> ## 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.

# Grim expectations after city elections
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/grim-expectations-after-city-elections/
- Published: 2004-11-06T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T05:26:19.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Government & Politics, Promenade, #archive-import, Homeless

This past week, Q-line asked: What do you expect from your City Council in the coming years?

Here are your responses: ✆ From Bloom, Katz, Holbrook and O’Connor, I expect more of the same that they have done in the past, which residents have been complaining about for a long time. From McKeown and Genser, I expect concern for residents’ issues, which they have shown in the past. From Shriver, I hope he can deliver on at least some of which he talked about. And I hope some of the candidates that did not get elected, such as Morea and Feinstein, will stay involved, because they have a lot to contribute but were squeezed out by the big money and power groups in the city.” ✆ “It seems that Bobby Shriver is the new god or something in Santa Monica, and he said that he was going to take care of the homeless. So I hope that this new god will take the time to take care of the homeless. We don’t need just another figure head. We need the homeless situation to be taken care of.” ✆ “For the incoming City Council: Get these freeloading, filthy bums out of our city. Undo the traffic causing nightmares of the previous administration. Hold the overbuilding and the traffic and parking congestion this causes, and is causing, plus many more horrors that will have to be undone, due to the previous, inept, administration. And a sense of a responsibility — they should all have signs in their offices, a la Harry Truman, ‘The Buck Stops Here.’” ✆ “I do not expect anything from the City Council at all. Anyone with a microscopic iota of gray matter understands that municipalities are under the control of the various department heads of the city — namely, the city manager, the city attorney, planning and building departments, the chief of police, and the managers of the city yards who maintain the city. The council functions on recommendations made by these departments. In a life or death situation, I call the 911 emergency line. If I see a pothole, I call the city yard. I cannot ever in my whole life recall calling a city council member for anything. I also find it interesting that city members know the names of the city councilmen, but not the names of the department heads. Trust me, this is a mistake, if a resident needs something done in an expeditious manner.” ✆ “Yes, I hope we have a serious change in the City Council, because most of them are a bunch of a-holes. And I hope that we’ll get some new influx of blood, and all kinds of other good things, and maybe shape up and smell the coffee.” ✆ “What I expect from the City Council in the coming year, since all but one incumbent was re-elected, is more of the same that everyone complains about.” ✆ “I expect more of the same and I hope, however, that they will synchronize the traffic lights. I like low density. I’m glad they have a four-story height limit for most of Santa Monica.” ✆ “More of the same. More hassling of businesses, more coddling the bums and letting them take over the Third Street Promenade, and all the parks, and everywhere else.” ✆ “Yes, I think the No. 1 priority is to get the villains, a.k.a, homeless, off our streets, our doorsteps, our parks. We can’t walk our dogs or go for an early morning or early evening walk without having to be accosted by one of these villains. And that should be the No. 1 priority of the City Council.” ✆ “Worse, and more of it.” ✆ “Same old, same old. The City Council functions mainly as a mega-school board. With three incumbents re-elected, what’s the big difference? The newcomer and top vote-getter poured in enough money and family connections for a run for congress. Two very different young women from the Pico district ran for City Council and the third one ran for the school board. None made it. So I’d rather not, I’m afraid if we’re going to bring about anything, we’re going to have to go district elections.” ✆ “What I expect the City Council to do is to ensure safe drinking water, which means no fluoride. Fluoride is a toxic waste product that companies would otherwise have to pay to dispose of safely. And they get paid for it by putting it in our water. Such a sweet deal. And by the way, forced medication doesn’t sound very ‘pro-choice’ to me.” ✆ “As a Santa Monica resident, I believe it would be right for the City Council to support the following plan-ning ideas. Move small branches of important city and county offices such as the department of social services, social security administration and the police substation to the downtown Third Street Promenade and adjacent office buildings. Second, to add a few fishing piers. It is odd that in the whole city we only have one fishing pier and to offer free fishing lessons to the general public offered at the pier. Also, I would hope we would add many more beach showers. They are rather sparce for the budget that we insist upon. Plus, a few hot and cold laundry things in the same location as the showers. Add more parking lots, possibly some free ones for use of low income people. Finally, to place city planning suggestion boxes on each block of the Third Street Promenade for the use of the general public.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 6, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/110604.pdf?ref=smdp.com)