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# City Hall wringing citizens dry
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/city-hall-wringing-citizens-dry-editor/
- Published: 2004-06-15T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T04:32:35.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica Airport, #archive-import

*By Bill Worden Venice*

With regard to the argument put forth by a reader on Wednesday (SMDP, June 9, page 4) citing a favorite childhood book to support Draconian enforcement of the various arcane and outdated laws rising from the dead-like zombies at City Hall, the reader says, “What if everybody did it?” Well, it’s time to put away the things of childhood and read a civics book or the Constitution. When everybody does it, that’s a sure sign of consensus, or in our democracy, a unanimous vote — not a novel concept really. If everybody has tall hedges, then maybe things have changed since 1948\. Do you think?

A second issue is the outrageous fine schedule being used by City Hall to enforce compliance. The good citizens of Santa Monica have evidently found that their pigeons have come home to roost — in their own hedges. Why the new enforcement employees and high fees suddenly? Remember proposition MM? This was sold on the idea that it would mitigate jet noise at the municipal airport. Teach those fun-loving pilots a lesson at no cost to anyone else, right? Think again. When citizens fail to zealously defend the freedoms of all citizens and engage in a frenzy of special-interest legislation, disenfranchising one group here and then another group somewhere else, we all lose. Think twice about giving the leeches at City Hall more power to wring every last nickel and dime out of its residents, business and visitors. One law — the law of unintended consequences — is definitely still in effect.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 15, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/061504.pdf?ref=smdp.com)