By Terry O’Day Pico Neighborhood
In a small town like Santa Monica, it is strange to read a letter to the editor from a neighbor that speculates about your motives when that neighbor hasn’t made an effort to call you personally.
Nina Fresco, who has been a champion for historic preservation in our city, comments that I “knew full well” how the Save Our City campaign against Measure T would be funded and accuses me of “dirty tricks." Though I don’t normally respond to the back-and-forth on these pages, I felt the need to address this smear.
Now in my seventh year as a planning commissioner, I have dedicated my career to public service, sustainability, and social justice. I am currently serving as Executive Director of Environment Now, after creating multiple businesses solving environmental challenges, organizing homeless persons, and fighting for affordable housing.
As a result of my involvement in our community, I noticed the RIFT (Residents’ Initiative to Fight Traffic) initiative — now Measure T on the November ballot — as a threat, and was not alone. Other involved members of our community — education advocates, health care workers, SMRR leaders, public safety professionals, and more — also noticed the flaws in this initiative. In particular, the measure threatens our high-quality schools and city services like domestic violence prevention. It also undermines good principles of planning and throws planning approvals into the political winds.
Our Save Our City campaign is designed to reach voters to inform them about the dangerous aspects of this initiative. More than half our funding has come from people and small businesses that live or work in Santa Monica, but that’s not the point. Because the proponents of Measure T disguised it as a traffic initiative and prevented open discourse and amendments, we have a lot of work to do in this campaign and need sufficient resources. I’m simply not willing to risk my children’s education — or yours — for the empty promise of less traffic in the future. Once informed, either will Santa Monica voters.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 15, 2008. Read the original PDF.