The following is a summation of what went on in the Santa Monica City Council chambers during the council’s January’s 24 meeting, including a timeline, notable public comments and excerpts taken.
5:45 p.m.: The council convened and recited the pledge of allegiance. Mayor Pro Tem Bobby Shriver was not present.
5:52 p.m.: Consent items 1-A through 1-H, with the exclusion of 1-C, were approved without discussion.
6:03 p.m.: Council went into closed session to discuss litigation, as well as threats to public facilities with chief of police.
7:06 p.m.: Members reconvened and returned to item 1-C. Council member Herb Katz excused himself over a conflict of interest and the remaining members approved a tract map for a five-unit housing project on 11th Street.
7:07 p.m.: Council heard testimony from students regarding funding and expansion of programs at the Pico Youth & Family Center. Public comment is limited to two minutes because of the number of speakers scheduled (more than 90).
7:25 p.m.: Transportation and community planning officials presented four proposed plans for Shape the Future 2005, a 20-year plan on future land use, from commercial and housing development to mass transit and parks.
7:52 p.m.: Public comment on Shape the Future 2005 began.
9:25 p.m.: Public comment ended. Council voted to take a 10-minute recess, during which a female gadfly wearing a red bonnet and blue wool overcoat started pointing and scowling at the council, at times yelling, “sexual harassment, sexual torture.” She was warned by a police officer to remain quiet. She complied.
9:39 p.m.: Council reconvened and voted to move Item A-8, which dealt with mid-year budget changes, to the Feb. 14 meeting.
9:42 p.m.: Council discussed alternatives for Shape the Future and ordered staff to return with ways to collect community input and establish a set of goals to guide the plan.
11:06 p.m.: An ordinance regulating the conversion of restaurants into retail on the Third Street Promenade is opened to public comment. Council debated and ultimately passed the ordinance, but with the understanding that a more equitable solution would be developed with Bayside District Corp.
12:02 p.m.: Ordinance on changing affordable housing incentives and density bonuses in accordance with state law is approved as is the transfer of the city’s cable service to Time Warner. Item 13-A, dealing with an appointment to the Pier Restoration Corp., was moved to a later date.
12:04 p.m.: Council heard public comment regarding the alleged eviction of homeless people from storage lockers near 14th Street and Memorial Park. A comical rant from Will B. King, a street performer, capped off the night along with a resident complaint about drug dealing and a series of robberies in the Pico Neighborhood.
12:12 p.m.: Council convened in honor of the late USC baseball coach Rod Dedeaux, who passed away recently at 91
BY THE NUMBERS Time spent on the top three issues facing Santa Monicans based on city surveys:
Public Comment: 3 hours, 25 minutes City Council Discussion: 2 hours, 27 minutes
Time spent Discussing: Policy: 3 hours Land use: 2 hours, 30 minutes Resident initiated concerns: 3 minutes
LETS TALK CHIT “Chits” (Public addressing City Council) - “I’m glad it’s your decision and not mine.” Judy Abdo Former City Council member, alluding to the present Council’s task of developing a new land-use plan for the entire city.
- “There is no ‘there’ there. The authors (of the Shape our Future report) have given you a pig and a poke and said ‘trust us.’” Geraldine Kennedy Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City, on a perceived lack of vision in the alternatives for land use development.
QUOTE OF NOTE “I can’t claim to be good at preventing deviousness.” City Attorney Marsha Jones Moutrie, making a joke in response to a Council member Ken Genser’s request to see if his proposed motion on land-use was promoting a particular agenda.
