By Michael J. Tittinger
Staring out my proverbial window to the universe this weekend I came to a realization or two. You could say this strategically located window often reveals the naked truth about the issues of our time. Here are some of the highlights from the week that was in our fair-haired city. ■The Santa Monica Police Department is recommending city council approve a $4.2 million plan that would provide red light cameras for six to eight of our busiest intersections. Coming to a mailbox near you: More little blue envelopes demanding checks made “payable to the City of Santa Monica.” This time, the hefty cost will be $250, two points on your driving record (ultimately leading to higher insurance costs) and a date with a traffic school instructor. All this for a ticket you neither knew you received nor had the chance to contest at the supposed scene of the crime.
City officials are quick to dismiss any similarities to the paranoia felt by Big Brother’s watchful eyes in the classic tome “1984.” Of course, they doth protest too much. There is a reason for that gut-feeling paranoia on the part of many residents, probably because the little cameras snapping pictures of us driving by approaches the type of Orwellian supervision and legislation that doesn’t quite sit right in our collective mindsets.
SMPD Capt. Jacqueline Seabrooks contends the Red Light Camera Enforcement Program taking aim at “beat-the-light” motorists is not intended to be a moneymaking proposition for the city. Meanwhile, city officials gush that the system will result in a $57,300 profit over the next five years in new speeding-ticket revenue. This sounds like a non-money-making proposition in the same vein as the parking Nazis blitzing their way through our streets are a non-money-making proposition. We all know how that little regime doesn’t provide the city with any extra income. Maybe we could all just start riding personal Segways around town like the S.S. Parking Police are proposing to do and eliminate the fear and paranoia altogether. ■Overheard while jogging past the seemingly doomed Aero Theater on Montana Avenue with its marquee sign pleading: “Save the Aero, see (insert movie of the week).” “Are we saving the Aero or the owner’s ass?”
Not a bad point considering all the rumored parties (i.e. – Robert Redford) said to be interested in refurbishing the storied theater in the event current management is forced to sell. The Aero, one of California’s remaining one-feature community theaters, might do better in the long run if it falls in the short run.
When I finally landed a swell one-bedroom apartment in Santa Monica after a stressful two weeks of inspecting converted garages and rooms with appliances located in the closet seeking more than $1,000 a month, I was so relieved I plunked down my money without even taking time to appreciate what would prove my new digs’ greatest asset — the window in the shower.
Yes, the modest 22” by 16” opening above my soapdish and adjacent to my old-school, Austrian handcrafted back scrubber has become my window to the world. There is something to be said for the insights one gains standing buck naked with a loofah to his derrière watching society go about its business.
The issues of the day are, shall we say, stripped of their pre-packaged spins and appear as they truly are —self-evident.
But I digress. (Hmmm, now where did I put the exfoliating apricot scrub?) ■In the timing is everything department, the Big Blue Bus (which still looks funny in print no matter how you use it) named a new, full-time director late last week. Stephanie Negriff takes the wheel at a decidedly difficult time in the transit system’s history, with a spat of recent accidents adorning this paper and other publications’ front pages. The Big Blue Bus was sorely in need of some positive PR and promoting Negriff to its top post, despite the fact that she has served as interim director for close to a year, may have achieved just that. At least there is a name and a face to go with the company’s quest to redefine its service and public image. ■In the well-meaning but kind of sad department, a trio of in-line skaters completed a 3,500-mile trek across the United States, culminating at the Santa Monica Pier, to promote awareness and participation for “Libertystand.” The three hope Americans will bond together to form a continuous line from Boston to Los Angeles — the route they skated — on Sept. 11. The group’s efforts were well meaning and somewhat heart-warming, yet seemingly misguided. I wonder if anyone ever told them about the “Hands Across America” experiment in years past. I hope they can get their old jobs back in New Hampshire.
Now, if you will all excuse me, I need to rinse and repeat. (Mike Tittinger is a freelance writer living in Santa Monica. He).
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 15, 2002. Read the original PDF.