Rosenstein’s Votes on Growth Issues as Commissioner

The elections are a few weeks away, and candidates are strategically positioning themselves to appeal to the greatest number of voters.

Of course this is true in Santa Monica. Now comes City Council candidate Paul Rosenstein’s assertion, as reported in the Times Oct. 1, that he has just been following the development standards in place in Santa Monica, and that “the proper way to slow growth is to change those standards, which he claims he has fought to do.” But those who follow Mr. Rosenstein’s actions as a Planning Commissioner every week, as I do, know otherwise.

Mr. Rosenstein fought to change the standards so that Michael McCarty could build a luxury hotel on the public’s beach. Mr. Rosenstein voted as a Planning Commissioner to change the standards to allow restaurants with drive-throughs (and squawk boxes, door-slamming, etc.), which are next door to people’s homes, to stay open later, past 10 o’clock at night. And Mr. Rosenstein (joined by fellow Planning Commissioner Tom Pyne, as he generally is) voted to issue an alcohol license to Newberry’s lunch counter.

Santa Monica’s moratorium on additional large-scale commercial development will expire in early 1993. The next City Council will decide how much more new development we really need or want. I hope that the voters, when deciding among the 18 City Council candidates, will look at actions, not just words.

JENNIFER L. POLHEMUS

Santa Monica Planning

Commissioner