S A N TA M O N I C A
REFLECTING THE CONCERNS OF THE COMMUNITY
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MAN SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR VIOLENT SANTA MONICA HOME INVASION PAGE 2
January 29 – February 4, 2021 Volume LXXIII, Issue 78
Tensions Flare at Santa Monica City Council Meeting Santa Monica City Council votes to exclude Oscar de la Torre from action surrounding Pico Neighborhood Association v. City of Santa Monica By Sam Catanzaro
Tensions flared and and pointed accusations were raised at this week’s Santa Monica City Council meeting among
lawmakers during a debate over whether Councilmember Oscar de a Torre can participate in action surrounding a voting rights case brought against the city by his wife. The Case The case, filed by plaintiffs Pico Neighborhood Association, Maria Loya and Advocates for Malibu Public Schools, alleges that Santa Monica’s at-large election system dilutes Latino voting power in violation of the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) and discriminates against Latino voters in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the California Constitution. In a 2019 ruling the Los Angeles Superior Court Judge ordered that all future elections for seats on the Santa Monica City Council be based on a seven-district map drawn by
Tensions Flare, see page 8
Photos: Sam Catanzaro
Oscar del la Torre speaking at a 2018 rally outside City Hall Tuesday protesting the City’s decision to appeal in a voting right’s case.
Bomb Threat Emailed to Santa Monica Middle School Incident prompts evacuation of around 20 adults at Lincoln Middle School Tuesday By Sam Catanzaro
A bomb threat was emailed to a Santa Monica middle school Tuesday, prompting the evacuation of around 20 teachers and staff on campus. According to Dr. Ben Drati, Superintendent of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD), a bomb threat was emailed by Lincoln Middle School personnel a little
before 1 p.m. and immediately reported to the police. There were around 20 teachers and staff on campus, located at 14th Street and California Avenue, who were evacuated to safety. There were no students on campus. Lincoln Middle School classes that were being conducted via Zoom by teachers carrying out distance learning from their classrooms were canceled for the day. The Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) and Santa Monica Fire Department (SMFD) responded to the incident and cleared the threat by 2:30 p.m. “The Santa Monica Police Department has thoroughly investigated the threat described below and given the “all clear,” SMMUSD wrote in a 3:43 p.m. email to families, staff and community members. According to SMPD Lieutenant Rudy Flores,
Photo: Sam Catanzaro
Lincoln Middle School.
officers conducted a walk-through of the entire campus and no devices nor suspicious items were located. Flores says a report was written and will
be forwarded to the Criminal Investigations Division for follow-up. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
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January 29 – February 4, 2021
Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Violent Santa Monica Home Invasion Rashad Devon Harris sentenced to life in state prison for 2018 violent home invasion and attempted rape By Sam Catanzaro
A judge has sentenced a man to life in prison for slashing and attempting to rape a Santa Monica woman while she slept in a 2018 home invasion.
On February 23, 2018, at 3:20 a.m., a woman woke up to find an unknown man in her Fifth Street apartment in downtown Santa Monica. The stranger demanded money from her before attempting to slash and rape the victim, police say. “The suspect tried pushing the victim into another room when the victim began to fight with the suspect. The suspect armed himself with a knife and slashed at the victim several times, as she continued to fight him off and yell for help,” said the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD). “The suspect eventually fled from the location and the victim was able to call 9-1-1.” Using forensic evidence, the SMPD was able to identify the suspect as Rashad Devon Harris,
a man already on probation for two other burglaries. He was arrested on February 27, 2018, while checking in with his parole officer. The case was presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on March 1, 2018 who charged Harris with the following Assault with the Intent to Commit Rape • Burglary • Robbery • Assault with a Deadly Weapon • Mayhem • Criminal Threats Harris was held at the Los Angeles County Jail without bail. On December 20, 2020, and after a lengthy court and trial process, Harris was convicted on all counts. Harris was sentenced to Life in State Prison on
Body Found in Santa Monica Beachside Gazebo Man found in Ocean Avenue gazebo last weekend By Sam Catanzaro
A body was found in a gazebo near the beach in Santa Monica over the weekend.
According to Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) Lieutenant Rudy Flores, on January 23 at about 3:20 p.m., officers responded to report of a “person down” at the Gazebo located at the intersections of Ocean and Bicknell avenues, in Crescent Bay Park. The SMPD arrived and located an unresponsive white male and immediately began CPR. “Fire personnel arrived and took over lifesaving efforts, however shortly after declared
the victim deceased,” Flores said. “There were no signs of foul-play.” According to Flores, the investigation determined the man may have suffered a sudden medical emergency. The LA County Coroner’s Office personnel responded and took possession of the decedent, police say. At the time of publishing, the coroner has deferred the case and the victim’s identify pending additional investigation.
Photo: Santa Monica Police Department
Rashad Devon Harris.
January 6, 2021.
January 29 – February 4, 2021
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January 29 – February 4, 2021
Santa Monica Students Receive 2021 Education Awards from The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Westside Coalition Nora Cazenave, Alejandra Hernandez, “TJ” Muhammad recognized By CHaD WIntHroP
Three Santa Monica students were presented Education Awards by The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Westside Coalition at the firstever online virtual ceremony held January 18 to commemorate the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This year’s awards recipients are: Nora Cazenave • Crossroads High School student Nora Cazenave received a 2021 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Award. She loves being involved with activities at her school, swimming, reading, hiking, and spending time with family and friends. She organized a Black Lives Matter protest this past summer, is the co-president of an affinity group of multiracial students at Crossroads, and is part of a student group working with admissions to increase the school’s diversity. Nora is passionate about social and environmental justice, educational equity, writing, and marine biology, and is
excited about attending college next fall. Alejandra Hernandez • Santa Monica High School senior Alejandra Hernandez was presented the 2021 Sally Mendelsohn Award. She is a talented and passionate dancer. Her family and her faith are the two most important things in her life. From her family, she has learned the power of love, which holds her family together. Faith, justice, and mercy are the three things she learned from her church. She applies the four values of faith, justice, mercy, and love to her daily life, which she says makes her a better person and contributes to her enjoying a happy life. Taj-Jamaal “TJ” Dugar Muhammad • Crossroads High School senior Taj-Jamaal “TJ” Dugar Muhammad was presented the 2021 Lillie Bell Blakley Award. He grew up in Inglewood, California. He has played sports most of his life and is best at basketball and football. Since Crossroads does not have a football team, he had to give up one of the sports he loved. At Crossroads, TJ discovered a new passion, his voice. After experiencing his father’s near-death motorcycle accident, the loss of his uncle, and the divorce of his parents, he had trouble expressing his feelings. Crossroads taught him different ways to convey his feelings: one was writing. He started off with storytelling about growing up not seeing his mother since his parents’
divorce, but it did not seem that he could really express how he truly felt about things in his life. He gravitated to poetry, which changed his life. Yet, it was not until he discovered spoken word that he felt that he was moving toward becoming the best man that he could be. The award for a work that ‘demonstrates an awareness of tradition, legacy, and history’
is given in honor of Lillie Bell Blakley, whose passion to “keep moving forward” is apparent in her family’s multigenerational commitment to education and service, which includes son and former Mayor of Santa Monica Nathaniel Trives, as well as granddaughter Dr. Toni Trives, formerly chair of the SMC Modern Languages and Cultures Department.
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Opinion: SMMUSD is Burning Through Our Bond Money. Again. By EStHEr HICKma Because SMMUSD plans to move forward with its wasteful Samohi Campus Plan, it stated that it doesn’t have enough money to complete the projects promised in its bond campaigns, and will need more bond measures. Ballot measures for school bonds failed for California and Palos Verdes in 2020. If SMMUSD doesn’t pause its fasttracked new development at Samohi and study adaptive reuse, our elementary and middle schools could be left in disrepair. SMMUSD has a track record of financial mismanagement. When the School Board chose demolition over a cheaper $7 million adaptive reuse plan, the cost of a new JAMS Auditorium was estimated at $19 million. It is now up to $44 million, 132% over budget. The Innovation building at Samohi that was supposed to cost $55 million is now up to $93 million, 69% over budget. These are just two of many examples of cost overruns buried in School Board agendas as change orders. SMMUSD promised a master plan in 2006 that would modernize 16 campuses across the district for $1.2 billion. Since 2006, taxpayers have approved $1.138 billion in bond measures, based on SMMUSD’s promises to modernize all campuses. The remaining $270 million is hardly enough to finish the promised projects based on SMMUSD’s own projections. We can’t afford to prioritize expensive and unnecessary new construction over essential projects. Contrary to SMMUSD propaganda, stakeholders aren’t trying to undermine SMMUSD’s educational efforts. We are asking that SMMUSD consider the financial, environmental, and educational benefits of studying adaptive reuse of the historical cluster of buildings at Samohi before they squander the remaining bond funds in one place and come back to the public ATM for another half a billion dollars or more. And about the last School Board meeting. Since the Samohi Campus Plan wasn’t up for a vote, speaking at the meeting seemed redundant when over 5500 people had for months expressed opposition to the demolition of the History Building because adaptive reuse preserves our history, saves time and money, and is the most environmental option. Meanwhile, the Board called in favors to get speakers and only acknowledged the in-person comments (most of which expressed the need for upgrades) from this one meeting. The Board then falsely characterized
the public comments as representative community support for demolition, when in fact the statements were a commentary on SMMUSD’s ongoing failure to update and maintain older buildings. There is no evidence that students learn better in new development over adaptive reuse. No authority ever said that projectbased learning requires new buildings. Superior learning institutions engage in adaptive reuse all over the world, all the time. Older buildings can be retrofitted and reconfigured into state-of-the-art, green conversions. On the other hand, there is evidence that students need safe, comfortable and clean learning environments. Maybe SMMUSD could prioritize getting the bathroom count/conditions and HVAC (including air filtration systems) up to 21st century standards. This has been promised since 2006. We’d like them to stop wasting time and resources on unnecessary development and focus on getting campuses ready for students to return to school safely. The biggest surprise of the evening was learning that our public education system in Santa Monica is promoting a throwaway society, an ignorance of what adaptive reuse is, a disregard for the environmental consequences of choosing demolition over rehabilitation, and a rejection of heritage education. Because SMMUSD was and remains unwilling to consider adaptive reuse for the History Building, it gave teachers, students, alumni and community members the false choice between an unrenovated History Building or a new building. They were forced to choose a culture of consumerism as their guiding light. According to SMMUSD, education can only be accomplished through new development, with demolition as the only solution. This is where imagination and possibility stopped, as if they had never witnessed a historic conversion. It seems that SMMUSD just wants new at any cost to taxpayers, the environment, and our society as an ethic. It’s not too late for SMMUSD to shift direction, and do the right thing. If you think they should finish their capital improvements utilizing a less expensive adaptive reuse with the remaining bond funds, let them know, send them a letter, and make a public comment at the next School Board meeting on Feb 4.
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January 29 – February 4, 2021
Anthony Wistar Morris: August 4, 1942 -December 21, 2020
Beloved architect, journalist, environmentalist passes away
Anthony Wistar Morris, Tony to all who knew him, passed away on December 21, 2020 at the age of 78. Tony was born on August 4, 1942, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Virginia Brock and Effingham Buckley Morris Jr.. Tony Graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in French Language/Literature and Japanese Language from Yale University, a Masters degree in Cinema from the University of Southern California, and a Masters degree of Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture. The oldest of three children, Tony was born into a large family which included 17 cousins. Family get-togethers were a place for Tony’s playful and witty personality to shine. At meals, Tony would regale the family with incredible imitations of the animals on the farm: chickens, pigs, sheep, dairy cows, goats, steer, cats and dogs. Tony also could imitate human dialects and accents of any kind. It was this inherent talent that made learning foreign languages second nature to Tony. Tony had a brilliant mind and excelled in school. Tony attended Chestnut Hill Academy where he won a Time Magazine award for excellence in journalism. Tony went on to attend Kent School in Connecticut where he continued to win awards. Before his collegiate pursuits of academia, Tony answered a call to adventure by traveling to Alaska and spent an entire summer working tirelessly on the construction of the Whitehorse-Skagway railroad. It was at Yale that Tony excelled at languages and discovered his passion for film. Teaming up with a fellow student, the two traveled frequently to capture intriguing topics. One trip took a fateful turn that resulted in the two missing their returning flight home. Sitting in a barbershop chair, Tony discovered the next morning from a newspaper on the floor that the flight they had missed crashed with no survivors. Tony couldn’t ignore the significance and became more invigorated to live life to fullest. Tony produced the first student film at Yale to win acclaim which helped him get into the University of Southern California and pursue cinema. Tony had the good fortune to study alongside cinematic greats such as Francis Ford Coppola, John Milius and George Lucas, and helped with some of the initial research for the acclaimed film Apocalypse Now. Tony began his career working for National Broadcasting Company, in Cleveland Ohio, as a writer/producer for the Emmy Award
winning documentary series Montage. Tony then went on to pursue making independent films on such subjects as the energy crisis and the survival of the Sumatran rhinoceros. Tony’s passion for discovery led to his fascination with the acclaimed psycho analyst, Carl Jung. Instrumental to the conception and production of the meaningful documentary entitled Matter of Heart, Tony had the opportunity to interview profound Abstract Expressionist American painter Sam Francis, and initiated a correspondence with influential film director Federico Fellini. Tony eventually made his way westward, moving to Los Angeles, where he fell in love with a former Israeili soldier. After the two married, Tony wanted a creative change to better support a growing family, so he decided to become an architect. Before graduating from the Southern California Institute of Architecture, Tony won an award from the California Apartment Association for his vision of the Apartment of Tomorrow. As an architect, Tony managed various construction projects for many years, ranging from luxury homes to large-scale commercial buildings. In 1993, a wildfire ravaged the Topanga Canyon community, in which he lived, and displaced Tony, his family and angora rabbit from their home. Seeing the devastation first hand, Tony set out to champion for the future safety of Topanga and the surrounding lands continually at risk from arson and climate change. Tony founded the Wildfire Research Network, a non-profit public-safety, research, and education organization. Tony appeared in multiple newspapers, including the New York Times, telling his story for the dire need of aerial firefighting planes. Tony was asked to testify at the California State Capital on several occasions to share findings and implore representatives to show support for budget increases to bring firefighting planes to California permanently. During this time, Tony ventured heavily into freelance journalism and wrote for multiple newspapers including the Los Angeles Times. Defiant to garner more support for firefighting aircraft, Tony reached out to local congressional candidate, Brad Sherman. Tony offered support and became the official field coordinator, community liaison, and photographer for the campaign. Tony worked alongside the great political strategist James Carville and was fortunate to meet Israeli president Shimon Peres. Sherman’s bid for United States Congress was successful. Since moving to Topanga Canyon 1988, Tony Morris embraced the surrounding community with open arms and an open heart. Writing for the local paper and never missing a celebration, Tony empassiionality shared wisdom and fanciful stories of his journeys to all who would lend him their ears. Tony was a father, a grandfather, a husband, a brother, a son, an artist, an architect, a
journalist, a producer, a photographer, a linguist, a translator, an environmentalist, an animal lover, a conservationist, a raconteur, and a friend to all. Acclaimed Los Angeles Times columnist Al Martinez once wrote: “Tony Morris isn’t the kind of dude you are likely to see whooping it up at a party. No wild and crazy guy rocking and rolling for attention in the center of a dance floor. If he’s at the party at all, he’s more likely to be off to one side monologuing in his deep basso about something, well, important. There is nothing frivolous about the man. The next time fire roars over the mountains
or up the canyons of Southern California, discoloring the sky with flames as high as heaven, and a jet comes blasting in out of Victorville to join an aerial assault with massive water drops, you’re going to have to give a lot of credit to Tony Morris.” Tony was imbued with a fervent belief in synchronicity. Tony believed life was not a series of random events but rather an expression of a deeper order and meaning. Tony touched the lives of everyone he came in contact with. As time goes by, we will recognize just how sorely he will be missed. Tony is survived by his wife Daniela and son Sean.
January 29 – February 4, 2021
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Tensions Flare, from page 1 an expert for the plaintiffs, including a 30 percent Latino district. The City then appealed this decision. In July 2020, the California 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled in favor of the city saying that Latinos, who account for 14 percent of Santa Monica’s electorate, lack the numbers to win an election in the 30 percent Latino district ordered by the county. After the Appeals Court rejected a petition for a hearing, the plaintiffs filed their case with the California Supreme Court. On October 21 the Supreme Court took up the case, depublishing the Appellate Court ruling. The court has granted the City an extension until March 22 to file its answer brief on the appeal’s merits. The Issue of Oscar de la Torre’s Potential Conflict of Interest At the January 26 Santa Monica City Council meeting, lawmakers voted on whether Councilmember Oscar de la Torre can participate in discussions and decisions relating to the case. De la Torre’s wife is plaintiff Maria Loya and until November 2020 he served on the Pico Neighborhood Association’s board. Santa Monica Interim City Attorney George Cardona, in a staff report, recommended that the Council decide de la Torre has a Common Law conflict of interest (as opposed to a financial conflict). The City is still awaiting guidance from California’s Fair Political Practices Commission (FPCC) on the matter. According to Cardona, however, the agency will not advise on Common Law conflicts “unless they were to break from their past practice.” De la Torre, it should be noted, said he would abide by any FPCC ruling and also any ruling from the California Attorney General. In the end, Council voted 4-2 with one abstention to exclude de la Torre from participation in any closed session or confidential conversation concerning the CRVA lawsuit and voting on any decisions relating to the case. De la Torre and Councilmember Christine Parra voted to allow de la Torre to continue to participate in discussions and decisions relating to the case. Councilmembers Gleam Davis, Kevin McKeown and Mayor Sue Himmelrich voted to disqualify de la Torre from these discussions. Councilmember Phil Brock cast a vote of abstention. The matter, however, was not decided until over an hour and a half of heated debate on the issue. A Heated Exchanged Towards the beginning of the discussion, a heated exchange played out among de la Torre, the Interim City Attorney Cardona and Mayor Sue Himmelrich.
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“Did you appear as an attorney representing the City of Santa Monica in the trial of Pico Neighborhood Association vs. the City of Santa Monica?” de la Torre asked Cardona. “I sat through the trial and made occasional appearances. The primary appearances were made by outside counsel who was retained,” Cardona answered. “So, your answer is ‘yes’ then?,” de la Torre said. “I made occasional appearances, yes,” Cardona answered. “Occasional appearances. In your official capacity for the City of Santa Monica, right?” de la Torre asked. “Correct,” Cardona responded. “Did you advise the previous City Council in the course of that case to not engage in any meaningful settlement discussions and instead pay tens of millions of dollars to your friends at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher [the law firm representing the City]? de la Torre asked. “I can’t answer that question. That would breach privilege…” Cardona began to answer before Mayor Himmelrich jumped into the conversation. “I am going to object. George [Cardona], you shouldn’t answer these questions. Oscar [de la Torre], what we have instructed the City Attorney to do, until it is determined that you don’t have a conflict, is not something you are privy to. In fact, I am offended that you are asking that question. Oscar, we are in a public meeting. What we tell our attorneys to do about a settlement is as private as what you tell your attorneys to do,” Himmelrich said. Towards the end of the back and forth, Councilmember Phil Brock–who abstained from the vote–spoke about the tone of the discussion. “I am frustrated by the tone of this meeting and the fact that we are going so long on this disruptive issue.” Brock said. “I am concerned about how our Council is perceived from the outside.” Tensions Carry Over to Council’s Discussion and Vote After the questioning of Cardona and a public comment period–in which most of the callers supported allowing de la Torre to participate in the discussions surrounding the case–Councilmembers shared their opinions on the matter before voting. Mayor Himmelrich compared the situation to the football game in explaining why she believed de la Torre should be excluded from the discussions. “It’s like a football game,” Himmelich said. “If I am going into a huddle to my last charge towards the goal line, I am not inviting the coach for the other team into my strategy session about the play I am about to call. It just not make sense. Similarly, I would never be asking Maria
January 29 – February 4, 2021
Oscar de la Torre addressing Santa Monica City Council is 2018 as a private citizen in a meeting discussing the case Pico Neighborhood Association v. City of Santa Monica.
Loya or PNA to attend their sessions with their lawyer Mr. [Kevin] Shenkman to discuss what their strategy is going to be on this case where they are opponents. And we cannot look at this like the litigation is identical to the issue of district elections. They are separate issues. We can discuss district elections, what they should look like, whether we should have them, whether we need other charter reform with Oscar de la Torre in the room, you know at the table, and discussing all of that.” Councilmember Gleam Davis shared a similar opinion to her colleague in her remarks explaining her eventual vote to disqualify de la Torre from discussions. “This is not about Oscar’s opinions. This is not about Coucilmember de la Torre’s bias,” Davis said. “It has to do with the very clear fact that Mr. de la Torre was in fact part of the group, head of the group, that decided to sue the City. That he is married to the individually named plaintiff in the lawsuit, and that those facts in and of themselves create a legal, a Common Law, of legal conflict of interest.” In response to these points, de la Torre argued that his connection to the case is no different than other Councilmembers participating in areas that they are passionate about. “I care deeply about voting rights of minorities in Santa Monica and California more generally. Just like Sue, everyone knows that you care deeply about affordable housing. Just like Kevin, everyone knows that you care about environmental issues. My wife Maria and the entire Pico Neighborhood Association board also care deeply about minority voting rights in Santa Monica. That is why in late 2015, they raised the illegality of Santa Monica’s at-large Council elections to the City Council here and the City Attorney,” de la Torre said. The Councilmember, who was elected this past November, proceeded to accuse the City of “fighting for white supremacy” by challenging the case in court. “The City chose to pay the most
expensive lawyers they could find, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, to attack the California Voting Rights Act and the important minority voting rights that it protects. The City also refused to let the taxpayers of Santa Monica know how much of their taxes have been paid to Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, I think we all know that number is very high. Most certainly in the tens of millions and that is why as an elected official, I want to be involved to stop the blood letting. The residents want us to stop wasting taxpayer dollars and that is my fiduciary responsibility to do that,” de la Torre said. “That money has been spent to protect the seats of Councilmembers. In the process that money was spent fighting white supremacy. Now you may think, ‘Oscar has lost his mind. Accusing the famously liberal City of Santa Monica of fighting for white supremacy.’ But that is exactly what it did and it still is doing by attacking the CRVA here in Santa Monica and jeopardizing the act statewide.” Following these pointed remarks, Interim City Manager Lane Dilg (the former City Attorney) took aim at some of the comments that were raised, calling them “outrageous”. “I think some of the comments made tonight were outrageous. I want to say in this particular moment in our country’s history we have seen the need to verify information. We have seen the use of baseless allegations and accusations printed in sources that do not take time to verify,” Dilg said. “I am a constitutional lawyer and a civil rights lawyer. I have worked for the ACLU as a civil rights lawyer. I am not seeking $22 million from the city and I want to be very clear that this city and all of our communities deserve good public servants and continued attacks on public servants does not move anyone forward.”
January 29 – February 4, 2021
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January 29 – February 4, 2021
OPINION
Saving a Failed Marriage Part 3 - Reconciliation??
SMa.r.t. Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow
This is the third of a four-part article dealing with the very serious problem in which the development community in bed with Sacramento has challenged the residents of Santa Monica. The first article outlined the failure of past City Councils, in collaboration with developers, produced only 8% of a 30% goal of “inclusionary” housing in exchange for increased height and density. And reducing rents for the 8% inclusionary housing has only increased rents for the 92% of market rate units. The city has become a cash cow for developers! To correct this glaring problem, I’m suggesting the use of a modest amount of the 177 parcels owned by the city, much of which is either inefficiently used, or not in use. This property would be developed by the city for affordable “garden apartments.” Without the benefit of zero land cost, lower construction cost, and with reduced financing, permit processing costs, and city property taxes, there would be a 30-35% overall savings. And this would also result in reduced rents for the remaining 92% market rate units.
Additionally, it could pave a way for renters of the affordable units built on city property to apply their rental payments toward ownership once the city’s construction loan is paid off from their monthly rentals. The second article dealt with the unfortunate partnership between developers and Sacramento under the guise of a substantial housing shortage calling for Santa Monica to provide 8,900 units of housing, including 6,000 affordable, in the next 8 years. But currently with over 4,000 vacant units in Santa Monica, and with 1,100 in construction, we instead have an affordability crisis? The SCAG numbers are a runaway trainwreck. This baseless number translates into an all-out effort to “upzone” our city. This ecologic and economic disaster of providing for a 20% increase in population also requires a corresponding 20% increase in infrastructure – water, power, sewage, police & fire, schools & libraries, etc. Not only is this 8,900 number baseless, but our zoning capacity as currently exists can provide this growth should it ever be necessary! Increasing housing supply through de-regulation is nonsense – benefitting only developers and land speculators. “Upzoning” is the antithesis of a progressive housing policy. Which brings us to this third article which
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I believe leads to a path forward – a path of reconciliation to maintain Santa Monica’s DNA. “Upzoning” and “inclusionary” housing is not the answer for our vibrant and creative community. It’s time to look beyond the lunacy of SCAG and discuss real solutions, what our city could look like while still allowing profitable but also creative development. Vacant or underutilized downtown, boulevard, and multi-family zoned properties along with repurposing vacant retail and office space, providing ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units) on single-family properties and even conversion of Airbnb units are all adequate answers to provide the density, height, design and open space necessary and appropriate to Santa Monica while staying within our basic height limits of 32 feet and 3 stories. And this can provide profits appropriate to the developers without adding one more foot in height, much less one story! In other words, existing zoning has substantial capacity, without “canyonizing” our community! Downtown: The downtown area is over 4.2% of our city. 15% of this area is either vacant or paved parking or has a one-story building on a portion of the site. This represents over 1 million square feet of property and 2.75 million square feet
SMART, see page 11
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SMART, From page 10 of development at a 2.75 FAR (floor area ratio). This would provide over 2,200 – 2nd, 3rd & 4th floor apartments above 650,000 sf of new ground floor commercial or live/ work space. After recouping the lost income from 2 years of construction and leasing, the property’s owner/developer will then
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realize a 300% increase in net income. Boulevards: The boulevards are 7.6% of our city. There are currently 20-25 block-long sites and 30-35 half-block sites which are vacant with surface parking or a combination of parking and smaller one-story buildings. Re-developing these properties, with 2-stories of residential overlooking ground floor commercial or live/work space around courtyards or
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meandering sidewalks behind “Mom & Pop” shops, will offer relief from the continuous building blocks hugging narrow sidewalks. These properties re-developed can provide over 2,000 apartments and 800,000 sq ft of ground floor commercial or live/work space. And lost income during the 2 years of construction and leasing can become a 300% or more increase in rentable income in the 3rd or 4th year. Instead of “upzoning,” let’s use this mandate as a vehicle to re-direct the character of our boulevards! R2 Multi-family: There are more than 30-35 parcels within a block of these boulevards which are vacant or with surface parking and could house over 500 garden apartments! Vacant Commercial: There’s literally a ton of vacant retail and office space, more than one million sq ft – 15-20% in Santa Monica with vacancies even higher on the Promenade and along the mall in Santa Monica Place where both Bloomingdales and Banana Republic permanently closed! Wouldn’t mixed-use along these 2 malls look awfully attractive in addition to invigorating tourism and bringing back “mom & pop” space which couldn’t afford the recent higher corporate rents! Upper floor office space can re-locate to the ground floor. And re-purposing vacant retail and office space is easier to remodel and quite economical with existing parking, the building’s shell already in place, and permit processing much easier. And there’s all the hotels in question! And of course all this potential is limited by the capacity of our infrastructure!!! By code, every new building must be net zero, which means 3 stories in height! All this in addition to the 4,000 currently vacant units along with 1,100 currently under construction! Goodbye “upzoning” !! ADU’s & Jr. ADU’s: And when you add 9,000 single-family homes to the list along with Airbnb units standing vacant from the lack of tourism, the capacity far exceeds any reasoned limit of growth. So how can we turn a negative into a positive? How can we take advantage of all this capacity while dealing with unrealistic state mandates? Can we make this housing element positive instead of “canyonizing” our city? And what will our city look like after 8 years of this housing mandate? Will
we continue to be a low-rise city? Can we discuss the quality of growth as well as the quantity of growth? If we need to plan for all this housing, can we also plan for the environment the residents will dwell in? With our city divided and our city administration in flux, with an interim city manager and city attorney, we are a house divided, a city divided! Next week’s article will address these issues – please stay tuned. Ron Goldman FAIA for SMa.r.t. (Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow) Thane Roberts, Architect, Robert H. Taylor AIA, Ron Goldman FAIA, Architect, Dan Jansenson, Architect, Building and Fire-Life Safety Commission, Samuel Tolkin Architect, Mario Fonda-Bonardi, AIA, Planning Commissioner, Marc Verville CPA Inactive, Michael Jolly, AIRCRE For previous articles see www.santamonicaarch.wordpress.com/ writing
SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME Case No. 20SMCP00440 Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles 1725 Main St. | Santa Monica, CA 90401 Petition of: Kathleen Roxanne Moroney, by and through Kathleen Roxanne Moroney for change of name. ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME To all interested persons: Kathleen Roxanne Moroney Petitioner: filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Kathleen Roxanne Moroney to Kat Roxanne Moroney The court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 03/05/2021 | Time: 8:30AM | Dept: K A copy of this ORDER to SHOW CAUSE shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: SANTA MONICA MIRROR | Dated: JAN. 12, 2021 Judge Lawrence Cho Published: 01/22/2021, 01/29/2021, 02/05/2021, and 02/12/2021
SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME Case No. 21SMCP00019 Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles 1725 Main St. | Santa Monica, CA 90401 Petition of: Bryn Nelson Derkac, by and through Grant Nelson Derkac and Rebecca Emily Nelson for change of name. ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME To all interested persons: Bryn Nelson Derkac Petitioner: filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Bryn Nelson Derkac to Bryn Nelson-Derkac The court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 03/05/2021 | Time: 8:30AM | Dept: K A copy of this ORDER to SHOW CAUSE shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: SANTA MONICA MIRROR | Dated: January 29, 2020 Judge Lawrence Cho Published: 01/29/2021, 02/05/2021, 02/12/2021, and 02/19/2021
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