sr-011111-13b13-
January 11, 2011
Council Meeting: January 11, 2011 Santa Monica, California
CITY CLERK'S OFFICE -MEMORANDUM
To: City Council
From: Councilmember McKeown
Date: January 11, 2011
13-B: Request of Councilmember McKeown, on behalf of the boards of Friends of
Sunset Park, Mid-City Neighbors, the North of Montana Association, the
Ocean Park Association, the Pico Neighborhood Association, the Santa
Monica Democratic Club, Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights, and the
Wilshire/Montana Neighborhood Coalition, that the Council direct staff to
explore and prepare, for discussion and possible implementation by the
Council, policies requiring disclosure by Counci members whose
campaign contributors come before the City Council requesting
Development Agreements, zaning variances, contracts, franchises, or other
special benefits.
13-
January 11,.2011
January 4, 2011
To: City Council
From: Board of Directors, Friends of Sunset Park
RE: Disclosure policy
The FOSP Board of Directors urges the City Council
to adopt policies that would require disclosure by
Council members when contributors to their
campaigns come before the Council to request
Development Agreements, zoning variances,
contracts, franchises, or any other special benefits.
Date: January 5, 2011
To: City Manager of Santa Monica & Members of the City Council
From: Mid-City Neighbors Board
Subject: Disclosure of Campaign Contributions
We of the working board of the Mid-City Neighbors feel that it is essential that the City
Manager and the City Council call upon staff to come up with measures requiring full
disclosure of contributions made to campaigns. Given the last election and the
irregularities discovered in campaign literature, we believe our city, in order to move
forward with the efficiency required by all the effort made to pass the LUCE, must
establish transparency in its proceedings. Not to do so would invite disruption of
meefings when development agreements, zoning, and other issues related to businesses
and the growth of our city are discussed.
We understand that Kevin McKeown is delivering a motion, requesting the Council to
take such action. We find the wording of that proposal to be most respectful of his
colleagues. We join our voices with his in asking for immediate action on this matter.
Most respectfully yours,
Gregg Heacock
Mid-City Neighbors
Member of the Board
To City Council:
The North of Montana Association {NOMA) is in support of
new policies drafted to require disclosure by Council members
whose campaign contributors come before City Council
requesting Development Agreements, zoning variances, contracts,
franchises, or other special benefits. We firmly believe all City
Council members should be required to make transparent the funds
they have received before voting on matters to which those donations
have been involved. There has been increasing unease at the hard
to track role of outside money in local public campaigns and we feel
the public has a right to know.
Thank you for your attention to this very pertinent matter,
North of Montana Board of Directors
With the recent disclosures of large campaign contributions from
developers who will be appearing soon before City Council seeking
Development Agreements for their individual projects, the Board of
Directors of Ocean Park Association (OPA) fully supports
implementation of a proposed policy that would require Council
members to disclose campaign contributions from any individual or
business entity that comes before Council seeking Development
Agreements, Zoning Variances, contracts or other special benefits. In
the interest of full transparency, we believe that all City Council
members be required to announce that funds have been received,
whether in support or donated, before voting on matters in which
those who have donated are involved.
We do not believe this to be a radical proposal or an infringement on
any person or entity's free speech. The public deserves to
know. There is precedent-for this action in the requirement that the
Planning Commission and other Commissioners disclose their
relationships and communications with applicants before their
respective Commissions take action.
Thank you for your consideration of this critical issue.
Ocean Park Association Board of Directors
With the recent disclosures of large campaign contributions from developers
who will be appearing soon before City Council seeking Development
Agreements for their individual projects, Pico Neighborhood Association (PNA)
thinks it is timely in asking for the City Council to consider increasing the
transparency in the decision making process. PNA would fully support
implementation of a policy that would require Council members to disclose
campaign contributions from any individual or business entity that comes
before Council seeking Development Agreements, zoning variances, contracts
or other special benefits. In the interest of full transparency, we believe that all
City Council members be required to announce that funds have been received,
whether in support or donated, before voting on matters in which those who
have donated are involved.
We do not believe this to be a radical proposal or an infringement on
participants free speech. The public deserves to know. There is precedent for
this action in the requirement that the Planning Commission and other
Commissioners disclose their relationships and communications with
applicants before their respective Commissions.
Thank you for you consideration of this issue.
Wes Thompson
Pico Neighborhood Association
Co Chair
1 /2!2011 9:43:15 AM
Dear Councilmember McKeown:
We have observed the increasing community unease with the hard-
to-track role of outside money in local political campaigns.
Also, that Council's previous efforts at campaign finance
transparency have been stymied by court decisions protecting
corporate "free speech" in the political process.
Thus, the Council's authority to act to improve good-government
oversight regarding the influence, nature and source of campaign
contributions and possible election distortion efforts is limited.
In a effort to create a level playing field for all parties to an item
before Council, and concerned of possible perceptions of conflict of
interest, unethical or unfair consideration, members of various City
Boards and Commissions, including the Planning Commission,
publically disclose their relevant relationships and communications
with applicants who come before them in quasi-judicial matters and
special requests prior to consideration of the matter.
Therefore: The Santa Monica Democratic Club Executive Board
hereby requests that Council direct staff to prepare, for discussion
and possible implementation, apolicy requiring public disclosure by
Councilmembers of relevant communications and campaign
contributions, prior to consideration of agenda items, regarding
Development Agreements, zoning variances, contracts, franchises, or
other special benefits.
signed: Santa Monica Democratic Club Executive Board
President: Jonathan Troen
The Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights executive board
calls on the city council to enhance disclosure requirements
and adopt policies and/or ordinances that require council
members to verbally disclose, before the start of any and all
public deliberations and considerations, their relationship
with campaign contributors who seek development
agreements, zoning variances, contracts, franchises, or any
other special benefits.
While there are certainly existing disclosure requirements,
those requirements are cumbersome and burdensome to the
electorate and to an open and transparent democratic
practice and governance.. Asking council members to
verbally disclose their relationship to those individuals,
agencies, firms, corporations,. in full public view, before they
begin the representative work of the people of Santa Monica
will be a great improvement in our democratic process.
Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein, Co-Chair
Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights
Wilmont -Campaign Disclosure
January 5, 2011
Article XYII of the Santa Monica City Charter states that Council members
may not accept contributions from anyone who has received a valuable
benefit as a result of the Council member's affirmative vote. This is the
"Oaks Initiative." It does nothing to prevent developers or others from
donating to a campaign before requesting a benefit or to require
acknowledgement of such donations. It also does nothing to prevent or
acknowledge contributions from developers as independent expenditures to
slate mailers to benefit specific candidates.
The scale of development being proposed in the Bergamot area, coupled
with large contributions from developers to sitting Council members, has
pointed out this shortcoming in our election law.
The LUCE is intended to be a "living document" with monitoring to
determine how well its goals are being met. We need transparency in this
vital process.
As we all know, Santa Monica is a very desirable place to live and to do
business. We know and acknowledge that goals of people who sincerely
love Santa Monica and want the best for the City will often be in conflict.
When it comes to crafting zoning regulations, development agreements, and
the ordinances that define how our City operates, our elected City Council
members have the final say.
Members of the Board of the Wilshire/Montana Neighborhood Coalition
recognize that campaign donations are protected as free speech. We also
recognize that some residents view such contributions as a reason to support
a candidate. Indeed, Santa Monicans take a great deal of pride in our lively
exchange of ideas.
At the same time, we note that members of the Planning Commission and
other Commissions are required to disclose the appearance of potential
conflicts of interest by requiring disclosure of financial or other interest in
items before the Commission. We value this transparency and want the City
Council to operate under similar rules. We support the requirement of
disclosure by Councilmembers whose campaign contributors come before
the City Council requesting Development Agreements, zoning variances,
contracts, or other special benefits. We believe that this disclosure should
include not only direct contributions to campaigns, but also independent
expenditures and contributions made to a slate mailer on behalf of a
candidate.
Valerie Griffin
Chair, Wilshire/Montana Neighborhood Coalition