Can anybody actually explain to me the major differences between the different people and groups running for city council? I'm happy to even give a break down of my positions/opinions on what I think are the main issues facing our city in case you think you can say where my interests should direct me.
Things I care about:
(1) Having Santa Monica feel safer and cleaner, which more than anything I think means we need to do more to reduce visible homelessness and fully fund and empower our police department. Homelessness is a regional problem, not just a Santa Monica problem, and for too long I think we've suffered from being overly kind and have allowed other areas to push their homelessness problem on to us and while we need to provide services and help where we can, we should also be making sure that other areas (the county, other cities) are bearing their appropriate share of this problem as well. Those that want help should get help, but those that don't want help shouldn't be permitted to make personal use of what should be our public spaces for all residents to enjoy.
(2) Development is very important. I think 3-4 mixed-use story developments along our main arteries (Wilshire, Santa Monica, Lincoln, etc.) is good and even taller buildings are appropriate in our downtown core. However, I think development should generally be market rate housing as that is what will be the most stable in the long run for the housing market. At the same time, R1 SFHs are still a large part of our community and we shouldn't forget that. We don't need massive development everywhere.
(3) We need to keep working to revitalize downtown, in particular the 3rd Street Promenade area. This area should be a draw for both locals and tourists as tourist dollars spent here should be providing a material portion of our city budget. While things still have a long way to go, I think we have made real progress in the last year or so and I have no idea who should get credit for that (but if I knew who was really responsible for it I'd want to vote for them). Probably legally problematic, but I'd support things like vacancy taxes for retail spaces downtown to encourage landlords to rent out these spaces instead of just waiting around years for a perfect tenant.
(4) I'm still a believer in the great park for the SMO airport land. I'd be willing to consider options that involved some amount of LIMITED development around the periphery of the property if that was necessary to get the funds to make the park happen sooner. But the airport has been an ecological blight on our city and I won't vote for anybody that isn't committed to shutting it down (and I can't believe we are still having a debate about this?).
Things I don't care about:
(1) Rent Control. I think a lot of our current problems around development, insufficient housing, etc. have been made worse, not better but rent control and expansions of it. We need to build our way out of these problems and one of the major regulations that gets in the way is rent control. I get that if you have it, it's awesome, but it -- along with Prop 13, which I also think is stupid! -- aren't doing us any favors.
(2) Bike Lanes. Sure they are nice to have, I don't mind them when don't intelligently but selfishly I've got a family with young kids and so practically speaking we are driving and parking a car whenever we go anywhere so your awesome mobility plan doesn't drive my vote.
