Flag Pledge Snub by 3 on Rent Board Sparks Furor

The American flag, often the center of controversy in national and foreign issues, has been unfurled in the contentious relationship between the Santa Monica Rent Control Board and area landlords.

Last week, three of the five elected board members, whose political pronouncements often go beyond rental and housing issues, announced that they would refrain from pledging allegiance to the flag at the beginning of board meetings in protest of U.S. involvement in El Salvador. The three had said that they would instead observe a moment of silence.

At Thursday night’s board meeting at City Hall, more than 100 landlords and war veterans protested by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance twice, singing “God Bless America,” and calling for the resignation of the three board members.

“We had a nice party,” said Carl Lambert, president of Action, the largest landlords’ group in Santa Monica, and an organizer of the demonstration. Action members at a meeting Monday informally decided to demonstrate at Thursday’s meeting and then contacted other landlords and veterans groups.

“It was definitely an interesting meeting,” said Wayne Bauer, one of the protesting board members.

A flyer distributed before the meeting said: “Either these publicly elected officials should, here and now, recite our country’s Pledge of Allegiance . . . or they should resign. Either these elected Santa Monica officials should support America’s constitutional rights, America’s free enterprise system and ideals, and America’s national symbol or they should resign from public office forever.”

Lambert called the board members’ refusal to salute the flag “indicative of the fact that they continue to have no respect for the Constitution or justice or fairness. They do whatever they want.”

Protesters waved small flags and carried candles outside the meeting room, before marching into the session. Lambert said similar demonstrations will be held at every board meeting until the board members resume recognizing the flag.

“My feeling is that the issue is not free speech or El Salvador,” said landlord James Baker. “The issue is elected officials conducting a publicly funded meeting and holding the flag hostage to their political views. To refuse to lead the pledge is irresponsible.”

Board chairwoman Susan Packer Davis, one of the protesting three, said she had no objection to anyone else reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at the meetings and that being an elected official does not mean giving up rights to free speech. She called the demonstration part of a tendency to focus on the flag rather than on the polices and rights represented by the flag.

“They have a right to protest, but they can’t enforce their wishes on me,” Davis said. “This is not a board action, this is a personal action. It’s not like this is occupying all our time at board meetings.

“They see this as un-American because we don’t support the same kind of free enterprise rights as they do. But we’re trying to preserve housing. They are using the flag to once again attack rent control.”

The flag is “just a piece of cloth without the rights attached it it,” Bauer said. “People should take the flag from in front of their eyes and look around and see how taxpayers’ money is being spent.”

Julie Lopez Dad, the third board member choosing the silent protest, said the decision for her was difficult.

“It has always been important to me to pledge the flag, but I am doing this . . . because what is going on in El Salvador is so serious.” Dad said. “But the demonstration did not have as much to do with the flag as it did (with) anti-rent control sentiment. The flag was misused and abused by those who used it to pour out their vengeance and hate against rent control.”

Board member Dolores Press said she agrees with her colleagues’ opposition to U.S. involvement in El Salvador but chooses not to use the board meetings as a “forum for my anger.” Press said she will continue to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at board meetings.

However, she questioned whether the landlords’ demonstration was really about patriotism, but rather just another attack on rent control.

Board member Eileen Lipson could not be reached for comment.