Four years ago, the so-called “Change Slate” of Phil Brock, Oscar De La Torre, and Christine Parra was narrowly elected to the Santa Monica City Council. Many at the time attributed their victory over incumbent council members to the public’s stunned reaction to the events of May 31 of that year, when law enforcement concentrated its attention on peaceful protesters over the killing of George Floyd, and others, downtown and on Ocean Avenue. This focus left the rest of the city unguarded from a wave of violent looting that itself was a result of criminals taking advantage of societal shutdowns from COVID-19.

In the years of recovery from the pandemic, Brock, De La Torre, and Parra – joined often by Councilmember Lana Negrete – who gave them the council majority – have not only done little to benefit the city’s comeback but have actually done harm. Parra is not seeking re-election, but Brock and De La Torre must be defeated. Westside Voice is endorsing four exciting candidates to replace them, Parra (not seeking reelection), and retiring City Councilmember Gleam Davis. They are Pier Board Chair Dan Hall, former Planning Commissioner Ellis Raskin, SMC College Board Member Barry Snell, and former President of the League of Women Voters of Santa Monica, Natalya Zernitskaya. The four have also received the endorsement of the L.A. County Democratic Party, the Santa Monica Democratic Club, Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights (SMRR), and most labor and environmental organizations.

A couple of years ago and again this year, it was discovered that someone on the city council leaked confidential information from a closed city council session. (Closed sessions are meetings of the city council and city staff that are not open to the public, where the council discusses litigation against the city and other sensitive matters. But they must report to the public when they reconvene about any significant action or decision). These violations of confidentiality are against the Brown Act, a California law that enforces open government and the transparency of public agencies. However, rather than investigate the issue, the council majority of Brock, De La Torre, Negrete, and Parra have voted twice not to look into the matter and sweep it under the rug. This is not the behavior of innocent people, and certainly not the practice of strong ethics or good government by Brock and De La Torre.

In addition, the current Sixth Housing Cycle the State of California is operating from 2021-2029 called for an unprecedented housing needs assessment. The state realized it had asked too little of cities in previous cycles, which is contributing to our housing affordability crisis. It went from requiring the creation of an average of 209 housing units per year from 2013-2021 in Santa Monica to 1,100 in this cycle. Other cities saw similar increases proportional to their population size.

Nevertheless, instead of rolling up their sleeves and complying with state law, the council majority – which prides itself on a slow-to-no-growth agenda despite the dual housing and homelessness crisis – resisted and fought the requirements. Throughout 2021 and into 2022, they were warned by staff and council colleagues on multiple occasions that submitting a noncompliant Housing Element to the state would result in serious financial penalties and a loss of local control. And just like that, the state rejected one Housing Element submission after another, subjecting Santa Monica to what’s called the “Builder’s Remedy.” The Builder’s Remedy is a state law allowing developers to, as our friends at Cal Matters put it best, “basically build whatever they want in cities that don’t have state-compliant housing plans provided they set aside some units for low or middle-income households.”

Guess what? Developers submitted a flurry of proposals for apartment and mixed-use buildings far outside the acceptable scale for the vast majority of Santa Monicans. The city was able to negotiate and settle on shrinking the size and scope of some buildings, but there are far too many in the pipeline right now that are double-digits in the number of stories. Anyone who tries to shade Brock, De La Torre, and their council majority allies from responsibility is just gaslighting themselves.

Finally, on our sorry incumbents, Brock and De La Torre will never stop reminding you they were born and raised in Santa Monica. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that! But in the way they do it, they speak and suggest a nativism that is unwelcome of “the other,” and doesn’t seem to be satisfied with any Santa Monica not representative of the 1950s or 1980s. We prefer candidates who want to preserve the best of Santa Monica while remaining progressive, welcoming, and forward-looking. And that’s Hall, Raskin, Snell, and Zernitskaya and it’s not even close.

Dan Hall was one of the first openly gay Army helicopter pilots after beginning his service under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” He’s a decorated veteran who now chairs the Pier Board, where he was part of the team that launched the Direct Action Response Team (DART) to improve safety at the Pier. He’s also the best messenger of the group, and he can speak solidly and charismatically to meeting public safety needs, housing affordability, and inclusion in Santa Monica. And representation matters!

Ellis Raskin is an environmental attorney who serves the public’s interests and has personally helped renters stave off eviction. He served four years on the Planning Commission including serving as Chair. There, he was consistent in his stance that the city needed to follow land use laws, and was and remains interested in policies that prevent neighborhood gentrification. He believes in proven solutions to the homelessness crisis, not deriding the homeless, and is committed to economic revitalization.

Barry Snell is a certified public accountant who has been in Santa Monica for more than 20 years and began serving his community almost immediately. He served on the Santa Monica-Malibu School Board, as President of the African American Parent Student Staff Support Group, and as a Santa Monica College Board Trustee since 2014. As a small business owner, Board Member, and past Chair of Downtown Santa Monica, Inc., he’s committed to revitalizing downtown and improving public safety. He’s got a proven record that counts. And representation matters!

Natalya Zernitskaya is a financial analyst and Pico Neighborhood renter who has served the community for 12 years, including as President of the League of Women Voters of Santa Monica. Her immigrant story as someone who escaped persecution in Belarus for her Jewish faith has shaped her belief in government and safety nets to give residents a chance and opportunity. If elected, she says she’s committed to helping seniors age in place and helping young families find living wage jobs. She has the support of the education and LGBTQ+ community. And representation matters!

And all four strongly support renter’s rights.

We hope you will join us in supporting these four excellent candidates to lead Santa Monica back to good governance and to solve problems not with bluster, but with proven solutions.