Paul Rosenstein

The Santa Monica City Council needs thoughtful and experienced people who understand the long-term interests of the city, people like Paul Rosenstein. Paul is being attacked by the zero-growth element because he does not share their mindless commitment to the status quo, which leads to stagnation. He has worked hard in opposing overdevelopment and in maintaining building and zoning standards. Rosenstein would be a moderating influence between warring factions in the city. SAMUEL AND IRENE ZIVI Santa Monica

I read, with interest, the various letters to editor complaining about the Montana Traffic Plan. As a person in business on Wilshire Boulevard, I can add that we have been severely impacted by the Mid-City Traffic Plan, which has eliminated using Arizona Avenue or Broadway. All that additional traffic is now on Wilshire, Santa Monica and Colorado boulevards. When people moved on Broadway, Arizona or the other busy streets they knew there was traffic on the street. Residents now affected had no way to know this would happen to them.

The Santa Monica Pier is back! It reopened on a beautiful spring weekend, and what a joy it was to be there. The fresh air, the world-class view from inside the bay, the excitement of the fisherpeople as they hauled in their big ones, the feelings of detachment from the hustles and bustles of the city, the good feelings shared by the throngs of all sizes, colors and shapes--it was all there and more. The rebuilt pier is strong and solid and well-done. It is a good omen for the next phase: a cafe, bait-and-tackle shop and Harbor Master's office.

In an article in Westside ("Uniting a Quarrelsome Council Tops New Mayor's Agenda," Jan. 1) discussing this year's agenda for the city of Santa Monica, my position (and the city's position) has been misstated on public indoor smoking. This is not surprising since the issue involves two old ordinances (Los Angeles and Santa Monica) and two new ones (state and local). All four take a tough approach to dealing with the harm to the public and to employees from secondhand smoke. The nuances of differences between them leads to confusion and more heat than light.

The elections are a few weeks away, and candidates are strategically positioning themselves to appeal to the greatest number of voters. Of course this is true in Santa Monica. Now comes City Council candidate Paul Rosenstein's assertion, as reported in the Times Oct. 1, that he has just been following the development standards in place in Santa Monica, and that "the proper way to slow growth is to change those standards, which he claims he has fought to do." But those who follow Mr. Rosenstein's actions as a Planning Commissioner every week, as I do, know otherwise.

Laurel Roennau's recent letter to The Times (Westside section, Aug. 4) presents an inaccurate view of council member Kelly Olsen's actions regarding the Civic Center. She bases her conclusions on an assertion that he presented a motion to the City Council which ultimately permitted increased maximum heights in the proposed RAND developments on Ocean Avenue. Council member Olsen's motion did not raise the maximum permitted heights as stated in the Specific Plan by 14 feet, as Ms. Roennau claims.

I read, with interest, the various letters to editor complaining about the Montana Traffic Plan. As a person in business on Wilshire Boulevard, I can add that we have been severely impacted by the Mid-City Traffic Plan, which has eliminated using Arizona Avenue or Broadway. All that additional traffic is now on Wilshire, Santa Monica and Colorado boulevards. When people moved on Broadway, Arizona or the other busy streets they knew there was traffic on the street. Residents now affected had no way to know this would happen to them.

In an article in Westside ("Uniting a Quarrelsome Council Tops New Mayor's Agenda," Jan. 1) discussing this year's agenda for the city of Santa Monica, my position (and the city's position) has been misstated on public indoor smoking. This is not surprising since the issue involves two old ordinances (Los Angeles and Santa Monica) and two new ones (state and local). All four take a tough approach to dealing with the harm to the public and to employees from secondhand smoke. The nuances of differences between them leads to confusion and more heat than light.

Smear tactics are part and parcel of politics, but a recent smear effort in Santa Monica was messier than usual: The perpetrators used cream cheese. Mayor Judy Abdo was one of the victims of the wave of junior-high-style vandalism in the council office. Her nameplate was discovered the morning after a council meeting slathered with cream cheese by someone who is probably not a fan. Councilman Paul Rosenstein was also singled out for defilement.

The fractious Santa Monica City Council has broken a weeklong deadlock and named Councilman Paul Rosenstein as the city's new mayor. Rosenstein became mayor after a compromise agreement before Tuesday's council meeting that assured Councilwoman Asha Greenberg of becoming mayor pro tem. Last week, the council made more than a dozen attempts to choose a mayor, but no council member could garner the necessary four votes of among the panel.

Laurel Roennau's recent letter to The Times (Westside section, Aug. 4) presents an inaccurate view of council member Kelly Olsen's actions regarding the Civic Center. She bases her conclusions on an assertion that he presented a motion to the City Council which ultimately permitted increased maximum heights in the proposed RAND developments on Ocean Avenue. Council member Olsen's motion did not raise the maximum permitted heights as stated in the Specific Plan by 14 feet, as Ms. Roennau claims.

Smear tactics are part and parcel of politics, but a recent smear effort in Santa Monica was messier than usual: The perpetrators used cream cheese. Mayor Judy Abdo was one of the victims of the wave of junior-high-style vandalism in the council office. Her nameplate was discovered the morning after a council meeting slathered with cream cheese by someone who is probably not a fan. Councilman Paul Rosenstein was also singled out for defilement.

The Santa Monica City Council needs thoughtful and experienced people who understand the long-term interests of the city, people like Paul Rosenstein. Paul is being attacked by the zero-growth element because he does not share their mindless commitment to the status quo, which leads to stagnation. He has worked hard in opposing overdevelopment and in maintaining building and zoning standards. Rosenstein would be a moderating influence between warring factions in the city. SAMUEL AND IRENE ZIVI Santa Monica

The elections are a few weeks away, and candidates are strategically positioning themselves to appeal to the greatest number of voters. Of course this is true in Santa Monica. Now comes City Council candidate Paul Rosenstein's assertion, as reported in the Times Oct. 1, that he has just been following the development standards in place in Santa Monica, and that "the proper way to slow growth is to change those standards, which he claims he has fought to do." But those who follow Mr. Rosenstein's actions as a Planning Commissioner every week, as I do, know otherwise.

The Santa Monica Pier is back! It reopened on a beautiful spring weekend, and what a joy it was to be there. The fresh air, the world-class view from inside the bay, the excitement of the fisherpeople as they hauled in their big ones, the feelings of detachment from the hustles and bustles of the city, the good feelings shared by the throngs of all sizes, colors and shapes--it was all there and more. The rebuilt pier is strong and solid and well-done. It is a good omen for the next phase: a cafe, bait-and-tackle shop and Harbor Master's office.

Here are the 18 candidates running for four Santa Monica City Council seats. They are listed in alphabetical order with the occupations they have designated for the ballot. * Judy Abdo, (incumbent), administrator. * John G. Baron, general manager Laemmle Theaters. * Antony Blain, attorney * Merritt Coleman, urban environmentalist * Dorothy Ehrhart-Morrison, Ph.D., child development specialist * Ken Genser, mayor and member of the City Council * Ellin Goldin, writer, community activist * Asha S.

Herman "Gabby" Rosenstein, 81, Santa Monica community activist who fought with the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War. Rosenstein was a New York bookkeeper in 1937 when he joined 3,000 Americans who went to Spain to fight the Franco forces. When the United States entered World War II, he joined the U.S. Army as a warrant officer. Years later, Rosenstein led protests against American involvement in the Vietnam War and against nuclear testing. A career electrician and union organizer, he served on the Santa Monica Housing Commission and had worked on the city's charter review commission and pier task force.