Bloom 'Not Intimidated' by Butler, Osborn

By the time California State Assembly candidates and announced their campaigns in June and September, respectively, Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom had beat his rivals by a long shot: He announced to Santa Monica Patch last November that he was going to run.

Bloom has lived for the past 27 years in Santa Monica, where he was first elected to the City Council in 1999. He previously served as mayor from November 2006 to December 2007, and again from November 2004 to December 2004.

Bloom has ties to other cities in . He opened his first law office in Beverly Hills; previously lived in West Hollywood; and attended Fairfax High School, which is located near the border of that city.

Bloom chairs the Westside Cities Council of Governments, a joint-powers authority created by cities including Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and West Hollywood. He has served on the California Coastal Commission, chairs the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission and is a board member of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.

"The new Assembly District is a dream come true for me," said Bloom, whose endorsements include multiple past and present mayors of Beverly Hills, Malibu and Santa Monica, among others.

He also spoke with Patch about his record of accomplishments serving in city government, why he's not intimidated by his rivals and how he can restore the public's confidence in Sacramento.

Patch: In November, you spoke about your desire to serve in Sacramento and bring about consensus. Almost a year later, it appears that there is more partisanship and polarization than ever, both on the state and federal levels.

Richard Bloom: It's clear that people's perceptions of the state and U.S. legislatures are very low. On the other hand, people's perceptions of local government is much stronger. One of the themes of my campaign is going to be taking the sensibilities of local government to Sacramento, trying to get people to work together instead of focusing on polarization.

We have to balance a budget in Santa Monica, and we can't and obviously shouldn't do it using gimmicks. The opposite has been true for many years in Sacramento, where the budgeting process has been characterized by borrowing from the future, taking money from local government and making it harder for us [local officials] to do our job.

The lack of confidence in the state Legislature has to be corrected. One of the reasons I'm running is to restore the public's confidence. Until the public regains its confidence, it's not going to vote for increased revenue. It's simply not going to happen.

Patch: What makes you more qualified than the other candidates in the race for AD 50?

Bloom: I'm the only candidate who has created jobs. I'm the only candidate who has regularly balanced a city budget for 12 years. I've also had to balance a family budget. Having to do those things, with the challenge of putting two kids through college, these are things that I think voters will relate to.

Santa Monica's economic success, which is going to be a theme of my campaign, didn't happen by accident. It is due to good planning and good management, sound budgeting throughout. We've championed innovation, and along with some of the other cities in the district, we're now known throughout the state as "Silicon Beach."

There's no reason why the state of California cannot be the same way. We are a leader in technology, but we're slipping. We used to be a leader in education, but we've really slipped. And California simply is not the economic engine it once was. We should be leading the country, the world, in innovation. But a lot of our jobs are going elsewhere.

We're focused on Texas and what they're doing in Texas. We need to be focused on California and what we should be doing in California. There's no reason why California shouldn't be in a leadership seat. We should be driving our economy in a way that facilitates future success.

Voters will know what they're getting when they vote for me. I have 12 years of accomplishments proving who I am. I've fostered a successful economy and created jobs in Santa Monica. I've been instrumental in enacting environmental policies, education policies and other policies that are of critical concern to people in this district. In addition to that, I have deep roots in this district. There's no substitute for living in a place to gain an understanding of what it's all about.

Patch: What are California's top three priorities?

Bloom: Number one, jobs and the economy. Two, environmental issues are of paramount concern, and among those, climate change is the definitive issue of our time. Three, education is uppermost in the minds of voters and myself.

As the parent of two young adults [Zach, 23; and Emmett, 22] who are just beginning to make their way into the workforce and their futures, I think about them and their children. The economic climate that we have today, if we don't pull ourselves out of it, it's going to affect future generations. And climate change clearly has a multigenerational impact.

Patch: What's your reaction to Butler and Osborn entering the race?

Bloom: I knew there would be competition. I feel that I have the record of accomplishments and the history in this district that will distinguish me in any group.

Patch: Are you concerned about their growing lists of endorsements?

Bloom: I'm not the least bit intimidated.

Patch: Are you happy you got such an early start?

Bloom: I am, because I'm very, very busy with all the things I do, and it's a bit tricky to do my various jobs, including being the mayor, in the way I want to do them—and still find time for campaigning. I've also committed to my wife [Robbie] that I'm not going to sacrifice my family relationships. They say, "If you want something done, ask a busy person."

This interview has been edited and condensed.