Of Clubs and Parties
By Frank Gruber
If it's any comfort to Bobby Shriver for not receiving the endorsement
of the Santa Monica Democratic Club (SMDC) for reelection to City Council,
let me offer this: when you say, "Santa Monica Democratic Club,"
the emphasis should be on the last word, "Club." ("Dem
Club Endorses Genser, Bloom," September 3, 2008)
Last week I was talking to a new acquaintance in Santa Monica, and
much of the conversation was about politics; it was on a day in between
the Democratic and Republican conventions. At a certain point we turned
to local politics, and my friend brought up the SMDC's non-endorsement
of City Council Member Shriver.
He said that he was once asked -- sometime after the crucial 2004 election
-- to join the SMDC and he said that his reply was on the order of,
"Why would I join a Democratic Party organization that had just
endorsed Dennis Kucinich for president -- a choice that would have doomed
the party in the election?"
The Club is a club, and only a club, the members of which consider
themselves more "progressive" than most Democrats. It's also
virtually an appendage of Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights (SMRR).
I can't recall an election when the club endorsed candidates not endorsed
by SMRR.
This year, when the club almost did so -- the steering committee had
recommended endorsements for non-SMRR endorsees Shriver and Ted Winterer,
and had recommended not endorsing Richard Bloom -- the SMRR connection
was particularly obvious when at the membership meeting the club only
endorsed SMRR candidates Ken Genser and Richard Bloom.
The whole thing wouldn't make much difference, but Santa Monica voters,
most of whom are Democrats, don't necessarily know that the Club is
just a club, and a subsidiary of SMRR at that, and so when they see
"Santa Monica Democratic Club endorses," they may be inclined
to think that the party of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton has endorsed
candidates in Santa Monica.
But then Bobby Shriver is probably the candidate running in Santa Monica
with the best collection of photographs of him standing next to national
Democratic figures.
* * *
In another story "ripped from the headlines," I read with
dismay that Jerry Rubin got himself arrested protesting the removal
of ficus trees downtown ("Local
Activist Arrested in Tree Protest," September 4, 2008).
If you like Santa Monica politics, you have to love Jerry Rubin. He
is a sweet guy who not only cares, but who also pays attention, and
thinks about the issues with more independence than anyone else.
But there was no reason for him to chain himself to a tree. He took
this too far -- as I've written before, Jerry (sorry, but Jerry Rubin
is one person I cannot call "Mr. Rubin") and his Treesavers
won the battle of the downtown ficus trees by saving two-thirds of them
and causing the City to adopt a better plan for 2nd and 4th Streets
that provides for the long term needs of the downtown "urban forest"
by inter-planting new trees with old.
I'm hesitant to write about this for fear that more publicity will
only encourage Jerry to do this kind of thing again, but I am going
to express the hope that Jerry's friends, particularly in Treesavers,
persuade Jerry to declare victory on the ficus trees and move on to
advocating for his proposed Tree Commission.
* * *
In the good news department, it's hard to believe, looking back at
all the controversy ("WHAT
I SAY -- Frre Recipe with this Column," August 10, 2001)
there was about it years ago, but Santa Monica College's new theater
at the old Madison school site is about to have its gala opening on
September 20, followed by an inaugural concert featuring famed mezzo-soprano
Frederica von Stade on October 11.
Now called the "Broad Stage" at the Santa Monica College
Performing Arts Center, in honor of a $10 million gift ("LA
Philanthropist gives $10 Million to New SMC Theater," July 3, 2008)
from Eli and Edythe Broad to establish an endowment to support operations,
the hall has already been the scene of three "shake-down"
events designed to test all the stage machinery and such. I attended
all three events, and can attest that the facility succeeds practically
and aesthetically in all respects.
The Broad Stage, as well as a smaller space called the Edye Second
Space, are only part of what now becomes the Santa Monica College Performing
Arts Center, at 11th and Santa Monica Boulevard, which itself is more
than a performing arts center, because it also contains an art gallery
-- the Pete & Susan Barrett Art Gallery.
In conjunction with the opening of the theater, the gallery is housing
an impressive show of works by Santa Monicans that former chair of the
Santa Monica Arts Commission Bruria Finkel curated. Ms. Finkel must
have had a hard time making her choices, because there are few localities
that can boast the artists to produce the quality and range of the works
in this show.
This coming Saturday evening, September 13, is the grand opening of
the show; for more information go to this webpage [http://www.smc.edu/forms/events.asp?Q=1327].
For more information about the gala opening events for the Broad Stage,
and for programming for the season, go this webpage http://www.thebroadstage.com/
* * *
In the blast from the past department, tonight the Landmarks Commission
will try to resolve an oldie but goodie; the case of a once-and-no-longer
garage in the Third Street Historic District.
I wrote about this garage back in 2004 ("WHAT
I SAY -- A Landmark Tale of Two garages," September 20, 2004)
accidentally -- I attended a meeting of the commission to report on
another landmark designation involving a garage, but ended up writing
about both of them.
Bea Nemlaha, one of the organizers and biggest supporters of the historic
district, owned the detached garage in the back of her property, which
had been constructed in 1915 and was not in good shape. Ms. Nemlaha
wanted to replace it with a new, contemporary two-car garage with a
roof deck. The commission couldn't agree on what to tell Ms. Nemlaha
about the design, and she and her architect (Ralph Mechur) had to go
back to the drawing board.
Ultimately the commission approved plans for the replacement garage,
but when Ms. Nemlaha demolished the old garage, instead of building
the new one, she decided to turn the space into a garden.
Well, it turns out that since Ms. Nemlaha did not follow the terms
of the "certificate of appropriateness" for the removal of
the garage -- because she didn't replace it -- she now needs to return
to the commission to obtain an amendment to the certificate.
While it's unlikely that the commission is going to require Ms. Nemlaha
to build a garage she doesn't want, the project has raised the hackles
of some of her neighbors, who wonder if a double standard was applied
to the original application.
That's because the commission decided that the 1915 garage was expendable
in part because it was 95 feet from the street and partially obscured
by an overhanging hedge. Readers may recall that recently Third Street
has been riven by controversy over a contemporary addition a homeowner
wants to build behind trees in the rear of his property; Ms. Nemlaha
has opposed that project.
Beyond that, the project raises questions about the very meaning of
an historic district. Is it the buildings themselves -- a garage from
1915, for instance -- or what is visible from the street? And then,
is it okay to build new buildings that look historic, to make passersby
feel that they are in an historic place?
Never a dull moment in Santa Monica. |
