Residents don’t always get the services they deserve from city staff. There especially seems to be a high degree of public dissatisfaction with the plan-ning department. On the other hand, I’ve always received a high level of service and respect from the city clerk’s office.
The real problem in City Hall begins with elected council persons. They’ve demonstrated repeatedly that their personal political agenda has priority over residents’ needs. Resources are squandered, money is wasted and things that should get done are ignored or delayed. As a result, our beautiful city has become a dangerous and dirty place that no longer serves its citizens.
Elected officials have designated that their misplaced priorities must be carried out no matter what the public thinks. Minds are made up and policies are dictated. And, city department heads respond accordingly. This “adversarial” mindset filters down through city staff.
Take how the city handles our large transient population. The City Council, fully supported by staff, deliberately does everything it can to make problems worse. All we can do is avoid our own parks and downtown area because nobody cares about the hundreds of complaints that come into City Hall monthly.
City traffic increases annually but the city’s unrealistic goal is to reduce it by 10 percent. Streets are reconfigured to slow traffic and carry fewer vehicles. Complain? City Hall’s response: “You’ll learn to like it.”
Permit parking is doled out like candy, but are largely unenforced. Retail zoning codes don’t require enough on-site parking. Now, there are even plans to allow business employee parking in residential neighborhoods.
Residents are victimized by a mis-focused elected leadership driven more by idealism than practicality and a city staff whose loyalties are to a leadership totally out of touch with its electorate.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 5, 2004. Read the original PDF.