Lamont Ewell asks locals, ‘Can We Talk?’
DOWNTOWN Do you want more street-lights near your home, or maybe more parking is what you’re after?
Either way, this month might be your best shot at getting want you think you deserve. That’s because City Manager Lamont Ewell and his staff are hosting a series of community meetings in which residents are encouraged to attend and give their thoughts on how their tax dollars should be spent.
The second meeting in the “Can We Talk?” series is scheduled for tonight at 7 p.m. at Virginia Avenue Park’s Thelma Terry Center.
It is the second year that Ewell has held these meetings to address community concerns and develop a set of priorities that city staff will consider as a new city budget is developed for 2008-09.
“This is a way for us to hear directly from the residents about what they believe are the most important issues that need to be addressed as we move forward with the budget,” said Kate Vernez, assistant to the city manager.
The meetings have been well received by residents, who remember the days when they were forced to state their cases before the City Council during budget hearings in January. During those hearings, residents would have to compete with non-profits for the council’s attention, often having to make their arguments in less than three minutes.
During the community meetings, residents are allowed to meet face-to-face with not only the city manager, but also several department heads in charge of such things as community maintenance, open space and planning.
“I think the meetings are incredibly fruitful,” said Ted Winterer, president of the Ocean Park Association, whose members spoke with Ewell and his staff Nov. 1 at John Muir Elementary School. “It’s always great to get the city manager out there and hear what the people have to say about how they would like to have their tax dollars spent, and I think he has proved to be responsive to our concerns in the past and will in the future.”
Current community priorities for the city at large include culture, sustainability, recreation and active living, education, customer service, and capital needs and infrastructure, with a special focus on homelessness, the update of the city’s Land Use and Circulation Element, and youth.
Other suggestions on community priorities will come from council-appointed boards and commissions, a resident satisfaction survey, and council discussions on the subject. The council will then hold a series of budget workshops in May, and adopt the final budget in June 2008.
During the meeting earlier this month, Winterer said residents expressed a need for wider sidewalks to encourage more pedestrian activity, and the planting of trees in vacant tree wells on Ocean Park Boulevard.
Residents also asked that priority be given to improving the City’s building and safety code and permit inspections. Creating a Citywide disaster plan and more effective policing were also mentioned. Lastly, residents requested placing utility liines underground, beginning in Ocean Park.
Another main concern was giving Santa Monica High School students free bus passes for the City’s Big Blue Bus and allowing students to park at the new Civic Center Parking Structure to help alleviate parking issues at the school.
Winterer said Ewell has followed through on requests that were made last year. After hearing complaints from residents about the lack of parking and its affect on traffic during the Sunday Farmers’ Market on Main Street, city staff created a bike valet program to encourage cycling; offered free parking at the beach lots for market patrons; and devised a plan to create more turnover at Main Street parking meters so that drivers do not have to circle around the neighborhood in search of a spot.
“I think this is a much better system,” Winterer said. “You know how long council meetings run. It’s asking a lot for someone to stay at a meeting until midnight and then give them only one minute or so to speak. Instead, from 7 to 9 of you get a chance to say your peace and I don’t think anyone felt that they didn’t get a chance to do that.”
Winterer said he would like to see Ewell hold more meetings with neighborhood groups.
Jean Dodson, president of the Wilshire Montana Neighborhood Coalition, said attendance at the meeting held last year at Reed Park for her area was low and is hoping that more will show up this time around because the opportunity is too great to pass up.
“This is an open forum where everyone has an equal opportunity to speak and hopefully have their problems solved,” Dodson said. “This kind of access doesn’t happen every day so it is important to take advantage of it. Since Lamont has come to town, there has been a sea change in terms of City Hall’s willingness to listen to the people and we are certainly happy to see that and appreciate it.”
Dodson said her neighbors are still deeply concerned about the lack of parking in the area as well as homelessness and would like to see more movement on those two issues. Overdevelopment is also a concern because it brings with it more people and more traffic congestion. Wil-Mont has joined with other neighborhood groups in calling for a temporary, citywide moratorium on development.
Zena Josephs, president of Friends of Sunset Park, said not only are the community budget meetings beneficial for members of neighborhood groups like hers, but also for those living in areas where there are no active groups, such as Downtown and the Mid-City area.
“The city manager, and the police chief and planning director he has hired, all seem to work from a philosophy of serving the residents and trusting the residents,” Josephs said. “Each of these three officials has come to FOSP meetings during the year, not just the “Can We Talk?” meetings, and they listen to our concerns, discuss possible solutions with us, and treat us with respect.
“Some of the other city officials still seem to work from the philosophy that “they know better” than the residents,” Josephs added. “When they seem dismissive of our concerns, it can be infuriating because we have to live with the outcomes of their decisions.”
Josephs said Sunset Park residents are still concerned about traffic and the lack of runway safety areas at the Santa Monica Airport. There have been more police in the area of late, seemingly a response to complaints from resident about crime in their neighborhood.
For a complete list of community meetings, go to www.smgov.net.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 12, 2007. Read the original PDF.