By David Alsabery Santa Monica
After reading, “SMRR opts to wimp out” (Aug. 11, page 4), I realized that us Santa Monicans are all wimping out. Having attended Santa Monica College before transferring on to get my bachelor’s degree, I found that getting classes you need and dealing with parking was a big problem for us broke students, working and paying our way through school.
As land-owning, Santa Monica bond-paying residents, we must demand special treatment for residents of Santa Monica. Residents of Santa Monica should get special, free parking permits to Santa Monica College right next to the faculty/staff parking as well as priority on all class registration before non-residents of Santa Monica. A bond paying-resident of Santa Monica should always get the class they want. The fact is, the majority of the students attending Santa Monica College are not from Santa Monica. Every other year the college taxes the citizens of Santa Monica with a bond. In 2002 it was for $160 million dollars, 2004 it was $135 million, in 2006 they scrapped a $175 million bond and this year they are doubling up and asking for $295 million.
They are looking to raise over a half a billion dollars in six years and at this rate should pass $1 billion by the end of the decade. It is safe to say this will not be the last bond measure we will see from our billion-dollar college. With that in mind the least they can do is be nice to the people that are footing the bill and toss us some perks. Come on SMC, pander to the bond-paying voters a little bit and buy our votes.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 13, 2008. Read the original PDF.