|
POLITICAL
WAR CLOUDS GATHER
For twenty-three
years Santa Monica has been a community at war with itself. Like
a United Nations Peacekeeping Force, the State Legislature stepped
into the fray with the Costa-Hawkins Bill, which from 1996 until
very recently caused the longest period of local quasi-tranquility
that we have witnessed since 1978.
That interval of domestic calm seems near an end as several political
developments combine in a combustible mix. Having achieved political
dominance, Santa Monica for Renters Rights (SMRR) could not be
content with making life miserable for landlords and felt compelled
to impose its ideological will on hotels and restaurants with
a Living Wage Ordinance. In so doing, they awakened a business
community that had largely sat on the sidelines while SMRR and
apartment owners duked it out for over two decades. SMRR has political
dominance, for now, but the business community is very prosperous
and isn't led by people used to losing. SMRR has awakened a sleeping
giant.
Meanwhile, SMRPH, a new condominium conversion initiative, has
qualified for the next local ballot. While Costa Hawkins is on
the books, SMRPH, if passed, is likely to have little economic
or political effect locally. Should vacancy decontrol be eliminated
or be significantly modified, conversion could be an important
safety valve for apartment owners. SMRR bitterly opposed the first
condominium conversion effort; the Home Initiative in 1986, then
through political expediency supported the second-generation conversion
initiative, TORCA, in 1988, 1992 and 1996. Since that time, its
leaders have gone on record opposing conversion in general and
SMRPH in particular. However, condo conversion as proposed in
Santa Monica has been popular with tenants, posing a political
problem for SMRR, causing it to be out of step with its constituency
on a major issue.
Further complicating this picture, is VERITAS, a government reform
initiative, calling for term limits and changing the election
of local office holders from an at-large system to a district
system, making it easier for an independent or minority candidate
to gain office without the backing of a political machine. This
is a potential threat to SMRR's hegemony. (For more information
on VERITAS you can go to their web site at www.yesonveritas.org.
SMRR's fear of VERITAS prompted the laughable irony of a far-left
City Council proposing an anti-free speech ordinance, to complicate
grass roots signature gathering. The hurriedly composed ordinance
would require signature gatherers to hand out information sheets
which among other things will disclose who is sponsoring an initiative
and will explain how to ask questions about it and how to rescind
one's signature. It will also be a misdemeanor to fail to comply
with the ordinance, allowing the City Attorney, the hired legal
gun of the political (Council) majority, the ability to bring
the resources and power of local government to bear on alleged
violators. Since the initiative process is a tool of the citizens
to check the power of the government, SMRR's intent is to make
signature gathering more difficult. In so doing, SMRR joins a
long list of other reactionary governments in selling out its
ideals to protect its power. SMRR clearly doesn't want anyone
misleading voters when signatures are gathered for initiatives
the way it misleads voters in political campaigns when it misrepresents
anything it opposes as a threat to rent control when often the
matter has nothing whatsoever to do with rent control.
Notwithstanding the fact that the Living Wage Ordinance had been
drafted, was approved by the Council on first reading and SMRR
had the votes for approval, Councilman Genser pulled it from the
agenda when it was set for final approval, saying that he had
more questions about it, after which he asked no questions nor
discussed it further. One would assume this was a tactical delay,
to allow the new signature gathering ordinance to be on the books
prior to the Council approving the Living Wage Ordinance, making
it more difficult for FAIR, a business group opposed to the measure,
to gather the signatures necessary to qualify a referendum on
the question, for which they would have thirty days to accomplish
and which they have signaled their intention to do.
The initiative petition reform ordinance will likely be passed
at the next City Council meeting. The Living Wage Ordinance is
likely to be passed at the same meeting or within thirty days
thereafter. After the passage of the Living Wage Ordinance, things
will really start to take off. A signature gathering effort will
commence to put the measure before the voters. Sponsors will have
thirty days to obtain the necessary signatures. Quite likely a
lawsuit will be filed challenging the initiative petition reform
ordinance on free speech grounds. Meanwhile Veritas sponsors will
continue gathering signatures to qualify their measure for the
ballot. Their deadline to submit 9,030 signatures is December
14, 2001.
When these matters will be voted upon is interesting. If VERITAS
qualifies for the ballot it calls for a special election within
six months, at which time SMRPH, the condo conversion initiative,
would also be voted upon. The City Council can, however, determine
when the referendum on the Living Wage Ordinance is held, if it
qualifies for the ballot. Look for politics to determine that.
Put your money on the council scheduling the referendum for a
different time than VERITAS and SMRPH to limit the likelihood
of supporters of the three measures combining money and manpower.
While much remains to be seen as to how and what things will unfold
from all of this, what is certain, is that the four years of peace
that our community has enjoyed is ending and political war will
soon break out once again. 
|
