IN 1997, OR THEREABOUTS, THERE WAS a proposal before the City Council to build a parking structure on Main Street. The proponents came with attractive drawings and “reasonable sounding” arguments. As President of the Shores Residents Association, the board designated me to speak to the council, urging a “no” vote. I hate public speaking. That’s why I write.
The council chambers were packed. When it came my turn to speak, I was so nervous I barely remember what I said. When I returned to my seat, I wasn’t paying attention to the next speaker, who I will identify by saying there’s a street in town named after his family. He complained about a previous speaker about whom he said,“at best was naïve.”As he rambled on, it got nastier and I thought to myself, “Boy, this guy sure doesn’t like somebody.” Then it dawned on me, the somebody was me!
Speaking of high passions, if you’re anywhere near the downtown district this coming Monday, the sound you will hear will be chainsaws “removing” 23 ficus trees from Fourth and Second Streets that the city deemed “structurally unsafe.” The tree removals are part of a project to improve lighting and beautify the area, which is odd because the ficus trees are so uniquely beautiful. The project is being protested by many groups, most notably “The Treesavers,” and thousands of citizens. (Ken Salek, who has owned “Nobel Gems” on Fourth Street since 1983, collected more than 1,500 signatures that he presented in vain to the City Council.) I spoke with Walt Warriner, the city’s forester and Public Landscape Superintendent, who has “reasonable sounding”arguments for removing the trees, as does City Manager Lamont Ewell.And yet,so many residents feel the project is merely to improve shopping conditions along the two streets, benefiting commercial landlords, chain stores and tourists. (By the way, the sender of the photo above stressed that he’s not part of any protest group, just a citizen who is upset how commercialized Santa Monica has become.) The fact is I haven’t met a single person who thinks relocating a healthy tree is a good idea, other than fellow Daily Press columnist Bill Bauer. Though he didn’t mention him by name, Bauer inferred the Treesavers’ Jerry Rubin is a “publicity hungry nudnik.”When I interviewed Rubin, he asked the definition of nudnik.According to “The Joy of Yiddish,”it’s “a pest, a nag, and a monumental bore.” I found Rubin quite the opposite, and must say he took it a lot better than I did that night at the parking structure Council meeting.
I also talked with City Councilman Ken Genser, who couldn’t have been more pleasant. He’s sympathetic to the protesters, but says the matter has been the subject of public hearings and debated numerous times before the Council voted 6-1. (Kevin McKeown being the lone dissenter.) At stake are 31 healthy ficus trees. (And 21 palm trees that seem to get less attention for some reason, though don’t tell my friend Andy, who belongs to the Palm Society.) There are currently more than 150 ficus trees, of which 54 will be destroyed or relocated at a cost of $600,000. (Is that all?) In their place, the city will plant 139 ginkgo bilobas, which though beautiful, seem to cast very little shade. (Totally unrelated, ginkgo extract is widely sold for its purported memory enhancing properties. I keep meaning to check it out, but I keep forgetting to do so.) If the city goes through with the project, I have this image of the elderly flocking here to improve their memory, which might cut into Starbucks business.
At this point, the protesters, who are genuinely concerned, are only asking for a time delay to obtain a “second opinion” on the condition of the trees and the risks in relocating them. Given the huge public outcry, and that Santa Monica is known worldwide as a “green” city (a bit ironic), it doesn’t feel like too much of a request. The delay — a potential “miracle on Fourth Street” — would seem to beat court injunctions or activists chaining themselves to the trees.
Then again, maybe the guy with the street named after him was right, and I am naïve. Oh well. At least he didn’t call me a “nudnik.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 5, 2007. Read the original PDF.