April 29, 2000

Dear Editor,

We are sad and sorry to hear of the passing of Ilona Katz.
She was an exemplary devoted activist in our community and a champion of higher education.

Bruria and David Finkel
Santa Monica

April 27, 2000

Dear Editor

The conventional wisdom says more parking means more cars. More development means more cars surely but more parking only means we can accomodate the cars that already come here. More parking may means less traffic -- less cars searching for parking.

When we agreed to the development we have, we agreed in principal to what that development meant. I've opposed many a development. But I favor making the best of what we have, accepting reality and moving on to make things as workable as possible.

Linda Sullivan
Santa Monica

April 26, 2000

Hi

I just wanted to let all of you know that I have grave reservations about
the proposal you are rumored to be considering on Monday night at your board meeting. I think it is imperative that SMC and the City spend time looking at the issues together in a cooperative way, including a careful analysis of the financial situation at the College and the City, before the College commits itself to any course of action.

Unfortunately, I believe the proposal has gotten off to a very bad
beginning, because there was insufficient early communication with the City. I hope you will not take action to do anything more than direct your staff to work closely with the City staff and to bring the issue back to you for any action only after full College and City staff as well as community discussions have occurred.

I hope you will also try to tone down the rather hostile references to law
suits and ballot measures that are presently occurring in discussions with
community members. As you know, there is strong support for education and lifelong learning in our community. We all want to ensure excellent learning experiences for all community members. And the best way to do that is to work cooperatively rather than divisively.

Thanks for the important work you are doing.

April 26, 2000

To the editor:

Re: "Living Wage War Escalates" (April 24, 2000).

I was one of the unpaid SMART Truth Team volunteers last week educating voters about the phony business-backed living wage petition circulating throughout Santa Monica, and I want you to know how appalled I was to read the words of high-priced political consultant Mark Mosher. Mosher claims to worry that the petition gatherers he is now carting in from Orange County and elsewhere might "get roughed up" by those of us who have been peaceful activists in this community for many years.

I ask anyone who runs across us to take a good look at our Truth Team
members and at Mosher's signature harvesters. Judge for yourselves. I think you will see that while some of Mosher's people are just weary itinerants making their living in yet another target community, others are pretty rough customers. Few of the signature harvesters could pass as local citizens who are honestly acting to better their community.

There were many more pleasant ways I could have spent my time. I
volunteered for the SMART Truth Team because I felt an obligation to stand up to a bunch of well-funded liars who are abusing our democracy in a very ugly way.

The person I had the most sympathy for this weekend was the poor supermarket manager who had to put up with the presence of Mosher's signature harvesters and our Truth Team. I wanted to tell him I didn't want to be there any more than he wanted us to be there. But if we don't stand up to the dirty political tricks of professional manipulators like Mosher, we will lose the self-governing community that so many of us cherish.

Dear Editor

I have been a resident in Santa Monica for over 30 years, own my house, & feel strongly about the Santa Monica community.

I fully support SMART's proposal for a real living wage & object strongly to the Chamber of Commerce's misleading proposal, its mailing to me, its propagandizing at markets & elsewhere.

The public needs to be educated on the wage issue in a fair, objective way; most of the community & city council support SMART.

Louise Hannum
Santa Monica