Responding to What I Say and There Must be Some Mistake

May 18, 2001

Dear Editor,

(Re: Frank Gruber's column "Living the Living Wage.")

Is it a sardonic remark or just an untruthful remark on your part? "If they price themselves out of subsidized housing they will never find a place to live in our fair city."

Since January 2000, when Costa Hawkins law hit our city, a person needs to earn $56,000 a year in order to rent a one bedroom apartment in Santa Monica. When SMART speaks about $10.69 an hour for the workers it computes to $22,000 a year.

A worker will need to work 80 hours a week at the hourly fee $10.69 in order to have a one bedroom apartment in Santa Monica. That is inhuman.

Bruria Finkel
Santa Monica

May 15, 2001

Dear Editor,

There must be some mistake. In the article "Civic Center Group Tackles Housing," you attribute statements to Councilman Ken Genser and Planning Commissioner Geraldine Moyle that could not possibly be true.

All of the assisted housing developed in the Pico neighborhood has been very low and low income family rental. Six hundred units and none for seniors, none for moderate income, none for singles, none for the physically disabled, none that saw tenants become owners. As recently as last year, I again made the case for diversity in assisted housing to both Community Corp and Bob Moncrief, the City Housing Director, only to be ignored. 1925-33 20th St. and 2120 Delaware Ave. are recent acquisitions that ignored calls from myself and others for mixing of income and tenant type.

When Councilman Ken Genser is said to have stated ..."he saw a benefit... in mixing a full range of income levels in one neighborhood... that it was not the Santa Monica way to isolate affordable housing."... I think there must be some mistake. He has never answered suggestions or acted to set City policy that would support such a comment.

When Ms. Moyle is said to have stated ... "that in addition to housing for families and seniors, Santa Monica needed housing for single people"... I find that, too, hard to believe as accurate. Ms. Moyle and I were both board members of Community Corp. As I live and breathe, she said to me, "We develop only for families." My suggestions for diversity were scoffed at.

So you must have gotten it wrong. These wonderful people couldn't be liars, hypocrites, possess double standards or be pandering... now could they?

Peter Tigler
Santa Monica

May 15, 2001

Dear Editor,

(Re: Frank Gruber's column "Politics Without Power.")

Interesting analysis of school board problems. The loss of taxing power certainly hurt the school districts, but most people would probably NOT say schools are the #1 priority, at least in the Pico Neighborhood with the crime problem.

(One person has been murdered in the street in front of my house, another was shot up the block and died across the street from my house, numerous other people have been shot and stabbed across the street, or within one block, the latest was a stabbing last week.)

Public safety is the #1 priority. What good is a rent-controlled apartment if it is too dangerous to live there? There was a shooting on Exposition near the low income housing project about three weeks ago. The bullets went into an apartment (not that of the intended victim). The tenants moved out, and with the gang member living upstairs, are afraid to return, so they vacated.

I am surprised you never cover the problem of rent control protecting criminals at the expense of law abiding tenants?

Mathew Millen
Santa Monica

May 11, 2001

Dear Editor,

(Re: Frank Gruber's column "Politics Without Power.")

I have served public education for 33 years ( yes I started in the olden days) and have been involved in the development of legislation and policy making in Sacramento.

Your column rings true it is an excellent description of "what is" and why it needs to change.