The three incumbent members of the City Council – Kevin McKeown, Pam O’Connor and Bob Holbrook – won reelection in the November 7 balloting for three council seats. With all 72 precincts reporting, McKeown recorded 12,033 votes (19.35 percent), O’Connor had 11,374 votes (18.29 percent) and Holbrook had 11,142 votes (17.91 percent).
Terry O’Day and Gleam Davis each made strong showings to finish fourth and fifth in the voting, respectively – O’Day with 9,927 votes (15.96 percent) and Davis with 8,162 votes (13.12 percent).
This year’s City Council campaign was marked by cable television advertising spots targeting councilmember McKeown, urging Santa Monicans to vote for anyone else. The ads, sponsored by the Beverly Hills-based Edward Thomas Management Company, owner/operator of Shutters on the Beach hotel and Hotel Casa Del Mar in Santa Monica, seem not to have been effective inasmuch as McKeown was the leading vote-getter. “This election means that Santa Monica voters are smarter and more committed to their community even than we thought,” said McKeown. He called the campaign a “wake-up call” as to how an election might be bought, and committed himself to campaign finance reform, stating that the defeat of Measure W was a good starting point.
Mayor Bob Holbrook said that he was “happy that the people returned me to serve another four years.” He observed that a review of the school board, college board and rent control board races show that he and councilmembers Katz and Shriver are “the only three elected officials in Santa Monica not endorsed by SMRR,” referring to the organization Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights.
Pam O’Connor, who, like McKeown and candidate Gleam Davis, was endorsed by SMRR, said that she appreciated the confidence that the voters expressed in her. “It’s an exciting time to serve, particularly with the transportation infrastructure bonds having passed statewide. The California Transportation Commission may be meeting as early as tomorrow” to begin the work made possible by Propositions 1A and 1B, she said. The extension of the Expo rail line to Santa Monica is a priority for her; construction has begun on the first phase of the line from downtown Los Angeles to Culver City.
The other candidates in the City Council race, after O’Day and Davis, finished as follows: Jenna Linnekens, 2,578 votes (4.15%); Terence Later, 2,217 votes (3.56%); Mark McLellan, 1,861 votes (2.99%); Linda Armstrong, 1,532 votes (2.46%); and Jonathan Mann, 1,369 votes (2.2%).
