Santa Monica Factions to Share 2-Year Mayoral Post
Saying they hoped to usher in a new era of cooperation, Santa Monica city leaders have decided to split the post of mayor between members of the city’s rival political factions.
The City Council voted Tuesday night to divide the new two-year mayoral term so that representatives from Santa Monicans for Renters Rights and the Coalition for a Safe Santa Monica will each occupy the city’s top job.
City Councilwoman Pam O’Connor of the renters group was sworn in Tuesday as the new mayor. Councilman Robert Holbrook, who belongs to the Coalition, was named mayor pro tem. The two will switch after one year.
Outgoing Mayor Paul Rosenstein said he proposed the split to reduce factional fighting and to give both groups an equal voice. The council chooses a new mayor every two years, and this is the first time the groups have shared the post.
Rosenstein was reelected to the council last month, but he stepped down Tuesday as mayor. He belongs to the renters group, which has held a majority on the seven-member council for most of the last 15 years.
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