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# Homeless come first in Santa Monica
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/homeless-come-first-in-santa-monica-editor/
- Published: 2004-04-26T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T04:15:06.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import, Homeless

*By KATHERINE MARIE ANDERSON Santa Monica*

I’m truly at a loss to explain some of the ridiculous comments made by two of Santa Monica’s elected officials who attempt to justify the city’s pathetic and continued persecution of small business owners over their business signs (SMDP, April 22, page 4).

First, you quote councilman Herb Katz, who tells us that the city “can’t take on bigger issues,” that is, the homeless problem, “without solving the smaller ones first,” like these awful business signs. Then, incredibly, this guy goes on to blame businesses and Santa Monica’s citizens for not doing anything about the homeless problem. No wonder this city is in such a mess.

The article then quotes another councilman, Kevin McKeown, who prattles on about how an “attractive, uncluttered environment is good for business.” I guess that he means an environment that doesn’t permit businesses to advertise with signs.

But I, and I’m sure I’m not alone here, have a strong suggestion for McKeown. It’s not the removal of innocuous signs that will create a good environment for businesses and will otherwise improve the quality of life for us and our families in this city. No. Getting rid of the unattractive clutter like the homeless and the piles of feces and puddles of urine this city enables them to deposit on our streets and in our parks will make a better environment for businesses and our families to work and live in.

Councilmen Katz and McKeown seem to never have met a program they don’t like that enables the homeless to continue their anti-social behavior. They are the reason why we have so many homeless in our parks and on our streets, which constantly reek from the stench of urine and feces deposited by the homeless these misguided politicians so warmly enable.

God forbid if you are a business operator or a citizen who makes a positive contribution to this community, because responsible people like us are the easy targets for the foolish policies wrought by our City Council.

Only councilman Bob Holbrook tells us like it is when he says the City Council doesn’t care about the business community.

But I, and I know I’m not alone here, would take that a step further. By taking a look at our streets, parks and beaches this City Council doesn’t care about Santa Monica’s residents either, unless of course they are the homeless residents of Santa Monica.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 26, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/042604.pdf?ref=smdp.com)