Councilmember Richard Bloom

Richard Bloom was elected to the Santa Monica City Council in April 1999 and has been re-elected twice (2000, 2004). Currently serving a second one-year term as Mayor pro Tem, Richard has also led the community for three years as Mayor (November 2006 – December 2007 & November 2004 - December 2004.)

Appointed in 2002, Richard is Chair of the 30-member Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission (www.santamonicabay.org). The Commission is charged with facilitating and overseeing plans to restore the health of the 266 square mile Santa Monica Bay and its 400 square mile watershed.

Since 2004, Richard has served as a member of the Westside Cities Council of Governments (www.westsidecities.org), a regional policy agency consisting of Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City and the City & County of Los Angeles. In 2006 he was elected the organization’s first Chair. The agency coordinates policy and advocacy on issues of regional significance, particularly homelessness and public transportation.

On the City Council, Richard has led many important initiatives, including a regional agenda to end homelessness, dramatically increasing the city’s support for Santa Monica’s public schools, banning smoking in various areas and continuing Santa Monica’s longstanding leadership on critical issues such as sustainability and the environment, mobility and public transit and affordable housing.

Born in Philadelphia, Richard grew up in Altadena and West Los Angeles. He attended Fairfax High School, the University of California (Los Angeles and Berkeley) and Loyola School of Law. He holds a B.A. in Communication and Public Policy as well as a Juris Doctor degree.

Richard is an attorney with nearly 30 years of experience providing family law (marital dissolution, child custody, support, etc.) services to a diverse client base including a stint as Executive Director of the Levitt & Quinn Family Law Center, a non-profit law firm serving low-income clients. He recently expanded his practice to include consulting on community issues and civic engagement.

Richard has served as a volunteer Judge Pro Tem, and mediator for the Los Angeles Superior Courts and on the Executive Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association Family Law Section.

Richard is married to Robbie Black, an occupational therapist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Robbie and Richard have two children, Zac & Emmett. Both were educated in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. Zac (20) is a junior at Colby College in Maine and Emmett (19) is a freshman at the University of California, Santa Barbara.