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# Sensible Priorities’ politics lack sense
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/sensible-priorities-politics-lack-sense/
- Published: 2006-03-13T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T17:21:17.000Z
- Author: Bill Bauer
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import, Homelessness

Community meetings promised last year never materialized probably because they didn’t want to go public without a constituency. Having “hundreds of members” and “recruiting a broad based network of citizens” as reported in this newspaper May 31, 2005, was also just crapola as I suspect are the “50 businesses attached” and “250 people involved” mentioned in last Wednesday’s article.

I personally know many community activists, yet nobody has been approached by SMSP. This tells me SMSP is really an exclusive like-minded group and outsiders need not apply.

Responding to my previous column that was critical of the group (SMDP, July 11, 2005, page 4), Jacobson wrote a letter to the editor and listed a couple of their members, including businessman Tom Viscount. Viscount later said that he was not involved with the group.

The campaign appears to be a phony and transparent way to slip SMSP candidates into office. In fact, Jacobson admits they intend to exploit homelessness the same way SMRR used rent control as an issue in the 1970s.

Bob Hattoy, a vocal supporter and former Washington, DC politico, environmentalist and HIV/AIDS activist who moved here in late 2004, was quoted as saying SMSP wants to “... prop up individuals who want to be involved in the electoral politics and who ‘may’ have differing views from the established political party.” May? Please. They don’t want to be viewed as “adversarial to SMRR,” but that’s exactly what they are. Come on guys, be honest about your politics.

Last year Jacobson said SMSP will “find three potential candidates” for City Council and “get them elected.” Then what? With this much money and subterfuge, you know there’s something dirty in Denmark. What are they really up to? End rent control? More development?

There’s nothing wrong with supporting candidates or forming a community issues group. There’s certainly nothing wrong with opposing SMRR, but some of these players, including Jacobson, have a long history of dirty tricks going back to 2001/2002 when they were part of Fighting Against Irresponsible Regulation (FAIR), an anti-living wage group that was widely criticized for distributing false and misleading election mailers.

All this does is send up a red flag for me, so I’ve got news for this crew: You can’t buy a grassroots group. Deceit, lies and B.S. will sink your ship. (Bill Bauer is a longtime Santa Monica resident.)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 13, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/031306.pdf?ref=smdp.com)