KATHRYN MOREA

GENERAL QUESTIONS:

1. Who are you? Describe yourself in 100 words or less.

I'm a California native and came to Santa Monica in 1996. My son (now in college) attended Santa Monica public schools. I have 2 cats that I rescued from the street, enjoy my garden and live in the Pico neighborhood. I work full-time as a database analyst at a law firm in Century City. Until this campaign, I also worked as a part time teacher at Michaels sharing my love of arts and crafts. I am passionate about my neighborhood, extremely persistent, and action oriented. I don't give up easily.

2. What is your favorite book? Movie? Food?

Favorite book: The Dictionary
Favorite movie: It’s a Wonderful Life
Favorite food: Pizza

3. How long have you lived in Santa Monica?

About 8 years.

4. Describe your history of community involvement, if any, in 75 words or less.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

Please choose the statement with which you agree most. Feel free to explain your answer in 50 words or less.

5. Tourism is one of Santa Monica's most important industries and has been almost since the city's founding. Yet, especially in the summer and on weekends, Santa Monica can appear downright crowded. Ignoring the economic benefits, with which statement do you agree more:

A. Tourism creates a major inconvenience for Santa Monica residents.

B. Being a world-renowned magnet for tourism is a tribute to Santa Monica and has made our city a more lively, fun and interesting place to live.

I fell in love with the 3rd Street promenade long before ever moving to Santa Monica. I love being able to walk to the wonderful restaurants and shops. We are so lucky for the great weather and our proximity to the beach. People travel from all over the world to come here, and we get to live it every day! I love window shopping on Main Street and Montana. I love going to the twilight dance series on the pier. I especially love the farmers market on Main Street. There is a wonderful energy in these commercial public spaces. But it saddens be that we have the concentration of homeless and vagrants, especially on the promenade. I used to be so proud to take my visitors there. But I noticed how scared and uncomfortable they get, and the smell can be too offensive. It could be so much better.

6. Over the years, the City has received two kinds of complaints about traffic. Some residents complain that there is too much traffic going through their neighborhoods, often going too fast, and have pressured the City to construct various forms of "traffic calming." Other residents complain that our streets are clogged with so much traffic that it takes too long to drive around town. With which statement do you agree more:

When it comes to traffic:

A. The most important thing is to protect neighborhoods by slowing down and discouraging cut-through traffic.

B. The most important thing is to find ways to speed up the flow of traffic.

I think we can and should protect neighborhood streets, especially those streets designated as residential. But we must encourage traffic flow on our major arteries, utilizing synchronized signal timing, and reduced barriers. Neighborhood streets, those defined as local/residential, should be protected using curb extensions, medians and other means to discourage cut through traffic in residential neighborhoods or around schools.

7. Over the past decade, more than a thousand apartments have been built or approved in downtown Santa Monica in response to City incentives. With which statement do you agree more:

A. Santa Monica needs more housing to be built, downtown is the best place to build it and the City should encourage more housing to be built there.

B. Downtown is too crowded already and the City should do what it can to discourage more housing development there by increasing regulations and/or downzoning.

We have incredible traffic and parking problems already. I don’t particularly like adding more regulations but our infrastructure is unable to accommodate the heavy load. I think the city is crowded enough.

8. It's generally acknowledged, within and without City government, that navigating the building and development permit process in Santa Monica is a nightmare for developers and homeowners alike, and much more complicated and time-consuming than in other local jurisdictions. With which of the following statements do you agree most:

The major cause of the problems with the building process in Santa Monica is:

A. An incompetent bureaucracy suffering from high turnover and bad training and supervision.

B. The Planning Commission, which has demoralized planning staff and made them fearful of approving projects and has slowed down the approval process itself by applying vague and varying standards.

C. The City Council, which over the years has enacted an overly complex set of laws governing zoning, environmental review and building standards.

C followed closely by B. We have a culture of micromanaging. I believe it starts from the top. I get the impression that some city employees simply hope the public will go away or get worn out. That’s very sad.

9. Preferential parking districts are controversial in Santa Monica. With which statement do you agree more:

When it comes to street parking in residential neighborhoods located near commercial districts or boulevards,

A. The rights of the residents come first, and no resident should have to compete with a non-resident for a parking space on a resident's street at any time of day.

B. In designating preferential parking districts, the City needs to be more cognizant of the needs of employees and customers.

C. The streets belong to everyone, and the City should get out of the business of designating preferential parking districts.

A, followed by B. I think we need to offer some better alternatives to the intermittent permit parking which has spread throughout our city. We’re far too dense to allow completely free street parking. On many streets, it creates too much competition, and makes it nearly impossible for residents to use their own street. Conversely, permit parking is so exclusionary that many streets are underutilized and virtually unoccupied. A better option exists. Some cities, such as Pasadena’s Old Town, are using a model created by Don Shoup of UCLA. A “residential parking benefit district” allows a resident of a particular block to “timeshare” the on street parking with visitors or businesses. There’s a bit more to it, but the point is that other cities have found answers. Our current permit parking is short sighted and not working well. Let's be open to ideas for improvement.

10. True or false: The Third Street Promenade has become primarily a destination for visitors and does not cater to local residents. Explain in 50 words or less.

Both - but could be so much better! Personally, I love the Promenade. It's just sad that the city doesn't take pride in it's upkeep. The alleys are particularly filthy and offensive to the senses. The promenade itself is overrun with an antisocial element (and that doesn't cater to local residents or to visitors).

11. Pick one and explain in 50 words or less:

The City's policies attract an influx of homeless who would not otherwise come to Santa Monica.

The homeless come to Santa Monica for reasons outside the City's control.

A. It's no accident that Santa Monica has a homeless/vagrant problem in excess of many adjacent communities. A huge industry has grown out of the "homeless" problem. There are many "non-profits" that rely on fostering dependency by the homeless. Free food handouts that do not require proper identification of those being fed, and do not tie food handouts to counseling and job training only perpetuate the problem.

12. With which of the following statements do you agree most. Santa Monica's traffic problems are the direct result of,

A. City policies approved by the SMRR majority, including traffic calming, the development of the Promenade and the fostering of tourism.

B. Major developments -- such as the large office complexes in the city's industrial corridor -- approved in the mid-1980s by councils controlled by non-SMRR pro development factions.

C. Regional growth outside the control of the City Council.

C. followed by A. We are an auto-centric society. Los Angeles County has grown extensively in the past few years. Projects like Playa Vista bring additional traffic through Santa Monica. Traffic calming major arteries only exacerbates the problems. Compounding the problem, the SMRR dominated council keeps building more and more "affordable" housing, bringing new residents into Santa Monica than our streets can handle.

13. With which statements do you agree. You can choose more than one.

Affordable housing:

A. Creates blight.

B. Pays back hotel and restaurant union workers for their political support and creates more tenants to vote for Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights.

C. Addresses a legitimate need, especially in Santa Monica.

C & A. We do need affordable housing. But our current "rental based" affordable housing needs to be updated. Nearly 100 buildings are owned by CCSM. This non-profit agency is Santa Monica's largest landlord. Let's provide opportunities for renters to become homeowners, build equity and enjoy pride of ownership instead of being trapped forever in poverty.

14. With which statements do you agree. You can pick more than one. Community input in planning and building design,

A. Improves Projects

B. Is overly skewed towards pleasing nearby neighbors as opposed to
meeting the interests of the community as a whole.

C. Unreasonably slows the process and is a way for opponents to
eliminate new development.

D. Needs to be streamlined.

B mostly and all of the above. As the recent Matrix report pointed out, Santa Monica's planning process is extremely complex. There are professional contractors and architects who refuse to work in Santa Monica under any circumstances. I can't tell you how often people share horror stories about planning, permitting and remodeling and the waste of time and tens of thousands of dollars. We really need to get this area on track.

15. With which statement do you agree most. Santa Monica tenants in rent-controlled units,

A. Need more protections from harassment by landlords eager to re-rent units at market rates.

B. Are being subsidized by landlords who can't charge fair rents and make
a profit.

C. No longer need strong rent control policies because vacancy decontrol
has given landlords more opportunity to make a fair return.

D. Should not have majority control of the City Council.

RENT CONTROL is part of the city charter. City council has no authority to remove it. Thankfully the rent control in Santa Monica can not be altered without a vote of the people. Even so, there are tenants who don't know what their rights are, and sadly, some landlords who don't respect the laws. No one should ever feel abused or threatened about their home.

16. In the past two years, the number of laws passed by the City Council has increased from 32 in 2002 to 41 last year. This is:

A. A reasonable response to the concerns of residents.

B. A council that tries to please everyone.

C. A council that believes it knows what's best for the City and likes to impose its will.

GENERAL QUESTIONS

17. What would you do to improve Santa Monica? (50 words or less)

We need to take a proactive look at our plan for the future. We must decide how big and how dense we want to become. We must address the homeless / vagrancy problem that is ruining the quality of life for those who live here. We should cease the micromanaging of homeowners and focus our city resources on resolving our parking and traffic needs.

18. What is your "wish list" for Santa Monica? (Maximum of 5 items)

Reduce Homelessness/Vagrancy

Find solutions to parking

Improve traffic

Create a resident/business friendly city hall

Make the Pico neighborhood safer and cleaner

19. What is the best thing about Santa Monica?

Its people. They amaze, inspire, and challenge me. I admire many of them very much.

20. What is the worst thing about Santa Monica?

The homeless/vagrant problem. We can't enjoy our own city.

21. What is your favorite place in Santa Monica? Your least favorite place? In 30 words or less give your reasons.

I really love Main Street. Especially the Sunday farmers market. Main Street is so full of life and the shops are so unique. I love seeing the fresh flowers and fruit on Sunday mornings and seeing the families sprawled on the lawn. It's an amazing mix of sights, sounds and smells.

22. A measure on the November ballot calls for increasing the City's hotel bed tax. Do you support or oppose the measure?

Even though I haven't met anyone who is against this, I am reluctant to raise taxes, even when I'm not the one who will get stuck paying them. I happen to think there are better solutions. There are other ways to manage our general fund to pay for our necessities without having to resort to raising taxes. I don't think our leaders have tried very hard to find alternatives.

23. Do you support the $135 million Santa Monica College bond measure on the November ballot?

I am deeply concerned that our taxpaying residents recently passed a bond (Measure U) to benefit the college. I’m not sure that historically the college has been responsive to the needs of the residents who are directly impacted by them or how much larger they intend to grow. I am also concerned that only a very small percent of SMC students live in Santa Monica, yet Santa Monica is being asked to support this bond.

24. An analysis by The Lookout found that Santa Monica spent $1,906 per resident to provide basic services in fiscal year 2003-04. By comparison, Culver City spent $1,349; Pasadena spent $1,244 and Torrance spent $1,005. Do you think the City can cut back on its spending or is spending the right amount? (See analysis)

I think you've defined the answer already. Clearly Santa Monica is spending much more per resident than it needs or should.

25. Over the course of more than a century, Santa Monica has had many personalities, usually more than one at any given time depending where you are standing. A tony resort and haven for the rich and beautiful; a honky-tonk beach town known for the Pier and P.O.P. and Muscle Beach for everyone else; a blue-collar factory town and arsenal of democracy; the wide-open "Bay City" of Phillip Marlowe; a "leafy suburb"; a working-class city of dingbat apartments and little bungalows; a conservative bastion run by real estate and business interests; the "Peoples' Republic of Santa Monica"; and other historical realities you can probably think of, not to mention today's reality of regional center for retail, entertainment and white-collar employment. What historical era or personality of Santa Monica do you most identify with, and how does that relate to your vision of Santa Monica's future?