The Executive Board of the Santa Monica Democratic Club just completed video interviews with twenty-five local candidates seeking our endorsement this cycle for City Council, Rent Control Board, SMMUSD Board of Education, and SMC Board of Trustees.
You can view all of their interviews and written questionnaire responses, unedited, below.
▶️ PLAY ALL
City Council (3 seats up for election this year)
Angela Scott: video interview | written questionnaire
Ashley Oelsen: video interview | written questionnaire
Brett Morrow: video interview | written questionnaire
Caroline Torosis: video interview | written questionnaire
Danny Ivanov: video interview | written questionnaire
Doug Trussler: video interview | written questionnaire
Eli Gill: video interview | written questionnaire
Ericka Lesley: video interview | written questionnaire
Lana Negrete: video interview | written questionnaire
Wade Kelley: video interview | written questionnaire
Rent Control Board (3 seats up for election this year)
Brad Ewing: video interview | written questionnaire
Heather Thomason: video interview | written questionnaire
Kurt Gonska: video interview | written questionnaire
Soledad Marcial: video interview | written questionnaire
Sue Himmelrich: video interview | written questionnaire
School Board (4 seats up for election this year)
Alicia Mignano: video interview | written questionnaire
Harry Leshner: video interview | written questionnaire
Laurie Lieberman: video interview | written questionnaire
Robbie Staenberg: video interview | written questionnaire
Stacy Rouse: video interview | written questionnaire
College Board (4 seats up for election this year)
Kera Blades-Snell: video interview | written questionnaire
Luis Barerra-Castañón: video interview | written questionnaire
Oscar de la Torre: video interview | written questionnaire
Sion Roy: video interview | written questionnaire
Tom Peters: video interview | written questionnaire
Our endorsement process and timeline:
- May 22: Questionnaires distributed to all declared candidates
- June 8: Deadline to submit completed questionnaires
- All questionnaire responses will be made publicly available
- Candidate interview recordings will be made publicly available
Candidate Debates:
- July 1: Rent Control Board, School Board, and College Board
- July 8: City Council
- Both events at the Church In Ocean Park and also streaming on Zoom
Ballot Measure & Endorsement Meeting:
- July 15: Forum on all local and statewide ballot measures, followed by endorsement voting for local offices and ballot measures
All eligible candidates will be invited to participate on equal terms throughout the endorsement process.
Voting Eligibility
To participate in endorsement voting on July 15, you must:
• Be a 2026 member of SMDC in good standing
• Pay your dues by June 15(Note: Renewing 2025 members can still renew up until July 15)
• RSVP for the July 15 meeting (link coming soon)
Endorsements will be decided by eligible members in good standing via secret ballot, conducted electronically (via ElectionBuddy) in accordance with Club bylaws.
All dates and procedures are subject to change if necessary; any updates will be communicated promptly to members and candidates.