The Politics of Nostalgia and Debating VERITAS

October 23, 2002

Dear Editor,

I just received a glossy eight-page election brochure in the mail from Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights touting the group's achievements and promoting its candidates and the ballot measures it supports.

What is most interesting is the choice of photographs of Santa Monica selected by this political
group for use in the brochure. The photographs span the period between 1890 and 1945. The front cover has a photograph of a pristine Palisades Park circa 1939.

It stands to reason that photographs of bygone days are preferable to modern day photographs. Modern day photographs would more clearly show SMRR's contributions to the decline of our city: the homeless taking over our parks, the reduction of traffic lanes and the resulting increase in traffic gridlock, the gentrification of Santa Monica, and run-down schools because the anti-family SMRR City Council diverts funding for schools to homeless programs.

Sincerely,

W.T. Dorr
Santa Monica

October 23, 2002

Dear Editor,

Regarding the recent spate of attacks on Santa Monica measure HH (VERITAS), I wonder where the sense of fair government got lost. Those who oppose it, including the League of Women Voters, seem to have forsaken a municipal government whose interests embrace ALL demographics. The League has determined that term limits are OK for federal elections, but not OK for local elections. That seems hypocritical, if not downright illogical.

The Pico Neighborhood district has never had a representative on the City Council, even though its roughly 13,000 residents deal with problems that are unique to its demographics. Without neither direct district representation nor a direct citizens' vote in the mayoral election, the Pico Neighborhood is virtually disenfranchised.

I feel the reforms Veritas proposes are the only way to level the playing field. In the long term, I would want my children to be able to vote for their mayor, just as they will have the right to vote for their Governor or President. Let's not permit the power elite to maintain their self-interests above the promise of true democracy.

Edmund Bravo

October 23, 2002

I saw the debate between DeSantis-Holbrooke & Feinstein-Katz on Prop HH (VERITAS). Quite frankly, the Feinstein-Katz team had it all wrong. If a specific city councilman represents a specific district, they have to pay attention to their constituents.

With a city-wide election, they can ignore relatively small groups with impunity and worse yet some areas of the city go completely unrepresented.

Its about time that HH be passed and that people who live in the City are represented by a RESPONSIVE City Council, rather than one with its own agenda -- rather than an agenda that only addresses the interests of a limited area of the City.

Barbara Peters
Santa Monica