Well, it doesn't look like candidates for city council in Santa Monica, California will have the option [1]to run in a Clean Elections-style system in the near future. An effort by councilman Kevin McKeown to initiate a study on the possibility of adopting such a program was defeated by a vote of the council last night. Perhaps the rumblings about trying to win a public financing program for Los Angeles municipal races will fuel efforts down the road in Santa Monica.