> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Give him his Props: Ballot is ‘mixed bag’
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/give-him-his-props-ballot-is-mixed-bag/
- Published: 2006-10-16T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-25T01:07:52.000Z
- Author: Bill Bauer
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import

There are five local measures on the November ballot. Most of them will cost you money.

Measure U would remove City department heads from civil service and empower the City Manager to replace poor administrators and make other changes related to promotion and hiring. No taxpayer costs here, just a more efficient City Hall. Vote “Yes.”

Proposition W is the City Council-concocted “Good Government Act of 2006” to water down stringent campaign reform approved by 60 percent of the voters in 2000\. Promoting “W” are three of our most well-financed City Councilpersons — Richard Bloom, Bobby Shriver and Mayor Robert Holbrook, as well as big money special interests.

The current law prevents public officials from taking campaign cash, gifts or a job from a company that received a city benefit, such as a tax break or city contract. Prop W would allow council members to go to work directly for developers after approving their projects and accept gifts (kickbacks) from corporations and individuals doing business with the city that might benefit from their votes.

Prop W proponents say the current law is “too restrictive,” and there’s “no graft or corruption” in City Hall. Yet, city politicians waged an expensive four-year court battle to toss out the original voter approved campaign reform law — and lost. Unwilling to accept the will of the voters and the courts, they arrogantly created Proposition W to enlarge campaign war chests and stay in power.

That speaks for itself. As far as corruption today, a “No” vote on “W” will help prevent it tomorrow.

Prop Y is the marijuana initiative that mandates the possession (any amount) of weed for personal use by an adult shall have the lowest law enforcement priority. While I think that often too many law enforcement resources are spent on minor infractions like possession of small amounts of pot, I’m supporting our police department by opposing “Y” because holding small amounts of grass is already a low priority here.

If approved, the poorly written Measure Y would create an expensive bureaucratic nightmare with more paperwork and reports, probable establishment of an oversight review panel, prohibit cooperation with federal agencies on marijuana offenses and require City Council semiannual reviews of pot arrests.

Another City Hall bureaucracy and money drain? Heck, no. Smoke “Y”by voting “No.”

Proposition BB is the Santa Monica- Malibu school construction measure. This would allow the district to issue a whopping $268 million worth of bonds whose interest and costs would be born by both homeowners and renters through yet another unfair tax assessment.

Proponents say this bond is the first of two expensive issues contemplated by the District. It’s important to support our schools, which is why we’ve already approved one “repair” bond and two parcel taxes, recently. Now, school lobbyists are floating this bond proposal and will float another $200 million plus bond measure and push renewal of the two existing parcel tax measures a couple of years from now.

A few months ago, school supporters drew up a list of needs — a “wish list” filling three thick notebooks. It’s a fat-stuffed menu of dreams by district administrators and school lobbyists with no basis in reality. We all want safe schools and a pleasant learning environment, but “BB” is unrealistic and excessive.

City housing policies have resulted in hundreds of new families with school-aged children moving into city-sponsored housing projects, annually.And, the district issues annual permits to thousands of nonresident students to attend our schools. This contributes substantially to overcrowding and financial shortfalls — two of the reasons for all the spending and Measure BB. But, City Hall isn’t being asked to back this bond, individual property owners, renters, seniors, singles and the elderly are.

Less than 20 percent of Santa Monica and Malibu households have children in the district, yet, because of district waste and mismanagement, we keep the money pit filled.

A “No” vote on BB will stop the profligate spending without accountability and force them to come back with a definitive and realistic project list and a more reasonable dollar figure.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 16, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/101606.pdf?ref=smdp.com)