Dear Editor,

Santa Monica for Renters’ Rights (SMRR) has long been a cornerstone of our city’s housing landscape. However, over the past several years, there has been a troubling shift in the organization’s priorities that deserves our attention.

SMRR has become more focused on being a political power broker, willing to smear and lie with endless attack mailers against anyone who doesn’t receive their endorsement. They demand that candidates “kiss the ring” if they want to run for city council, or risk being labeled as “anti-rent control.”

They have lost themselves in extreme ideology, a hunger for power, and support for candidates out of touch with the community’s real concerns. SMRR even refuses to endorse any candidate open to a Santa Monica Police endorsement, showing how disconnected they are from what truly matters—safety.

Don’t they realize that renters, especially those without yards, want safe parks and open spaces? SMRR’s actions suggest they care more about maintaining political influence than actually protecting renters.

When SMRR made its endorsements for city council, they skipped over Ericka Lesley, the chair of the Rent Control Board, who you would think is the most qualified person in Santa Monica to receive their endorsement. But because she was friendly with the Santa Monica Police, she apparently wasn’t considered “progressive enough” for SMRR’s standards.

Instead, SMRR favored newcomers like Dan Hall and more extreme progressive candidates over experienced housing advocates—a puzzling decision that seems at odds with SMRR’s stated mission.

SMRR’s endorsement still carries weight, and they use this influence to smear candidates they don’t support as threats to rent control—a disingenuous tactic given the broad support for existing protections across the political spectrum.

Everyone running for city council, including Phil Brock, Oscar de la Torre, Dr. Vivian Roknian, and John Putnam, supports maintaining rent control. It’s actually written into our city charter and can’t be changed without a ballot vote. To claim that anyone is taking it away is nothing more than lies and smear tactics.

SMRR’s focus seems to be more about preserving their own political influence than protecting renters’ rights. If they truly understood, they’d know that city council members do not have the power to “end” or “take away” rent control.

As Santa Monica residents, we must hold organizations like SMRR accountable. While they’ve played a vital role in our city’s history, their current actions suggest a departure from their original mission.

It’s time for an honest discussion about whether SMRR truly represents the needs of Santa Monica’s renters or if they’ve become more focused on wielding political influence for its own sake.