Follow the Money

By Beatrice Nemlaha

Prop A organizers' claim that theirs is a grassroots movement of homeowners giving $5, $10, $50, $100 donations is just another example of the way they make up "facts" to rally support for their economically-driven cause.

The public campaign reports they have filed in 2002 and 2003 to-date tell a far different story. Read on if you want to know more.

Prop A organizers have raised almost $237,000 since their campaign began. Two thirds of that, over $156,800, has come from real estate interests, corporations and businesses, and individuals wealthy enough to contribute $1,000 or more. If you include individual contributions greater than $500, more than 75 percent of Prop A's money has come from these sources, over $178,800!

Real estate interests include developers, real estate attorneys, property management companies, realtors and brokers, investors, contractors and builders, and others whose business and livelihood come from buying, selling, building, and investing in real estate.

Some of Prop A's biggest supporters are their own organizers, who collectively have donated almost $83,300. These folks include Tom Larmore, real estate attorney with the Santa Monica real estate law firm of Harding, Larmore, Kutcher & Kozal. Larmore has contributed together with other attorneys in his firm over $26,600.

The firm represents developers and, according to Mr. Larmore himself, banks and other financial institutions which finance developers and their projects.

The Prop A organizers also include Marc Schrobilgen (and members of his family) who have contributed $8,450 to Prop A. Mr. Schrobilgen is the fellow whose third development project triggered the Prop A campaign.

Mr. Schrobilgen listed his occupation and employer in 2002 campaign reports as a "Realtor, Threshold Company." 2003 campaign reports now list him as a Music/Video Producer/Editor with Threshold Sound & Vision.

These folks also include Lorene (Leah) Mendelsohn, who describes herself as a retired Real Estate Broker. She has contributed $10,100. They include Beth & Phillip Grunland, who in 2002 described their occupations as Property Management, but describe themselves as "Retired" in 2003, and Eleanor Haynes who describes her occupation as Property Management. These folks have given $4,000 between them.

Greg Poirier, the most visible spokesperson for Prop A, describes himself as a Screen Writer and is not apparently involved in real estate, at least not publically. However he is the single biggest donor
ro Prop A coming in at a whopping $34,090!

Just a few examples of other big real estate and investor donors to Prop A include the companies which own Casa del Mar and Shutters ($5,000); Abbott Brown, former executive with Global Crossings ($5,000); Jeanette Trepp, family of Warren Trepp, a former executive with Michael Milken ($5,000) and organizer of Nevada Securities Bank and Barry Smooke, Real Estate Manager of Souvenir Properties ($4,500).

They also include U.S. Equipment Co. Inc., which manufactures building equipment and air conditioning systems ($2,500); Barry Weinstock, a mortgage broker ($2,500); the Monkarsh family, principals in a real estate development company ($2,500); Freeman Group, Inc., construction consultants ($2,000); Sullivan Dituri Company, Santa Monica Property (apartment) Management ($1,500); Howard Alphson, Santa Monica Real Estate Attorney ($1,500); Steve Donahue, Construction ($1,000); Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles ($500); Brian Shirken, Real Estate Investor, Columbus Pacific Properties ($500); Harris Toibb, Developer ($500); Peter Doerken, Real Estate Developer ($250); Carrie Tilton, Real Estate Development, 2KS Real Estate Services ($250); and so the list goes.

Lastly, Prop A organizers are trying desperately to have the public believe another made-up "fact": that Save Our Neighborhood, their opposition, has been mostly funded by "outside" groups.

Of the approximately $76,000 we have raised, only $9,200 has come from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Los Angeles Conservancy, the Santa Monica Conservancy, the Hollywood Heritage Foundation, and Stanford Heritage.

These are all non-profit organizations committed to historic preservation. They are not profit driven or economically motivated. Their combined contribution is less than 4 percent of Prop A's total collections and expenditures.

So who, really, is behind Prop A? Just follow the money.