How could we sit back when we saw Bandit the Dog and a performing cat mentioned , but former mayor Dennis Zane nowhere to be found?

Instead of having 15 staff members call around town and look through a year’s worth of editions, -- we’ve got little more than a week’s worth by now – a couple of our reporters sat down at the computer, drank a few beers and kicked around some names. In no particular order, here is "The Other List". We reserve the right to add names later that we forgot.

Dennis Zane – Ever since he helped forge a coalition of young radicals and feisty seniors who made rent control the city law, Dennis Zane has been one of the Santa Monica’s most powerful forces. The former mayor is still the undisputed leader of Santa Monicans for Renters Rights, and his vision is still stamped on the aging organization. It was Zane who realized that SMRR’s ambitious social agenda needed funding and that the money could be had from developers. His impact is still felt every time you walk along the bustling Third Street Promenade.

Nancy Greenstein – If Zane is SMRR’s elder statesman, co-chair Greenstein is the powerful group’s First Lady. Along with Zane, it is Greenstein who drives the organization’s agenda, which has included placing women in top city positions. For better or worse, every time you see the "Fun Zone" glowing on the pier, you can thank this tireless activist. (By the way, both Zane and Greenstein are champions of tenants rights, but no longer tenants in their own right. After living in rent controlled apartments for two decades, Zane has bought a house, and Greenstein a condominium, both in Santa Monica.)

Judy Abdo – The city’s first openly gay mayor, Abdo made a lasting mark as a champion of women’s causes and social services. During her eight years on the council, she built bridges to the business community, including developers viewed as enemies by many of her allies. Still a force within SMRR, Abdo currently sits on Southern California’s powerful Metropolitan Water District board, which oversees the distribution of water for 16 million people.

Irene Zivi – A long-time community activist, Zivi has incessantly fought to increase participation in local government. In her 1984 bid for the city council, she said she was irritated by a majority that "says they are democratic, but they stack the boards and commissions with people who agree with them, and they’ve effectively shut out many segments of our community." A proponent of election districts and child care for the city’s working class, Zivi is still out there fighting for the same cause.

Robert Holbrook – Since 1980, the former mayor has helped shape city policy, first as a member of the school board, then the city council, where Holbrook is starting his third term. A collector of antique watches who occasionally drives a model-T, Holbrook has long brought a homespun common sense to a council often steeped in ideology. For nearly a decade, he has been a moderate force and a spokesman for a disenfranchised minority – Santa Monica’s homeowners.

Steven Brackett – Ever since the powerful head of the city’s police union threatened to pull the cops from the streets two decades ago, Santa Monica’s force has become one of the highest paid in the nation. And no wonder. Brackett helps elect the council members who approve the salaries. The union may have 200 members, but when it comes to calling the shots, Brackett is top gun.

Bill Spurgin – He’s behind the scenes much of the time, but Spurgin is the guy pulling many of the strings when it comes to the Santa Monica Pier. Making the pier profitable is Spurgin’s main mission; sparing the pier’s longtime, family-owned businesses is not. His Dad was the mayor who wore red socks. Don’t count on Spurgin, a dapper suit-and-tie dresser, to follow in his father’s political footsteps – or to copy his footwear, for that matter.

Herb Katz – Most architects like to work with boards, Katz likes to sit on them. He sat on the city council. He sat on the Pier Restoration Corporation. And now he’s on the Bayside District. Any others?

Jean Sedillos – If you think there are fewer homeless people soliciting your money in Santa Monica nowadays – in fact, if you think there are fewer homeless people overall -- Jean Sedillos probably has a lot to do with it. A longtime homeowner activist, Sedillos spearheaded a popular initiative drive that forced Santa Monica’s liberal council to tighten up the city’s homeless services.

Bill Rosendahl – Century Communication’s Senior VP for operations and president of the Greater Los Angeles Press Club is one of Santa Monica’s most influential faces and voices. His round-table on-air discussions for years have shed light on issues that affect our daily lives, providing a forum for everyone from local activists to presidential candidates. Rosendahl doesn’t have to. He wants to. And, in the process, he is setting an important precedent for television journalism.

The Planning Commission – Before a major development -- or even a minor zoning variance, for that matter -- goes before the city council, it must first pass the muster of the city’s most influential commission. Its impact is stamped on virtually every city street. And if no one appeals the decision of the commission’s five members, the buck stops here.

Bob Gabriel – It has been more than two decades since Bob Gabriel sat on the city council, but the powerful Realtor is still helping to shape the face of the city. A long-time mover and shaker, Gabriel was largely responsible for bringing Trader Joe’s to Santa Monica. The deal he brokered broke a long deadlock between the trendy grocer and the city and will likely drive the revitalization of the eastern end of Pico Blvd.

Marsha Moutrie – Ever since rent control architect Bob Myers was ousted from his post as city attorney, Moutrie has steered clear of using the post to advance an ideology. Instead, she has preached fair-mindedness and advocated an open process of government. A staunch defender of the First Amendment, Moutrie long has backed the people’s right to know.

Kurt Petersen – Where would SMRR be now without the help of Local 814 – the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union. And where would Local 814 be without Petersen, the union’s lead organizer. In the past two elections, Petersen has been the one rallying Latino union members to walk precincts in support of SMMR candidates. SMRR now has the majority on the council. You be the judge.

Joy Fulmer – You’ve probably seen her drag her bags full of newspapers and staff reports to the podium and address the city council. She’s always the first to speak and always uses all of her allotted time. Thanks in large part to Fulmer’s tenacity at the microphone, public speakers now have less time. Before Fulmer came along, the public was allowed five minutes to speak on each agenda item. In a weird twist of Fulmerian logic, if it weren’t for her, the council meetings might be dragging on until dawn.

Craig Perkins – City Hall’s environmental guru has one of the toughest jobs in town. With two Green Party members on the council in a city that long has had an aggressive environmental agenda – from green energy to recycling -- Perkins doesn’t have a minute to spare. If it weren’t for him, most of us would still be trying to figure out what MTBE stands for.

Kim Carie – You barely see her, but when major developers need to get something done at City Hall, they turn to the former political consultant. Carie has helped bring about everything from hotels on the beach to the massive redevelopment on the RAND site. And don’t forget how she rallied support for the St. John’s Medical Center expansion project.

Bill Mortensen – Another behind-the-scenes player, the CEO of First Federal Corporation has money and clout. He’s been known to throw his support behind bond measures.

John Drescher – A multi-millionaire who drives an old car and doesn’t have an answering machine, Drescher is Santa Monica’s most unlikely philanthropist. But some of his millions have gone to lasting causes, such as a planetarium for Santa Monica College and a youth center at the YMCA. Long after the octogenarian is gone, his name will live on.