July 9, 2025 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Letter To The Editor: Why You Should Vote No On Measures H, HH:

Dear Editor,

According to campaign finance statements on file with the City Clerk, the majority of the funding for the Development Tax, aka H+HH campaign, are  developers, their lawyers and architects who will reap financial rewards from the building of new high density low income rental housing projects throughout Santa Monica, primarily North of Wilshire and in Sunset Park.

What is particularly disturbing is their misleading campaign literature. One mailer I received asserts H+HH will create affordable housing for teachers, police, and firefighters who currently cannot afford to live here.

This is false.

The City income guidelines provide the rental units are available to  low and very low income tenants. People in these professions earn far in excess of the maximum income limitations for low income housing projects.

I am not aware of any teacher, police officer or firefighter currently living in any of the over 2, 000 City developed low income rental units.  

In addition the most recent campaign flyer alleged without the development tax “many of our grandparents, parents, neighbors and friends will be forced out of their homes.”

I have been renting in Santa Monica for over 25 years. Last years rent increase was $14.00 a month. It is absurd to claim all these  people will be forced out of their homes because of a $14.00 a month rent increase.

The City Housing Manager recently informed the City Council about 90 percent of the people on the waiting list for low income housing live outside Santa Monica.

Your tax dollars will be used solely to fund City Hall’s favorite developers in producing large, high-density projects anywhere City Hall wants for people who do not currently live here.

The City has taken away your right to review or protest all development funded by this tax. It will be built in your immediate proximity – you cannot object. And, it will be current renters who are displaced as their buildings are torn down to make way for these new projects.

Say no to City Hall – no blank check to build large, high-density developments of any kind, wherever the bureaucrats want. Vote NO on H+HH

John Kelso

Santa Monica

in Opinion
<>Related Posts

SM.a.r.t.Column: Happy Fourth of July 

July 2, 2025

July 2, 2025

SMart (Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow) hopes you are enjoying a great 3-day weekend as part of your...

SM.a.r.t Column: Cities That Never Shut Up – The Roaring Cost of Urban Noise

June 26, 2025

June 26, 2025

In today’s cities, silence isn’t golden—it’s extinct. From sunrise to insomnia, we’re trapped in a nonstop symphony of shrieking car...

SM.a.r.t Column: Santa Monica Needs to See the Light

June 19, 2025

June 19, 2025

How Santa Monica’s Growing Light Pollution Is Eroding Human Health, Safety, and Sanity There was a time when our coastal...

SM.a.r.t Column: California’s Transit Death Spiral: How Housing Mandates Are Backfiring

June 15, 2025

June 15, 2025

California’s ambitious housing mandates were supposed to solve the affordability crisis. Instead, they’re creating a vicious cycle that’s killing public...

SM.a.r.t. Column: A City Dying by a Thousand Cuts

June 5, 2025

June 5, 2025

Santa Monica, once celebrated for its blend of coastal charm and progressive ideals, is slowly bleeding out — not from...

SM.a.r.t Column: Oops!! What Happened? And What Are You Going to Do About It?

May 29, 2025

May 29, 2025

Our Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow (SMa.r.t) articles have, over the past 12 years, collectively presented a critical...

SM.a.r.t Column: Why Santa Monica Might Need a Desalination Plant, and Maybe Even Nuclear Power

May 22, 2025

May 22, 2025

Santa Monica is known for its ocean views, sunny skies, and strong environmental values. But there’s a challenge on the...

SM.a.r.t Column: SMO (So Many Options) Part 3: “Pie in the Sky”

May 17, 2025

May 17, 2025

SMO: Fantasy, Fact, and the Fog of Wishful ThinkingBy someone who read the fine print Every few months, a headline...

SM.a.r.t. Column: Owner Occupancy Protects Against Corporate Over-Development

May 2, 2025

May 2, 2025

This week SMa.r.t. will have as guest columnist Mark Borenstein. Mark is a long-time Santa Monica resident, a retired attorney,...

Opinion: Declaration of Economic State of Emergency in Malibu & Pacific Palisades: A Direct Result of the Devastating Impact of the Palisades Fire

April 27, 2025

April 27, 2025

Malibu and Pacific Palisades Request Emergency Financial Measures By Ramis Sadrieh, Chairperson, Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce    On behalf...

SM.a.r.t Column: The World’s Happiest Cities

April 27, 2025

April 27, 2025

Almost every year, we see new cities, regions, and countries that make the list(s) of our planet’s happiest and healthiest...

SM.a.r.t Column: A City for Everyone

April 20, 2025

April 20, 2025

Santa Monica dazzles with its ocean views, sunshine, and laid-back charm. But beyond the postcard image lies a more complicated...

SM.a.r.t Column: Part II: Rebuilding Resilient Communities: Policy and Planning After the Fires

April 13, 2025

April 13, 2025

The January 2025 wildfires that devastated Pacific Palisades and Altadena left an indelible mark on Los Angeles County. Beyond the...

SM.a.r.t Column: Innovative Materials for Fire-Resistant Rebuilding After the LA Fires

April 6, 2025

April 6, 2025

In the aftermath of the devastating 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, homeowners face the daunting task of rebuilding their lives and...

Opinion: Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath Community Column Regarding a More Accountable Homeless Services System

April 3, 2025

April 3, 2025

By Lindsay Horvath, Los Angeles Board of Supervisors This week marks a significant milestone in our fight to end homelessness...