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# Council votes to exacerbate 18th Street parking woes
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/council-votes-to-exacerbate-18th-street-parking-woes/
- Published: 2005-12-19T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T08:20:06.000Z
- Author: Bill Bauer
- Tags: Opinion, Mid-City, #archive-import

One mid-city neighborhood, heavily impacted by traffic and parking problems, was dumped on again by the City Council who voted (4-3) last Tuesday to allow the Unitarian Universalist Community Church to expand without providing 12 on-site parking spaces required by zoning codes.

Although the church, located at 18th Street and Arizona Avenue, is already short a total of 84 on-site parking spaces, it was only the 12 additional spaces required by the proposed new construction that was at issue. With activities throughout the week and on Sundays, the church is the major consumer of limited neighborhood on-street parking.

Neighbors had appealed Planning Commission approval of church expansion and a variance that waived the required 12 parking spaces. The City Council heard presentations from church representatives, the neighbors and the general public at its Nov. 29 meeting. The City Council continued the deliberation and a decision phase until its Dec. 13 session.

Because the church came in with a last second “miracle” deal — tentative permission to use parking spaces at the Seventh Day Adventist Church of Santa Monica a block away, Mayor Bob Holbrook unexpectedly and without notice reopened public input.

Church administrators presented their new parking proposal and supporters seized the opportunity to extoll the value of the church to the community. Unfortunately, the appellants, not informed of a whole new parking proposal and thinking that public input had closed, were not present in council chambers to comment. This generated some buzz from the sidelines that dirty tricks were employed that allowed church supporters to unfairly promote their cause after public input had closed — and without objection from Mayor Holbrook.

I had written (SMDP, Aug. 22, page 6) that this was strictly about zoning requirements, not about the quality or amount of community good or noble causes espoused. City Councilman Ken Genser, quoting from the zoning codes, said the parking variance — even with a potential parking deal with a neighboring church — still had no “approved parking plan” and did not meet the conditions required for a variance. City Councilman Kevin McKeown agreed with Genser and expressed concerns about neighborhood quality of life. City Councilwoman Pam O’Connor didn’t comment but voted for the appeal.

The rest sitting on the City Council just didn’t get it. Using “community good” as a condition for granting variances is a slippery slope — one that opens up all kinds of knotty issues based on nonspecific value judgments about “just how good is your community good?” And from comments it seems as though some council members thought granting the appeal meant shuttering the church.

City Councilman Richard Bloom described the church as “an important community resource” and ignored the conditions issue entirely. City Councilman Herb Katz put on his architect/developer hat. Totally unconcerned about the neighbors, he sympathized with the church — arguing that because their property couldn’t easily accommodate parking, a variance was appropriate.

Bloom and Katz, who both live in Sunset Park with its exclusive resident-only parking, also clung to vague assurances by church administrators that off-street parking would be found to make up for shortfalls.

The truth is that the church’s agreement with the Seventh Day Adventists is tentative and unenforceable — even if consummated. Bloom insisted that parking arrangements be on a 24/7 basis for 30 years, or as long as the churches exist. What happens after the expansion is complete and parking deals are terminated? Nothing. Because the city has no recourse and will neither close or fine the church for code violations. The church knows it and so do Bloom and Katz.

Mayor Holbrook voted to allow the variance. Earlier in the day, in a posted interview he told surfsantamonica.com that parking was a major problem and as mayor, “My priorities reflect my vision of our future... Reduced traffic and improved neighborhood parking.” Apparently, Mayor Holbrook’s vision appears to be nothing more than insincere and meaningless political rhetoric because his vote made this neighborhood’s nightmare parking problems even worse.

City Councilman Bobby Shriver voted against the neighborhood despite being annoyed by litigation threats from church attorney Chris Harding if the appeal were upheld.

I’ve been critical of Genser, O’Connor and McKeown in the past, but this time they hit the nail on the head. They understood the issues and voted intelligently, despite criticism from church supporters and their political allies. (Bill Bauer is a longtime Santa Monica resident and a freelance writer.)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 19, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/121905.pdf?ref=smdp.com)