By Scott Baron
(Re: “Seeking help for schools,” Oct. 24) In a city that prides itself on equality and is one of the rent control strongholds of the nation, wouldn’t it be fair for the renters who are saving so much on monthly housing payments to contribute to the ballot measures that benefit them just as much as property owners? It strikes me as rather lopsided that the 30 percent of the citizens of Santa Monica who are property owners are singled out time and again as a piggy bank to pay for ballot measures for the other non-owning 70 percent. Certainly, all residents — owners and renters alike — should contribute to the finance and maintenance of Santa Monica.
Asking property owners to foot the bill for the entire city while restricting them from receiving market value income from the very people whose rents they are forced to subsidize by the city is unjust. And make no mistake, rent control is most certainly a city government subsidy that private citizens are forced to pay.
Let’s be realistic. Does anyone think if the city owned all those rental units that they would restrict themselves to a fraction of the revenues they could receive, all the while assessing fees to themselves for project after project as they do to property owners?
Many property owners are just working class people who put their housing funds toward a mortgage instead of rent and are providing housing in the process. So let’s ask ourselves, would it be fair to require everyone who owns a car to pay for the bus passes of those who don’t?
You live in the city, you contribute... not just one-third of you, but all of you.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 30, 2007. Read the original PDF.