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# Excessive spending related to city budget woes
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/excessive-spending-related-to-city-budget-woes-editor/
- Published: 2002-05-23T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T00:17:55.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Promenade, #archive-import

I read your article in the May 20 edition of the Santa Monica Daily Press regarding the dire financial straights Santa Monica is facing with alarm. I feel, however, that the city has been spending money like it is going out of style, overspending particularly in areas such as the Third Street Promenade sidewalks and the streets on Broadway, Santa Monica Boulevard, and Arizona.

Quite some time ago, I thought it was an unnecessary and costly expenditure, which, no doubt is an unpopular point of view. I think all they needed to do was maintain the area, but that is all “spilt milk,” now. I also feel that the expenditure for improving the Palisades Park area north of Arizona was also excessive, and, some of it unnecessary.

What also surprises me is “that the negative effects on local economies, particularly ones that rely on tourism, are related to terrorism.” I had no idea that this was so. That is very sad indeed.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 23, 2002.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/052302.pdf?ref=smdp.com)