By Frank and Eileen Fraser Santa Monica
The Los Angeles Times on May 11 called Sunset Park “The last Ozzie and Harriet area on the westside.” Sunset Magazine calls us “Sweet Sunset Park.” We call it home.
Shortly after we came to Santa Monica in 1989, we encountered a problem in Palisades Park caused by a well-meaning effort to feed homeless persons in the park. The program was eminently successful in attracting homeless people from afar, but Santa Monica taxpayers no longer enjoyed their park. It took years and lots of taxpayer dollars to restore Palisades Park to its role as a restful area for its own citizens.
Now Santa Monica is being asked a bus garaging problem by lending/granting $7 million plus to OPCC to acquire a facility at Michigan and Cloverfield, and vacating their downtown presence. According to the Aug. 1 SMDP, already 95 percent of Santa Monica’s homeless are from elsewhere. This is not a local issue.
Why the OPCC proposal is a bad idea: 1. Downtown doesn’t eliminate its homeless problems by closing 612 Colorado and moving this unsightly vagrant magnet 1.5 miles to the east. 2. Santa Monica doesn’t need to attract at last 200 more homeless transients. 3. Sunset Park and the Pico neighborhood residents don’t want to add to problems we are already having with gangs, graffiti and ally pickers. 4. Santa Monica City Council and administrative people are elected or appointed to serve Santa Monicans — not unfortunates from miles around. 5. If Big Blue Bus needs to grow, merge the operation with MTA, consolidate facilities, use the proceeds for needed services and reduce Santa Monica’s city payroll. 6. A lot of us wonder how Santa Monica finances have suddenly improved from earlier this year, when budget cuts were imposed left and right and voters had to pass a special school tax just to keep educating out own kids.
Arguing that 23 other locations would cost more than 1751 Cloverfield is specious — the real issue is where the undertaking is right for Santa Monica residents.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 14, 2003. Read the original PDF.