SMRR has largest war chest of any political group
A heavy November ballot has drummed up big donations for some of the city’s top political issues this fall.
By state law, candidates, political action committees and politically-active groups filed campaign donation disclosures Wednesday, revealing the amounts that have been raised since April.
While most candidates have not raised much money, many issue-orientated groups are already building large war chests.
The biggest donors so far have been a handful of Santa Monica beachfront hotels. Shutters by the Sea, Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel and Casa del Mar have donated $7,000 to Yes on Voter Election Reform Initiative for a True Accountability System, or VERI- TAS. The group has placed an initiative on the November ballot calling for the creation of voting districts, term limits and the direct election of a mayor with veto powers over the city council.
The hotels’ donations make up 32 percent of the more than $18,000 raised this quarter by VERITAS. Opponents of the measure have long criticized the group for taking money from the hotels, which are waging a campaign against a city-enacted living wage ordinance that would raise the minimum wage up to $12.25 per hour for any business making in excess of $5 million in annual revenues.
“I think this shows VERITAS is not about trying to achieve a community agenda, it’s about trying to achieve a hotel agenda,” said Denny Zane, co-chair of Santa Monicans for Renters Rights. “They think that if they can’t win the elections the way they are now, they will change the elections.”
But VERITAS organizers say it’s exactly the opposite. They say the hotel donations are insignificant compared to the many donations they have received that are below $100, the limit at which the state requires disclosure.
“We have a broad base of support, and the hotels are just part of that broad base support,” said Irene Zivi, a VERITAS organizer. “I’m not going to say they aren’t helping us because that wouldn’t be true.”
“We have a broad base of support, and the hotels are just part of that broad base support. I’m not going to say they aren’t helping us because that wouldn’t be true.” — — IRENE ZIVI VERITAS organizer
VERITAS organizers said a flier they mailed to households throughout the city resulted in more than a hundred small donations, the vast majority of which were below the threshold disclosure threshold. The group has also received a $2,000 loan from Jean Ann Holbrook, the wife of Councilman Robert Holbrook — a supporter of VERITAS.
FAIR — or Fighting Against Irresponsible Regulation — which is a coalition of hotels and the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, have surprisingly not built-up a large war chest for their campaign against the living wage ordinance.
Over the calendar year, they have raised more than $180,000, but all of that money has been spent. Officials involved in the campaign said the group’s fundrais-ing activities will start to rev-up shortly.
Santa Monicans for Renters Rights, or SMRR, currently has the most cash of any organization to spend. They have raised $96,950, and they have more than $78,000 on hand.
Since April, the group has received 184 donations of more than $100, but the average amount disclosed by the organization shows that the average donor gave $123.25.
The organization — which has dominated Santa Monica electoral politics for decades with broad support of the city’s renters — is mobilizing for an expensive campaign to educate voters about the living wage and VERITAS. “(The amount) is a littler higher than what we usually have at this point,” said Zane, “but it’s not out of line.”
Like VERITAS organizers, Zane said his organization relies on the vast number of smaller donations that are well below $100. SMRR sends out people to canvass door-to-door to raise money, much of which are $10 and $20 bills — not the $100 amounts disclosed in the reports, Zane said.
“The other $70,000 is people that donated who are giving under $100, and roughly that averages about $35 a donation,” he said. “At least, that’s the historical average.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 2, 2002. Read the original PDF.