■ Measure JJ, the living wage ordinance, sets a minimum wage of $10.50 an hour with health care benefits or $12.25 per hour without benefits. The ordinance applies to city workers, city contractors and private businesses operating in the coastal area with gross receipts over $5 million and their contractors or sub-contractors.
There are no exemptions for charities or non-profits, but firms with union contracts are exempt.
This ugly measure is a payback by Santa Monicans for Renters Rights politicians to the hotel and restaurant employees union. It creates a privileged class of worker here. Those lucky enough to work at large firms in specific locations benefit while others doing the same job or similar low-paid jobs in the rest of the city do not.
Measure JJ does nothing to benefit the community-at-large except to create another multi-million dollar city bureaucracy and it deserves a resounding “No.” ■ Measure HH, or VERITAS, calls for election of council persons by neighborhoods or districts, as well as a city-wide elected mayor with veto power and council member term limits. While there is a need for voter reform, like a double-chocolate banana split with cherries, whip cream, marshmallows and sprinkles, this also is too much.
The “devil” in HH is in the details. For example, HH’s 30-day residency requirement (instead of the current two-year requirement) makes our city vulnerable to hijacking by carpetbaggers and special interests with nefarious agendas.
HH’s intent is to make it easier for non-SMRR interests to elect their own like-minded politicians. But, like a double-edged sword, it also makes it easier for SMRR to win key district seats and stay in power.
“Yes” — We need to keep this loan fund alive. Owning is not evil. I urge a strong on KK. Don’t let SMRR raid our loan fund for their pet pork
The big problem with our politics is not where politicians physically live but where their minds are. HH doesn’t deal with agendas or political philosophy. Voting for candidates just because they are your neighbor is a bad idea. ■ Measure KK is a city raid on homeowner loan funds. In 1984, a Tenant Ownership Rights Charter Amendment was set up. It established a tax collected on every apartment converted to a condominium. This money was put into a fund to help low or moderate income tenants purchase or improve their units.
Later amendments allowed half of TORCA funds to be used to assist the city in non-profit housing development — to purchase and rehabilitate low-income “rental” housing.
Measure KK would eliminate any restrictions on the TORCA fund (now about $4.5 million) and allow all TORCA monies to be used for subsidized affordable rental housing. In essence, loan money will most likely be drained away and not be available to low and moderate income renters for purchasing homes.
KK is another lopsided measure spearheaded by Denny Zane, SMRR’s co-chair. It’s another bad piece of legislation that allows the city to seize funds set aside for ownership to benefit the city affiliated Community Corporation of Santa Monica and other affordable rental housing developers.
Zane and KK supporters will do anything to preserve the renter voter base so vital to SMRR political clout. And, financing one of SMRR’s favorite causes: affordable housing (most of which, recently, has been recently occupied by foreign immigrants) is another plus for them despite hurting the little guy. ■ I opposed two other ballot measures last week. Measure GG doubles the pay and provides health and dental benefits to the Rent Control Board. Measure EE is a third-rate school parcel tax plan that short changes our kids, burdens the poorest in the community and allows big hotels, large property owners, developers and luxury apartment complexes to pay virtually nothing in comparison. ■ Measure II, known as SMRPH — Santa Monica Residents Protection and Homeowners charter amendment or “Right to Own” — provides a fair mechanism for the conversion of apartments, mobile homes and other rental housing to condominiums.
It, too, is opposed by the SMRR power structure because when renters become owners, they usually abandon SMRR. SMRR opposition to this measure is predictable, but in reality it gives renters important benefits for buying their own home and this is good. Vote “Yes.”
Bill Bauer is a 25-year Santa Monica resident and a freelance writer. His column appears every Friday.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 25, 2002. Read the original PDF.