On Monday night, the Santa Monica Democratic Club announced the results of its members’ endorsement vote. In something of a surprise, the local Democratic Club voted overwhelmingly to formally oppose Measure LV by a supermajority margin, 70 percent to 26 percent.
Measure LV was brought to the ballot by a signature gathering campaign by the no-growth advocacy group Residocracy. It would require a citizen’s vote on nearly all developments that are more than three stories and major repairs or remodels on existing buildings above that height threshold. It also fails to exempt hospitals, schools, fire stations, nonprofits, and other vital institutions. Whether it’s the intended goal or not, critics of the proposal fear it would end the already-slow growth of housing stock.
“As development is such a prominent issue in Santa Monica, our club has been closely following the LUVE initiative ever since they started gathering signatures. We’ve had several speakers come to discuss the pros and cons at past meetings. The Democratic Party has a big tent, and we are proud that our club invites all members and stakeholders to the table,” explains Jon Katz, a member of the club’s executive committee.
“After much consideration, our club decided to endorse No on LV because this measure is far too extreme and would stall or stop all sorts of development, including affordable housing. There are many debates within and outside of our club about the appropriate size and scope of new development in our city, but this measure goes too far. That is not the future we want for Santa Monica,” Katz said.
A previous story in the Santa Monica Lookout reported that the Democratic Club “won’t support” the ballot measure. However, the overwhelming vote to oppose the measure and Katz’s statement shows the club is going beyond “not endorsing” to outright opposition. All Santa Monica ballot measures except LV were endorsed by the group.
The Democratic Club joins a growing list of opponents to Measure LV, that now includes Monsignor Lloyd Torgenson, the pastor at St. Monica Catholic Community. You can see a nearly complete list of supporters and opponents to LV at the respective websites.
Speaking of spiritual leaders opposing Measure LV, tomorrow night Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE) is holding a forum on the measure called “What’s Love Got to Do With It: a Faith Perspective on Measure LV“. The forum will be at the Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica, located at 18th and Arizona. The program runs from 7:15 to 8:45. p.m.
The event looks at the proposal from spiritually-rooted values and insights based on various religious traditions.
The event features Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels of Beth Shir Shalom, Presbyterian minister Rev. Kikanza Nuri-Robins, and Dennis Hardwick, chair of JustFaith at Saint Monica’s Catholic Community. They will offer spiritually rooted concerns about the measure.
The program also includes Leslie Lambert, member of the city’s Planning Commission, Juan Matute, lecturer at UCLA in urban planning* and Barbara Inatsugu, chair of the Santa Monica chapter of the League of Women Voters. The League of Women Voters and CLUE have both come out against Measure LV in recent months.
* and Santa Monica Next contributor and Steering Committee member.
