Editor:
I certainly don't understand who the City Council is being directed by or whether the members are just pursuing their own personal agenda, but I do not know of anyone who supports any additional affordable housing and absolutely not any through using public funds. We are all tired of traffic and paying higher taxes to allow new non Santa Monica residents to move here at our expense. Let us try to make it more affordable for those of us who have been here for many years and not have higher taxes.
The idea of raising TOT or other business taxes is also ridiculous. The City is going to kill our hospitality industry with increased minimum wages and potentially higher taxes. I thought not too long ago the Council was concerned about affordable hotel rooms. Well this will certainly not achieve that goal. In reality,TOT revenue would probably decrease with less people staying here as a result of higher costs.
If the City really wants three goals, then they should have picked the ones that everyone I've come across have: (1) reduce traffic, (2) increase safety/reduce homeless, (3) affordability for existing home owners and businesses.
When was the last time we actually tried to reduce the cost of living here for a home owner? The focus always seems to be on making this an inexpensive place for people who do not even currently live here.
Brad Brenner
Santa Monica
