> ## 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. # Racism, retaliation, displaced gratitude rule in SM - URL: https://www.smdp.com/racism-retaliation-displaced-gratitude-rule-in-sm/ - Published: 2003-11-14T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T03:14:32.000Z - Author: Bill Bauer - Tags: Opinion, Pico, #archive-import, Homeless ■ It’s been two months since a clique led and backed by school board member and Pico Youth and Family Center founder Oscar de la Torre took over the Pico Neighborhood Association. The new PNA Board of Directors announced with great fanfare that they would serve the needs of “working families.” Their claim that former PNA leaders were out of touch just isn’t true. In 1995, a letter written by Harriette McCauley, then PNA chair, to Susan McCarthy, former director of City Hall’s Human Services Department, recommended a common sense neighborhood agenda for the city to implement — with the same goals the recently deposed PNA leadership was still fighting for almost 10 years later. McCauley wrote, “The PNA is adamantly opposed to any additional homeless shelters, housing for substance abusers, transitional housing or housing for people on parole or probation. “The PNA supports the funding of a program to encourage moderate income households to purchase their own home...” The PNA endorsed a “moratorium on development of low-income multi-family, low income housing... especially within a 1,000-foot radius of another deed restricted, multi-family, low income project.” In other words, they didn’t want the neighborhood saturated with low income, rental housing. The PNA proposed “a program in conjunction with the school district to identify youth and their families to encourage high academic goals... expanded economic opportunities and to address the needs of dysfunctional families” to help reduce crime and drug abuse by neighborhood children. The PNA also supported “mortgage funding for low income people at good rates” and “a job training program targeted to risk youth geared to improving the living environment.” McCauley also asked for expansion of Virginia Park and other recreational resources. Of course, City Hall has ignored most of these suggestions. So, how stupid is it to blame a handful of former PNA directors for City Hall neglect and indifference? Last month, Councilman Kevin McKeown asked his fellow council members to help find jobs and training for Pico youth in the city. In perspective, it’s just more political hot air because chances are it’s never going to happen. And, the Santa Monica College has discontinued most of its vocational programs, making a bad situation worse. When a job center at Virginia Park was shut down a couple years ago, I wrote that it was an unfortunate loss of a needed resource. But no one cared enough to get it reinstated — not McKeown or de la Torre. There could be jobs for neighborhood youth at the Pico Youth and Family Center. The center pays $5,000 a year to UCLA’s MECHA for tutoring services. Why isn’t de la Torre hiring Santa Monica High School and SMC students from the “hood” to tutor kids, instead? Lately, one of the new PNA officers has been saying “the white men had to go.” It appears that racism might be one of the reasons behind the booting of so many longtime directors. Many on the “new” PNA board are city, school district and college employees angry that former directors, Peter Tigler, Mat Millen and Don Gray personally opposed both the recent college bond measure and the school district’s two parcel tax proposals. Behind the scenes, local politicos and homeless advocates were incensed about the PNA’s vocal opposition to an expanded homeless shelter on Cloverfield Boulevard. They, school and college advocates, retaliated by supporting cleaning house at the PNA. Now, the big question is whether new PNA leaders will become another mouthpiece for special interests, or will they take on the hard issues that must be dealt with? Will they realize that “progress” is getting service from City Hall, not “dissing” former PNA leaders? Will they unite the neighborhood or will the “race card” render them marginalized and ineffective? ■ A pro-school, letter-writing campaign to the press spearheaded by education advocates Louise Jaffe, Shari Davis and others asks parents and school supporters to thank the City Council for its generosity and support. Being that education is behind transients and affordable housing on City Hall’s list of priorities, anger, not gratitude, should be the order of the day. Did Jaffe, Davis and school supporters forget the snub 1,000 parents received last January when they asked the City Council for more money? Did they forget all the effort, time and resources spent promoting an unnecessary and unfair school tax increase? Do they remember how the City Council wheezed, whined and reluctantly came up with just $5.2 million ($2 million less than the district needed) for schools in June, yet couldn’t give $7.4 million away to a private, non-profit organization for a 55-bed homeless shelter fast enough? So, whether it be support for schools, jobs for Pico youth or solving neighborhood problems, city government has its own priorities which are different from yours and mine. And, that’s nothing to thank ‘em for. (Bill Bauer is a longtime Santa Monica resident and a freelance writer). *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 14, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/111403.pdf?ref=smdp.com)