PRESERVING OUR PALM TREES
To The Editor: As people have said how much they enjoyed the poetry about palm trees that I sent out over the summer as part of our effort to preserve palm tree streetscapes on several Santa Monica streets, here is more poetry from various authors about palm trees. • As the palm-tree standeth so straight and so tall, The more the hail beats, and the more the rains fall. • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Annie of Tharaw; translation... Read More
Developers Threaten Santa Monica Way of Life
by Ty Wapato The 2010 City Council election is a vivid example of how big money developers distort the truth to impose their wills on the citizens of Santa Monica. The contemptible slate mailers that misrepresented the endorsements of CEPS and the Santa Monica Police Officers Association, while they may seem like yesterday’s news, are a clear demonstration of how low the developers will stoop. The Police Association issued a statement protesting... Read More
THE LESSONS OF THE 2010 ELECTION
by Peggy Clifford Anyone from anywhere can come into Santa Monica and set up a fake committee called “Santa Monicans for Quality Government,” though he’s not a “Santa Monican” and, as far as we know, is the sole member of the group. And the aforesaid anyone from anywhere can collect money from developers, property managers and developers’ lawyers, most of whom are not Santa Monica residents and have no interest... Read More
Residents Oppose Bergamot Transit Village Project
City planner Jing Yeo and Carrie Garlett from PBS&J, the firm that’s doing the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) on the proposed Bergamot Transit Village Center, gave a preliminary report on the 960,000 square foot project Wednesday night, and then heard what some of the 50 residents at the meeting thought about the project. Those comments will be included in the DEIR. The deadline for issues residents want the DEIR to address... Read More
Save the Bees
The following letter was sent to Santa Monica City Council members by resident Susan Hartley: Dear Council members: Re 12/14 agenda item on the bee ordinance: I urge you to amend Santa Monica’s ordinance, legalize beekeeping on private property and eliminate the city’s extermination policy re bees. Given the threat of bee extinction globally, it’s criminal that Santa Monica requires bee extermination. How can Santa Monica say it’s... Read More
New Council Term Begins Under A Cloud
The five City Council members who won the recent election — four Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights’ (SMRR) members Gleam Davis, Terry O’Day, Pam O’Connor and Kevin McKeown, and independent Bob Holbrook — had a big edge going in. They were all incumbents (Davis and O’Day by appointment), and better known than the other candidates. SMRR’s campaign machine rolled out a major propaganda blitz for its... Read More
City Attorney Takes Its Time Responding to SMCLC Complaint
Before the recent election, Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City (SMCLC) filed a Complaint with the Santa Monica City Attorney regarding violations of city election law by the developer front group, Santa Monicans for Quality Government (SMQG). Earlier this week, SMCLC queried the City Attorney about the status of its investigation of SMQG. Friday, December 3, a month after the election, the City Attorney responded to the SMCLC’s inquiry.... Read More
Winterer Will Not Challenge Election Results
Santa Monica City Council candidate Ted Winterer issued the following statement Friday, December 3. Earlier this week the County Registrar certified the election results for the City of Santa Monica. The final tally left me 56 votes behind Councilmember Bob Holbrook in the race for the third and final 4- year seat on the City Council, a mere .08% difference of the total votes cast. Any elector has until five days after the certification to contest... Read More
HOLBROOK FINALLY WINS CLOSE COUNCIL RACE
According to the County Registrar’s office, all the absentee and provisional ballots in the November 2 election have been now been counted, and incumbent Councilman Bob Holbrook, with 12,771 votes, defeated challenger Ted Winterer, with 12,715 votes, by 56 votes. According to the City Clerk, Winterer could request a recount, but he would have to pay the costs. He could not be reached for comment. Holbrook, an independent, was seeking a sixth... Read More
HANDS OFF: IT’S OUR BEACH TOWN: II
ioThe big winner in the recent election was the status quo. That’s good news for incumbents, and bad news for the rest of us, because things weren’t going all that well before the election. The City Hall/SMRR/developers axis, and their consultants, once again swamped voters with lies and deceptions. As a result, a majority of voters backed a tax we don’t need, re-elected incumbents who should have been rejected, and rejected worthy... Read More
