Two significant local measures are included on the 2016 Santa Monica
election ballot - SM and V. This article summarizes the measures, who
supports and opposes each; how much money is being raised and spent
to sway public opinion and garner votes.
Measure SM – City Council proposed amendments to City Charter
Article XXII (Oaks Initiative) to extend and clarify its provisions.
This measure would amend Article XXII of the City Charter, which was
adopted by the voters in 2000, commonly known as the Oaks Initiative.
The original Oaks Initiative was put on the ballot in 2000 to prohibit city
officials from awarding public benefits, such as development
agreements and contracts, to individuals or entities and then receiving a
personal benefit such as campaign contributions or employment from
the public benefit recipient. Oaks was aimed at lessening even the
appearance that public officials are expecting future personal benefits
when carrying out the people's business. It passed by almost 60%.
The City has never investigated or enforced complaints of Oaks
violations. This will change in November if voters pass Measure SM.
Measure SM expands Oaks, and enables its enforcement by:
- Placing enforcement responsibility in the hands of the independent
Criminal Division of the City Attorney's office or a special prosecutor
who has no conflict of interest;
- Permitting criminal and civil prosecutions of any violator, including
developers or contractors, who violate the law;
- Clarifying which public officials are covered by Oaks (City Council, City
Manager, Planning Commissioners, Department Heads, and their
designees);
- Clarifying that receiving a campaign contribution or personal
advantage in any location, including outside of Santa Monica, is
prohibited;
- Requiring companies receiving public benefits to disclose the identity
of all owners so they cannot hide behind shell companies; and,
- Specifying that remedies are cumulative against any violator.
Measure SM also creates an exception for unpaid volunteer members of
non-profit entities other than PACs or entities controlling PACs.
For example, many community members serve on the board of directors
for nonprofits that receive City funding.
No arguments against Measure SM were submitted and to date no
committee has been formed nor any money raised either for or against
these amendments.
Measure V - The Santa Monica College Classroom Repair, Career
Training, Higher Education Access, aims to improve local access to
affordable higher education for high school graduates/adults/veterans
by issuing $345,000,000 in bonds with a provision for citizen
oversight and annual audits. Bond proceeds are to be used to repair,
upgrade, construct, and modernize classrooms at SMC and John Adams
Middle School, and provide money for expanding Memorial Park. The
Tax Rate Statement estimates an additional annual increase of $250 per
$1 million of assessed value on Santa Monica properties. The Rent
Control Board may permit landlords to pass through all, some, or none
of the fees for the bond through to tenants, though it has not yet voted
on what those pass throughs may look like for Measure V. Past Rent
Control Boards allowed landlords to pass on 100% of SMC bond
property tax assessments. Tenants assessments are based on the
number of units per building.
Proponents of Measure V contend that SMC needs to replace
temporary classrooms installed after the 1994 earthquake, modernize
classrooms built in the 1950’s and 80’s, add a new science and math
extension, complete improvements at the SMC Performing Arts
Center/Broad Stage campus, upgrade technology and add landscape
improvements that will conserve water. In addition, up to $45 million
of bonds funds could go toward joint projects with Santa Monica and
Malibu - expansion of playing fields at Memorial Park and infrastructure
enhancements to Malibu community education facilities.
The PAC, Campaign for Safety & Modernization at Santa Monica
College, headed by Shari Davis, supports the bond measure. Total
contributions to date are $520,447. Last year, in anticipation of a bond
measure, the PAC raised $111,947. An additional $408,500 has been
raised as of September 21, 2016. The largest donors are non-profits
related to the college; Santa Monica College Foundation ($200,000);
KCRW Foundation ($125,000); SMC Associated Students ($125,000);
the Madison Project DBA as the Broad Stage ($10,000); and, the
Committee for the Advancement of Public Education ($11,947).
Approximately $1835 has been spent to date on administrative
expenses including remit envelopes for contributions.
Opponents argue that the issue is not education, but fiscal
management; SMC bond debt funds, previously approved for similar
purposes in 1992, 2002,2004, and 2008 (totaling $613 million), either
already exist or were used for purposes unrelated to the bonds’
specified intent. There is no accounting of expenditures from the
previous bonds that will not be fully retired until 2038. Local property
owners bear exclusive responsibility for bond debt though only 4% of
the 30,000+ SMC students are graduates of Santa Monica or Malibu high
schools. Additionally, Prop 51 on the California state ballot, if passed,
will provide billions of dollars for state community colleges, including
SMC.
To date, there is no committee formed or money raised opposing
Measure V.
To read the text of the ballot measures and the arguments for and
against, visit www.smvote.org/ballotMeasures .
The next campaign disclosure statements are due September 29. Stay
tuned.
Mary Marlow is a member of the Transparency Project. For more information, visit http://www.santamonicatransparency.org.
