By GUEST COMMENTARY BY TODD FLORA
A funny thing happened to me this year. I went from being a seven-year Santa Monica renter to a new Santa Monica homeowner. As a member of Santa Monicans for Renters Rights (SMRR), I was concerned. Would I proceed to grow more conservative about local issues and start to resent renter activists and all of their crazy talk about “sustainable neighborhoods,” “preservation” and “reasonable, responsible development?” Thankfully, it just hasn’t happened.
As a homeowner, I still have the same concerns I held as a renter — and for renters. I want as economically and ethnically diverse a city as we can create. Affordable rents and — just as important, renter protections — help us preserve that Santa Monica. I still want reasonably quiet neighborhoods and a city that reduces its “environmental footprint” on the region by “growing smart” and “thinking green.” I want other cities in our region to pay their fair share of the homeless burden, not a Rudy Guliani-esque solution that calls for sweeping the problem under the rug without actually solving it.
Was this “hedge issue” a mess? Yes, and it’s an indicative sign that some board(s), bodies, or department(s) may be out of touch and in serious need of decaf. Could city government perform better? Of course, we’re a city, and cities have problems, folks. But something you’ll never learn from letters to the editor in this paper is that most cities have far more problems than Santa Monica does.
Let’s take a look at the SMRR endorsed slate for City Council. I believe the SMRR slate still fights for the Santa Monica we love. These are the good folks about which Santa Monica’s versions of the Swift Boat Veterans would have you believe are out to destroy our quality of life... and your family dog: ■ Mayor Richard Bloom: A bridge builder with a welcome practice of civility in our political discourse. He has proven instrumental in securing the city’s commitment to public education and park space. ■ Councilman Ken Genser: The “Dean” of the City Council, Genser is always thinking three steps ahead, is detailed focused and asks the tough questions. I overheard someone at a recent meeting say, “I can’t imagine a council without Ken Genser.” Neither can I. ■ Patricia Hoffman: A former school board president, Patricia knows this city and its operations like the back of her hand. I’m amazed every time I listen to her. She’s smart, funny and quick on her feet. She’s principled and won’t cave to anyone who would degrade the integrity of our city or its charm. ■ Maria Loya: This exciting policy advocate would make history as the first council member from the Pico neighborhood, and bring the body much needed diversity. Woman. Young. Latina. She’s poised and personable, and she won’t ever back down in the fight for middle and working class families (who live here too). She’ll keep Santa Monica progressive, and a city committed to economic and social justice while always looking for practical solutions.
There are other terrific people running for the City Council. Matt Dinolfo is a stand-up guy with a genuine intellectual curiosity I admire. I know and respect local leaders who are supporting Bobby Shriver, and they would not do so if he were not the real deal. But I hope he proves that there is nothing to read into about his choice to bypass seeking a SMRR endorsement while happily accepting one from the Chamber of Commerce. Mike Feinstein genuinely loves the practice of public policy, and is admirably “green” in his approach to resource and sustainability issues.
But at the end of the day, you have to look at a reliable record of accomplishment as a good thing, not the scandalous liability it’s made out to be by SMRR’s detractors. I’m voting for a team of four people I can absolutely trust to fight for affordable rents, renter protections, smart and sustainable growth, and a feeling of genuine community within our city, Bloom, Genser, Hoffman and Loya. I’m a homeowner now. And I still want that Santa Monica. (Todd Flora is a seven-year resident of Santa Monica, and has been a member of SMRR and active with Heal the Bay for much of that time. Todd and his fiancé proudly support the “Shop Santa Monica” effort and are even getting married at the Victorian on Main Street next year.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 27, 2004. Read the original PDF.