The parking meter wars are raging with citizens rallying in droves to end the oppression imposed by an insensitive and avaricious Santa Monica City Council. By a unanimous vote, this collection of underachievers willing to work for $50 a month while pretending to control a well-paid city bureaucracy dared insult the public by extending Main Street parking meter enforcement until 2 in the morning. Imagine some suddenly saddened reveler reduced to fishing for quarters on a deserted street at that ungodly hour.

The councilniks blame this fiasco on the area's merchants, who are said to be eager to punish their customers and workers by exposing them to traffic tickets, which already fleece taxpayers to the tune of $7.4 million a year. Not so, claims Ron Schur, owner of the fine Galley restaurant on Main Street, who has garnered the names of 24 merchants on a petition opposing the parking meter rip-off. Included are the owners of Creative Sushi, Main Street Travel and Berry Lee Shoes, so we are talking broad coalition here.

But the people will win this war because Ben & Jerry's, the most socially responsible company on the planet, has rallied to the side of decency. In a letter to the City Council, Michael Gale, president of Ben and Jerry's of California, states: "I am absolutely against Any changes being made for the parking meters located on Main Street in Santa Monica (North of Ocean Boulevard.) We believe any changes will have a tremendously negative impact on our business in Santa Monica!" When Ben and Jerry's underlines and capitalizes Any, you know they mean business.