Editor:
The issue of transparency is important, however, readers should recognize the limits of the agreement declared by the candidates signing this transparency letter ("Council candidates steer clear of unknown groups," Aug. 21).
The agreement is not to reject all endorsements given by groups that don't meet the criteria listed. Nor is it to announce to the press before the time of election that a particular endorsement has been rejected because the group that endorses has refused to provide the information asked for in this letter. In other words, the issue that arose during the last election when Santa Monicans for Quality Government deliberately confused voters with its support of certain candidates.
Nor does this agreement go as far as to make transparent in a timely fashion who is donating to the signatures' campaigns.
So, while this agreement may help us all know who is supporting whom, it clearly does not go far enough to create true transparency.
Gregg Heacock
Santa Monica
