Newly elected Santa Monica City Councilman Bobby Shriver, a Kennedy scion whose brother-in-law is Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, won office in a landslide by promising to make local government less of a bully and to spur greater progress on homeless issues. Though Shriver was endorsed by the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, he is neither aligned politically with the business group nor the liberal Santa Monicans for Renters Rights. As an independent on a narrowly divided seven-member council, Shriver stands to make many tie-breaking votes.

Question: You were supposedly pulled into local politics when the city tried to fine you for having bushes taller than codes allowed.



Answer:

I never felt it was about the shrubs as such, it was about being bullied. The more I looked into matters with the city the more I saw that it was happening elsewhere. I wanted to diminish the atmosphere of bullying.

Q: You won with more votes than any city council candidate in 20 years, but do you think that was because of your campaign issues or because of your last name?



A:

There’s a group of people who would like to say that I won because I come from a famous family or because I spent a lot of money. I reject that. I won because people heard the themes I was talking about. The people always get it and when they do, they vote in a big way. California is littered with people with a nice smile, a lot of money and a famous name who lost.

Q: What’s your take on controlling development in Santa Monica?



A:

There’s a lot of that no growth, slow growth, some growth stuff. It’s a label thing and it makes me nervous. I like Santa Monica the way it is. I don’t want to see a lot of big apartment buildings on Ocean Avenue. Paris isn’t a no growth city but it looks largely the same as it did in the 18th century. I hate to cite the French as having done anything smart, but they did something smart there. They kept the place with a certain flavor. Santa Monica has a great flavor and we should do what we can to keep it the way it is. Maybe that means I’m a slow growth person.

Q: Do you think Santa Monica Place needs to be rebuilt?



A:

The guys who own it have a fair argument that it’s not as effective as it could be. If they could figure out a way to redevelop it without those giant buildings it would be helpful to see their plans. I don’t think the community will accept the tall buildings. I think those guys who own it know that. So they have to come up with Plan B.

Q: What’s a big threat you see for Santa Monica?



A:

There is such a tremendous amount of money, a tidal wave of money really, that’s hitting Santa Monica. It would be nice if you could stop it but you can’t stop it. I don’t think you can tell people their property isn’t worth what people are willing to pay them. So it just keeps rolling along.

Q: Do you think that influx of wealth will change Monica into a more elitist place?



A:

I don’t know, but there are areas where people make very stringent rules about heights and facades and historical elements that have preserved the character of areas. They usually coincide with high property values. People are going to look more and more at that type of thinking and try to preserve that sense of place that this city has. It doesn’t have what it did 20 years ago but we still have a fair amount.