you can Residents better speak now or forever hold their ginkos
Few subjects in recent years have ignited the type of public outcry equal to that of the city’s decision to remove more than 70 mature trees — including 54 ficus and 21 palms — lining Second and Fourth streets downtown, and replace them with maintenance-friendly ginkgo bilobas.
The emotional outpouring should be reason enough for the City Council to revisit its decidedly unpopular decision and table a vote, scheduled for early this evening, to award a contract executing the plan.
Since May, the proposed revamping of the commercial corridors — whereby aging, shade-producing ficus trees will be uprooted in favor of thinner, easier-to-maintain ginkgo biloba trees — has heightened debate about what a bustling downtown Santa Monica should be. Is it a metropolitan marketplace on par with larger cities that develop their economic hubs, often to the detriment of what natural surroundings exist, or is it the communal meeting place for residents and tourists alike, where nature is incorporated as seamlessly as possible into the hustle and bustle? The jury’s still out.
And let’s be honest — in a town that prides itself on a progressive, cutting-edge, green mojo philosophy, the image of someone trying to hug a ginko biloba is laughable.
Rumors have swirled through the summer as to who wants to wield the proverbial axe. Business leaders deny that sign visibility is the impetus behind the council’s decision. City staffers admit the trees’ maintenance poses added problems, even as they allude to the retailers’ desire to lighten up the streets.
Imagine, it seems no one in Santa Monica wants to take credit for chopping down trees.
Be it upkeep costs, more visible storefronts or a yearning for streetscape uniformity downtown, the move appears to strike a negative chord with a large swath of Santa Monicans.
Regardless of who’s at the root of the decision, the silence of its proponents speaks volumes. If history has taught us anything, it’s typically that those who sit on their hands and do nothing are often the greatest transgressors.
Tonight, those looking to stave off the ficus trees’ premature demise can speak their peace, but they’ll have to arrive to the City Council meeting by 5:30 p.m. if they want to speak before a vote is taken to execute the plan.
No matter what side of the tree farm you fall on, tonight could be your last chance to voice protest or support before the proverbial axe falls.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 14, 2007. Read the original PDF.