The Candidates Address the Issues: II

Santa Monica City Council

Kathleen Herd Masser
Mirror contributing writer
  
   Part I: The Vision Thing
  
   This is the first in a five-part series that will profile candidates for the Santa Monica City Council. There are 14 candidates for four open seats. This week, the candidates introduce themselves and answer the question: "What is your long-term vision of Santa Monica and what steps would you take to make it manifest?"
  
   Leticia Maria Anderson, 40
   Occupation: Health nurse/activist
   Place of residence: 5 blocks east of Promenade
   Length of residence: New to Santa Monica
   Previous offices: Hemet City Council; Director to Special District of Parks and Recreation Hemet/San Jacinto; President, San Gorgonio Girl Scouts Foundation; Founder & President, Hemet/San Jacinto Boxing Club; Founder & President, non-profit, free speech center, Redlands; Founder & President, Southeast Park Development Committee; most recently, Regional Representative to the State of California Green Party for Orange, Riverside & San Bernardino counties; co-founder, Women's Resource Center, Riverside.
   Vision statement: (1) Increase in public participation through better communication access of elected officials. (2) One of accountability of elected officials through a self-imposed rating system. I feel this will preserve the integrity of the values of the Santa Monica beach community.

   Bill Bauer, 62
   Occupation: Advertising copywriter
   Place of residence: Wilshire/Montana,
   Length of residence: 33 years
   Previous offices: None
   Vision statement: My vision is for a City government which serves the needs of the people of Santa Monica, a City that is safe, attractive, with good schools and adequate resources for all of our citizens and a City Hall in touch and accountable to the people.

   Richard Bloom, 51
   Occupation: Family law attorney & mediator
   Place of residence: Sunset Park
   Length of residence: 23 years
   Previous offices: Mayor (current), Mayor pro tem, Council member (incumbent)
   Vision statement: I believe in a safe, livable and diverse Santa Monica. It is a city with beautiful parks and a clean environment, excellent educational institutions, easy access to shopping and services and multiple opportunities for entertainment and leisure. Santa Monica is a community that prides itself on public participation and open government. These elements are essential to any successful vision. As the Mayor of Santa Monica, I have succeeded in leading vibrant, goal-oriented discussions that fairly consider multiple points of view. My ability to facilitate community dialogue, without rancor, is my greatest strength.

   Matt Dinolfo, 56
   Occupation: Physician/university teacher
   Place of residence: North of Montana
   Length of residence: 25 years
   Previous offices: None
   Vision statement: I am committed to prioritizing the city’s spending to better reflect the concerns of its citizens. Public safety issues, particularly the urgent problem of homelessness, need strong leadership and more emphasis on regional solutions. Public education needs continued city support, particularly since the state has failed to adequately provide for our children. As a physician leader I chair the UCLA Community Practice Network, which delivers health care to thousands of Santa Monica residents. As a council member I will work to expand access to quality health care, affordable drug pricing and affordable health insurance.

   Michael Feinstein, 45
   Occupation:
   Place of residence: Ocean Park
   Length of residence: 20 years
   Previous offices: Santa Monica City Council (incumbent), Mayor
   Vision statement: A community of opportunity and quality of life for all – families, youth and seniors, renters and homeowners, workers and small businesses. A community of awesome natural beauty and a healthy environment, with livable, tree-lined residential neighborhoods where people of all incomes can live and be secure in their tenancies/homes. A community of vibrant, walkable commercial districts that mix community-serving small businesses together with regional/national/international destinations. A community with an increasing number of parks and public open spaces, with adequate childcare and quality education available to all.

   Ken Genser, 53
   Occupation: Planner
   Place of residence: Northside
   Length of residence: 32 years
   Previous offices: Santa Monica City Council (incumbent), Santa Monica Planning Commission, Santa Monica Pier Restoration Corp. Board of Directors
   Vision statement: I visualize Santa Monica with an economically diverse population, living in a safe city, with more parkland and a well-funded school system. This will require continuation of our careful financial management, and as the economy grows, purchasing more land for open space and affordable housing.
  
   Patricia Hoffman, 55
   Occupation: Retired businesswoman, education advocate, community activist
   Place of residence: Northeast
   Length of residence: 32 years
   Previous offices: Santa Monica/Malibu Unified School District Board (two terms); Commission on Status of Women; Charter Review Commission; Santa Monica Working Group on Youth; Bayside District Board of Directors
   Vision statement: Santa Monica continues to be a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family. My vision is that we remain a little city with a big heart. I see Santa Monica as a hub of economic and social diversity. I see a clean and safe city with sustainable development, good schools, good transportation, and a variety of cultural and recreational opportunities. I also see a City that takes pride in people working together as homeowners, tenants, businesses, and workers. A key to maintaining our amenities is that the City not allow hundreds of thousands of square feet of development. Development should be sustainable. The City should also continue to acquire land for open space and public use. The voices of the residents need to be heard.

   Herb Katz, 73
   Occupation: Architect
   Place of residence: Sunset Park
   Length of residence: 41 years
   Previous offices: City Council (incumbent), Planning Commissioner, Architectural Review Board member, Pier Restoration Corp., Bayside District Board, Mayor Pro-Tempore of Santa Monica.
   Vision statement: My long-term vision for Santa Monica is a city in which residents will be safe, wherever and whenever they are; a city with a clean, green environment and a pristine beach and ocean; a city where every resident benefits from a strong, diversified and balanced local economy with housing opportunities for residents in all economic circumstances; and a city which treats its residents with enormous respect. The first and most important step in making this vision a reality is taking a reasonable, cooperative approach to create, plan and implement city policy, rather than the capricious, ideologically-driven, micro-management approach to City policy the current City Council majority favors.

   Maria Loya, 33
   Occupation: Director of Public Policy
   Place of residence: Pico Neighborhood
   Length of residence: 5 years
   Previous offices: PNA treasurer
   Vision statement: My vision for Santa Monica is to have a city that is progressive in its policies towards the environment, working families and that protects rent control and advocates for increased affordable housing. My vision also includes a Santa Monica that is respectful of its residents and that involves them on issues the affect our city. We need a City Government that is accessible and accountable to its residents. As a City Council member I will work to expand mechanisms for community involvement in the City to create a collective vision for Santa Monica and together work to ensure that the needs of all Santa Monicans are effectively addressed. In addition, I will work to improve customer service in City Hall by advocating for a more responsive and accountable City process for homeowners and renters alike.

   Jonathan Mann, 59
   Occupation: Flight attendant
   Place of residence: Sunset Park
   Length of residence: 25 years
   Previous offices: None
   Vision statement: The primary reason I am running for City Council is to present an alternate model for participatory democracy that is truly populist, creative and can enable an electronic electorate to restore government to the people and out of the control of special interests I was very involved in the Public Electronic Network, and founded the PEN Users Group, in 1989. I have since become very disappointed and chagrined that fellow Greens and members of this city council have deliberately allowed a powerful tool for grass roots democracy die of benign neglect in order to protect their power base.

   Kathryn J. Morea, 40
   Occupation: Database analyst
   Place of residence: Pico Neighborhood
   Length of residence: 8 years
   Previous offices: None
  
   Vision statement: My vision for this city includes the variety and services we expect in a cosmopolitan city, yet we enjoy a small town, down home ambiance in Santa Monica. We are blessed with perfect weather and the spectacular Pacific Ocean as well as a myriad of shops and restaurants to choose from. The blight and street drunks will be replaced by streets that welcome families, kids walking, people bicycling, enjoying our life and feeling safe on our streets. What I will do to make this happen . . . includes reducing the number of vagrants, finding alternative solutions to traffic and parking problems, encouraging home ownership and neighborhood pride, and supporting our schools.

   Bobby Shriver, 50
   Occupation: Organizer/manager of nonprofits
   Place of residence: Northside
   Length of residence: 17 years
   Previous offices: Currently California State Parks and Recreation Commission chair
   Vision statement: I will work to create a city government that respects and challenges its residents – rather than regulating, fining, disregarding or ignoring them. Throughout my life, I have founded, financed and managed nonprofit organizations that have bettered people’s lives. As a Council member, I will dedicate the same combination of determination, financial skills, and resources to Santa Monica’s problems.

   Tom Viscount, 46
   Occupation: Director for Santa Monica Red Cross
   Place of residence: Ocean park
   Length of residence: 14 years
   Previous offices: None
   Vision statement: I believe it is important for us to preserve the heritage and uniqueness of Santa Monica while also making sure we are committed to growth that is sustainable and fair to those who live here. Public safety, vagrancy, the schools and economic development are all issues that must be addressed in an open forum. My ten years of working in the community with Santa Monica Red Cross has given me the skills and experience necessary to be a strong, unifying leader on the council and in the community.