through Central Park in the winter, even though he’d get teased by his classmates.
After graduating from Dartmouth with a bachelor’s in English and film studies, Winterer worked for HBO. When his job ended, Winterer wondered what he’d do next. New York wasn’t exactly booming with gigs in film, so he made the big decision to move to Los Angeles.
“Being in New York, you always hear about people from L.A. being really feely, touchy, have a nice day type kooks,”Winterer said. “Once you get here, it’s pretty nice. You really do get accustomed to it.”
Winterer had a friend working for Creative Artists Agency who had just purchased a home with an extra bedroom, making it easy for Winterer to relocate.
But like any New Yorker settling in Southern California, it takes some time to get adjusted to the laid-back lifestyle. Perhaps the biggest culture shock for Winterer was the reliance on the auto.
“I never really owned a car,” Winterer said. “In New York they have an excellent public transportation system … Out here people get so upset if they have to park a block away from their home. In New York, if you got a spot two blocks from your apartment you’d invite the neighbors over for some margaritas and throw a party.”
Winterer settled in Laurel Canyon, but was working at Edgemar for “Leaving Las Vegas” Director Mike Figgis. The commute was not what he desired, so Winterer relocated to Santa Monica, and eventually settled in Ocean Park in 2000. That’s when he became active in the community.
“There’s just something about this part of the city that makes you want to get involved,” Winterer said.“There’s something in the air.”
For years, former parks commissioner Susan Cloke lobbied for Winterer’s wife to sign up and serve, but it was Winterer who ended up on the commission. Being an avid outdoors man, Winterer felt it was a perfect match. From his experience playing in a soccer league, he knew that there wasn’t enough open space to serve the needs of residents, so he dived in head first and has worked hard with his fellow commissioners and city staff to fulfill a vision to have a park within walking distance of every resident.
But making that happen is easier said than done. With land prices rising, it has become increasingly difficult to purchase space for parks, hence the creation of Airport Park.
“That was really the only big patch of open space left in the city,” Winterer said of building the park at the airport. “Where else can you get land?”
In building the park, city staff created an off-leash dog area that has created some controversy. Because of a lack of dog parks, no resident outside of Santa Monica is allowed to use them. In the past, this law wasn’t much of an issue since most dog parks were located deep within the city. But with Airport Park, residents in Mar Vista actually live closer and therefore wanted to use the dog area.
In a recent hearing and in an interview, Winterer said he hopes a solution that would allow Mar Vista residents in. He said the dog area is not being heavily used, “and it would be a shame to waste all that money.” He did say that if Los Angeles residents want to use the park,they should pay a small fee to help with maintenance costs.
As for the future of open spaces in town, Winterer and his commissioners are focused on creating pocket parks wherever possible to provide some relief. They are also looking forward to making good use of the old Fisher Lumber site on Colorado Avenue, which is directly adjacent to Memorial Park. Winterer is also interested in creating wider sidewalks and better bike lanes as well as “greening” some of the city’s hardscapes to capture stormwater runoff and provide a better aesthetic.
It is his desire to protect what is great about Santa Monica, from the Farmers’ Markets and easy beach access, to the strong sense of community that he feels, particularly in Ocean Park and along Main Street, which like many areas is facing strong development pressures. Winterer does not want the city to turn into New York, where the middle class has been eroded.
“We really need to take a breather,” Winterer said of development. “City staff needs to be freed from processing permits and have time to think this through.”
In particular, Winterer believes city staff should study the effect development is having on rents, especially for businesses. The higher the rents, the more difficult it is for many small mom and pop stores to exists once their leases, and lower rents, expire.
In the meantime, Winterer is occupied with the parade, which will take place on the Fourth of July along Main Street. Winterer said there are already more than 700 people signed up to participate. That’s a lot of people to handle, especially when the parade is being planned by volunteers.
“We really don’t know what to expect,” he said. “It could be a huge success or it could bomb. We won’t really know until opening day.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 2, 2007. Read the original PDF.