By Mike Rosenfeld Pico neighborhood resident
Two factions are fighting for power. Instead of asking “Which Santa Monicans For Renters Rights faction will dominate our November election?”, the real question is “Why should we allow slates to dominate our city council elections?” “Why not open up the process so all council candidates can participate on a level playing field?”
SMRR’s war chest already exceeds $100,000, and the slate machine will have hundreds of union and non-union volunteer campaign workers — many from out of town. No ordinary candidate can possibly challenge such a Goliath political machine.
Let’s face it, the “real” election took place on Aug. 4 at the SMRR endorsement convention. In effect, this November all we will do is participate in a “SMRR run-off” over whether two or three SMRR candidates are elected. Is this democracy?
Speaking as a Pico neighborhood resident, I am outraged that none of our serious problems were on the agenda at the August SMRR convention. For years, SMRR leaders promised that they would soon endorse a Pico resident to the city council. SMRR has totally dominated local politics for two decades. SMRR easily could have endorsed at least one Pico resident in 20 years if they really cared about us. Instead, they allowed an entire generation of Pico residents to pass by without seeing one Pico resident elected to the city council.
We Pico residents are tired of hearing “now is the time to pull together” behind the SMRR slate, in the “next” election SMRR will endorse a Pico resident. Recently, SMRR leaders said that the VERITAS district election charter amendment on this November’s ballot is not necessary because THIS TIME in 2002, a Pico resident will be endorsed. Guess what happened at the SMRR convention? Pico neighborhood city council candidates were SNUBBED AGAIN.
I believe that We the People who live in the Pico neighborhood need to stand up and take charge. I am tired of slate leaders deciding whether or not a resident in the Pico neighborhood will be endorsed, and if so, why should slates dictate who will represent us?
I am disgusted with politics as usual. I support VERITAS election reform on the November ballot. VERITAS guarantees that the Pico neighborhood district will have a representative on the city council.
Critics say that even with VERITAS district elections, slates will continue to dominate our city government. This is not true. Elections in smaller districts take the corrupting influence of big slate money out of city council elections. With smaller, inexpensive district elections, popular neighborhood independent candidates can effectively get their message out with a small budget and neighborhood supporters, thereby defeating candidates loyal to big money Goliath slates — whether the slates are backed by big labor, big business, SMRR or any other big money group seeking to dominate our elections.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 19, 2002. Read the original PDF.