One of Santa Monica’s oldest “official” neighborhood groups — the Wilshire/Montana Neighborhood Coalition (Wilmont) — will hold its annual congress today at 11 a.m. in the Reed Park Auditorium. Wilmont covers an area bounded by Wilshire Boulevard and Montana Avenue from Ocean Avenue to 21st Street. Neighborhood groups in Santa Monica began springing up more than 20 years ago. The Pico Neighborhood Association was one of the first and was formed by residents concerned about social issues. Other groups followed with associations being established in Ocean Park, two groups in Sunset Park, Wilshire-Montana, mid-cities, north of Montana Avenue and the Northeast area.
These seven organizations are recognized by the city as “official” neighborhood associations. Each is eligible for city funding up to $4,000 a year. They must be registered with the state as 501(C) nonprofit organizations, have an elected board of directors, have a constitution or bylaws, have regular public meetings and be nondiscriminatory.
Some are now defunct and a few soldier on with limited memberships. One — Ocean Park Community Organization — is enveloped in financial controversy while a couple have been taken over by individuals with personal agendas, appealing to a narrow neighborhood faction. Almost all decisions are made by small boards of directors as opposed to the entire membership.
Nevertheless, City Hall strongly encourages department heads and private developers to outreach to these groups for public input. For example, Wilmont representatives are meeting with developers who plan to expand the Fairmont- Miramar Hotel, which includes a high-rise tower on Wilshire Boulevard at Ocean Avenue. Similarly, Pico neighborhood representatives have met with developer Lantana/Hines, which wants to expand its Olympic Boulevard campus.
Most neighborhood groups have stated purposes. Wilmont’s articles of incorporation state that one of its purposes is to “provide and improve, protect, preserve and maintain” affordable housing. So, would Wilmont endorse a controversial high rise or a large, undesirable development in return for 40 or 50 units of affordable housing the developer says he’ll build on Second Street?
Neighborhood groups often ignore public opinion because of their leaders’ agenda. Example: Even though an overwhelming number of neighbors supported a recent ballot initiative requiring homeowner approval of city landmark designation, the North of Montana Association’s board opposed it.
Recently, a City Hall planner researching zoning changes told me that most people he interviewed on the street completely disagreed with the position the local neighborhood association’s board of directors had taken. He wondered if neighborhood groups were really in touch with their constituents.
In Wilshire-Montana, as in other neighborhoods, vagrants are a huge problem, yet only the City Hall budget, transportation plan, sustainable city plan and the Fairmont-Miramar development are on the published agenda for Wilmont’s congress. The “sustainable city” issue is not high on any community needs survey, but it is a politically correct, social issue that city politicians and Santa Monicans For Renters’ Rights activists controlling Wilmont’s board love to promote.
While these associations often try to influence the big picture, small neighborhood issues are almost always ignored. Last year, when my neighbors and I requested parking restrictions in our neighborhood, I turned to Wilmont for support. One board member told me that preferential parking was unfair to merchants.
The then chairman said Wilmont was too busy to get involved — even though this involved a parking zone covering 10 square blocks of Wilmont’s territory. Thankfully, the City Council granted our request but with absolutely no help from our official neighborhood group.
But neighborhood associations do find the time to push for requests by leaders who want something special, such as a stop sign near their homes. Or, a board will just OK a controversial plan, commercial liquor permit or condo project because its leaders aren’t impacted.
Wilmont and North of Montana organizations both supported sidewalk dining and more incidental food shops on Montana Avenue, yet most of their board members live blocks away and are not affected by their recommendation. However, neighbors closer to Montana Avenue are not quite so enthusiastic about impassable sidewalks, and the additional vehicular traffic and parking pressures that will result.
City Hall must recognize that opinions from as few as two or three official board members don’t accurately reflect neighborhood consensus on any issue. So, it’s time to marginalize these middlemen and special interests.
City Hall needs to devise and implement mechanisms that would ensure honest and a more accurate consensus about proposals that affect our neighborhoods and residents now — and into the future. (Bill Bauer is a longtime Santa Monica resident and a freelance writer).
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 9, 2004. Read the original PDF.