SMART adds to its war chest
Two organizations active in passing a ballot initiative that would institute Santa Monica’s living wage ordinance received a financial boost last week.
Santa Monica-based Liberty Hill Foundation gave a $35,000 grant to Santa Monicans Allied for Responsible Tourism, or SMART, and another $35,000 grant to Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice, or CLUE.
The living wage law would raise the minimum wage for low-income workers at coastal Santa Monica businesses that earn more than $5 million a year in revenue from $6.75 to $10.50 with health benefits or $12.25 without benefits.
The Liberty Hill Foundation, which is a self-described progressive institution that helps fund grassroots organizations working on problems faced by the county’s population of working poor families, doled out more than $500,000 in grants to groups throughout the county “Liberty Hill is the searchlight that seeks out outstanding community groups that do groundbreaking work and enliven democracy at the grassroots (level),” said Torie Osborn, executive director of Liberty Hill. “America is working out its future in Los Angeles and the work of these community groups insures that Los Angeles has a future as a true city of angels.”
Both SMART and CLUE have been the beneficiaries of similar grants from the foundation over the past few years, officials said.
“We were delighted to get the grant from Liberty Hill,” said Vivian Rothstein, director of SMART, noting a number of other groups supporting economic justice causes were given funding also. “So we are in great company.”
Rothstein said her group had applied for the grant months ago and only heard it had received the donation last Friday.
“It’s a very long process,” she said. “You apply one month and then you don’t hear for several more months.”
SMART also has recently received grants from the Catholic Church’s Campaign for Human Development for $10,000 and from Ms Foundation, which used to be part of Ms Magazine, for $15,000. They also are awaiting word of whether or not they will receive a grant from the Jewish Fund for Justice.
Rothstein said the money will be used to get new members involved in SMART, involve community members in one-on-one meetings with local hotel managers who oppose the proposed wage, help pay for letter writing campaigns along with many other activities designed to help support the living wage ordinance.
CLUE Executive Director Alexia Salvatierra said her organization would use only part of the money campaigning for Santa Monica’s living wage ordinance.
“This isn’t a grant to CLUE for working the living wage,” Salvatierra said. “It’s for our work throughout Los Angeles County.
“This isn’t a grant to CLUE for working the living wage. It’s for our work throughout Los Angeles County.”
“Which includes our work on the living wage, but that’s only part of it,” she added.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 27, 2002. Read the original PDF.