By Jack Srebnik
Guest Commentary by Jack Srebnik
There was a guest commentary in the Oct. 4 issue of the SMDP by a Mr. Flora, a recent resident of our great city. Unfortunately he comes to his opinions without the benefit of many years of seeing just how our city was, is and should be.
I too am a resident, small business owner and parent with two children in the Santa Monica schools. I can tell you right now — the living wage is a bad deal for our city and will cause more harm than good for the men and women it proposes to help.
In his opinion piece, he has unfortunately confused fact with fiction. I have lived here for over 20 years, and have seen this city change so dramatically sometimes for the best, sometimes not. But I love this town as much as anyone, and I do not want to see it hurt by the risky, whims of a small group of special interests that have too much influence over our city council.
Let set the record straight. First let’s address this misconception that the city invested hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade the bay district so the businesses in this area are now beholden to the city and should provide a “living wage” to their employees. Well Mr. Flora, let’s tell the truth. Of that $180 million he talks about, it is estimated that less than 10 percent came directly from the city coffers. The rest were grants and loans from the state and federal government — and some of it we pay interest on as state taxpayers. The same study that Mr. Flora refers to, states clearly that the city did not invest disproportionately in the bay district over any other part of the city. (Check out the facts at http://pen.ci.santa-monica.ca.us/cityclerk/council/pollin.pdf) So as a result, should we now impose a living wage on the entire city?
Most importantly, the businesses in this district have conservatively spent nearly $300 million to build a district that was at best a rest stop for transients and the homeless. Should they be penalized for investing in the community? Let’s set the record straight!
Much is made in his piece about the “big hotels” and “wealthy business owners.” I wish I could say I was a wealthy business owner. The fact is I like so many others I am just making ends meet, and in less than great economic times. Is it the right time to force me to spend more than I can, to risk my livelihood?
This is not just a fight by the big hotels! Businesses large and small will all be affected by this bad law. Mr. Flora forgets about businesses like Midnight Special Book Store, Broadway Deli, The Reel Inn, Hennessey and Ingles, and many more small businesses … each of whom face potentially devastating impacts by this bad law. With the city ill prepared for the coming of this law, the “so called” exemptions will not go into effect for some time, and in the interim, businesses will be forced to meet the new higher wage standards, and may be forced to close their doors. I ask Mr. Flora is this an “innovative cutting edge decision.”
Let’s set the record straight. The way Mr. Flora tells it, he would have us believe that this law was the work of a grassroots group of residents! Well let’s look at the facts. Based on recent campaign spending reports, a group of very clever labor unions from downtown Los Angeles are behind this law. This one special interest group is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars and bringing outsiders into our city every weekend, to make us believe that this is good policy for our city. I admire our city leaders, but I think they have been led astray by the mistaken promise of the real “vocal minority”
Let’s set the record straight. Mr. Flora refers to our “city of great wealth.” I think he must be thinking of Beverly Hills. Did he not hear the agonizing hours of debate by our city leaders as they cut over $15 million from important city services to balance the budget? Schools are going without music and art programs, city services such as street improvements have been delayed or scraped. This is not the time to be adding new laws that benefit a few and handicap the many!
Your right Mr. Flora it is “gut check” time, and my gut is telling me this is bad for Santa Monica, bad for our residents, and risks the very jobs you want to protect. I hope you will look at the facts, and vote no as I am on Measure JJ.
(Jack Srebnik is a small business owner and resident in Santa Monica.)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 16, 2002. Read the original PDF.