London, Paris, Rome, Seattle, New York. These are all great cities and there are many more that one could name.
The question of the day is, why doesn’t Santa Monica rank among them?
Could it be the lack of cultural activities? Possibly it is too small for a grand museum, but the Getty is just up the road. We have a symphony, but no opera house, large theater, or even a venue ready to be used for such events. There is the current Civic Center Auditorium, which is part of the “new downtown” development, but that is at least a decade away from being redone.
Our architecture could certainly be world class. Look at the number of great architects in the city. Developers want to build here, clearly. All we need to do is look to Howard Jacobs and the proposed development that was at the end of my street to see wasted efforts. The old Boulangerie Bakery was slated to be developed, and had any workable plan been approved timely by the City Council, the property could have been a boon to the local economy. Instead it was a nest of homeless thieves and currently provides nothing but an eyesore. The current council has done everything but say outright that they will not allow it to be developed quickly or easily.
No council member will outright tell you that they are unconcerned about building a great city. In lofty language and verbal sidestepping, they will espouse their love of the city and their hard work to make it so. Their actions, however, speak louder than any words could convey.
The community has a tremendous need for housing, retail spaces, cultural venues, and developers and builders willing to provide them. But the community’s needs go unmet. Yet, there is plenty of room and funding for a homeless shelter.
Santa Monica has all the elements necessary for a great city. Fantastic location, a beautiful oceanfront, great weather, educated population, culturally aware residents, public assets and private money. There really is no excuse for this city to be less than great.
So why isn’t it? From where I stand, it seems to me that there has been too much focus on trying to be the saviors of the downtrodden. Our profligate council spends millions on lost causes and a pittance on culture. They fight ATM fees, and we get a summer concert series. I like the concert series, but what more can we afford?
We must be more like an airline passenger. When the announcement is made about sudden loss of cabin pressure, we are told to save ourselves first, and then assist the weaker ones in our group.
Our city has lost cabin pressure and Santa Monica needs to put its oxygen mask on. We need to understand that by helping a developer provide the city with housing, we are creating a tax base that will then allow us to help the helpless. By allowing a homeowner to increase the value of his home, we are helping the community as a whole. Not because of the increase in property taxes, but because the new owner is more likely to spend more money in the city.
The great cities all have their problems. Paris has dog poop, London has pigeons, Rome has small streets and psychotic drivers. Seattle has rain. My point is that they also have a desire to be great cities. They have done the work to make their cities world renowned for the food, culture, art and architecture.
We have a non-smoking pier (whose idea was that?) and a Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant coming.
The council bewails the loss of small businesses and then courts the corporate sugar daddies. In a misguided attempt to keep visual pollution to a minimum, the city makes it impossible for small business to promote themselves while allowing the proliferation of Staples, Circuit City and subsidiaries of The Limited Group. They will tell you that everyone is playing by the same rules. But the small businessman who is forced to decide whether to comply with the city’s regulations and lose his shirt or close up shop, will tell you that he doesn’t have the resources to play by the rules.
Rather than arguing over whether I “own” my dog or am his “guardian,” why isn’t the City Council concerned that we have no world-class museums? Why aren’t we arguing about how best to foster business in a responsible manner? It is business that pays the bills around here, not the pets. It gives new meaning to the term, “this city is going to the dogs.” Hours are spent on municipal ordinances, which then go unenforced, because we have to “educate the homeless” about the implications of the new ordinance. I might feel more sympathetic if I was given an educational warning about parking five minutes into a “No Parking” time slot, rather than a ticket.
The City Council wants to be all things to all people. They want everyone to feel good about what is going on. That is called people pleasing, and it generally fails. We have all the makings of a world-class city: location, weather, population, assets. We should demand one from our government, after all, we’re paying for it. (David Pisarra is a partner in the law firm of Pisarra & Grist, he (310) 664-9969 or by e-mail at He welcomes your comments and questions).
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 20, 2004. Read the original PDF.