URGENT: Call to Action
NOMA Community -
In September, NOMA and five other neighborhood organizations urged the City Attorney to investigate Councilmember Zwick's potential conflict of interest after he accepted a job as a housing advocate for the non-profit HAC. We also wrote an editorial to the Santa Monica Daily Press calling for Zwick to recuse or resign given his apparent conflicts. In a win for residents, the Fair Political Practices Commission agreed that Zwick is in conflict and must recuse himself from all future items that are housing-related.
In response to that decision, the City Manager identified five housing-related items that Zwick voted on after he started his HAC job, and has put them under a single agenda item (11C) to be voted on this Tuesday.
While we agree that these votes were tainted by Zwick's conflict of interest and need to be reconsidered, there are additional items which Zwick participated in that should also be reconsidered in light of his conflict of interest. Additionally, some of the items were proposed or moved by Zwick and should not be voted on again unless a non-conflicted Councilmember motions for them to be voted on. And there also may be other Councilmember conflicts which would further call into question the validity of more housing-related items (for details, see our joint letter).
Further, a recent Freedom of Information request shows that Zwick was texting with a member of the housing group HCHC during a Council meeting to get advice on what position he should take in the face of public opposition (see article in the Santa Monica Daily Press: New Questions Emerge Over Councilmember Conflicts). This kind of ex parte communication is illegal under the Brown Act.
Taken together, it's clear that there is a tangled web of conflicts and housing votes which requires much more time and consideration than a cursory re-vote on the five items listed under 11C. These and other items should be investigated by the City Attorney before any re-votes are taken. We urge you to send a letter to Council members by noon on Tuesday January 13th, asking Council to withdraw Item 11C until the matter can be accurately investigated and evaluated.
Attached is a "call for action" flyer produced by Friends of Sunset Park. which also includes a link to letter writing software which can make the process easy to send your own personalized letter to Council.
Quantity of letters matters in the eyes of Council so please consider taking a moment to send a letter. This issue is far too important to be swept under the rug with a quick up or down vote on five items at once.
The NOMA Board
