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# Letter: Amid drought, conflicting priorities
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/letter-drought-conflicting-priorities/
- Published: 2015-06-16T13:24:14.000Z
- Updated: 2024-12-03T21:39:44.000Z
- Author: Editor
- Tags: Letters, Opinion, california drought, city council, City Hall, city of santa monica, drought, government, letters to the editor, los angeles county, paul pitkoff, Politics, population, Santa Monica, water, water penalties, water use, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2025-11-06 14:44

Editor:

I have a city magnolia tree growing in front of my house. I think it a benefit to all of Santa Monica. I water the city's tree. The city now plans to charge me additional money for watering their tree? Something's wrong with that notion. Something's wrong with the notion of a policy that continues to increase population density while at the same time curtailing water usage.

Maybe, for a change, the City Councilshould make a sensible and gutsy decision. Curtail all new construction that would increase density on a city lot until the state lifts the water emergency declaration for Los Angeles County.

Paul Pitkoff  
*Santa Monica*