Santa Monica Council Candidate Misunderstands LUVE

June 6, 2016

Dear Editor,

If Firefighter Dominick Bei’s understanding of the LUVE initiative is any indication of his ability to decipher simple documents then he should probably stick to fighting fires (“Santa Monica Firefighter Plans City Council Bid,” June 3, 2016).

Bei is quoted as saying “As it stands, LUVE has a strict height requirement of 32 feet. That needs some revision." This is the statement that opponents are voicing and it is absolutely false.

The LUVE initiative makes modifications to the LUCE and zoning ordinance and those modifications only come into play if the City deviates from its own rules.

For instance: It is the LUCE that created a height limit of 32 feet. If the City decides that a project can be taller than 32 feet because of some perceived benefits then the public gets to weigh-in as to said perceived benefits.

The one major modification that LUVE brings to the table is how development agreements are handled. All development agreements (since they are usually a huge deviation from the zoning ordinance) will require a public vote. Given the City’s past performance in negotiating development agreements, I consider this the best and most important part of LUVE.

It only takes a few minutes to read, as all you have to do is read the STRIKE-OUT and UNDERLINE language to see how LUVE modifies the LUCE et al.

The following URL is the City Attorney’s summary and the text of the LUCE and zoning ordinance showing the LUVE modifications. http://smvote.org/BallotMeasures/detail.aspx?id=53687092663

Joe Palazzolo
Santa Monica