City Management in Santa Monica

The article dealing with the proposed ban on luxury beach hotels (Times, Aug. 30) only touches on the real problem in Santa Monica in its final paragraphs.

Whatever use the 415 Pacific Coast Highway property is put to, the state’s arrangement with Santa Monica contemplates that it will be profitable. Instead, under the guise of eliminating privilege, the city took over a membership-only (but hardly private) club and turned it into a financial disaster. I suspect the revenue/cost numbers are not available because of the embarrassment and anger they would cause.

This is city management, Santa Monica style--full of bleeding heart compassion and financial deceit. When the numbers do become available, overhead and costs among Santa Monica’s city-owned rental properties will be manipulated in a way that Hollywood Studios could envy in order to minimize the loss at 415 PCH.

Santa Monica’s fiscal problems are not just caused by the recession. They are systemic and a product of flawed ideals about attempted income and wealth redistribution that is pervasive throughout city government, from the SMRR ruling party right down to all elements of city management.

KIP DELLINGER

Santa Monica