Eric Mankin Strategies: You Can Win City Hall, Mother Jones, VI, no. X, December, 1981, p. 66. 1981, 1970s, 1950s, 1940s
"When rents began to soar in the late '70s, city government - still in the hands of the suburban squire/chamber of commerce axis - did a classic Marie Antoinette turn. (The people can't afford to rent? Let them buy condos?) Rent control became a matter of elemental self-defense for thousands. In a grueling series of electoral contests, the organization now known as Santa Monica Renters' Rights (SMRR) - for which Shearer is spokesperson - passed one of the stiffest rent control laws in the country and beat back repeated landlord attempts to water it down.
"By the time last spring's municipal elections came, SMRR had become very good at ground-level electioneering, widely thought obsolete in the era of TV and computerized mailing. "We developed," says Goldway, "a system to put our volunteers to work, so their efforts had impact."
'While SMRR rode rent control very hard, it did not shy away from other issues, notably crime. Shearer is very proud that "we weren't defensive. We always said crime has economic roots, but we didn't say the only real solution is full employment and national reform. There are a lot of things you can do if you build decent neighborhoods." Nor did it hurt that one of the SMRR city council candidates was a parole officer.
"The coalition that SMRR represents includes New Left veterans, Demos, feminists and environmentalists, along with union members and - absolutely crucial - old people. Santa Monica is very much a retirement community, and the rise in rents was literally a life-or-death issue for 60- and 70-year-olds trying to survive on Social Security and savings."