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# Judge goes over city’s head
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/judge-goes-over-citys-head/
- Published: 2002-04-26T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T00:15:20.000Z
- Author: Andrew Fixmer
- Tags: Crime, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*Meets with L.A. County officials to stop athletic fields*

A Santa Monica judge has asked Los Angeles County officials to help him stop the city from building an athletic field near the Santa Monica Superior Courthouse.

West District Supervising Judge Alan B. Haber met with county officials earlier this week to ask them to halt plans to build such a field because he believes the noise generated by athletic activities would adversely affect courtrooms, judges’ chambers and jury deliberation rooms along the south wall of the courthouse.

County officials said they would not comment on the specifics of the meeting with Haber or what actions they plan to take, if any.

“At this time nothing has been drafted,” said Judy Hammond, a Los Angeles County spokesperson. “It would be premature to say what stance on the issue we are taking.”

However, some Santa Monica city council members and the mayor believe the issue can be resolved easily. They suggested sinking the field into the ground to contain the sound, like an amphitheater, or sound-proofing the courthouse.

Mayor Mike Feinstein said the city would even be willing to throw in some solar panels to seal the deal.

“It could be a money maker for them,” he said. “They could cut down on some of their heating and electricity bills.”

Feinstein said the courthouse and the fields are compatible because they would keep different hours. While the courthouse is open during the day, the fields would likely be used in the late afternoon and evening, he said.

Haber wrote to the city earlier this month to inform them of his opposition to the athletic fields in a proposed $120 million redevelopment plan for the civic center.

In that letter, dated April 8, Haber threatened to send all Santa Monica Police Department arrests to the Airport Courthouse if the city chose to push forward with plans for the fields.

Haber said he had to the opportunity to send those cases to the Airport Courthouse ten years ago. He said he declined at that time because such an action would burden officers with driving to and from the airport and because it would have been “unfair to the residents of Santa Monica.”

“...You should know that disruptions to the court’s operations may make such transfers necessary,” Haber wrote.

Haber is in charge of superior courts in Santa Monica, Malibu, Culver City, West L.A., Beverly Hills and the Airport Court, which usually handles overflow cases.

The civic center, located on Main Street between Colorado Avenue and Pico Boulevard, is the city’s symbolic geographical point. It serves as an integral part of town because of its proximity to downtown, Santa Monica Place, Palisades Park, the Santa Monica Pier, the Ocean Park neighborhood and Main Street.

The city purchased the 11-acre site from the RAND Corporation in 2000 for $53 million with the intention of completely overhauling the civic center area so it would better connect to downtown Santa Monica.

Current plans for the area include a town square, a garden walk with botanical and sculpture gardens, plenty of open space and bicycle paths, as well as a child development facility and a revamped city hall.

Originally the plan did not call for athletic fields, which outraged many coaches, parents, students and sports enthusiasts, who believe such amenities are necessary in the city’s civic area.

The Santa Monica-Malibu School District lobbied for fields to be included so their students, particularly from the adjacent Santa Monica High School campus, could use them.

City and school district officials have said they may form a joint partnership to split the cost of the new field.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 26, 2002.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/042602.pdf?ref=smdp.com)