Tenant Harassment Smokescreen, the Power of Words and More Money for Tourism

March 5, 2001

Dear Editor,

Editor, Surfsantamonica

All of a sudden a lot of renters are coming forward and complaining about tenant harassment. Most of their tenant complaints are code enforcement problems such as construction noise at times not permitted by the building permits, habitability problems and the like.

Lack of code enforcement has been a major criticism of neighborhood leaders and informed citizens for years, but the City has ignored the vast majority of the complaints. A couple of weeks ago the City's code enforcement person quit because, "I wasn't allowed to do my job."

None of this should come as any surprise to the SMRR's on City Council or Rent Control Board or Planning Commission. That is why Michael Tarbet, SMRRs' PR man and chief strategist and SMRR co-chair, Nancy Greenstein, are quick on the scene to make a big issue out of ongoing tenant problems. It was obviously the right time to jump on the issue and stage a show for City Council

It is all a SMRR smokescreen. Out of the clear blue sky there are numerous tenant harassment complaints and Michael Tarbet is leading the charge. Is this is a big snow job by SMRR to remind everyone how "tenant oriented" they are and to put a spin on problems they have been ignoring for years?

It is the same strategy Tarbet used before last year's election to make a citywide issue out of the pay of a couple dozen maids at the Loews Hotel and draw attention away from the real issues -- or failures -- of the City Government concerning over-development, traffic, parking and the homeless.

Tarbet's grandstanding on tenant harassment comes at an opportune time. It seems like a well-timed SMRR public relations ploy to deflect criticism of City Council's recent decisions on the transit mall, Target and other issues, as well as ignoring years of code enforcement complaints from a large cross section of citizens on a number of issues -- including tenants.

Bill Bauer
Santa Monica

Dear Editor,

(Re: Frank Gruber's Friday Column, "Mothers and Fathers and Sons and Daughters.")

I spent 15 years of my young adult life as a youth worker at my church. My focus was junior high and eventually high school age kids. We had a wide cross section from the children of movie stars to those that barely could afford their Westside rent. Clearly there are parenting practices that increase your chances of having well balanced, happy kids.

However, I was always amazed how many good kids came from emotionally crippled parents and how many emotionally crippled kids came from good parents. There is a beta factor, free will, that no parent no matter how skilled can control. In fact, if you look at the Old Testiment, God gave Adam and Eve the perfect environment, yet they used their free will to rebel.

My heart goes out to your friends and the parents of the college students who were killed. I suspect your friends are turning over their lives asking themselves if they left or picked up too many staples on the carpet. I personally wonder if their son realized while speeding through that Isla Vista neighborhood that he was taking his parents along for the ride?

Craig Johnson
Santa Monica

Dear Editor,

Frank Gruber's column today was one of the most wonderful pieces of writing I have seen in a long time.

Although we don't know the parents, after reading about them and having a son ourselves, I think my wife and I understand how they must feel.

Frank's column made it more real.

Tom Larmore
Santa Monica

Dear Editor,

(Re: Frank Gruber's colum)

Thank you, thank you for your article "Mothers and Fathers and Sons and Daughters." As the Chair of the Board of the Ocean Park Community Center and a friend of Diana and Dan Attias, as a parent of a son who graduated from UCSB and as a mother of two, I sat and wept when I finished your essay.

Thank you,

Darlene Lasher

Dear Editor,

Thank you, Frank.

Denny Zane
Santa Monica

Dear Editor,

(Re: Frank Gruber's Colum)

Fabulous. Keep Writing.

Judy Abdo
Santa Monica

Dear Editor,

(Regarding your January 18 article about the resignation of Beverly Moore)

Bev's shoes will be difficult to fill, since, not only has she done an exemplary job during her long tenure, but she has done it under very trying circumstances.

Since she started the job, Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) collections have tripled, and there's been an enormous growth in other visitor-related tax revenues. But the City Council has left the funding constant. That is ridiculous. Would Feinstein expect that the
recruiting budget for the Green Party to remain constant even though its membership base had more than tripled?

Then there is the climate that this Council, in conjunction with the labor unions, has created in regards to our hotels-- it has vilified the ownership and management relentlessly, and worked diligently to make life difficult for them. How exactly does the City now go about recruiting someone qualified for this position? "We hate your industry
(although we are dependent on it for huge tax revenues), we won't increase your budget no matter how big the industry gets, and we will let no opportunity pass to make life difficult for your client businesses." Good luck.

I will say it one more time: The hotel and visitor industry generates huge tax dollars for the city, pays for services that it doesn't use (fire, police, health), provides entry level jobs to people just entering the work force, doesn't pollute, uses the existing infrastructure in a complementary way, and deserves to be nurtured and supported, not attacked.

Michael Sieverts
Santa Monica

Dear Editor,

(Re: Bruria Finkel's letter to the editor published Feb 26.)

My lyrics on the Transit Mall were not really supposed to have either quality or literary value--they were just supposed to be fun. And I, too, would prefer to spend time having fun than filing lawsuits. (Of course, I know that Bruria and I will never agree about quality and artistic value--my plebeian tastes never understood lashing rowboats to the pilings under the Pier.)

By the way, there is a big obvious difference between the transit mall and the subway--one's above ground where it interferes with traffic and parking and the other isn't where it won't.

Tom Larmore
Santa Monica

Dear Editor,

Hooray! Our City Council is right on target. They showed some common sense by voting NO on letting Target into the downtown area. Thank you Council members from a life long SM resident.

Barbara O'Meara

Dear Editor,

It is about time that a City Council thinks about consequences to its city rather than focus on the financial benefits.

Not only would Target add to an already existing problem, just the development of the store alone would be a complete nightmare for everyone in the area. Target Stores does not care about anything but making money...I found the direct mail pieces misleading.

Tell Genser and O'Connor to get on the DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES BOARD.
Maybe they can sit and focus on clogging up the streets some where else- as if it's not an existing problem already.....their attitudes is exactly what has gotten Los Angeles in this situation now-- why not focus on alleviating traffic and congestion and focus on public transportation---ever consider routing 'THE WAVE" up into Northern Santa Monica??
Congratulations to the ones that voted against TARGET and had the best interest of the City and People of Santa Monica in mind!

Summer A. Gourdin
Santa Monica