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# Calling for an apology
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/calling-for-an-apology-editor/
- Published: 2008-09-05T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T20:55:42.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Downtown, #archive-import

*By Dan Jansenson Santa Monica*

Mr. Kevin Herrera describes the Treesavers’ yearlong effort to preserve the urban forest in downtown Santa Monica as a response to a City Hall plan to “relocate a few” trees.

Had Mr. Herrera bothered to read his own newspaper, he would have known that the effort actually involved saving hundreds of trees at the start, since local business interests were intent on destroying every last one of the stately trees in the downtown area. Only after a long and arduous fight, including a lawsuit, marches, thousands of petition signatures, landmarking efforts and appearances at council meetings, was the number of trees marked for destruction or relocation actually reduced. It was not an effort to prevent “a few” trees from relocation.

To this day there has been no cogent explanation by the City Council as to the reason for the destruction of the trees and the expenditure of hundreds of thousands of dollars. There has been no explaining why this multi-million dollar “improvement” contract was awarded without a competitive bid, in spite of staff’s concerns.

There has been no effort to explain why the tree relocation and destruction moves forward in spite of thousands of petition signatures to the contrary. There has been no effort to acknowledge the numerous university studies specifically focusing on Santa Monica, pointing to the actual business — as well as environmental — benefits of a shady-canopy urban forest downtown.

There has been not the slightest effort by City Hall to acknowledge the request by the head of the Natural Resources Defense Council to preserve these trees where they are, through their natural lifespan.

While Jerry Rubin was talking to the police, dozens of construction workers surrounding Jerry were urging the police to hit him with pepper spray. … It is bad enough that the city has employed these individuals in a way that casts doubt on the appropriateness of the contract, but to have these people incite violence — in public and in front of the police — on a principled, peaceful, stalwart member of the community, and a City Council candidate to boot — is frankly an incredible outrage.

The city manager, and the entire City Council should issue an apology to Jerry and the citizens of this community for the consequences of this entire sorry episode.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 5, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/090508.pdf?ref=smdp.com)