SMRR may face competition
DOWNTOWN — Santa Monicans and business leaders who historically have shied away from politics may soon be helping to set policy through their involvement on city boards and commissions.
City Hall will host a public presentation today explaining the purpose of local boards and commissions, and how to become involved with one. Meanwhile, the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce heard a similar presentation last month as part of bolstered efforts to offer business members a broad-er avenue to serve within the city, said Nat Trives, the chamber’s board president.
“We encourage people to become involved to improve the quality of life in town,” Travis said. “This has nothing to do with forming political factions. It has to do with getting people involved in the process.”
Political groups that have long been involved in Santa Monica politics, such as Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights (SMRR), have taken note of the chamber’s newfound interest in City Hall’s ad-hoc commissions, which make recommendations on local policies to the City Council.
A DOMINANT AGENDA Started in the 1970s to offset increasing rental costs, SMRR has since had significant impact in city politics — the group is known for furthering a medley of social programs for Santa Monicans, as well as establishing rent control and maintaining slow development growth. It’s also held a majority on the City Council for most of the past two decades.
The City Council appoints all members to the city’s 15 boards and commissions. As a result, those recommending bodies have been largely stacked with SMRR members, which sources say allows the political group to remain dominant within City Hall.
There are four agencies which also advise the City Council, but are semi-autonomous and not entirely funded by City Hall. One is the Convention and Visitors Bureau, which the chamber has historically been able to appoint half of the 10 board members. But that may soon change — last month the City Council discussed how the appointments should be regulated in the future because of the chamber’s increased efforts to become more politically involved.
“The chamber has morphed into a partisan political group and it is not appropriate we give any political group the right to appoint half the board of an organization that is taxpayer funded,” said City Councilman Ken Genser, a long-time SMRR member. “If SMRR appointed half the housing commission, I also don’t think it would be fair and appropriate.”
Two other semi-autonomous groups which advise the City Council are the Bayside District Corp., which manages downtown Santa Monica along with City Hall, as well as the Pier Restoration Corp., which operates the Santa Monica Pier in conjunction with City Hall. The City Council appoints all of the members for those boards.
Kathy Dodson, the chamber’s executive director, said the chamber’s political involvement is not new to Santa Monica.
“We have been involved in issue politics for many years,” Dodson said. “We endorsed candidates in the last council race because we wanted to make sure issues such as homelessness, parking, traffic, and customer service and efficiency at City Hall are being addressed by the candidates.”
For the first time in the chamber’s history, it officially raised money and endorsed candidates for the November 2004 race. The chamber helped City Councilmen Bobby Shriver and Herb Katz win their council seats. In addition, the chamber also endorsed three of the elected Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District board members, and two officials now sitting on the Santa Monica College board of trustees. The chamber also supported Measure N, which increased the tourism occupancy tax by 2 percent, and Measure S, the Santa Monica College Bond which secured $135 million for school improvements.
Eleven of Santa Monica’s 12 mayors have been SMRR members. Mayor Pam O’Connor was a SMRR member but some say she has been less involved since earning her council seat, although she was endorsed by the group during her 2002 campaign.
In addition to Genser, City Councilman Richard Bloom also is a SMRR member. City Councilman Kevin McKeown, a Green Party member, was endorsed by SMRR in 2002. Katz, Shriver and City Councilman Bob Holbrook are not SMRR members.
Starting in 1979, SMRR put into effect the strongest rent control law in the country, defended successfully in court by the city of Santa Monica against landlords challenging the law on nine occasions. SMRR-elected officials have helped enact programs that provide more than 400 new units of low-and moderate-income housing and have rehabilitated more than 200 units. Also under SMRR’s guidance, Santa Monica has created social service programs to assist the elderly, the poor, the homeless and the disabled, which extend beyond those of any city its size in the country, according to a group profile.
GETTING ON BOARD Holbrook said that although the appointment to city boards and commissions are ultimately a council decision, some board and commission members are adamant about having a say in who joins.
“There is a general political leaning on the boards and commissions,” Holbrook said. “The tendencies are to choose people you know, and some boards are very serious about who they want. I would like as many people who are interested to apply, and let the council make the appointments.”
Holbrook said he encouraged prospective candidates to make themselves known to councilmembers and continue applying if they are not immediately appointed to a position.
Of the 20 chamber of commerce members who attended the April 6 boards and commission presentation, five said they wanted to be involved in groups affecting business in Santa Monica. Two specifically said they wanted to be involved with the Bayside District Corp. One chamber member said he wanted to be involved in the city’s planning commission. Three chamber members said they wanted to be part of the arts commission.
Terms on the commissions typically last four years. The number of members who serve on each board and commission varies, but the range is between four and 11, said City Clerk Maria Stewart. Those groups include the accessibility appeals board; airport commission; architectural review board; arts commission; building and safety commission; commission for the senior community; commission on the status of women; disabilities commission; housing commission; landmarks commission; library board; personnel board; planning commission; recreation and parks commission and the social services commission.
Some significant policies have been adopted or have become law, as a result of recommendations from the commissions — the City Council last year passed a no-smoking ban on beaches and at the pier, which originally stemmed from the parks and recreation commission.
Interested candidates either need to be residents of Santa Monica or work in the city to be appointed. Candidates need to fill out an application, which provides them with an opportunity to explain to the City Council why they would like to be on the board or commission they are applying for. They also need to fill out a disclosure form that makes some of their personal information available to members of the public, who can request it at the City Clerk’s office.
Once candidates have applied, some councilmembers encourage them to make outreach efforts to let them know who they are. Upcoming vacancies are listed on the city’s Web site and also on City Council meeting agendas.
Once a person has been appointed to a commission, he continues until his service is up. If he seeks to resign, he must seek formal permission from the City Council. City staff will send a mailer out to candidates when a position for a board or commission of interest has been filled, and give them an option to keep their application on file for the next vacancy. A person may apply to as many boards and commissions as he would like, but once appointed, may only serve on one at a time.
“We want and need new people with fresh ideas, but it’s up to you to take the time and make the effort,” said Katz, who spoke during the April 6 presentation at the chamber’s office at 1234 Sixth St.
Katz said he began his involvement in Santa Monica city politics when he started serving on commissions in the 1970s. He said serving on boards and commissions was an awakening into how local politics works.
“You will be surprised what you know and don’t know about how the government works once you’re on one of these commissions,” Katz joked. “You often drive around town and ask yourself, ‘Why didn’t they do that yesterday?’ because it makes so much sense. Then you join one of these commissions and see all that goes into a project. Then you start to understand. Then you can’t help but ask yourself again, ‘Why didn’t they do that yesterday?’ It never ends.”
Darrell Clarke, vice chair of the plan-ning commission, said he is generally more neighborhood-friendly than pro-development. He added that he feels it’s important to have professionals involved with city planning who come from a variety of perspectives.
“I like having a range of opinions and people who can contribute specifically to decisions,” Clarke said. “If we all said the same thing in mind, what good would it do us? There is a congeniality and professionalism being on one of these commissions that I really like.”
“If we all said the same thing in mind, what good would it do us? There is a congeniality and professionalism being on one of these commissions that I really like.” — DARRELL CLARKE Vice chair, planning commission, regarding the politics of leadership
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 5, 2005. Read the original PDF.