“I don’t care how valuable that beach club would be for the public. If it results in the death of one person, I would like to ask anyone, can you live with that?” Madeline Moore, a senior at Santa Monica High School, telling councilmembers about her observations of the council meeting and urging them to focus more on homelessness.
“Why are we paying top dollar for a building that isn’t worth half that? You could look in some of the local papers and find better deals. Who’s getting paid off here?” Pacific Coast Highway resident Jonathan Ornstein who said he has seen several motorists killed on PCH near the site of a proposed beach club. Ornstein said he will sue City Hall if the council moves forward with the beach club without ensuring a traffic light will be built near the entrance.
“I learned to swim in that pool. I have a 2-year-old son. I’d like him to do the same.”
Santa Monica Conservancy Vice-President John Zinner, on the historic pool scheduled for rehabilitation under the plan for the public beach club. Zinner supports the project.
“When you rub your foot on it, you rub me the wrong way.” Councilman Ken Genser, being playful but firm as he asked Mayor Pro Tem Bobby Shriver to stop shaking his leg under his desk because his foot was constantly rubbing up against a gym bag he received from Heal the Bay.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 27, 2006. Read the original PDF.