Of Landlords and Politics

By Teresa Rochester

In a little church on Yale Street a handful of City Council candidates delivered fire and brimstone speeches against the City's dominant tenants' group before an audience of landlords Monday night.

Battling for voter's souls, candidates compared their plight to that of the landlords saying that they too were not being represented by Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights, which holds a five seat super majority on the council. The candidate's forum - which also included school and college board candidates -- was sponsored by the grassroots landlord group Action Apartment Association

"I am sick and tired of the ruling party pitting resident against resident, resident against business and tenants against housing providers," said candidate David Cole, former president of the Mid City Neighborhood Association, as he stood at pulpit.

"They need to admit that you folks sitting here tonight are a most valuable part of this community and because of rent control are the affordable housing providers of Santa Monica," Cole said. "You all should be hailed by this council for your service and personal sacrifice to this community."

"I don't know who hates SMRR more, you or me and I'm a renter," candidate Chuck Allord said. "For the last 20 years we've been controlled by two parties… If I get elected I'm going to take it to the people."

Following a long-standing tradition, none of the SMRR-endorsed council candidates -- Mayor Ken Genser and Councilmen Michael Feinstein and Richard Bloom -- attended the forum. Two SMRR-endorsed Board of Education candidates, Michael Jordan and Jose Escarce, distanced themselves from the tenants' rights group. Neither candidate acknowledged SMRR's endorsement.

"I am proud to say I've been endorsed by many Republicans," said Jordan, a media professor at Pepperdine University. "I've also developed a relationship with [Assemblywoman] Sheila Kuehl. It's a relationship I've courted because I plan to squeeze every dollar I can from Sheila for our schools."

Council candidates urged the landlords present, most of whom were elderly, to change the face of the election by voting in four new council members. They also briefly touched on the election's hottest issues, including traffic, development and representation.

"I served on the Council for eight years. I was a minority…. You're either with them or against them. I'm arguing we've got to take this city back," said candidate and former councilman Herb Katz, to the applause of the crowd. "Then there's traffic. We can't change all of it but what we can do is get rid of the curb extensions and speed bumps. They're dangerous and you're paying for it."

"We can't think in terms of electing one new person to the City Council," said candidate and writer Don Gray. "The decline of this City over the past few years is progressing."

Other council candidates who addressed the crowd of more than 40 landlords included Donna Block, former vice president of Mid-City neighbors; Robert Ross, a former Ventura County prosecutor, peace activist Jerry Rubin and Jon Stevens a teacher and Internet activist.

Three of the five Board of Education candidates turned out to woo landlords. Missing was parent activist Gleam Davis and SMRR-endorsed candidate Maria Leon-Vazquez, also an education activist. Candidates vowed to bring uniform curriculum to the school district's classrooms and raise student achievement.

"I'm running against SMRR endorsed candidates," said Dr. Eleanor Meyers, a pediatrician, who also got the crowd cheering. "SMRR has run a lackluster board. I will help pick a good superintendent and not agree to a big bonus when the person is retiring or being kicked out. I think we need someone who performs and does a good job."

Escarce outlined several goals, including improving the school board's relations with the school community and the community at large, revamping curriculum and finding alternative sources of money for the district, which barely managed to avert several budget shortfalls this year.

SMRR-endorsed candidates for College Board of Trustees also were missing from the forum, including incumbents Patrick Nichelson, Annette Shamey and former board of education president Margaret Quinones. Present at the forum were political newcomers Pat MacGuire and Joe Weichman.

"You don't have to worry about the Rent Board," said Action President Herb Balter. "Neither of them responded to our invitation."

Republican Assembly candidate Jayne Murphy Shapiro accepted her invitation and lambasted opponent, Democrat Fran Pavley, for not showing up.

"It's so important to talk to the candidates. That's why I'm here tonight. My opponent, she doesn't go anywhere," said Shapiro. "She's assuming that the $1 million is going to be given to her by the Democratic Party and she'll just show up.

"That scares me," Shapiro said. "When she gets up there [Sacramento], she is going to be beholden to this party. Yes I'm a registered Republican but I'm not beholden to the party."