July 11, 2025 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

The Mirror’s “Hometown Forum” To Feature 15 City Council Candidates Oct. 10:

Editor’s Note: The article has been updated as of 10:15 a.m. Friday, Aug. 24 to reflect the addition of Armen Melkonians. He had officially been ruled out as a qualifying candidate for the ballot, but he challenged the LA County Registrar office’s ruling that he did not have enough valid signatures and won.

The Santa Monica Mirror will host its “Hometown Forum,” a 90-minute question-and-answer debate with candidates for the Santa Monica City Council on Wednesday, October 10 at 6:30 p.m.

The Santa Monica City Council race on Nov. 6 will feature 15 candidates vying for four open seats. The City Clerk’s office finalized the ballot earlier this week.

The candidates are John Cyrus Smith, Jerry Rubin, Steve Duron, Frank Gruber, Gleam Olivia Davis, Shari Davis, Roberto Gomez, Ted Winterer, Robert Seldon, Terry O’Day, Tony Vazquez, Terence Later, Jonathan Mann, Richard McKinnon, and Armen Melkonians.

Melkonians submitted his petition on Aug. 15, but the LA County Registrar office deemed he did not have 100 valid registered Santa Monica voters. However, Melkonians challenged the decision and on late Thursday, Aug. 23, was confirmed as an official candidate.

The forum will feature all candidates at 7 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium, Santa Monica Main Library, located at 601 Santa Monica Boulevard.

Candidates will answer questions that the Santa Monica Mirror will solicit from the community at large and from neighborhood and local business associations.

Admission is free and residents are encouraged to attend.

A total of 20 people pulled papers for the City Council race.

The first three to drop out were Steven Senft, Jon Beau Lee, and Fred Lotterly. They did not submit their petitions before last Wednesday’s extended deadline.

An additional two candidates submitted petitions, but did not qualify: Michael Shaver and Linda Armstrong. Acting Santa Monica City Clerk Maria Stewart told The Mirror neither of these candidates were contesting the non-qualification decision.

To qualify, the LA County Registrar office had to verify each candidate’s petition had at least 100 registered Santa Monica voters sign each of their petitions. However, a registered voter can only sign four petitions and the registrar invalidated any signatures submitted after the first four.

There are four open seats: two held by incumbents Gleam Davis and Terry O’Day; the other two seats are currently held by Mayor Richard Bloom who is running for the 50th Assembly District and Bobby Shriver who chose not to seek City Council re-election.

Meanwhile, the race for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School School Board will officially have six candidates vying for the three open seats.

Three of those candidates are incumbents who live in Santa Monica: Board President Ben Allen, member Jose Escarce, and member Maria Leon-Vasquez.

The three challenging candidates are all Malibu residents: Karen Farrer, Seth Jacobson, and Craig Foster.

Santa Monica resident Greenich Chase filed his petition , but did not qualify for the ballot, as he did not have enough valid signatures.

Jake Wachtel, who pulled papers on July 20, did not return his petition.

The two seats up for grabs on the Santa Monica Rent Control Board will be fought out between three candidates at the Nov. 6 general election.

Two are incumbents: Robert Kronovet and Ilse Rosenstein. The third candidate is attorney Christopher Walton.

There will be an absence of candidates for the Santa Monica College Board of Trustees on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Three seats are open, but only three candidates pulled papers to be part of the race.

Since no one filed to run against them, the three incumbent SMC trustees seeking re-election – Susan Aminoff, Robert Rader, and Margaret Quinones-Perez – are automatically elected unopposed.

in News
<>Related Posts

L.A. Louver Marks David Hockney’s 88th with Exhibit

July 11, 2025

July 11, 2025

Hockney, a British artist born in 1937, gained fame with the British Pop Art movement and later became known for...

Suspect Arrested in Shoe Retail Theft Spree Across LA County

July 11, 2025

July 11, 2025

During the search, police recovered two firearms and a significant quantity of merchandise The Los Angeles Police Department’s Organized Retail...

Suspect Arrested in Santa Monica Pier Arson Incidents

July 10, 2025

July 10, 2025

The suspect, matching video footage from an arcade, was taken into custody Santa Monica Police Department officers arrested a suspect...

SMPD Launch New Recruitment Website Amid High Vacancy Rates

July 10, 2025

July 10, 2025

The site features multimedia content, including day-in-the-life videos and officer profiles, highlighting the impact of serving the community The Santa...

Father-Daughter Authors to Host Book Signing to Aid Fire-Affected Women

July 10, 2025

July 10, 2025

Ten percent of proceeds from book and art sales will benefit the Pacific Palisades Rebuilding Fund, a nonprofit initiative created...

Metro Reports Crime Drop, Higher Rider Satisfaction, and Progress on Major Projects

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The Authority said the drop in violent incidents—down to the lowest level since May 2019—coincided with more uniformed personnel and...

Santa Monica Joins Regional Lawsuit to Halt Unconstitutional ICE Raids

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The motion to intervene seeks to ensure that Santa Monica and other plaintiff-intervenors can advocate for their residents’ rights in...

Promenade Restaurant Introduces Lunch Menu Set at $18 Per Person

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The fixed $18 price point targets commuters and those seeking a power lunch or a change of scenery The restaurant...

Santa Monica Council Votes in Support of Park-Centric Future at Airport Site

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The decision followed a contentious meeting with over 140 public speakers and more than 1,000 emails received by the council...

Housing for Health Chief Appointed to Lead Unified Homeless Services Department

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

Veteran Housing Advocate to Oversee Streamlined LA County Services The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday confirmed the...

‘Adoptapalooza’ Pet Adoption Festival Returns to Main Street This Weekend

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The free, family-friendly event aims to connect adoptable animals with new owners Green Dog Dental & Veterinary Center will host...

Virtual Town Hall to Discuss Proposed Resilient Rebuilding Authority

July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025

The agency, to be run by political appointees, would manage permitting, development, zoning, and funding, modeled after post-disaster recoveries Los...

New Agenda Coaching: Changing Lives in LA

July 8, 2025

July 8, 2025

Students Work Toward Applied Success with Executive Function Coaching Services The demands of daily routines and studies sometimes bear weight...

Saint Monica Prep Students Win Award for Anti-Street Racing PSA Video

July 8, 2025

July 8, 2025

The winning public service announcement, titled “Not Worth It,” was highlighted in a post on X by @LADOTofficial  Students from...

Anti-Drunk Driving Resolution Introduced as City Council Honors Late Palisades Teen Killed in Crash

July 8, 2025

July 8, 2025

Levi, who was set to attend the University of Virginia this fall, was killed by a drunk driver on May...