Image: Question 14: Santa Monica is currently park poor. From 1928 to 1941 we had a 100+ acre great park on what is now Santa Monica Airport property. When the airport closes in 2028, do you support gradually restoring our Great Park? Photo: Airport2Park/TwitterX
On September 8, six of the seven neighborhood associations held a City Council candidate’s forum. As part of the forum, Northeast Neighbors President Tricia Crane led a “lightning round” where candidates were asked to give yes or no answers with a two-sided paddle.
Santa Monica Next, as part of our “virtual candidate’s forum” series, did our best to record the answers for each of the questions; but ten days after the forum the neighborhood groups have yet to post video of the forum as they promised. The video we used to check our answers has some glare, so candidates were given a chance to preview the answers below before we posted. Ellis Raskin, Wade Kelley, Vivian Roknian, Phil Brock, Barry Snell and Dan Hall all got back to us by the time we were ready to publish.
Edit: Shortly after we published, the official video was released. It can be watched here.
A last note…some of the questions are confusing or have some strange word choices that could lead to people not understanding what was actually being asked. After each question, we provide some notes if the question requires any explanation or more context.
Each candidate was given a chance to respond to the questions at the end of the segment. On the official video, the responses begin at the 49:49 mark.
Question 1: The Santa Monica POA has presented data to show that traffic stops are a tool that police depend on to solve and prevent crimes, and there is no data to show our local police discriminate against people of color. However, the Public Safety Reform and Oversight Commission maintains that traffic stops are racially motivated. Do you support the use of traffic stops?
Note: This question presented incorrect information and asked a nonsense question. We considered not including it at all, but it seemed as though it would have been conspicuous by its absence.
The issue the city faces is whether or not there should be PRETEXTUAL TRAFFIC STOPS not “any traffic stops.” A pretextual stop is where an officer stops someone for a minor traffic violation, such as tinted windows or expired registration, with the intention of using the stop to investigate a hunch that the individual has committed a more serious crime.
The only change proposed by the commission is that officers have to write down why they committed a stop.
Also, there is statistical data that shows that even in Santa Monica black and latino drivers are stopped a disproportionate amount of the time. For more on the issue click here. More than one candidate commented that they weren’t sure how to vote given the poorly worded and researched nature of this question.
Edit 4:25: I’ve also gotten a pair of complaints that the way I wrote this note makes it sound as though anyone that said “yes” is in favor of the current law that allows pretextual stops. Most candidates answered the question “as asked,” so I personally wouldn’t draw conclusions just from this question.
Phil Brock: y
Oscar de la Torre : y
Dan Hall : n
Wade Kelly : y
Ericka Lesley : y
John Putnam : y
Ellis Raskin : y
Vivian Roknian : y
Barry Snell : n
Natalya Zernitskaya : y
Question 2: Do you think we should fund more police officers in Santa Monica?
Phil Brock – y
Oscar de la Torre – y
Dan Hall – y
Wade Kelly – (rotated answer back and forth)
Ericka Lesley – y
John Putnam – y
Ellis Raskin – y
Vivian Roknian – y
Barry Snell – y
Natalya Zernitskaya – y
Question 3: Besides MacArthur Park in Downtown Los Angeles, Santa Monica’s Reed Park is the only other park in LA County providing needle and pipe distribution in our park. Given the safety issues, do you think the city should fight to end the program in Reed Park?
Note: The wording of this question makes it sound as though the city is either operating the program or has the power to end the program. This program is administered by the county and after it has been operating for years several candidates who voted against fighting the program further clarified that they don’t believe the county will end it and would prefer to work with the county to improve the program and minimize its impact on the park and community.
Phil Brock: y
Oscar de la Torre : y
Dan Hall : n
Wade Kelly : n
Ericka Lesley : y
John Putnam : y
Ellis Raskin : n
Vivian Roknian : y
Barry Snell : n
Natalya Zernitskaya : n
Question 4 – Santa Monica has at-large elections, meaning this year all voters will vote for up to four candidates. If our city converted to district elections, we would vote for one district where we live. Do you support efforts to change our city to district elections?
Note: There has been ongoing litigation dating back nearly a decade to force the city to change to district elections. Councilmember de la Torre’s wife, Maria Loya, is the plaintiff in the case.
Phil Brock: y
Oscar de la Torre : y
Dan Hall : n
Wade Kelly : n
Ericka Lesley : n
John Putnam : y
Ellis Raskin : n
Vivian Roknian : y
Barry Snell : n
Natalya Zernitskaya : n
Question 5 – Santa Monica is a charter city, which means we are not a subdivision of the state and voters here can have an elected mayor and city attorney if we choose. Do you support an elected mayor rather than the current process where the Council chooses a mayor?
Phil Brock: y
Oscar de la Torre : y
Dan Hall : n
Wade Kelly : y
Ericka Lesley : y
John Putnam : y
Ellis Raskin : n
Vivian Roknian : n
Barry Snell : n
Natalya Zernitskaya : n
Question 6: Do you support an elected city attorney?
Phil Brock: no
Oscar de la Torre : no answer
Dan Hall : n
Wade Kelly : n
Ericka Lesley : n
John Putnam : y
Ellis Raskin : y
Vivian Roknian : y
Barry Snell : n
Natalya Zernitskaya : n
Question 7: Many are concerned that City Councilmembers are not provided with adequate information to prepare for long Council agendas with significant decisions made on matters of great consequence to the community. Do you support City Councilmembers being provided staff?
Phil Brock: y
Oscar de la Torre : y
Dan Hall : y
Wade Kelly : y
Ericka Lesley : y
John Putnam : y
Ellis Raskin : y
Vivian Roknian : n
Barry Snell : y
Natalya Zernitskaya : y
Question 8: The city’s financial situation, specifically the general fund, is unhealthy and continues to deteriorate. In July of this year, Standard and Poor’s Global Rating downgraded a subset of the city’s bonds over concerns around declining reserves from lawsuits and inadequacies of existing tax revenues to replenish those reserves. Is the funding of city services through parcel taxes on residents and businesses an acceptable public policy option?
Phil Brock: n
Oscar de la Torre : n
Dan Hall : y
Wade Kelly : y
Ericka Lesley : n
John Putnam : n
Ellis Raskin : y
Vivian Roknian : n
Barry Snell : y
Natalya Zernitskaya : y
Question 9: Do you support Rent Control in existing tenant protections?
Note: After rent control was such a hot issue in the last election, it made sense to ask a question about it this time even if it isn’t on the ballot this time. However, the question doesn’t really tell us anything about the candidates as supporters on both sides of the 2022 ballot measure claimed to be protecting rent control.
Phil Brock: y
Oscar de la Torre : y
Dan Hall : y
Wade Kelly : y
Ericka Lesley : y
John Putnam : y
Ellis Raskin : y
Vivian Roknian : y
Barry Snell : y
Natalya Zernitskaya : y
Question 10: Do you believe a residential vacancy tax will incentivize property owners to fill empty apartments?
Phil Brock: n
Oscar de la Torre : y
Dan Hall : y
Wade Kelly : y
Ericka Lesley : y
John Putnam : y
Ellis Raskin : y
Vivian Roknian : n
Barry Snell : y
Natalya Zernitskaya : y
Question 11: Would a commercial vacancy tax encourage property owners to lower rents?
Phil Brock: n
Oscar de la Torre : n/a
Dan Hall : y
Wade Kelly : y
Ericka Lesley : y
John Putnam : n
Ellis Raskin : y
Vivian Roknian : n
Barry Snell : y
Natalya Zernitskaya : y
Question 12: Should the city replace the parking spaces on the small lots at Euclid, 14th and 16th that are being designated as affordable housing?
Phil Brock: y
Oscar de la Torre : y
Dan Hall : y
Wade Kelly : y
Ericka Lesley : y
John Putnam : y
Ellis Raskin : n
Vivian Roknian : y
Barry Snell : n
Natalya Zernitskaya : n
Question 13: Should the Main Street business parking lots, the ones behind Main Street businesses, be used for affordable housing without being replaced?
Note: We’re assuming they are talking about the lots between Main and Neilson, but that wasn’t made 100% clear. Several candidates objected to this not being a yes/no question as housing may be a better use than parking lots; but that activating the area for another use such as open space might be even better. Raskin in particular was bullish about this.
Phil Brock: n
Oscar de la Torre : n
Dan Hall : n
Wade Kelly : y
Ericka Lesley : n
John Putnam : n
Ellis Raskin : n
Vivian Roknian : n
Barry Snell : y
Natalya Zernitskaya : y
Question 14: Santa Monica is currently park poor. From 1928 to 1941 we had a 100+ acre great park on what is now Santa Monica Airport property. When the airport closes in 2028, do you support gradually restoring our Great Park?
Phil Brock: y
Oscar de la Torre : y
Dan Hall : y
Wade Kelly : n
Ericka Lesley : y
John Putnam : y
Ellis Raskin : y
Vivian Roknian : y
Barry Snell : y
Natalya Zernitskaya : y
Question 15: Do you support allowing housing or other development on the airport land when the Santa Monica Airport closes?
Note: The organizations and politicians open for housing possibly being included on the airport land are people that want to see it used to help fund the construction and maintenance of Great Park. By only asking about this one potential funding mechanism, it lets the people who voted “no” off the hook in having to respond to what trade offs they are in favor of to fund the park.
Phil Brock: n
Oscar de la Torre : n
Dan Hall : n
Wade Kelly : y
Ericka Lesley : y
John Putnam : n
Ellis Raskin : n
Vivian Roknian : n
Barry Snell : n
Natalya Zernitskaya : n
Question 16: Senate Bill 10 allows cities to allow multi-family development in single family neighborhoods. Do you support the implementation of the optional SB 10 in Santa Monica?
What is Senate Bill 10? Click here for a legal analysis.
Phil Brock: n
Oscar de la Torre : n
Dan Hall : y
Wade Kelly : y
Ericka Lesley : y
John Putnam : n
Ellis Raskin : y
Vivian Roknian : n
Barry Snell : y
Natalya Zernitskaya : y
Question 17: Our libraries now have barriers, from limited hours, to only providing a self-service system, and many young people are unable to access the libraries because of their age. Will you commit to restoring access to our libraries to pre-COVID hours?
Note: What kind of monster would say “no” to this? The question should be “how do we pay for it?”
Phil Brock: y
Oscar de la Torre : y
Dan Hall : y
Wade Kelly : y
Ericka Lesley : y
John Putnam : y
Ellis Raskin : y
Vivian Roknian : y
Barry Snell : y
Natalya Zernitskaya : y
Question 18: Have you received donations or support of any kind from developers?
Phil Brock: n
Oscar de la Torre : n
Dan Hall : n
Wade Kelly : n
Ericka Lesley : n
John Putnam : n
Ellis Raskin : n
Vivian Roknian : n
Barry Snell : n
Natalya Zernitskaya : n
Question 19: Should city staff be given free parking when Samohi students must pay for parking?
Note: Again, this question needs more to it. Putnam commented that workers going in the field or into the community should definitely be able to do it without paying out of their personal funds. Others assumed that this meant free parking for commuters in the lot adjacent to city hall. Also, what the heck does the parking for Samohi students have to do with anything?
Phil Brock: n
Oscar de la Torre : n
Dan Hall : n
Wade Kelly : n/a
Ericka Lesley : y
John Putnam : n
Ellis Raskin : n/a
Vivian Roknian : n
Barry Snell : y
Natalya Zernitskaya : n
Question 20: There’s a proposal before city council to strengthen enforcement of sleeping in public parks. Do you support the proposal to prohibit sleeping in public spaces?
Note: The proposal does not prohibit sleeping in public spaces.
Phil Brock: y
Oscar de la Torre : y
Dan Hall : n
Wade Kelly : n
Ericka Lesley : n
John Putnam : y
Ellis Raskin : n
Vivian Roknian : y
Barry Snell : n
Natalya Zernitskaya : n
Question 21: Are you a member of your neighborhood association?
Phil Brock: y
Oscar de la Torre : y
Dan Hall : y
Wade Kelly : n
Ericka Lesley : n
John Putnam : y
Ellis Raskin : y
Vivian Roknian : y
Barry Snell : y
Natalya Zernitskaya : n
