How I’m voting for the environment on Nov. 7, 2006, for the City of Santa Monica. Here are my votes for the state-level propositions and for the state-level offices.

My votes for Santa Monica City Council Members (3 people):
* Pam O’Connor
* Kevin McKeown
* Terry O’Day

What does the Santa Monica City Council do?: The 7-member City Council is the governing body of the City of Santa Monica.
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The 3 candidates I’ll be voting for are in bold. The other candidates are listed below those 3, in order of my preference.

Pam O’Connor. Pam’s a current councilmember who’s also the incoming Chair of MTA. She’s worked on getting the Expo line extended to Santa Monica, and sez she’ll “bring leadership to finish the job.” She has the endorsement of the LA League of Conservation Voters and Santa Monicans for Renters Rights (SMRR).

Kevin McKeown. Kevin’s also a current councilmember. Endorsed by the LA League of Conservation Voters, Kevin’s made the environment a large part of his platform, pointing out how he’s worked to eliminate the small home business tax “to encourage us to work locally rather than “commute and pollute.” The SMRR, Community for Excellent Public Schools (CEPS), and the Santa Monica Democratic Club have all also endorsed Kevin.

Terry O’Day. Terry’s the exec director of the green org Environment Now. So unsurprisingly, he has the endorsement of LA League of Conservation Voters and many local environmental activists. He’s also endorsed by CEPS and the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce.
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Gleam Davis. Gleam’s work on education issues has been especially impressive; she’s endorsed by the SMRR, CEPS, and the Santa Monica Democratic Club.

Bob Holbrook. Bob’s our current mayor, who has a rep of backing business interests over residents’ needs — which has SMRR actively campaigning against him. He is, however, endorsed by the SM Police and the SM Chamber of Commerce.

Jenna Linnekens. Jenna’s an event planner, and sounds like a lovely person who’s passionate about Santa Monica. However, she just doesn’t have the experience that some of the other candidates have.

Linda Armstrong. This computer data entry operator sez she’ll put women and children first, but she just doesn’t have any relevant experience to offer, or any details as to how she might bring about the changes she promises, like “house all homeless women in Santa Monica.”

Terrence Later. This entertainment consultant just doesn’t seem to offer any relevant experience or skills; his platform’s rather bare and unspecific. His main selling point is that he was born in Santa Monica.

Mark C. McLellan. This real estate agent sez in his statement that “We must alleviate traffic congestion and create more parking.” Dude, creating more parking tends to create more traffic.

Jonathan Mann. This flight attendant and teacher is running on a bizarre platform: “building an electronic interface that will grow and replace entrenched bureaucrats, alleviate overcrowding, traffic and parking congestion, and reduce waste in Santa Monica government.” That’s a helluva lot to ask from an electronic interface, in my view.

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