By Jon Mann Santa Monica
The Growth Monster was unleashed in Santa Monica long ago, but then it was called “Slow Growth.” Now it is called “Smart Growth.” These are simply terms, like “Wise Use” that reactionaries and venture capitalists use to camouflage and obfuscate what is really going on, e.g. rampant development — Water Garden, Lantana, Macerich, Civic Center Village, etc. All authorized by LUCE. [SMDP columnist] Bill Bauer refers to the progressives and socialists in City Hall, terms intended to strike fear and loathing into the very souls of reactionaries and conservatives. The real agenda of our City Council has nothing to do with Marxist principles; it is to raise revenues for the coffers of the bureaucrats and administrators to expand their personal power base, using increased taxation from corporate expansion, etc., to fund their civil service fiefdoms. Sit in on a meeting of the Bayside District sometime, if you don’t believe me.
The proof of the pudding is easy to see by how our City Council is elected. Four or five receive contributions and endorsements from city employees, public agencies, social service providers, and grant recipients. The rest are endorsed and receive contributions from other special interests — developers, realtors, landlords, car dealers, etc. There is some overlap among these political and commercial opportunists.
Bauer is right about LUCE. It is also true that increasing bike and pedestrian pathways, traffic calming, and other so called efforts to reduce congestion, often have the opposite effect. This city is doing everything possible to attract more traffic by encouraging tourism, turning a community college into a university sized business, creating a super mall that will eventually stretch from Main Street all the way to the Montana corridor and proceeding east there, on Colorado, Olympic, and eventually the whole city. Where will it end?
If this council really had a socialist, secular progressive agenda it would heed the priorities of residents who actually vote in local elections. If the council really cared about citizen concerns, it would act to resolve our complaints at community meetings, instead of selling the city agenda. If the council really wanted to reduce congestion it would enact the Residents Initiative to Fight Traffic.
Instead of giving only SMC students free passes on the Big Blue Bus, everyone who lives, or works in Santa Monica should be included. That would reduce traffic far more than simply catering to pedestrians or bicyclists by narrowing streets. If this city can afford to target millions of dollars to pay care providers to foster dependency among the 2,000 plus homeless in this city, it can certainly target some of that wealth to provide free transportation for people who actually work, reside, or attend school in this city.
If this council cared about what residents wanted, it would redesign the city Web site to include an interactive community forum. That one simple action would implement public input on civic matters such as growth, parking, traffic, homelessness, education, exposing conflict of interest, streamlining the bureaucracy and auditing the budget online, in full public view.
In addition, the council should use a portion of this wealthy city’s revenues to give something really palpable to the students, workers and residents of Santa Monica. It should provide free Wi-Fi access throughout the city to encourage citizen participation in an electronic town hall that would hold our public officials accountable for what they have done to this city.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 5, 2008. Read the original PDF.