Zane, Council’s Senior Member, to Quit Jan. 1

Dennis Zane, senior member of the Santa Monica City Council and a leader of pro-rent-control forces for more than a decade, said he will resign Jan. 1 to concentrate on his career and family life.

Zane’s midterm departure is expected to leave a significant gap on a relatively inexperienced council. Council members said they frequently rely on Zane’s experience and institutional memory to guide them in their deliberations.

“I panicked when I heard he was leaving,” council member Kelly Olsen said.

Olsen is one of three newcomers elected in June. Two members are in the middle of their first term. After Zane, the next most experienced council member is Herb Katz with five years on the council.

One thing certain not to change is the council’s 5-2 pro-rent-control majority. The two names mentioned by Zane and others as likely successors are, as is Zane, leaders in Santa Monicans for Renters Rights, the tenants group that has dominated Santa Monica politics for most of the last decade. The council has the power to appoint a successor to complete Zane’s term, which ends in November, 1992.

“I would be replaced with a kindred philosophical spirit,” Zane said.

The two names mentioned by Zane and others are Nancy Greenstein and Dolores Press. Greenstein ran the successful campaigns for SMRR-backed council candidates Olsen and Tony Vazquez last year. Press is a former council member and is chairwoman of the city’s Rent Control Board.

Zane, 43, said he is leaving the council because he needs to make a living and wants to travel and spend more time with his wife of 17 years, Louise Mainville, an acupuncturist and respiratory therapist. Children may also be in the future, Zane said.

“You reach the limits of your energy,” Zane said. “It’s difficult for me to leave the city. I really love the work I was doing here . . . but I have to make a living.”

A former high school math teacher, Zane gave up teaching to devote more time to the virtually unpaid ($50 a month), but time-consuming, council position he assumed in 1981. In later years, he has worked as an environmental consultant, preparing films, presentations and seminars, among other projects. Currently, Zane works 20 hours a week for Los Angeles City Councilman Marvin Braude, helping to develop public energy policies.

Although Zane has long discussed stepping down, his decision to leave now caught some by surprise. Former Councilwoman Christine Reed, a frequent adversary, described the move as “out of character for Denny.”

But, Reed added, the renters’ rights coalition has in the past used a strategy in which an officeholder steps down early so a newcomer can run for election as an incumbent.

Zane said he wanted to leave by fall but was persuaded to stay until the first of the year to complete projects, including the Homeless Task Force report and subsequent council actions.

Reed agreed with current council members that Zane will be most remembered for holding firm on the city’s rent-control ordinance.

Zane is also widely credited with being the driving force behind the enormously successful Third Street Promenade.

A native of Colton, near San Bernardino, Zane said he would also like to be remembered for Santa Monica’s far-sighted environmental and social programs.

“It’s hard to envision the council without Denny,” Councilman Ken Genser said. “His leadership on many issues will be missed.” But Genser predicted that the council’s relative inexperience will not be a problem because several members gained extensive knowledge as longtime activists.

Reed disagreed, saying inexperienced council members tend to have longer meetings and require much more guidance from the city’s professional staff.

Zane’s resignation puzzled some Santa Monica watchers because he has long been viewed as aspiring to higher office. He acknowledged that his resignation could interfere with those goals.

“I recognize stepping out of the public eye might reduce my prospects,” he said.

He promised to stay “very much involved in Santa Monica politics,” albeit in a lower-profile capacity.

Higher office, if one becomes available, would only be an option a few years down the line, Zane said. For instance, Zane said running for the legislative seat that Assemblyman Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica) may vacate next year is too soon for his timetable.

Hayden is considering a campaign for Congress if Rep. Mel Levine (D-Santa Monica) runs for the U.S. Senate. All Democrats’ plans also depend on the configuration of the various congressional and legislative districts after reapportionment is completed.

Zane has also expressed interest in being mayor of Santa Monica again--if it becomes a paying job. He favors paying council members too. “I hope the voters will remedy that so my colleagues can last longer,” he said.

Santa Monica Mayor Judy Abdo noted that Zane has worked tirelessly for 15 years, on and off the council. “No wonder there’s a burnout factor here,” she said.