> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # More politics in Bill’s crystal ball - URL: https://www.smdp.com/more-politics-in-bills-crystal-ball/ - Published: 2008-02-11T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T23:12:38.000Z - Author: Guest Author - Tags: Opinion, Mid-City, #archive-import, Homeless THIS IS GOING TO BE A BIG YEAR FOR local politics. There will probably be a proposition on the local ballot in November that would limit commercial development in Santa Monica. The Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City is collecting signatures from Santa Monica residents to place “The Residents’ Initiative to Fight Traffic” (RIFT) before voters in November. SMCLC’s Web site, www.smclc.net states, “Commercial development typically generates three to four times the amount of traffic as residential projects.“RIFT”will place limits on the amount of annual commercial growth in Santa Monica, cutting roughly in half the rate of new commercial development.” Just looking around at all the development underway is why many residents feel powerless to slow or influence the impacts of many new, larger and more pricey commercial and condo projects including those on the drawing board. Numerous fairly large commercial/mixed-use developments, especially in the mid-city area, are on the plan-ning department’s docket for development agreements or construction permits. Many developers are anticipating more stringent development standards that may be implemented when a revised Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) is finally approved. So, they’re pushing through their projects now to beat any unfavorable changes. It appears that SMCLC is fearful that many of these larger projects will be approved in the interim before an updated LUCE is finalized by City Council about two years from now and that any revisions to LUCE capping or restricting development size will be too little and way too late. SMCLC states, “By limiting annual commercial development to a level that allows a reasonable rate of growth, this measure will ensure that our city has the time to develop the infrastructure to keep pace with future growth. It will prevent the massive overdevelopment of our neighborhoods and ensure that residents have a say in the future of our city.” Due to the fact that the city hasn’t adequately responded to citizen’s calls for limiting development and mitigating traffic now, RIFT deserves your signature to qualify it for a citywide referendum this fall. Power to the people. Yeah! As I predicted in last Monday’s “My Write," the Santa Monica/Malibu Unified School District parcel tax renewal, Measure “R,” won handily at the polls with a 73-percent “yes”vote against a 27-percent “no”vote. I, along with 8,445 other people, opposed the measure not because I don’t believe in a good education for all of our kids, but for other reasons. I hate being lied to and felt the proponent’s campaign materials badly misrepresented the facts and deliberately avoided providing factual information about the measure — like its real cost to property owners and renters. The measure itself is deeply flawed and loaded with tax breaks for the wealthy. For example, it continues tax waivers (which cost the district nearly a million bucks in lost revenue, annually) granted to over 3,000 “senior” property owners, but not “senior” renters. I also resent that the big business interests and large landowners that supported the measure (after threatening to oppose previous parcel tax measures if they had to pay more) are getting off cheap — $346 per parcel, this year — considering the value of their properties are worth up to hundreds of millions of dollars. “R” opponent, Matthew Millen said there’s plenty of city money available to pay for public schools without resorting to more taxes. The undeniable truth is that if the millions of dollars now going to various social engineering pork, such as services for the homeless and public housing for out-of-towners and loans to nonprofits to build more mental health facilities were redirected to basic resident needs like our schools, there’d be no need for any parcel taxes. Lest anyone think that the passage of Measure “R” will solve the district’s fiscal problems — another misrepresentation stated by the measure’s proponents — think again. School debt will increase because spending is still out of balance with revenues. The big win should increase the “stock value”of Shari Davis (who chaired the victorious “Yes on R” committee), if she were to run for City Council, this fall. I’m sure business-and hotel-backed political activists are salivating at the thought of a Davis, Herb Katz, Bobby Shriver, Terry O’Day ticket to run against the Renter’s Right slate in the upcoming elections — assuming both Katz and Shriver seek fifth and second terms respectively on the dais. In November, we’ll all also get to vote on open seats for school board, rent control board and the Santa Monica College Board of Trustees. Those who are displeased with the performance of our politicians will have an opportunity to bring about “Change we can believe in,” to quote Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama. BILL BAUER when not signing petitions. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 11, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/021108.pdf?ref=smdp.com)