|
By Lookout Staff
January 2 -- Bicycles, airplanes and trains grabbed the
local headlines in 2007, a year when trees stood trial, a plan to
remodel Santa Monica Place finally bore fruit and the City took
steps to change the way the Downtown is run.
“Transparency” became a catchword, a familiar face
took the mayor’s post, two key political figures passed and
the homeless remained a major issue in the home of the homeless.
Here, in no particular order, are the top stories of 2007.
City, FAA Clash
It didn't take radar to know that the City and the Federal Aviation Administration
were on a collision course. In late November, they finally clashed over the
City’s efforts to restrict faster, larger jets at the 62-year-old Santa
Monica Airport.
The City Council’s unanimous vote to ban C and D aircraft with approach
speeds faster than 121 knots came after five years of often contentious negotiations
with the FAA, which opposed the City’s proposals to shorten the runway
and add safety areas at either end that abide by current federal standards.
Even before the inevitable clash, the FAA had threatened litigation to protect
"all federal rights, investments and obligations" and ensure no aircraft
is denied access to the airport.
But City officials -- worried that soaring jet traffic is putting neighboring
homes, as well as pilots, in danger -- said safety came first.
An Axe to Grind
A plan to remove mature ficus and palm trees from 2nd and 4th streets Downtown
was winding quietly through the City bureaucracy when it suddenly blossomed
into a full-fledged controversy last fall.
That’s when community activist Jerry Rubin and a group of environmentalists
calling themselves the Treesavers began doing everything possible to halt the
axe – taking the issue to court, holding a fast and asking the Landmarks
Commission to declare the trees worthy of preservation.
If the commission finds enough historical significance in long-forgotten political
gatherings that took place under the trees four decades ago, the saga would
not end there. The City – which plans to remove the trees to pave the
way for an $8.2 million Pedestrian and Streetscape Improvement Project –
plans to appeal the decision.
And even it the City Council were to uphold an appeal, the battle would then
be taken up in court, where Rubin and Treesavers plan to revive their lawsuit
to halt the axe, which they stayed pending the Landmarks Commission’s
action.
Homeless Count Down
The number of homeless living on Santa Monica's streets dropped by nearly a
third over the past two years, although the ranks of those who hang out Downtown
swelled.
City officials attribute the overall drop -- from1,991 in 2005
to 1,506 last year -- to better counting methods and the City's
push to house the chronic homeless. Santa Monica’s count reflected
a countywide decrease in the nation’s largest homeless population
– from 88,345 in 2005 to 73,000 homeless this year, a 17 percent
decline.
The Downtown area, however, continued to claim the highest concentration
of homeless in Santa Monica, with nearly 100 more people counted
on the streets and in shelters this year than in 2005. Since the
count was taken a year ago, the City has boosted its efforts to
reach out to Downtown’s homeless population, City officials
said.
Czar’s Reign Ends
Two years after being tapped as Santa Monica’s “homeless czar,”
Ed Edelman left his $200,000-a-year post last month after initiating programs
and policies that should long outlive his tenure.
The former Los Angeles County Supervisor left behind a legacy that includes
initiating a separate court for the homeless, negotiating an agreement to move
free meal programs indoors and helping to find a new executive director for
the County’s homeless agency.
In addition, Edelman -- who is widely viewed as a skillful ambassador -- helped
launch a regional approach to tackling the persistent homeless problem.
Bumpy Ride for Expo Line
Resembling more a roller coaster ride than a train trip, plans to bring light
rail to Santa Monica saw a series of dizzying ups and downs in 2007.
After the Expo light-rail received $315 million in September from the California
Transportation Commission to kick-start the stalled project, it faced a $640
million shortfall some three months later. The shortfall -- due to optimistic
construction estimates -- threatened to cut short the first leg of the Exposition
line to Culver City, until MTA officials announced the plan would move ahead.
Transportation officials remain confident the rail line -- which is expected
to alleviate congestion on the traffic-snarled Westside -- will receive the
funding to eventually reach Santa Monica, where City officials have purchased
the Sears building for a possible terminal Downtown.
Deadly Crossing
A several pedestrian fatalities in 2007 highlighted the perils of crossing Santa
Monica streets, with or without the aid of a crosswalk.
After 90-year-oldYakov Krivulin died soon after being hit in the middle of
an out-of-order flashing crosswalk, an investigation by The Lookout found that
only two of Santa Monica's 15 flashing crosswalks designed to alert motorists
of a pedestrian in the road were functioning. The rest had been out of order,
many for at least a year.
If the year’s first pedestrian fatality took place in a marked crosswalk,
its last, in December, took place when an elderly pedestrian was struck and
killed by an elderly driver while crossing in an unmarked crosswalk.
New Mayor in Town
Nearly a quarter century after first being elected to the City Council, Herb
Katz -- a longtime opponent of Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights (SMRR)
-- was sworn in as the city’s new mayor last month.
Katz, who has dedicated half his life to civic service in Santa Monica, had
watched as a long line of council colleagues assumed the mostly ceremonial post.
The stage for Katz to finally take the helm was set last year, when the council
voted to make Richard Bloom mayor and Katz mayor pro tempore, with the two men
switching places after one year.
Katz shed some tears and needed a moment to collect himself when he spoke fondly
of his wife Brenda, family and friends -- who banded together to form a boisterous,
standing crowd inside the Council Chamber.
Modest Proposal
Three years after unveiling a controversial proposal to rebuild Santa Monica
Place and top it with condo and apartment towers, Macerich will shut down the
30-year-old indoor mall this month to begin a modest remodel.
The plan will remove large portions of the roof, create an open-air dining
area on the third floor, demolish a portion of Parking Structure 7 and create
a stronger pedestrian orientation at 2nd Street, 4th Street and Colorado Avenue.
The proposed project will retain the two anchor department store buildings
-- one of which has yet to be leased -- and maintain the existing building height
of 56 feet, while reducing leasable square footage by 10,234 square feet, according
to the proposal.
The proposal -- which won final approvals from the California Coastal Commission
and the Santa Monica Architectural Review Board late last year -- is central
to the vitality of Downtown, is well-integrated with the existing urban fabric
and increases available open space and pedestrian walkways, City officials said.
Bone of Contention
In September, dogs from Mar Vista and their owners got the full run of Santa
Monica’s Airport Park off-leash dog area after the City Council unanimously
agreed to let them purchase non-resident user permits.
The issue had been a bone of contention since City officials opened the park
in April to fanfare by local residents and hollers from nearby Los Angeles residents
who were barred from bringing their dogs to the off-leash area.
The annual $15 dog tags okayed by the council are easily recognizable to park
maintenance staff and offered to any non-Santa Monica resident who wants to
bring a maximum of four dogs that are licensed and have had rabies shots.
Downtown Overhaul
In a move that could drastically change the way the Downtown is run for years
to come, the City Council in April took steps to grant property owners more
control over the thriving district.
Under the proposed plan, property owners in the heart of the city would agree
to pay $1.8 million more each year in taxes to spruce up Downtown and keep it
competitive. In exchange, they would gain greater power on a reorganized Bayside
Board.
If approved by property owners and voted into law by the council, the plan
would boost the number of businesses taxed to bankroll the improvements -- which
could include larger City clean-up crews, permanent attendants at the public
restrooms, homeless outreach teams and "ambassadors" to help the public,
especially at the bustling Third Street Promenade.
Nearly a year in the making, the plan will not only dissolve the current assessment
district, which only taxes retailers, but it would form a much larger one that
would include restaurants, hotels, offices and, perhaps, apartment buildings.
If the law passes, it would mark the first major change in two decades in how
the Bayside District – which has sometimes had strained relations with
the City, especially over the homeless – manages the Santa Monica's roaring
Downtown economic engine.
Critical Condition
Santa Monica’s Critical Mass seemed to be in critical condition after
police cracked down on more than 30 cyclists who took part in November’s
monthly rolling celebration of bicycle culture, which began 15 years ago in
San Francisco.
The 32 citations -- which included tickets for failing to have taillights or
helmets -- far exceeded the total number of citations handed out since Santa
Monica police began enforcing traffic laws during Critical Mass earlier in the
year.
Riders protested that the crackdown was thinning the Critical Mass ranks, which
numbered between 300 and 400 riders during its springtime peak.
Finance 101
After long and heated debate, the City Council finally agreed to boost City
funding to the School District by $530,000, but not until the district revamped
its policy governing confidentiality agreements and conducted an independent
audit.
The key dividing issue was “transparency,” with some council members
worried District officials had improperly silenced former chief financial officer
Winston Braham, who resigned after opposing a teachers pay hike, and required
parents of Special Education students to sign confidentiality agreements.
Braham’s settlement agreement included two clauses that prohibited the
former CFO from speaking publicly about District finances without permission
from District officials and barred him from making disparaging statements.
Braham spoke before the council after the provisions were lifted, but his testimony
was anti-climactic and added little to the debate over district finances, which
face a shortfall after the teachers’ raises.
R.I.P.
Santa Monica lost two well-loved figures from polar ends of the political spectrum
– one, a quiet advisor who avoided the limelight, the other a well-known
civic leader.
Steve Alpert -- a longtime political analyst who advised scores of School and
College board candidates over the years -- died in February. Known for his kindness
and curmudgeon-like sense of humor, Alpert not only helped lay the groundwork
for political strategies that kept SMRR in control of City Hall, he served as
the powerful tenant’s group’s conscience.
Bob Gabriel, who died in December after a battle with cancer, was a major player
in Santa Monica’s recent history and, along with his wife,
Louise, worked tirelessly to ensure that its past is not forgotten.
An insurance broker known as a soft-spoken straightshooter, Gabriel
was an important player in the history he helped to preserve, serving
on the City Council in the mid 1970s and backing SMRR opponents
during the tenant group’s 25-year-grip on City Hall.
|
