Residents hope their wishes are not ignored
Covering up graffiti and increasing the number of cops on the streets tops the list of priorities released by the Pico Neighborhood Association.
The group released its annual list of recommendations to the city council and senior city staff this weekend, concentrating on issues of policing, graffiti control and incentives for home ownership.
Like many other neighborhood associations across the city, the Pico group is hoping its concerns will be addressed when the city council adopts its budget for the next fiscal year at its June 18 meeting.
“Not many of these priorities have been changed in the past five years,” said Don Gray, PNA vice-chair. “We just change them around a little bit and send them back.
“They usually get ignored,” he added. But this year could prove different for Pico. Even though the city is grappling with an $8.9 million budget deficit this year, the city is looking at ways of mediating Pico’s problems.
“I think many of these we began to address during the budget study sessions,” said Councilman Ken Genser. “And I think based on the staff’s response, many of these will be addressed in the final budget.”
The eight-square block Pico neighborhood — which runs north of the Santa Monica Freeway to Santa Monica Boulevard, south to Pico Boulevard and east from Lincoln Boulevard to Centinela Boulevard — has historically been the center of Santa Monica’s violent crime, drug dealing and gang activity.
Though city manager Susan McCarthy placed street improvements for 20th Street and Cloverfield Boulevard near the bottom of the city’s priority list for next year, city council members asked that those efforts possibly be moved up.
A tentative plan is in the works to have trash collectors report graffiti when they are picking up garbage and recyclables. Because those workers regularly travel throughout all of the city’s roads and alleyways, they can spot graffiti and report it soon after it happens to the city’s graffiti team.
And despite its proposed budget reductions, the police department will be fully staffed in about four months. Last year the department hired 35 new officers, increasing the roster from 188 officers to about 223. The department has been authorized by the city council to have 229 officers on the force.
“We always ask for more basic services, like more police, and most times it goes unheard,” said Joe Weichman, a PNA board member. “Maybe that will change now, since we are back to full strength on the police department.”
Police officials say they already assign more officers to the eight blocks of the Pico neighborhood than in any other area of the city. Since the early 1990s, the department has run community policing programs, like its bike patrol program, and community outreach from its Virginia Avenue substation.
“Clearly there’s a connection between crimes of violence, young people getting shot, and crimes of property, and gangs painting graffiti,” said Councilman Kevin McKeown. “Whether it’s lead bullets or lead paint, we need to get the lead out. Progress has been slower than I would like.”
The PNA added a new suggestion this year that the city council look into adopting an ordinance that would allow landlords to evict tenants that are convicted of committing violent crimes or illegally discharging a fire arm.
“It’s something other cities are doing across the country,” Gray said. “It’s something we should take a look at doing here too.”
But city officials say those programs in other cities have been abused in the past. And most of those ordinances apply only to housing built with federal funds.
Some council members also disagree with the PNA’s suggestion that the city put in place some type of home ownership incentive program to help home buyers.
“Clearly owning your own home creates pride of ownership and helps in building the community,” Gray said. “We need to promote that here.”
“Clearly owning your own home creates pride of ownership and helps in building the community.” — — DON GRAY PNA vice-chair
However, Genser and Councilman Herb Katz believe cash-strapped Santa Monica does not have the resources to those types of programs. The city council recently approved placing a ballot question before residents asking for the right to use money earmarked for low-interest loans to home buyers for building more affordable apartments.
Genser said he feels the city is better off spending its money on building affordable rental housing units.
“I don’t think we should be putting public money toward private ownership,” Genser said. “There are other more effective ways of addressing our housing shortage.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 4, 2002. Read the original PDF.