August 12, 2002

Dear Editor,

This is a letter of unsolicited political advice for Josefina Aranda (which she might consider rather than relying on Michael Feinstein, who signed a letter castigating Abby Arnold for not supporting the SMRR slate in a previous election, and has turned around and is apparently now not supporting this year's SMRR endorsed slate).

1 - Build bridges (and relationships), don't burn them.

2 - Remember who the real enemies are -- the anti-living wage hotels and the anti-rent control landlords, NOT colleagues in SMRR. Think about the best strategy for defeating those big money interests.

3 - Get appointed to a board or commission -- this is a highly recommended way to meet people and to learn about politics in Santa Monica. You could also volunteer for the Living Wage campaign, which would allow you to meet people, learn about politics in Santa Monica, and make a valuable contribution to improving peoples' lives. I write as a former commissioner on the Commission on the Status of Women (termed out after 10 years service), former member of the Santa Monica Child Care Task Force, and activist for many many years at various levels in SMRR, the SM Democratic Club, and SMART.

4 - Look at the voter registration rolls, and count the number of Green voters compared to the Democratic Party and independent voters. Think about the long term political fall out from alienating non-Green progressive voters, many of whom disagree with Green strategies in Florida and Minnesota and are wary of an unspoken Green agenda in Santa Monica (yes the election is non-partisan, but that does not negate the influence of party politics).

5 - Once you have your own political history in our city you will not need to rely on your parents' work history, your ethnicity, or on having grown up in a particular neighborhood to validate your candidacy. You will be able to run as a candidate for the entire city. I write as a resident of Santa Monica since 1975, including 12 years as a renter in the Pico neighborhood.

6 - Think about these two different scenarios for 2 or 4 years from now, in a future election:
a) Josefina Aranda, after losing the SMRR endorsement in 2002, worked for the SMRR candidates, was active in the living wage campaign, and served on the (such and such) commission. She is a shoo-in for SMRR support in the 2004 (or other year) election.
b) Josefina Aranda, who ran a divisive campaign in 2002 . . ., well, you can conjure up your own outcome for this scenario, but it won't look like option a).

And thank you Frank Gruber, for your excellent article, "It's Getting Hot in the Kitchen," I agree with every word!