> ## 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.

# ‘Raging Gorilla’ is bad for McKeown and city
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/raging-gorilla-is-bad-for-mckeown-and-city-2/
- Published: 2006-10-30T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-25T01:12:40.000Z
- Author: Bill Bauer
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import, Homeless

Santa Monicans for Sensible Priorities, the hotel-backed lobbying group, has become the raging 800-pound gorilla in this year’s City Council election.

I’ve written three columns (July 11, 2005; March 13 and April 10, 2006) on SMSP, labeling it as secretive and deceptive — an exclusive, clubby, clique of well-to-do developers, attorneys, hoteliers, landlords and entrepreneurs Hell-bent on taking over City Hall at any cost. As of Sept.30,their Political Action Committee sponsored by “hospitality providers and the Edward Thomas Management Company,” a development company that owns Shutters and Casa del Mar hotels, had already “spent in excess of $400,000” (Daily Press, Oct. 25, Page 1), mostly in efforts to oust Councilman Kevin McKeown.

What does ETMC President Tim Dubois and his cronies have against McKeown?

“I’m talking about aggressive panhandling, intolerable traffic, poor city planning and a homeless problem that has grown out of control,” wrote Dubois in a recent SMSP mailer. SMSP has been mailing glossy “News Updates” that promise “creative solutions” to nagging city problems, then blame two-term Council incumbent McKeown for all the city’s ills and suggest his removal from office.

Amazingly, their mailers indicate support of the same array of homeless services created and perpetuated over the years by McKeown and city council members endorsed by Santa Monica for Renters Rights. Vagrants aren’t their real concern, it’s just a front. And, those other issues? Not much activity since the 2004 election.

This reeks of vendetta. A payback for McKeown’s support of labor and a city mandated living wage for hotel workers a few years ago?

Once again, non-Santa Monican Dubois, with his well-paid PR gunslingers, ride into town before the election like John Wayne to set things straight. They mount a naive and uninformed campaign — what you’d expect from outsiders. Their scabrous anti- McKeown cable TV spots set a new low for deceit and misrepresentation.

Vagrants aren’t their real concern, it’s just a front. So what’s their real game? The money interests behind this nonsense won’t disclose their real agenda. They’d rather just buy a council seat or two and surprise us.

But, I don’t like surprises. Especially if it might involve weakening rent control, making it easier for speculators to demolish apartments, evict low-and middle-income tenants and build multimillion dollar con-dos while still doing absolutely nothing about homeless problems, traffic, parking and neighborhood issues.

This is about power. Their goal: pick off SMRR’s most liberal councilman and replace him with pro-development Planning Commissioner Terry O’Day. By pre-empting SMRR of its council majority, City Hall will become friendlier to developers and business interests.

O’Day’s decisions on Planning Commission and Holbrook’s on City Council generally favor businesses and developers. For example, both O’Day on Planning Commission and Holbrook on Council consistently vote to reduce required on-site commercial parking requirements thus forcing residents to compete with business employees and customers for scarce on-street parking spots.

I don’t like McKeown’s stand on affordable housing,social services and the homeless,either. McKeown is a big supporter of traffic jamming mitigations including curb extensions, planter islands, narrow traffic lanes, etc., resulting in a traffic nightmare producing tons of vehicle emissions which degrades air quality. However, when it comes to community livability, Kevin is the only councilperson we can count on to back residents, and that’s a big plus for me. My readers know that I don’t like SMRR or McKeown’s social engineering. But, I know what to expect from McKeown.

Dubois has a right to spend fortunes torpedoing politicians he dislikes. However, isn’t there something hypocritical going on here? During the 2004 campaign, Dubois and friends — through their “Santa Monicans for Change” PAC — spent more than $350,000 on campaign materials, mostly for Bobby Shriver and incumbent Council Herb Katz, who proposed a “homeless tent city” on a beach parking lot and comfort facilities for panhandlers downtown.

As Councilmen, Holbrook and Katz vote more often with McKeown then against him on these hot-button topics. But, Dubois and his cohorts aren’t bitching about them. And, they’re not attacking McKeown’s SMRR slate-mate — three-term incumbent Pam O’Connor, who almost always supports McKeown on decisions they don’t like.

Based on their campaign, If “Nonsense Priorities” prevails election day, duck for cover. Santa Monica will be meaner and nas-tier — a very unpleasant place to live.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 30, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/103006.pdf?ref=smdp.com)