Samohi students, staff study parking crunch
SAMOHI — Arguably one of the most anticipated days of the school year, dozens of students recently gathered here in the quad, hoping their parking karma will come around sooner than later.
It’s not the first day of school that most seniors here wait for with bated breath, it’s the fourth — the moment when they’ll know whether the upcoming semester will be filled with the convenience of parking just feet away from their classrooms, or fighting for spaces in a neighborhood blocks away from campus. lottery — when 40 out of 138 students in early September were randomly picked and granted permission to park in the lot for the first semester. Another 40 students will be picked for next semester.
“It’s a huge deal for them because our kids are so stretched for parking,” said Cathy Marsh, activities director at Samohi. “It’s pretty disappointing when they don’t get a spot.”
There are close to 3,500 students who attend Santa Monica High School, hundreds of whom have driver’s licenses. Many of them choose to drive, despite the fact only 40 can park on campus. Their options are to park across Pico Boulevard at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel for a daily rate, or for free in nearby neighborhoods.
That’s much to the dismay of residents in those neighborhoods, who for years have battled students for spaces and say the teenagers use the streets as dumping grounds.
That was the case just a few blocks east of the high school campus until the City Council last year dedicated 60 spots on Ninth Street between Michigan Avenue and Pico Boulevard for residents. Previously, residents shared the spots with students and local businesses, although surrounding streets were restricted for residents only.
Students, businesses and other visitors can still park on the street, but only for two hours at a time and only between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Those rules also apply to other streets in the neighborhood.
Samohi students at the time rallied before the City Council for more parking spaces, but council members refused to raise by one level a planned parking structure across from the school, instead directing the students to take their message to the local school board.
The lack of parking for Samohi students is not a new one. A task force was created in the 2003-04 school year and possible solutions arose from meetings with the school board members, students and City Councilmembers. But, apparently, that’s as far as it went.
This year, the displaced students have taken to the streets west of Lincoln Boulevard, where it’s still a free-for-all. Because City Hall cannot introduce any more permitted parking areas there, residents have no recourse to fight against the influx. City Hall is barred from creating any permitted zones in that area because it’s controlled by the Coastal Commission. The Coastal Commission oversees everything west of Lincoln Boulevard.
“If I was a neighbor, I would be really pissed off,” said Samohi senior Madeleine Moore, 17. “It also breeds bad behavior, kids are smoking pot down there and leaving stuff everywhere.”
Moore, who didn’t get picked in the last lottery, said she goes as early as 7:30 a.m. to find a place near Strand Avenue in Sunset Park — six blocks away from campus. She said if she didn’t have activities to do after school, she wouldn’t drive.
But at the very least, she’d carpool if the lottery system gave preference to those who did.
Moore recently looked for empathy from City Councilman Richard Bloom, who as a father of a Samohi student, might be able to help find solutions to the parking crunch. Moore has suggested that a portion of the nearby Civic Center parking lot be dedicated to students.
“It’s huge and close to campus,” she said. “My goal is to get 75 to 100 spots allocated for a $1 a day.”
Bloom, who hopes to work with students and school administrators this year to find a solution, said the Civic Center isn’t really an option because the parking lot is used by people who use the courthouse, as well as other civic buildings.
“What we perceive as extra spaces isn’t necessarily so,” he said.
Bloom added that a couple of years ago the City Council offered the beach parking lots to students, but it wasn’t well received because it was too far from campus. Now, students from Santa Monica College are parking at the beach and are shuttled to the main campus on Pico Boulevard.
“I remember that same reaction from SMC, but it’s working so far,” said Bloom, adding that he doesn’t think it’s good policy to encourage students to drive to school.
Samohi, nestled on a small parcel between Olympic Drive and Pico Boulevard, is just blocks away from downtown Santa Monica. Consequently, its students compete for parking with residents, shoppers, employees and professionals doing business here.
And at an average cost of $30,000 a space, and not much land left, there will never be enough parking for everyone, said Lucy Dyke, City Hall’s transportation planning manager.
“There is so much demand for parking in this city,” she said. “We can do a lot of regulating and provide the parking but no one ever in the end thinks it’s a great policy for students to drive to school and park.”
Marsh, who is the advisor of a student-led leadership group, said the issue will most likely be brought to the school board this year.
Bloom said he’s got a few possible solutions in the works, but isn’t ready to publicize them until he meets with Samohi students and school staff.
“I’m confident a meeting will happen,” he said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 4, 2005. Read the original PDF.