> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # STATE Sustainability: An ‘A’ for effort, butthat’saboutit - URL: https://www.smdp.com/state-sustainability-an-a-for-effort-butthatsaboutit/ - Published: 2005-10-08T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T07:54:07.000Z - Author: Ryan Hyatt - Tags: Government & Politics, Santa Monica, #archive-import *Cityinearlystagesofplan* CITY HALL — If taken at face value, Santa Monica is a “C” student when it comes to its sustain-ability performance. So says a September report issued by City Hall, which for 10 years has used 70 indicators to track progress in eight areas of its sustain-ability plan, adopted in 1994. While Santa Monica is an “A” student when it comes to effort, that effort doesn’t always translate into the same outstanding results, according to city staff. “Sometimes there are regional issues outside our control,” said Dean Kubani, City Hall’s sustain-ability coordinator and architect of the report. It’s a sentiment which rings true for Councilman Kevin McKeown, who said he was initially dismayed by Santa Monica’s report card, until he was able to put the results in perspective. “At first glance, I was disappointed because these look like George W. Bush’s grades at Yale,” McKeown said. “Then I understood that we are in the first year of a 10-year plan, and can’t expect to master the material in the first semester. “What’s important here is Santa Monica’s consistent As for effort, and our willingness to be self-critical and judge our progress realistically.” The report focuses on resource conservation, environmental and public health programs, transportation, economic development, open space and land use, housing, community education and civic participation, and human dignity. Santa Monica was graded by an environmental task force, which was made up of local environmentalists and experts in those fields. In 1994, the Santa Monica City Council adopted the city’s first sustainability program, initially proposed by the city’s task force on the environment. The program grew and evolved. In February of 2003, the City Council adopted the Sustainable City Plan (SCP), an updated and expanded version of the program. The SCP was created by community members and is comprised of far-reaching goals, according to city staff. Kubani said that while the grades are important, providing the annual report ensures the topic of sustainabili-ty is being kept in the public eye. Under each sustainability category, there is a grade both for results, as well as effort. Santa Monica didn’t receive an “A” for results in any of the eight categories. However, it received Bs in community education and participation, economic development, environmental and public health and open space/land use. While Santa Monica earned Cs in the areas of resource conservation and transportation, it nearly flunked in being able to provide affordable housing. “Housing is simply not affordable here, and the conditions that make it happen, such as the Costa Hawkins Act of 1999 which caused de-rent control, as well as property values sending the cost of homes through the roof, have been serious problems the city is trying to tackle,” Kubani said. “While there have been thousands of units coming up at market value rate, we’ve only been building hundreds of affordable housing units and can’t keep up with the pace.” Kubani said City Hall often gets a bad rap by the public for areas that continue to be a regional problem, outside of Santa Monica’s control. “The Big Blue Bus is ranked as one of the top bus lines in the United States,” Kubani said. “People are getting out and using it, and we’re continuing to do all we can to get the rail here.” Kubani also pointed out Santa Monica’s recognition at the United Nations-backed World Environment Day, held in San Francisco in June. SustainLane, a privately held company committed to promoting sustainable efforts, said Santa Monica finished first nationally for its “green” buildings, as well as for the city’s solid-waste diversion program, and planning and environmental knowledge of residents. Some of the awards lined up for Santa Monica were based on a SustainLane study that included 20 categories, and information compiled from more than 90 interviews with representatives of 25 American cities. Kubani said other problems that continue to face Santa Monica which the report card touches on is the higher number of people who work in Santa Monica compared to those who live here. To create a community in which more residents live and work in Santa Monica, City Hall encourages mixed-use developments that offer both commercial and housing space. However, Kubani said because there continues to be an affordable housing shortage, the aim of creating a more locally-based economy and community may need to be modified. “The report card aims to show how the kinds of development we have, as well as the parking, traffic and economy are all interconnected,” Kubani said. “We can’t just focus on one sustainability area when we make a decision. “If we are to continue to improve, we must consider all of them.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 8, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/100805.pdf?ref=smdp.com)