Kennedy descendent is among group of residents pushing to have controversial hedge law lifted
ADELAIDE DRIVE — Frus– trated by City Hall’s cumbersome dealings with residents, Bobby Shriver, a descendant of the Kennedy family and step-brother to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, is considering joining the race for a seat on the Santa Monica City Council.
Shriver, 50, has lived in Santa Monica for 27 years. The oldest of five children born to Sargent Shriver and Eunice Kennedy, Shriver is a lawyer, philanthropist and, as of late, a major force behind the push to lift a 56-year-old law restricting the heights of hedges.
Though he hasn’t made a final decision on whether to add his name to the November ballot, Shriver said there are a number of local issues he has strong viewpoints on, including parking, security, education and City Hall’s strained relationship with residents. Candidates have until Aug. 9 to turn in materials and qualify for the ballot.
“People are upset with the government,” said Shriver, who canvassed two local neighborhoods last weekend, talking to residents and gathering signatures against the 1948 hedge law. “I don’t have a platform yet because I’m not a candidate, but if I become one, I’ll figure it out.”
“People are upset with the government.” — — BOBBY SHRIVER Resident
Asked for his opinion of the powerful Santa Monicans for Renters Rights group that’s endorsed the majority of council members over the past two-plus decades, Shriver said he’d yet to gather any detailed analysis of the political climate, but added, “I spend my life working for poor people or disadvantaged people, so I certainly support anything for poor people or disadvantaged people. Certainly. And I think a lot of people in SMRR started out that way. Whether that’s always the case, I don’t know.”
A lifelong Democrat who has raised billions of dollars with U2’s Bono for third-world debt relief and the AIDS epidemic in Africa, Shriver has larger-than-life role models. His mother started the Special Olympics. His father started the Peace Corps. His younger sister Maria, a broadcast journalist, is now the first lady of California.
City Councilman Herb Katz, an independent backed by Shriver, said he hoped Shriver would join the already crowded race, which now includes 30 contenders.
“It’d be great,” Katz said. “He’s thinking seriously about it. Whether he’d do it or not, I don’t know. But he’s thinking seriously about it. It’s time we got off this micro management and this proactive (agenda), which we’ve taken to the extreme.”
Shriver, who lives with his wife and stepdaughter on Adelaide Drive in north Santa Monica, grabbed local and national headlines for his leading role in the battle between a group of residents and City Hall over a 1948 hedge law. Code compliance officers this spring cited more than 100 properties for having hedges deemed to be too high, regardless of whether or not anyone had complained.
By law, front hedges can stand no taller than 42 inches, while side and back yard hedges are to be kept at eight feet or below. Supporters of the law cite safety reasons and say high hedges turn neighborhoods into collections of “walled fortresses.” Opponents cite privacy and property rights, and say owners should be left to decide.
Last month, the City Council heard from 45 members of the public, many from wealthy streets north of Montana Avenue, or from the pedestrian-only streets off Ocean Avenue. Council members decided to suspend enforcement of the law, except in cases where safety was an immediate concern. They put off making a final decision on the matter until later this fall.
“It’s a complicated issue,” City Councilman Ken Genser said Tuesday. Genser would like to see a moratorium on new hedges, but a grandfather clause for existing hedges. Other council members think hedges should be left alone unless someone complains. Still others have more complex ideas. Most seemed to agree the front hedge limit should be kept at 42 inches, but disagreed over how high side and back yard hedges should be allowed to grow.
The issue caused a big stir within the community, largely because the citations carried the threat of fines of up to $25,000 a day, with a maximum of $500,000. Actual fines are lower, but officials said the high fines were more likely to prompt action.
Last weekend, a group of about 10 pro-hedge residents canvassed the streets north of Montana Avenue and south of Wilshire Boulevard, and in the neighborhoods of Sunset Park and Ocean Park.
Shriver said more than 700 residents signed a petition that read, “In an effort to preserve the quality of life for all Santa Monicans: to maintain our beautiful greenery and enhance security and privacy, we, the undersigned, support residents’ freedom to choose the height of their front, side and back hedges and fences. We, therefore, ask the City of Santa Monica, with its long-standing tradition of fostering diversity and personal freedom, to update the related 1948 ordinance to reflect those values.”
Shriver is expected to discuss the matter today with Suzanne Frick, City Hall’s planning director. He said the group will continue canvassing neighborhoods this weekend, and plans to question each contender for a City Council seat on the issue.
“The current law is unreasonable,” Shriver said. “It needs to be studied, needs to be updated — and we need to know where candidates stand on that.
“When I went out, people said they didn’t believe me,” added Shriver, refer-ring to reports that investigators were dispatched from City Hall in the early morning to photograph hedges. “Then I showed them the photos with the time stamp on the bottom and they’d just shake their heads. The council needs to know that. People just shake their heads when they hear what’s going on.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 21, 2004. Read the original PDF.