By Larry Mollin Santa Monica
Mr. Todd Flora’s guest commentary of Oct. 21 succinctly puts into hard focus what’s wrong with Santa Monica. This has become a one-issue town. Everything is viewed in terms of Rent Control. Renter, good, liberal. Everyone else, bad, conservative. Flora, who says he’s lived here for SEVERAL years so he must know, claims anyone wanting district representation is “well heeled.” Well heeled is bad. So-so heeled or no-heeled therefore must be good. Thanks for the polarization, Mr. Flora. Without stepping too hard on your heels, you are a perfect example of the dumbing down of the genetic make up of our community. If you really were honest you would admit that there are lots of homeowning bleeding heart liberals who still want a change and renters, especially seniors, who vote the (gasp) Republican ticket who are sick of the city’s passive encouragement of the homeless. The reason most people are behind Veritas is not to dismantle Rent Control but to broaden the city’s agenda and add some checks and balances on its ideology which is out of step with the main-stream. We want more than a ceremonial Mayor Moonbeam. And we want a government that will allow itself to look beyond one issue. The only way to get that is to vote YES on Veritas (HH).
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 23, 2002. Read the original PDF.