Here’s an interesting riddle. What does Donald Trump have in common with four Culver City council members, Congresswoman Karen Bass and State Senator Holly Mitchell? Well, apparently they are all interested in suppressing a vote of the people when they fear the outcome of that vote.
The specifics of Donald Trump’s voter suppression antics are well known. But I received a flyer the other day showing that Congresswoman Bass and Senator Mitchell had joined with council members Meghan Sahli-Wells, Daniel Lee, Alex Fisch and Thomas Small in opposing Measure B, which is a citizen-sponsored initiative on the November 3rd ballot that would put the issue of rent control to a vote of the people of Culver City.
My first thought was why would a member of Congress or a State Senator weigh in on a local ordinance? I’ve lived in Culver City for over 40 years and I don’t recall Washington or Sacramento getting involved in one of our local ordinances before. Someone must have thought they needed some help from on high.
The bottom line here is that four members of our city council (Mayor Göran Eriksson voted no) passed a rent control ordinance that some folks have estimated will cost over $2 million to run. Measure B would give the voters of Culver City the opportunity to say, by a majority vote, whether or not they agree with what the council did.
Our city council has taken a couple of interesting positions this election cycle. According to the 2020 issue of Community Profiles, 53.4% of Culver City residents are homeowners. Yet four members of our city council have decided to spend tax dollars the city doesn’t have to enact rent control while proposing Measure RE, which would amount to a significant increase on the transfer tax paid by Culver City homeowners. So what’s wrong with this picture?
When you vote this November, pay careful attention to those candidates who support Measure B and oppose Measure RE. Their election will have a profound influence on the future of our community.
-— Ed Wolkowitz
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