I miss Bill Bauer, especially now as we enter the final weeks before the election when things are getting dirty.
Bill was a political columnist for the Santa Monica Daily Press who laid bare the truth underlying the power struggle among the various political forces in our small city: SMRR, The Chamber of Commerce, The Democratic Club, the PTA, the school district, and the corruption fueled by Big Money. Bill would be having a heyday now that the players include the developer-backed YIMBYs.
I used to stay up late Sunday night waiting for the posting of the online edition of Monday’s SM Daily Press so I could be the first to read Bill Bauer’s weekly column. His writing was smart and funny and relentless in exposing the power plays in our small city.
I am no Bill Bauer, but I am someone who cannot turn a blind eye to the deception and opportunism that is evident in Santa Monica politics. So, I was struck a few days ago when I read in the Daily Press a commentary written by someone named Susan Sheu who attacked the integrity of city council candidate Doug Trussler.
I had never heard of Susan Sheu and because the Daily Press did not identify her, I looked her up. It turns out, Sheu is part of the political infrastructure of the Santa Monica Democratic Club, the primary Democratic political organization in Santa Monica, one that conducts local endorsements, forums, and mobilization. Sheu is also in a leadership position with the Los Angeles County Democratic Party (LACDP) and was on the Executive Board of the California Democratic Party (CADEM). In short, she is not just a commentator, but a party leader.
An honest person would have disclosed her position in such an assault on Doug Trussler. But without such a disclosure of her Dem Club position Sheu was able to launch a seemingly independent attack on Doug Trussler and spare his rival Caroline Torosis from getting her hands dirty. It’s clear that was Sheu’s assigned role.
At the July 14 Democratic Club endorsement meeting, the vote process ended as a stalemate, with no Council endorsements issued, to the visible consternation of many Club members, including some Club leaders. So, if you consider Sheu’s organizational role in the Democratic Party machine - you get some sense of how afraid they are of Doug Trussler because he is a lifelong Democrat who is not part of the establishment or the YIMBY camp that has taken control of the party - and our city government.
Trussler has used Sheu’s assault as an excellent opportunity to lay out in detail what his values are. As such, it is extremely important for voters to read. In it, he explains how his philosophy informs his operating style, which highlights the deep integrity he brings to his endeavors. As if to punctuate the depth of his core beliefs, on Saturday he received a Humanitarian of the Year award from Hope the Mission, which operates 3,300 homeless beds in California.
Just as important, his response lays out the critical hands-on business acumen and experience that we desperately need on the Santa Monica City Council to pull our small city out of financial distress.
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Tricia Crane, lifelong Democrat and chair of Northeast Neighbors of Santa Monica