Questions on Traffic & Development
(from the Santa Monica Police Officers Association questionnaire):

3. What is your opinion of past, present and future development.

Late 1980s - The Special Office District was a terrible move.  Not only has it caused major traffic problems on the east side of the City, but also it was the wrong mix of uses for that much land.  It has update our jobs/housing balance and created a largely automobile dependent zone in middle of the city.  We also lost the opportunity to program a public park; a municipal pool, a branch library and/or other needed civic uses in an area that could use them.

1990 – I supported Prop S, which limited the number of luxury hotels on the beach.

Early 1990s - I opposed the original 1993 Civic Center Plan with a ballot referendum.  Once on the Council, I helped move the deal through City Hall in 1999 to purchase the RAND land and lead to a much better project today, with parks and open space, affordable housing and child care where there was to be speculative commercial office space.

Late 1990s – I supported a variety of interim ordinances meant to react to the rapid pace of development in the city – commercial and residential. 

Early 2000s - I support the move to update the City’s General Plan.  This will bring the community’s vision up to date.  In simplifying the code, it will also help address some of the problems in the planning department.

Overall vision – I support continuing to concentrate future development in the downtown, to both protect existing neighborhoods and to promote an increasingly dynamic downtown. 

I have deep concerns about small, community-serving business surviving in our city and want to continue to work to keep them viable.

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