SANTA MONICA—Santa Monica Chamber Of Commerce endorsed all five City Council incumbents on Friday, September 25, saying that they need “consistency and stability” during “an unstable economic time.”
The chamber endorsed four Council members—Gleam Davis, Ana Jara, Terry O’Day and Ted Winterer—in the race for four full-term seats, and Council member Kristin McCowan in an uncontested race for a two-year seat.
These incumbents will be challenged by candidates of “Slate Formed to Challenge Council Incumbents,” a slate of challengers in the election race on November 3. Candidates will fight for four contested seats. The slate is composed of Arts Commissioner Phil Brock, School Board member Oscar de la Torre, Planning Commissioner Mario Fonda-Bonardi and the head of Culver City emergency response Christine Parra.
The four challengers have raised $55,338 so far, while the incumbents have traditionally paid a large amount of funds. The fundraising has been done to shrink the fundraising deficit of election challengers.
The Chamber endorsement doesn’t usually come with the campaign advertising dollars pumped into local elections by other political players.
The Chamber’s recent contribution to the incumbents was $25,000 donated in 2016 to defeat Measure LV, but the counter measure failed, according to the Santa Monica Lookout.
