Former Santa Monica Mayor Sue Himmelrich is running for the city's Rent Control Board in the Nov. 3 general election.
Himmelrich served on the City Council from 2014 to 2022 and as mayor in 2020 and 2022. She told the Santa Monica Lookout she is running to protect rent control from developers and "allegedly pro-housing political actors who value quantity of housing over the safety and security of tenants."
The nonpartisan race has three seats to fill. Voters may choose up to three candidates. The other candidates are Heather Thomason, Kurt Gonska, Soledad Marcial and Zoe Muntaner.
Candidate information
- Residence: Santa Monica since 1992
- Education: Bachelor's degree from Harvard College; juris doctor from Columbia Law School
- Professional background: Special counsel at Western Center on Law and Poverty, as reported in 2018
- Past endorsements: Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights and the Santa Monica Democratic Club backed Himmelrich in her previous City Council campaigns, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press.
Experience and public service
Himmelrich served as a Santa Monica planning commissioner before winning a council seat in 2014, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press.
During her council tenure, she sponsored the 2018 term-limits measure known as Measure TL and the 2022 Measure GS, a tax measure funding schools, homelessness prevention and affordable housing. She defended Measure GS in court, the Daily Press reported.
On the issues
The following positions are drawn from Himmelrich's responses to Santa Monica Next and the Santa Monica Lookout candidate questionnaires.
Rent control and board composition: Himmelrich said the top issue of her campaign is "assuring that the board remains comprised of the most qualified and most committed rent-control and tenants' rights advocates."
Tenant displacement: Himmelrich called her position on displacement "inflexible," saying tenants should never be displaced unless public safety requires it. She said there is room for new market-rate development along boulevards and downtown without removing existing tenants.
State housing legislation: Himmelrich criticized state bills SB 79 and AB 1740 as "reckless" measures that "threaten rent control housing." She said they fast-track market-rate development in ways that overlook less wealthy residents in long-term tenancies.
Affordable housing funding: Himmelrich said she supported and helped fund Measure GS-GSH in 2016 and Measure GS in 2022. She said the two measures have generated at least $60 million for tenant-related services and affordable housing. They have generated at least another $60 million for local public schools, she said.
Campaign finance: Himmelrich said she intends to self-fund her campaign, as she did in her 2014 and 2018 council races. She said she will not refuse donations but will not take contributions from "corporations or real estate developers/landlords."
The Rent Control Board election takes place Nov. 3.
