By Howard Sage New York City, NY.
I was driving east along Montana Avenue, just after 1 p.m., Aug. 1, toward the end of my third week in Santa Monica. At 16th Street and Montana Avenue, my eye caught the flashing lights of an officer’s motorcycle and I picked out the whine of the motorcycle siren.
I know the stretch from 13th to 18th along Montana well. My wife and I had stayed for three weeks on 17th Street, between Washington and Montana. Each day of our visit, we stopped at the Montana branch of the library. We shopped at Wild Oats, had muffins and coffee at Via Dolce, picked up the Daily Press at corner boxes. We even knew the UPS driver on the route. We stopped our rented Ford at all intersections when a pedestrian crossed.
The officer cited me for not stopping as a pedestrian began to step off the curb into westbound traffic. I was in the eastbound far right lane. The officer reported he usually did not cite out-of-towners but a man, he said, had recently been struck at the site.
Later that day, at the court I found I owed $146. I could contest the citation but had to first pay the full amount. If successful contesting, I would receive a refund of the penalty.
I don’t know if my contesting will succeed. If I fail, I prefer to consider the $146 fee a fair price for the smiles, good nature, high quality service, and rich ambiance of the Montana Street branch library, where an even playing field for all, residents and visitors, homeowners and homeless, prevails.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 23, 2005. Read the original PDF.