BALLOT MEASURES
Here are the ballot measures that will go before Santa Monica voters Nov. 6, listed in order of appearance on the ballot.
Proposition R--(Affordable housing)--Would require that 30% of all new residential multifamily units be set aside for low- and moderate-income residents.
Background--Placed on the ballot by the City Council at the request of Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights, a tenants organization. It represents an attempt to maintain affordable housing, particularly in the face of the growing number of rental units being lost as landlords go out of business.
City Council Candidates in Favor--Robert T. Holbrook, Tony Vasquez, Kelly Olsen.
Against--Jean Gebman
No Position--Larry Jon Hobbs, Kathleen Schwallie, Donna Alvarez, Christine Reed, Sharon L. Gilpin.
Proposition S--(Beach development ban)--Would ban future development of hotels and large restaurants west of Ocean Avenue.
Background: Placed on the ballot through an initiative drive financed primarily by Douglas Badt, owner of the Sand and Sea Club, which was recently evicted from its publicly owned beach site. The measure was originally intended to prevent restaurateur Michael McCarty from building a hotel and community center on the site. The fate of the McCarty project is now linked to Proposition Z, and the entire matter may end up being resolved in court. Meanwhile, Proposition S is being embraced by slow-growth advocates for its broader limitations on beach development.
Candidates in Favor--Hobbs, Olsen, Schwallie, Gilpin, Gebman.
Against--Alvarez, Reed.
No Position--Vasquez, Holbrook.
Proposition T--(Beach development moratorium)--Would establish a three-year moratorium on development of beachfront hotels and large restaurants, set aside 50% of hotel bed taxes from beachfront hotels for parks and cleanup of beaches.
Background--Placed on the ballot through an initiative drive financed by McCarty and by Maguire Thomas Partners, a Santa Monica-based development firm that recently began building the beachfront Santa Monica Ocean Hotel. The measure was originally designed to compete with Proposition S and to protect the sponsors’ two hotel projects, but now will not apply to either one. The Maguire Thomas project is exempt because work has already begun. And Proposition T is superseded by Proposition Z concerning the McCarty project. What is left of Proposition T is a set of beach development restrictions milder than those of Proposition S. Supporters of Proposition T say the three-year moratorium should be used to study the overall beach development issue.
Candidates in Favor--Holbrook, Vasquez, Alvarez, Reed.
Against--Hobbs, Olsen, Schwallie, Gilpin, Gebman.
Proposition U--(Vacancy decontrol)--Would allow rents on apartment units vacated voluntarily to rise to market rates.
Background--Placed on the ballot through initiative drive sponsored by landlords. Rent controls that remain in effect when a unit is voluntarily vacated are what make Santa Monica’s rent law one of the nation’s toughest. Landlords say passage of this measure is the only way to make it worth their while to stay in the rental business.
Candidates in Favor-- Holbrook, Hobbs, Alvarez, Reed, Gebman.
Against--Vasquez, Olsen, Schwallie, Gilpin.
Proposition V--(Condo conversions)--Would amend the city’s condominium conversion law.
Background--Placed on the ballot by City Council as a way to ensure that all condominium conversions abide by the city’s Tenant Ownership Rights Charter Amendment process. The city planning staff has been allowing owners who live in the property being considered for conversion to participate in the tenants’ conversion vote. But the city attorney has issued a ruling that such landlords will no longer be allowed to vote unless this measure passes.
Candidates in Favor--Holbrook, Vasquez, Olsen, Reed, Gebman.
No Position--Hobbs, Schwallie, Alvarez, Gilpin.
Proposition W--(Rent control)--Would allow rents on units vacated voluntarily to be increased to specific higher levels based on number of bedrooms. Would also establish a set of minimum maintenance standards that landlords would have to meet to be eligible to collect the increased rents.
Background--Placed on the ballot by City Council at the urging of Santa Monicans for Renters Rights to compete with the landlord-sponsored measure (Proposition U). Rents would be allowed to increase but would remain significantly below free-market levels.
Candidates in Favor--Holbrook, Vasquez, Olsen.
Against--Hobbs, Schwallie, Gebman.
No Position--Alvarez, Reed, Gilpin.
Proposition X--(Rent control exemption)--Would exempt state-owned property from the city’s rent control law.
Background--Placed on the ballot by City Council at request of Councilwoman Reed. Designed to settle a question over whether cabanas and other living quarters on the site of the Sand and Sea Club fall under rent control. The club has been evicted from the site, so the measure is essentially moot unless the matter goes to court.
Candidates in Favor--Holbrook, Hobbs, Vasquez, Olsen, Reed, Gebman.
Against--Schwallie, Gilpin.
No Position--Alvarez
Proposition Y--(City attorney) would make the city attorney an elected position rather than one appointed by the City Council.
Background--Placed on ballot through initiative drive sponsored by community members concerned about crime and aggressive panhandling by the city’s sizable homeless population. City Atty. Robert M. Myers has been targeted by the group because of his reluctance to prosecute nonviolent crimes committed by the homeless.
Candidates in Favor--Holbrook, Hobbs, Alvarez, Reed.
Against--Vasquez, Olsen, Schwallie, Gilpin, Gebman.
Proposition Z--(Beach Hotel)--Would repeal the City Council’s approval of the Santa Monica Beach Hotel and Community Center, which restaurateur Michael McCarty plans to build on the site of the Sand and Sea Club.
Background--Placed on the ballot by the City Council at the urging of McCarty. On the premise that it would improve his chances of success, McCarty fought hard for council approval of the negative phrasing of the ballot question. The result is that hotel supporters must vote no, and opponents must vote yes.
Candidates in Favor--Hobbs, Olsen, Schwallie, Gilpin, Gebman.
Against--Alvarez, Reed.
No Position--Holbrook, Vasquez.
Proposition ES--(School Bond)--Would approve a $75-million general obligation bond measure for rehabilitation of school facilities.
Background--Placed on the ballot by the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education to raise money for removal of asbestos from buildings, renovation of bathrooms and classrooms, and to bring buildings up to earthquake safety standards. Must receive two-thirds favorable vote to pass.
Candidates in Favor--Holbrook, Hobbs, Vasquez, Olsen, Reed, Gilpin, Gebman.
No Position--Schwallie, Alvarez.
