By Daniel Larios
Staff Writer

November 6, 2014 -- The voters of Santa Monica have tilted the balance of power in the City Council to slow growth advocates with the re-election of incumbent councilmember Kevin McKeown and the election of Planning Commissioner Sue Himmelrich on Tuesday night.

McKeown and Himmelrich -- who claim overdevelopment is jeopardizing what is left of Santa Monica’s beach-town character -- finished far ahead of Mayor Pam O’Connor, who was attacked by slow-growth advocates for backing major developments during her 20 years on the council.

McKeown was the top vote getter with 7,475 votes, followed by Himmelrich with 6,907 votes and O’Connor with 4,933 votes.

The election of two slow-growth advocates will likely have a major impact on some of the major developments currently making their way through the City’s planning pipeline, including the redevelopment of two Downtown hotels and the building of a third, and major developments proposed near future light rail stations.

“Slow-growthers scattered their votes, but still managed to elect two of us committed to stopping overdevelopment, creating a new progressive slow-growth majority on the City Council,” McKeown told the Lookout.

“I would hope this is a new beginning, bending the arc of growth policy toward a sustainable level of development that respects residents,” he said. “I’m relieved that we’re unlikely to see any condo/hotel towers along our coastline for at least the next two years.”

Political observers view Tuesday’s vote as a mandate to limit, if not halt, major development in the bayside city, with some expecting developers to withdraw bids and plans until after the 2016 election.

Himmelrich said she was pleased with the results from Tuesday’s election and would abide by the will of the voters.

“My campaign was based on the issues, including avoiding excessive development and increasing government responsiveness and transparency,” Himmelrich told the Lookout.

“I am deeply honored that the residents of Santa Monica stood firm with me on the issues with their votes, and I look forward to standing firm on the issues for the residents with my votes on the City Council.”

Parks and Recreation Commissioner Phil Brock, another leading slow-growth advocate, surprised many by finishing just 600 votes behind O’Connor despite a small war chest and lack of support from major organizations. 

Brock counted on the backing of Residocracy, a new slow-growth group that gathered more than 13,000 signatures to halt a major development earlier this year. He also counted on an army of volunteers and the endorsement of Councilmember Bob Holbrook, who will vacate his seat after a record 24 years on the council.

Former Planning Commissioner Frank Gruber, who was a Lookout columnist for 12 years, finished fifth, with 3,885 votes. 

Gruber had the support of comprehensive ground campaigns mounted by the hospitality union Unite Here Local 11 and the Police and Fire unions, whose members knocked on doors and staffed phone banks. He, along with O’Connor, also had the backing of an Independent Expenditure Committee financed by major developers.

Planning Commissioners Jennifer Kennedy and Richard McKinnon finished sixth and seventh with 3,794 and 3,665 votes respectively. Both were among the dozen slow-growth candidates vying for three open council seats.

Former Santa Monica mayor Michael Feinstein finished eighth with 2,761 votes, followed by consultant Terence Later with 1,406, peace activist Jerry Rubin with 1,273, perennial candidate Jon Mann with 1,180, journalist Whitney Scott Bain with 975, non-profit consultant Nick Boles with 949 and political newcomer Zoë Muntaner with 576.