Santa Monicans for Renters Rights (SMRR) has announced a Vote of Support for Planning Commissioner Sue Himmelrich in the upcoming Santa Monica City Council elections.
Himmerlrich joins councilman Kevin McKeown and Planning Commissioner Jennifer Kennedy on SMRR’S ticket.
“She’s smart, talented, hardworking and dedicated to affordable housing, rent control and to good planning decisions,” Patricia Hoffman, SMRR co-chair, told The Mirror.
“She cares about people and Jennifer and Kevin are stalwarts of SMRR,” Hoffmann explained. “They’ve been working hard to the benefit of SMRR.”
It’s well-known that SMRR-backed candidates often find success at the polling booths.
“Part of the reason is that we choose our people carefully,” Hoffman said. Adding that the board felt that all three candidates are dedicated to “making Santa Monica a better city.”
“Jennifer Kennedy and Sue Himmelrich have rock-solid slow-growth records on our Planning Commission,” said councilman Kevin McKeown.
Kennedy has served eight years on SMRR’S Rent Control Board while Himmelrich is with the Western Center on Law and Poverty.
“These two remarkable women are the real deal, two councilmembers we can trust, and I’m proud to be running with them,” McKeown said.
The three candidates received SMRR’S Vote of Support rather than official endorsement, as endorsements can only be made at the SMRR convention. This year, no candidate received enough votes at the convention to qualify them with endorsement.
SMRR’S Steering Committee saw seven members cast votes late Thursday afternoon: Patricia Hoffman, Bruria Finkel, Linda Sullivan, Michael Tarbet, Sonya Fox Sultan, Roger Thornton and Judy Abdo.
Four members recused themselves from the vote: Dennis Zane, Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein, Maria Loya and Genise Schnitman.
During the meeting SMRR also gave a Vote of Support to Andrew Walzer who is running for the Santa Monica College Board of Trustees.
