Abdo: A Firebrand’s Endurance

Judy Abdo reminiscing on her proudest moments as former Santa Monica Mayor, in an interview with Corsair staff on Friday Nov. 1 2024 at Santa Monica, Calif. (Tarelle Butts | The Corsair)

In 1990, Judy Abdo rocketed to local stardom by becoming the first out-of-the-closet lesbian to serve as Santa Monica’s mayor. Decades later, her local involvement is off-the-charts, spilling into the current election cycle.

Abdo rooted herself in Ocean Park in the 1970s. She offered The Corsair personal access to her abode, a tawny masterclass in 19th-century construction. Over the years, Abdo and friends have fashioned a freeform boardinghouse, having embraced many a traveler. The house sings of Abdo’s accomplishment, in sprawling photo collages, recognitive plaques, votives, and smiling housemates.

Abdo’s was a rare case. She mused, “Before rent control, people would move into Santa Monica, would just live here for a little while, and then move on in their lives. They didn’t feel like they could stay here, because they knew their rents would just keep going up.”

Ambling solo isn’t in Abdo’s style. After setting up in Santa Monica, she trekked the activist cirque, including the establishment of a domestic violence shelter, a coalition against AIDS discrimination, and an alliance with Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights (SMRR). Her endeavors reached the wholly unreligious Church in Ocean Park, which Abdo describes as “a sort of progressive neighborhood-based community organizing group.”

The church’s unorthodox approach, reportedly “not about faith (or) religion at all,” allowed its founder, Rev. Jim Conn, to simultaneously minister the church and mayor the city without sparking concerns over church and state separation. Together, he and Abdo initiated and executed rent control, limiting landlords’ ability to charge abysmally high rents or increase rents once established.

When Abdo decided to enter local governance herself, the transition was natural.

The margins between her community organizing and government work were slim. She reflected, “I didn’t even think about being a politician; it just wasn’t part of what I was thinking about. I was just being myself and running for city council.” Besides, the progressives had already secured the majority of the city council, and Abdo, model citizen, was a regular attendee of the meetings.

“I was moving into that progressive group of electeds. So, it felt really comfortable, I knew them very well,” Abdo said. “I knew what was expected.”

By this time, her community-serving reputation was established, including her work with lesbian activism. “A lot of people had told me that it was probably not a good idea to run as an ‘out lesbian’ (but) I was already out. People knew that I was out,” said Abdo. “They thought that I was gonna be attacked.”

To her surprise, retaliation was minimal. Curious, she reached out to one of her less-progressive runningmates. He assured her the city universally disregarded sexuality as a political concern. With those worries alleviated, she celebrated her mayoral victory in 1990, then again in 1992.

Despite her centralized base in Ocean Park, Abdo pursued citywide representation. “One of the things I’m most proud of is that we expanded the whole idea of the city funding nonprofits,” she said. “That’s really important, not only because the nonprofits do wonderful work, which they do, but it also involves a whole lot more people into the city process… because each of those organizations has a whole constituency of people they serve.”

Overall, Abdo continually deflected individual commendation for her successes, referring instead to the strength in unity.

For instance, building upon her background in grassroots, Abdo oversaw the inauguration of an environmental task force, a legislative risk when “it was not a given; climate change was not a thing. I brought together some people who really wanted to organize around environmental issues. That (task force) is (presently) the sustainability commission.”

Never breaking ties with SMRR, Abdo continued to implement rent control. Now that housing payments were more reasonably fixed, Abdo perceived change as the resident community expanded, including activist movements. The seed of renters’ activism renewed itself.

Abdo left office in 1994. In 1995, the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act was ratified, banning local governments from passing rent caps. From then on, with respect to rent control, Santa Monica bends towards the will of the state.

“What’s gonna happen with rent control is all about Prop. 33,” said Abdo.

Proposition 33 on the Nov. 5 ballot offered to repeal Costa-Hawkins, enabling the relinquish of housing power back to cities.

On election day, Californian voters rejected the proposition, and city politicians remain unable to reinstate rent control measures. Still, Abdo, experienced in housing advocacy, maintains practicality in her prediction that “who(ever) wins the election for local city council members makes a huge difference.”

In the process of achieving reforms, Abdo suggests council members comprehend the history of the city’s legislative decisions, including the laws that are frequently subject to pushback.

Facilitating camaraderie is also important. “The Brown Act doesn’t allow you to talk outside of the public meetings,” said Abdo. “But two or three council members can have an agreement and hope they get others’ support.

“For all that work, both before I was on the council, while I was on the council, and actually after, it’s all about building relationships with lots of people, and working together. It’s not about one person having an idea and then just making it happen.” After the election, the fresh city council will demonstrate whether the council’s cooperative is a relic of the past.

Tastes of Abdo’s activism arose elsewhere on the ballot; Proposition 3 upholds the security of same-sex marriage. Rather than introduce novel legislation, this proposition removes the possibility of marriage restriction on the basis of race or sex in California law, affirming what already is.

The proposition passed easily, which is something of a statewide milestone for gay activism, but Abdo finds an equally pressing concern at home.

“I can talk about what LGBTQ things are going on in the city,” Abdo said. “This election, we have the first out person running again. I ran in ’88 and Dan Hall is running now. Nobody has been an out LGBTQ in between.”

Even Santa Monica is beholden to systemic exclusion. If Proposition 3 weren’t passed, the Californian Constitution wouldn’t face alteration. The fear still hasn’t dwindled.

In the case of a judicial ban on same-sex marriage, Abdo retains faith in community uprising, predicting “people would respond, all over the country.” But community necessitates participants.

Abdo implores: “You must vote. No matter what. You must vote.”