Santa Monica City Council Voting Guide 2012

Fifteen candidates are vying for four open seats on the Santa Monica City Council in the Nov. 6 election. Those held by Richard Bloom, Gleam Davis, Terry O'Day and Bobby Shriver are up for grabs. Bloom, who is running for the 50th Assembly District and Shriver are not seeking reelection.

City Council Candidates

Click on the links to learn more about their backgrounds and to listen to Q&As with the League of Women Voters 

GLEAM OLIVIA DAVIS, incumbent

• Funds Raised: $46,683
• Major Donors: Business professionals, real estate developers, realtors  
• See Also: Davis Duo Announces Bids for Council

SHARI DAVIS, non-profit policy advisor

• Funds Raised: $47, 505  
• Major Donors: Business owners, executives, realtors, homemakers, real estate developers  
• See Also: Davis Duo Announces Bids for Council

STEVE DURON, attorney

• Funds Raised: $2,840 
• Major Donors: Attorneys, business professionals
  

ROBERTO GOMEZ, community volunteer

• Funds Raised: None reported
• Major Donors: None reported
  

FRANK GRUBER, attorney

• Funds Raised: $68,707
• Major Donors: Personal loans, attorneys, architects, real estate developers
• See Also: Local Columnist to Run for City Council

TERENCE LATER, entertainment consultant

• Funds Raised: $0
• Major Donors: None
  

JONATHAN MANN, teacher

• Funds Raised: $0
• Major Donors: None
  

RICHARD MCKINNON, corporate advisor

• Funds Raised: $32,530
• Major Donors: Personal loans, attorneys, business professionals
  

ARMEN MELKONIANS, civil/environmental engineer

• Funds Raised: None reported
• Major Donors: None reported
  

TERRY O'DAY, incumbent/environmental executive 

• Funds Raised: $40,680 
• Major Donors: Business professionals, real estate developers
  

JERRY PEACE ACTIVIST RUBIN

• Funds Raised: None reported
• Major Donors: None reported
  

BOB SELDON, attorney

• Funds Raised: $1,675
  

JOHN CYRUS SMITH, news producer

• Funds Raised: $11,036 
• Major Donors: Personal loans
  

TONY VAZQUEZ, local business owner

• Funds Raised: $13,466 
• Major Donors: Personal loans, public employees, business professionals
  

TED WINTERER, planning commissioner

• Funds Raised: $49,919
  
• Major Donors: Business professionals, individuals

See Also: Planning Commissioner Ted Winterer Joins Council Race

Major Topics of Interest

See what candidates have to say about some of the biggest issues facing Santa Monica.

• The Santa Monica Airport

• Traffic 

• Homeless 

• The Budget

Endorsements

This chart was compiled by Community Against Santa Monica Airport Traffic, known more commonly as CASMAT, to show endorsements from major political organizations.

Political Action Committees

Political action committees continue to play a major role in Santa Monica City Council elections. Learn more about some of the bigger players by reading these Patch stories.

Major Developer Funneling Money Into New PAC: This month a new PAC, Santa Monicans United for a Responsible Future, cropped up. It is funded with $390,498 in donations from four big developers.

Blog | Following the Money Trail: Two of the four developers funding Santa Monicans for a United Future account for eight of the 23 development agreement applications pending before the Santa Monica City Council. Such agreements are brought by developers who seek to build projects bigger than what's permitted in the city's building and zoning codes, be it size, height, or density.

2 More Council Candidates Get SMRR Backing: Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights is one of, if not the most, influential PACs in local politics.