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# Groove Tsang: SMC President getting cozy
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/groove-tsang-smc-president-getting-cozy/
- Published: 2007-02-28T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T00:09:39.000Z
- Author: Kevin Herrera
- Tags: Education, Pico, #archive-import

*SMC’S Tsang earns high marks*

PICO BOULEVARD — Whether it’s enjoying chicken soup at Izzy’s Deli or taking leisurely strolls along the beach, Santa Monica College President Chui L. Tsang, Ph.D., has found the city by the sea to be a soothing place to spend his days.

That may be hard for some to believe given the rocky relationship the past president of the college, Dr. Piedad Robertson, had with City Hall and many community groups.When Tsang assumed control over Santa Monica College in February of last year,the seasoned educator with a reputation for coalition building inherited a post plagued by nearly a decade of confrontation.

Tsang, the former president of San Jose City College,vowed to change things and has worked tirelessly to repair those broken bonds receiving mixed reviews along the way. There are those who clearly see a change in the way the college is run and how it interacts with stakeholders. Still, there are those who still see the lingering effects of years of miscommunication,and are skeptical that things will change for the better.

“Dr. Tsang has been able to do what I would call repair work with external constituent groups like the city, K-12, and neighborhood organizations,”said Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein,a professor of political science, president of the Academic Senate and a former member of the committee that recommended Tsang to the board of trustees.

“He has given more than just political rhetoric,”he said.“He has demonstrated that we want to be good partners with everyone involved.”

That includes faculty, Tahvildaran-Jesswein said. Professors were involved in prolonged and contentious contract negotiations before Tsang’s arrival. As the two sides came closer to arbitration,Tsang stepped in and helped develop a proposal that all sides could agree on.

“Dr. Tsang has created an environment of mutual respect,” Tahvildaran-Jesswein said. “He really values faculty and boy, you can go a long way when you have somebody leading an institution that values all partners … We’ve really turned this thing around.”

The same could be said about the relationship between the college and City Hall. Once at odds, they have come closer during the last year, thanks to the work of Tsang and City Manager Lamont Ewell, who reached out to Tsang in the months before he moved to Santa Monica. The two have continued to talk regularly by phone and are both committed to working with one another to solve problems instead of fighting one another.

“Our relationship has been very strong,” Ewell said.“He is always open.We chit-chat over the phone, occasionally get together for coffee. We have agreed to work together as the two major government entities for the benefit of this community.”

Ewell and Tsang worked together to address concerns about traffic congestion and parking, with SMC and the Big Blue Bus joining together to offer a new SMC commuter line as well as extended shuttle service across town to encourage more students to take public transit. Enhanced collaboration is expected in the future.

“I think we created some challenges for ourselves because of miscommunication,or the lack of communication,” Tsang said. “But I think what we’ve done is step back and look at things with a fresh perspective. Lamont and I came in at around the same time and we both didn’t carry any old impressions. We’ve been able to move on and resolve some of the problems.”

Tsang is especially proud of the progress that has been made in regards to facilities and enrollment,as well as reaching an agreement with faculty over a pay raise. Enrollment is rebounding after the state’s financial crisis forced many programs to be cut. A new performing arts center has opened and other projects are nearing completion, including a new history and social sciences building and the Madison Campus,which will add new classrooms and help relieve overcrowding. A new quad is also nearly completed at the Main Campus.

A comprehensive review of vocational programs is underway to give SMC officials an idea of which skills are in demand in the labor market and which jobs will provide graduates with a living wage. College officials are also looking at adapting curriculum so that students are better prepared to function in a world where there are no barriers as international commerce continues to boom, Tsang said.

“This college continues to be a real portal that serves so many people in our community and the mission we have been carrying out is really being done in a respectful way,”Tsang said.“That is the kind of impression I want to leave with people. We really have a wonderful institution and we have to make sure we have the ability to educate the next generation, but also provide opportunities for those who need help accessing new information.”

While he has received plenty of praise,not all are enamored with Tsang, especially when it comes to the future growth of the college.

Residents in Sunset Park said Tsang has made an effort to meet with them and even invited residents to the Fourth of July celebration at the college. He responded quickly to concerns over a vacant lot at Pico Boulevard and 14th Street,and has made efforts to enhance public transportation.

That said,there are still concerns with enrollment.

“One of the areas we have not been able to agree on with Dr. Tsang is his goal to continue growing the enrollment of SMC by 1 and a half to 2 percent per year,” said Zina Josephs, a spokesperson for Friends of Sunset Park, a neighborhood group with 533 members.“With a current enrollment of 30,000,that would mean up to 600 additional students per year. Our neighborhood does not have the infrastructure to support that... So FOSP would like to see an enrollment cap of some sort at SMC.”

Sunset Park residents have also complained about the expansion of the Bundy Campus adjacent to the Santa Monica Airport. Once again, neighbors are worried about traffic, particularly on Airport Avenue. The college is looking to use Airport Avenue to the west,which residents have objected too because it would dump more traffic onto already, heavily congested side streets.

“They still seem bent on disregarding the impact on neighborhoods of their actions/proposals,” said Susan Hartley, an FOSP board member. “They still ignore the dangers to their students and staff by not policing the ‘no left turn’ onto Bundy (Drive) from their campus as they promised they would. Dr. Tsang does send out holiday cards and invites us to the July 4th fireworks (show), but that, of course, doesn’t ameliorate these other very serious issues.”

Residents of Ocean Park have also expressed some disappointment with Tsang over the college’s use of a beach parking lot nearby. Residents have complained about the number of shuttles used to transport students from the parking lot to the main campus and back. They came out in force opposing the City Council’s decision to extend SMC’s use of that lot recently.

As part of the agreement, SMC officials promised to hold several community meetings to address the neighbors’ concerns. So far, only one meeting was held, said Ted Winterer, president of the Ocean Park Association.

“I think his intentions are good,but I’ve been disappointed by the community outreach on this particular issue,” said Winterer, who said he sent several e-mails to Tsang and has not received a reply.“I and others in the Ocean Park Neighborhood felt let down, felt ignored. I recognize in this case they are educators, not transportation managers, but I still think that doesn’t mean they could have made a good faith effort to meet with the people.”

The college has made steps to limit the number of shuttle trips to the Ocean Park Neighborhood and recently purchased a parking lot on Olympic Boulevard and Stewart Street that will be ready to accept students in the summer.As for enrollment, Tsang said he would not institute a cap because that would go against the mission of the college. Instead, Tsang and his team are looking at expanding course offerings at satellite campuses, high schools and online. He is also committed to expanding public transportation to eliminate the number of car trips to the college, a major source of frustration for neighbors of SMC.

“I’m respectful of (neighborhood groups) and I hope they are of us as well,”Tsang said.“We try to accommodate their requests, but at the same time we need to carry out the mission of the college.

“There is a lot of miscommunication that occurred before my arrival and we are trying to deal with it,” Tsang added.“Ultimately, the only way we can improve the situation is by working on these challenges in a different fashion,just like we are doing with transportation. We have to approach issues with solutions that are much broader in scope.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 28, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/022807.pdf?ref=smdp.com)