Editor:
This letter is in response to Ken Robin's letter dated Dec. 23, 2013 ("Poor parking structure planning"). Mr. Robin, your comments about the parking structure's lack of bathrooms is sound, your perception is clear and your complaint is valid. You have touched upon the great failure of special interest, single-party municipal government.
Lack of independent vision of six of our seven City Councilmembers is not only traditional, but the standard way of doing business. You see, sir, the six take their marching orders from the Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights (SMRR) power structure, known for the last 35 years to have no vision, rather a wanted, clearly stated, single agenda — build low-income housing so their voting stock can enjoy reduced rent. Come election day every two years those who do vote elect those SMRR candidates who promise to continue having their constituents enjoy subsidized rental housing. This, Mr. Robin, is the standard Soviet model going back to the 1950s.
We Americans, thank God, have a natural and orderly mechanism for controlling our elected officials. This is called the election process. Your frustration, sir, is my frustration. This lack of vision can been seen throughout the city: a light rail station with no parking; $43 million for a park built with zero underground parking; hundreds of millions of our redevelopment funds to build low-income housing; a failure to take care of our seniors, schools, residents, traffic, parking, police and fire.
These acts and policy choices that my opponents, the SMRR elected officials, promote ensure that they get reelected every two years in order to build more low-income housing. The time has come for the voters of Santa Monica to take back their city and send the six SMRR City Council members walking.
SMRR elected officials are ill equipped and clearly unable to solve these problems because they are beholden to SMRR. Mr. Robin, your comments are falling upon friendly ears. Happy holidays and all the best in 2014.
Robert Kronovet
Santa Monica
