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# Letter: Critic says Santa Monicans for Sensible Priorities is a hotel-backed front group
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/031306-story-20060313-2/
- Published: 2006-03-13T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T17:21:16.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import, Homelessness

The Daily Press reported (SMDP, March 8, page 1) that a grassroots coalition of local business interests and residents was targeting resident priorities. The lead should have been “hotel-backed political group blows smoke.”

The article was about Santa Monicans for Sensible Priorities (SMSP), which hopes to address some of the biggest problems facing the city. Seth Jacobson, the organization’s public relations flack, says they plan to survey every voter to find out what the major issues are. Then, they’ll choose candidates to support in upcoming elections they feel can best deal with the problems.

Who’s kidding who? Since then, except for occasional “wishful thinking” or outright horse pucky pronouncements, SMSP has been silent and totally uninvolved in any issue. Its Web site has collected nothing but spam for months.

I don’t think most of this bunch cares about community problems. The only community issue they care about is electing their own hand-picked puppets and seizing control of the City Council.

Issues-oriented “Sensible Priorities” first popped up during the 2004 elections and wasn’t without controversy. A front page article in the Daily Press (Oct. 16, 2004) confirmed the secretive organization “has yet to disclose its members and finances.” According to campaign documents, ET Whitehall Seascape LLC. and Edward Thomas Management Co. (Casa Del Mar and the Shutters hotels) made payments to SMSP for “public relations and consulting work.”

Weeks later, a sister group, “Santa Monicans for Change,” formed and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars backing Chamber of Commerce endorsees. Both “Sensible Priorities” and “Change” are supported by hospitality and business interests salivating to wrest control of city government from Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights (SMRR).

During the 2004 election, voters received a barrage of glossy, City Hall horror story mailers about homelessness, open space and city bureaucracy from “well known” community activists nobody ever heard of. Their mailer signed “Veronica Martinez” blatantly plagiarized my “Bauer for City Council” literature when I ran for a City Council seat.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 13, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/031306.pdf?ref=smdp.com)