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# What’s the point?
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/whats-the-point-20060228/
- Published: 2006-02-28T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T23:26:34.000Z
- Author: David Pisarra
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import

I was at Kensington Park this past weekend, letting my little dog enjoy the free run area, and as he sniffed, dug and romped with the bulldogs and pugs, I read the latest edition of the SeaScape. The SeaScape is the local government’s self-published newspaper. In it are articles about the goings on about town, the happenings at City Hall, the long-range agenda items that the City Council is eventually going to deal with, and listings of the various services that the city provides.

There is a wealth of information available in this publication. A profile of the new City Manager, Lamont Ewell is featured, along with the grand opening of the new Main Library that was attended by children’s book authors Jamie Lee Curtis and Rhea Perlman.

A week later, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Auditorium was dedicated at the Main Library. I know that MLK was a great man. And I don’t have any resentments against him, but doesn’t he have enough stuff named after him? Can’t we find someone else who is also a great American to honor? Perhaps someone who has a closer connection to Santa Monica? There has to be someone who did something great from our community. Do we always have to default to the easy icons of our society? It would seem that City Hall is lacking a certain creativity in that regard.

But the city has much going on and offers much to its citizenry. For example, in this edition is the usual informational pabulum, stuff like toilet rebates, and a reminder from Mr. Butts (The Doones-bury character — not the chief of police) that all the beaches and parks are no smoking zones. But City Hall has programs that also give back to those who want to get a piece of the public pie.

We all want to know where our tax dollars are going, so here is one area that might be of interest to landowners who want to re-landscape. Santa Monica has a program available for “Green Garden” grants that will provide up to $20,000 for gardens that are environmentally friendly. I’m not sure what an environmentally unfriendly garden would look like, but it must exist. The grant application is a nine-page form that can be downloaded from www.smepd.org and it applies to residential or commercial properties that want to reduce their non-native plant population, use drought friendly plants and a few other categories that most people don’t care about. The grants are good for up to 50 percent of the costs of landscaping.

There also is a ton of arts and entertainment events that are funded by City Hall. Sometimes they are collaborative, like in the Virginia Avenue Park area where residents are invited to participate in three projects that are creative writing based, video art and performance based. Then there are the free concerts and plays throughout the city at various theaters and art centers all over the city.

City Hall also pays for, or subsidizes, hundreds of classes for people to partake in. You can learn yoga, take swimming lessons, play tennis, sharpen those volleyball skills, become a ballerina, and experience what cardio-kickboxing is.

We have a city program for all ages. Seniors can partake in food programs, bus trips, get a lift to the store, and have their own recreation center in Palisades Park. There is a directory of services designed and dedicated just to the seniors in our community. They even have a prom with a 17-piece big band orchestra. I might have to get a new fake ID for that one.

At the other end of the spectrum, we have mommy and me yoga, gymnastics, daycare and summer camps. Sports programs for all kids, along with computer classes, cooking, boxing, and field trips are all available through the Police Activities League.

Then there are the volunteer opportunities in our community. With so much going on, there is always a need for us to pitch in and help. Santa Monica has an office that is dedicated to coordinating those efforts, and the staff handling the programs (310) 458-8300\. There is work to be done at the animal shelter, the Special Olympics, and you can meet a police office or fireman while helping the city.

As a city we have a lot going for us: The beach, the weather and the pier are all assets that keep up a major destination. But we also have a great community. We have community rooms that become gathering places for various social groups, people rent them for a child’s birthday party, and they are used to get fledgling movements off the ground.

Residents of our fair city can take classes at half the cost of non-residents. We have facilities available, grants to make our world better, and a community that cherishes its young and old alike.

Sitting in a park, reading about all that is going on, I can only feel proud to be a small part of the much greater whole that makes up our community. Even though I’m not fond of property taxes, and I disagree with many of the ways in which they are spent, I must say that we do get a lot for our money — if we take advantage of it. (David Pisarra is a business development lawyer in Santa Monica. He welcomes your questions and comments. He or (310) 664-9969.)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 28, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/022806.pdf?ref=smdp.com)