By Cathy Larson Friends of Sunset Park, treasurer Who’s the idiot? Editor:
A March 7 Bill Bauer column about neighborhood groups contained a few errors concerning Friends of Sunset Park. 1. “Most associations co-mingle grant money and membership dues in one bank account.” FOSP recently applied, for the first time, for a city matching grant. The grant money was deposited into a separate bank account, not co-mingled, specifically so that we could easily track compliance with the city guidelines. 2. “They are in violation of the conditions of the grant.” According to Judy Rambeau, city matching funds CAN be used to publish newsletters with “pro” and “con” statements on ballot measures. Our February newsletter, mailed to members and sent as flyers to 7,000 households in Sunset Park, contained 500-word statements written by proponents and opponents of Prop. A.
A subsequent FOSP flyer, opposing Prop. A, explained how our board had reached that decision after three years of publishing newsletter articles about historic preservation, holding community meetings on historic preservation and landmarking, and soliciting input at annual meetings and in survey questions on our membership forms. It also included the CityTV schedule of Prop. A debates, as well as information about the Prop. A Forum at the Ken Edwards Center. City funds were not used to pay for this flyer. 3. “The practice of neighborhood organizations holding board of directors meetings with little or not public notice and in private, as well as conducting business without the polling or participation of members and neighbors, is reprehensible.” FOSP membership/board meetings are held the first Wednesday of the month at Mt. Olive Church. Reminder cards are mailed to all FOSP members and notices are included in newsletters flyered to the entire neighborhood. Those who cannot attend the meetings can access the FOSP Web site, www.friendsofsunsetpark.org, or contact us by voice mail and e-mail. 4. Contrary to Mr. Bauer’s statement, FOSP Vice President Tom Cleys is not a Landmarks Commissioner.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 15, 2003. Read the original PDF.