For immediate release
Us launches local campaign to elect true public servants
Santa Monica, CA — September 4, 2026 — Us (newpublicservice.com) is launching its 2026 campaign to elect true public servants in Santa Monica and Malibu elections.
The campaign, which will make use of direct mail and digital advertising, aims to inform voters about the organization’s endorsed candidates. Those endorsements will be decided by a vote of Us members later this month. To be eligible for an endorsement, a candidate must first sign the Pledge for a New Public Service, a one-line commitment to a lifetime limit on their years in elected office.
“Being an elected official should not be a lifetime appointment,” said Andrew Allison, Us’s founder. “But our positions of public trust are too often occupied by career politicians who prioritize keeping their job over doing their job.”
Us will consider endorsements in the contests for Santa Monica City Council, SMMUSD Board, Santa Monica Rent Control Board, and Santa Monica College Board. Once those endorsements are determined, Us plans to send mail to more than 30,000 households in Santa Monica and Malibu, in addition to purchasing targeted digital advertising.
“We have urgent challenges in this City, at SMMUSD, and at Santa Monica College,” Allison said. “We don’t need candidates who are already eyeing seats in the legislature, or who are looking for a comfortable place to land for a few decades. We need public servants who are aligned with our community’s interests — not the interests of the donors, bosses, and lobbyists who can help them get to the next level.”
The campaign will be funded by membership dues and other contributions from Us members. Santa Monica and Malibu residents can join Us at any time by visiting newpublicservice.com. Residents who become paid members prior to September 17 will be eligible to participate in the endorsement vote.
About Us
Us (newpublicservice.com) is building a political organization that puts voters first. We bring people together to make their communities better, with digital tools and offline mobilizations, and we work to put true public servants in elected office. Our fight is against career politicians who perpetuate gerontocracy, tolerate anti-voter behavior like SMS spam, and kick the can on the challenges facing California.
Us is free to join, with paid memberships priced at $5 per month. Membership dues fund modern campaigns on behalf of citizen candidates, tools to help winners govern effectively, and year-round organizing to build lasting success. Endorsements are decided exclusively by paid members – no “steering committees,” and no backroom deals. To be considered for endorsement, a candidate must sign the Pledge for a New Public Service, which commits them to a lifetime limit on their years in elected office.
Us was founded in 2026 in Santa Monica. By 2028, we will operate across Los Angeles County, and by 2030, we intend to be active in elections up and down the state. Us makes independent expenditures in California elections. We are not affiliated with, nor do we coordinate with, any candidate or candidate committee.