SANTA MONICA—On Monday, December 14, the Santa Monica City Council announced that Former Mayor Bob Holbrook died on Friday, December 11 after battling a long illness. Holbrook was a native-born Santa Monican who served on the City Council for 24 years from 1990-2014.

Mayor Holbrook was involved in building Tongva Park in the Civic Center and a memorial at Woodlawn Cemetery to honor local veterans. Before joining the Santa Monica City Council, Holbrook served on the Board of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District for seven years.

“As a lifelong Santa Monica who attended local schools, he remained a passionate advocate for education,” the city of Santa Monica said in a statement. In 2018, City Council contributed funding for a scholarship in honor of Holbrook to support the education of Santa Monicans pursuing careers in public service.

“Bob loved Santa Monica and its history and passionately shaped more than two decades of local policy with great care and heart. He left the Council the same year I joined, yet his imprint is felt today. We grieve the loss of a Santa Monica great alongside his loving family,” said Mayor Sue Himmelrich.

“I’ll always treasure Bob’s wisdom, wit, and generosity. He cared deeply about the city of his birth and showed it every day. We shared a deep volunteer commitment to charitable endeavors in Santa Monica. Our friendship was so indelible that even though there was a huge gulf between his USC Trojans and my UCLA Bruins we still found common ground. He was my mentor. I will miss him always and wish the best for his wonderful family,” said Councilmember Phil Brock.

“Bob was the last of the previous generation of Santa Monica leadership, affable, amiable, and always quick with an anecdote. No Council meeting was ever complete without a spell of storytelling from Uncle Bob,” said Councilmember Kevin McKeown who served on the council with Holbrook for 16 years.

“Bob was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, as well as a loyal member of the USC Trojan family, and a dedicated public servant. He was always kind and generous and no one loved Santa Monica more,” said Councilmember Gleam Davis.

In honor of Holbrook, the Tuesday, December 15, city council meeting will be adjourned. The meeting will be streamed on the city’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/Citytv16santamonica.