayor Holbrook said. “The only time I ever eat nuts is at the council meetings. I think Pam and I are the biggest cashew eaters.” O’Connor said the need to restrain her cashew cravings is similar to other forms of restraint she’s had to practice before the council. “I love the cashews, but you need to have discipline eating them, just like you need to have discipline when you’re talking,” she said. Katz said he prefers the cashews because they’re the most nutritional of the snacks. “I also like the cheese and crackers, and anything sweet, except Fig Newtons,” Katz said. “I can’t stand Fig Newtons. “If I had a choice, I’d prefer ice cream, but it’s a good thing I don’t, because I’d eat a lot of it.” While cashews have earned high marks for rousing taste buds, Councilman Ken Genser said there’s a snack he prefers that he suspects others enjoy as much as he does. “Gum drops,” Genser said. “They’ve been there ever since I’ve requested them, and a number of other councilmembers like them, too, because they’re gone after almost every meeting. “And I know I don’t eat all of them.” Meanwhile, Councilman Bobby Shriver said he practices abstinence when it comes to the munchies. “Alas, I do not eat the snacks, so I do not have a favorite,” Shriver said. “But I have talked certain members out of certain snacks.” Councilman Richard Bloom, a self-described chocoholic (he bakes), said he requested fresh fruit when he was elected in 1999. “That lasted about a month,” he said. But now that there are more enticing goodies within feet, Bloom finds himself drawn to the Dove chocolates. “Dove chocolates have witty little proverbs on the inside of the wrappers that are just another excuse to open one,” he joked. “As council meetings wear on, you can’t imagine the pressure. People come to us. They want things. When other people want things, its only natural: Richard Bloom begins to want things. Things like chocolate. OK. Only chocolate. And, the more things people want, the more chocolate I want. That’s not wrong, is it? By about 10 p.m., my resistance dwindles and I find myself giving in. ‘Just one,’ I tell myself. But, it’s never just one.” Stewart said the tradition of providing snacks to the council during meetings has been going on for at least the past 15 years. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/021506-02_02.jpg) Sugar rush: Elected leaders keep within arm’s reach an assortment of snacks to keep them going through marathon City Council meetings. (Photo: Carolyn Sackariason/Daily Press) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 15, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/021506.pdf?ref=smdp.com)