VERITAS foes call the measure divisive, ineffective
(Editor’s Note: This is part of an ongoing series that explains both sides of Santa Monica’s ballot measures. Look for continued coverage of the issues leading up to Election Day.) Santa Monica voters will decide Nov. 5 whether they want to directly elect their mayor and divide their neighborhoods into city council districts.
Measure HH, also known as VERI- TAS, proposes re-writing the city charter to create seven neighborhood districts from which council representatives would be elected and create a new position of a popularly elected mayor.
The measure is modeled after the city’s original charter, which was changed in 1922 to the current system of government. The only difference is that now candidates would be limited to two terms on the city council and would have to take a two-year hiatus before running again.
Supporters of the measure say the new system will bring accountability to council members who are currently elected city-wide and it would give the mayor — who is currently a council member elected annually by the council — a mandate with which to make difficult policy decisions.
“We have a council that is confused and all over the place,” said Paul DeSantis, the measure’s author. “It needs leadership.”
But critics of the measure say it’s divisive to pit one neighborhood against another in a city of roughly 84,000 people. Critics say voters are being asked to trade the influence they currently have over all seven council members in exchange for having sway over just one.
“Districts make sense in a large city, where at-large elections are prohibitive,” said Denny Zane, co-chair of Santa Monicans for Renters Rights, or SMRR. “But in a small city like ours, district elections will only result in bad election programs that will in turn lead to bad government.”
But DeSantis said there already is “horse-trading” by council members, who build alliances and exchange support for each others’ causes. Under VERITAS, DeSantis said council members would be tied to representing the residents in their geographical districts.
“What they perceive as a weakness, I believe is the great triumph of democracy,” he said. “When you get everybody in the same room, they are forced to listen to each other about what’s going on in the city.”
The measure was partially written to undermine the power of SMRR, which endorses slates of candidates for every elected office in the city. SMRR candidates are in the majority on the city council, the Santa Monica- Malibu Unified school board, the Santa Monica College board and the rent control board.
By dividing the city into council districts, the average candidate will be able to compete with the large sums of money raised by SMRR to elect its chosen candidates, the measure’s supporters say.
“On the home turf, David can defeat Goliath,” DeSantis said. “In the smaller neighborhood districts, the candidates are already known to the neighbors. So even if there is slate money against a candidate, they can still get their message out.
“We’re taking power away from the slates and we’re giving it to the people,” DeSantis said. “We need a system where the average person can run a campaign without having to pledge loyalty to big labor or big business.”
“We’re taking power away from the slates and we’re giving it to the people. We need a system where the average person can run a campaign without having to pledge loyalty to big labor or big business.” — — PAUL DeSANTIS VERITAS author
But even foes of SMRR say the measure will have trouble defusing slate politics in Santa Monica. They say large amounts of money will still be raised by candidates and SMRR would still likely control five of the seven proposed council districts, retaining control of the city council.
“It doesn’t do what they want it to do,” said Councilman Herb Katz, who has been critical of SMRR in the past. “The goal was to get rid of slate politics and SMRR, and that’s fine. But SMRR is a well organized machine and they are going to recruit candidates if there are districts as well.”
“The goal was to get rid of slate politics and SMRR, and that’s fine. But SMRR is a well organized machine and they are going to recruit candidates if there are districts as well.” — — HERB KATZ Santa Monica City Councilman
Katz said VERITAS would only make Santa Monica’s electoral process more expensive by requiring a primary, for which taxpayers would have to foot the bill. And candidates would have to raise money for both a primary and a general election, placing an even stronger emphasis on fund raising.
And Zane said while the cost of council campaigns may go up, spending on the mayor’s race would be astronomical because the position has a veto power similar to what the president has over Congress.
“It would make one big mayor’s race, and the special interests backing this measure would like one at-wide race where they could put all their money instead of splitting it between many candidates,” he said. “That way they have a better shot of winning.”
DeSantis said critics of Measure HH are powerfully entrenched politicians who are trying to retain control of their positions. He said if voters approve VERITAS, more residents will want to run for the council because the barriers will have been lifted.
“There are many talented people in town who would run for office, if they believed they could make a difference,” he said. “But right now, running for council is essentially an act of futility. Most people won’t to do it because they think it’s a waste of their time.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 31, 2002. Read the original PDF.