Santa Monica threw itself a party last week. For the second year in a row, the State of the City speech was delivered outdoors as part of a festive celebration. Last year, it was in Reed Park. This year, it took over part of Main Street. And while it might not have been an epic rager, there was music and face painting and lots of California sunshine.
Mayor Caroline Torosis delivered a vigorous pep talk, checking off the recent accomplishments on the city’s road to recovery, while also acknowledging the work to still be done. She was focused on the future and the big events coming in the next 24 months: the Ocean Way Festival in September (produced by the creators of the Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals), the Superbowl in 2027, and the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics.
But she was emphatic that the city will come away with far more than bragging rights and a cleanup bill. “The events that we are leading up to are not the prize,” she said. “The city that we create because of these events, that is the prize.”
She spoke with sincere enthusiasm, and she choked up more than once. Perhaps it was nerves, but it would be wrong to underestimate her personal investment in the city or the effort expended trying to overcome our current challenges. The steep hurdles the city faces would have likely been inconceivable only a decade ago.
“We face the ultimate question at the Council,” the Mayor said. “Are we going to manage decline or create a path forward?”
Although some recent actions by the Council give ample reason for questioning motives and methods, that’s a topic for another day. The state of the city today is indeed better than it was a year ago, and that’s partially because the Councilmembers and the City Manager made the bold choice to spend our way toward prosperity, rather than just mitigate our deterioration.
It could totally backfire, and it’s legitimate for residents to point that out. But if John Maynard Keynes has anything useful to offer the 21st century, it could also save us.
Torosis ended her speech with a semi-dramatic unveiling of the float design for the Rose Parade, which included several Santa Monica icons, including the PCH; the Pier’s Pacific Wheel, coaster, and carousel; and a rainbow-colored surfboard for good measure. The theme of the parade this year is “Welcome,” and the float design is one big welcome sign to Santa Monica.
There’s been a great deal of criticism of the city’s decision to participate in the parade. Mostly over the price tag. Over half a million dollars has been allocated, and critics can’t be blamed for their skepticism about a city claiming a fiscal crisis while spending such a large amount on a parade float.
But that’s the Keynesian bargain. You spend money to make money, and there’s a multiplier effect as the government invests money to generate economic growth. Is a parade float the same as putting cash directly in people’s pockets to pay for food? No. But it’s a clever public relations move.
To put it in perspective, a 30-second commercial on the Rose Parade broadcast could cost even more, and the float will additionally be seen by the nearly million attendees of the parade and Floatfest, a three-day post-parade exhibition. Like any form of advertising, for all the data about eyeballs and ROI, it’s hard to be entirely sure of what you’re getting for your money.
However, we’re not just getting an advertisement. We’re getting an opportunity to reintroduce ourselves to a nation of tourists that have been choosing other destinations as of late, and we’re getting a community-building activity. Torosis solicited members of the public to help affix the thousands of roses, seeds, bark and leaves that will cover the entirety of the float, and she also shared her personal history with the parade.
“Growing up in Montreal, in the dead of a Canadian winter, [my mother] would turn on the television and see roses and sunshine in January,” said Torosis, who is the child of immigrants to this country. She described her mother sitting in the cold and imagining a life in California. “She saw a place that looked like it would welcome her.”
The Mayor got more than 30 seconds to sell her version and vision of the city, and like many good ads, it was heartwarming and optimistic. She didn’t promise us a rose garden, but we’re counting on her and all the councilmembers to help this city bloom again.
Devan Sipher can be reached at Devan@smdp.com.