By Jan Tousignant Santa Monica
I just saw a copy of the Renter’s Rights endorsement mailer. You know the one, that lays out who and what to vote for. It was beautifully done. There were photogenic pictures and appealing parsed verbiage on all their candidates, offset by historical photos of Santa Monica. These were placed tastefully, throughout the slickly done brochure, to subtly communicate what this political group supports: rent control; worker’s rights; historical districts; and the importance of Santa Monica’s tourist industry (of course, they forgot to mention SMRR’s homeless policies which created a downturn in the tourism they are touting).
The most interesting, bordering on incredulous, part of the mailer was a listing of the various renters’ rights accomplishments, on the back side of the front page. So, aspiring to uphold a “truth in advertising” theme, to this election, the following rewrite is being submitted: “For over 20 years, Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights has been a national model for successful big brother tactics fostered by a progressive political agenda. The hundreds of active SMRR members have helped formulate and enact an oppressive political agenda designed to control housing, stifle tenants’ rights to ownership opportunities, limit owner development, expand targeted commercial development, weaken school accountability, compound traffic slowing and congestion, create more city bureaucracies, leave federally mandated environmental programs alone, and force divisiveness among wage workers in order to unionize them.”
If the voters of Santa Monica want more of the above, cast your ballot for the renters’ rights slate — conveniently packaged with multiple people having one mind-set. But, if voters want to opt for change, new visions, minds not tethered to any rigid political agenda, vote for independent candidates, like those running for city council — Holbrook, Dinolfo, Aranda or Allord. These are the real grassroots campaigns run with little money and great personal effort — a true David versus Goliath struggle, in a city where it is almost a forgone conclusion that SMRR has it in the bag.
A heartening parallel, to Santa Monica’s election, is the Revolutionary war. Here a small (only 30 percent) but vocal contingency of colonists sought to extricate themselves from Great Britain. This “Mother Country,” much like our community’s local political machine, was sapping people of their freedoms and rights to personally govern themselves. Basically, these colonists, like Santa Monicans, had rulers who needed them more than they needed their rulers. Well, we all know the outcome of that historical moment. And, maybe, just maybe voters will have a similar epiphany, a rush of honest reflection, giving them the courage to produce a liberating upset on Nov. 5.
Vote wisely. Vote for needed changes from the status quo. Give individual neighborhoods a sense of sovereignty — yes on HH. Place Independents in the council and school boards. Broaden the scope of those renting — no on KK (interesting initials) and yes on II. Instead of red flagging our differences, diplomatically problem solve, so our similarities and strengths are augmented — vote no on FF, GG, and JJ.
We are making headway in healing the bay. Let’s try to heal Santa Monica, as well, in this upcoming election.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 26, 2002. Read the original PDF.