By Jorge Casuso

September 20, 2024 -- Who makes up Santa Monica's political establishment?

The question has been raised by recent election coverage in The Lookout that uses the term to describe a slate of candidates trying to regain control of the City Council in November.

Webster's Dictionary defines the word establishment as "a group of social, economic, and political leaders who form a ruling class. A controlling group."

Supporters of the slate -- backed by Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights (SMRR) and the local Democratic Club -- object to its use.

"I find use of the expression 'establishment' to be objectionable and a potentially misleading expression," former Mayor Denny Zane wrote in an email to The Lookout.

"Most people reading the term 'establishment' think also of the political institutions of the business and real estate communities, like the Chamber of Commerce," wrote Zane, who is a founding member and co-chair of SMRR.

"We have never had a political alliance with the Chamber or others in the real estate and development community."

Opponents point to SMRR's track record. They note that since gaining control of the Council in 1981, SMRR-backed candidates have held a Council majority for 32 of the last 43 years.

In fact, research shows that for 40 years in a row at least four of the seven Councilmembers were initially supported by SMRR, with two breaking ranks after being elected.

In addition, for four decades, SMRR has held a majority -- and often a super-majority -- on every elected board in the City.

"You can't hide the fact that SMRR has controlled Santa Monica politics for at least 40 years," said Councilmember Oscar de la Torre, who was elected to the School Board five times with SMRR's support.

"When I ran for School Board, I was told, 'You can't get elected without the SMRR endorsement.' We found out that the most important election was in August, not November. It was the SMRR convention.

"SMRR has had a stranglehold for 40 years," said de la Torre, who broke with the group in his successful run four years ago. "That kind of makes them the establishment."

Longtime local political observer Frank Gruber noted in a recent post on his blog, "The Healthy City Local," that until 2020 "no one supported by the anti-development faction in Santa Monica won election to the City Council without SMRR’s endorsement."

After winning four Council seats in 1981, the budding tenants group first lost control of the Council in 1984, when one of its four candidates -- Dolores Press -- failed to get enough signatures to make the ballot and lost her seat after mounting an unsuccessful write-in campaign.

SMRR would have still held on to its majority had not one of its candidates, William Jennings, not jumped ship after being elected with the group's backing in 1979.

The tenants group lost control again in 1996 when Paul Rosenstein, who was first elected with SMRR's backing four year's earlier, ran a successful independent campaign.

The tide suddenly turned in 2020, when a riot and a global pandemic converged to sweep three incumbents out of office, as many in one race as had been defeated in the past 26 years ("A Perfect Storm Swept Incumbents Out of Office," November 23, 2020).

The "Change" challengers were backed slow-growth groups, including the Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City (SMCLC), the only group to endorse all three winners.

"The magic of some formerly golden endorsements has faded, and residents are looking elsewhere to rely on and understand our political future," Diana Gordon, who heads the Coalition, said at the time ("Santa Monica Voters Usher in New Era," November 6, 2020).

Despite losing three Councilmembers, SMRR managed to hang on to a slim majority until May 2021, when Kevin McKeown abruptly left the Council with no explanation ("McKeown Abruptly Retires," May 26, 2021).

Two months later, an evenly divided Council would appoint Lana Negrete to fill the vacancy, breaking SMRR's 21-year streak holding a majority of the Council seats.

SMRR easily won two of the three seats in the 2022 Council race, falling short of regaining a majority after one of its candidates split the vote with a candidate backed by the Democratic Club.

It was the first time the two groups had run rival candidates, and it paved the way for Negrete's re-election ("Dem Club Membership Breaks with Tradition in 'Surprising Upset,'" September 30, 2022).

Zane points to the recent developments as an indication the SMRR slate does not represent the status quo in the November 5 race for four Council seats.

"SMRR has not had a majority for nearly four years," he said. "In fact, Phil Brock and his slate have had a majority for nearly all of that time."

Mayor Brock, who led the Change slate in 2020, notes that SMRR-led Councils have routinely chosen the City Managers who hire the City staff that crafts, and often proposes, policies approved by the Council.

"They have been the historical establishment in the City since 1979," Brock said. "They have permeated all levels of City government, including the school Board, College Board of Trustees and Rent Control Board.

"They are still the ruling political party that is trying to regain full control," he said. "For them (the loss of power) is a momentary blip. They are still the establishment."

Zane disagrees. "It's been kind of a consistent run of success," he said, "but in every other respect we're kind of the opposite of the establishment.

"We're a successful grassroots group. The establishment is trying to knock us over. We are the victorious non-establishment. "

Asked who is Santa Monica's political establishment, a prominent neighborhood activist responded: "Good question. What do you think?"