Santa Monica Mirror/ Yo! Venice April 28, 2023

REFLECTING THE CONCERNS OF THE COMMUNITY

Venice Stakeholders Association’s Comments on Traci Park’s Broken Bridge Housing Promise

By Marc Ryavec

I have been struggling with how to address the phenomenon that someone I and many others in Venice trusted has not only betrayed our trust but also does not acknowledge that she broke a very public promise.

Early in the CD 11 campaign, I asked all the candidates their position on honoring the Garcetti/Bonin pledge to close Venice Bridge Housing after three years of operation, which they also promised the California Coastal Commission.

On February 24, 2022, I copied Traci Park on an email to our attorney Jeff Lewis. Jeff and I had been in a conversation about how to best force the city to honor the three-year closure date. I wrote to Jeff that I thought a stronger case would be for us to ask the then 14 candidates for the CD 11 seat to declare whether they will honor the city’s promise to close the facility after three years if elected. Traci wrote back: I hereby declare!

In the end, six of the eight candidates that qualified for the ballot agreed to close the facility after three years, which by our attorney’s calculation was this February.

I am now the recipient of many “buyer’s

remorse” emails from friends who voted for Traci in some significant measure because of what appeared to be her clear commitment to close the facility after three years.

It is alarming to me that Traci appears to believe if she just does not talk about that promise, or that she has now broken it, that it did not happen. There is some magical thinking going on here, that this whole dialogue in front of the voters did not happen. When I asked her point blank on her first town hall on the Bridge facility if she would honor her promise to close it after three years, she ignored the question.

Now she has introduced a motion for up to 18 months of extensions of the leases under which it operates after the expiration of the current lease on June 30, 2023. She continues to ignore the Coastal Commission’s requirement to apply for a Coastal Development Permit if the city wishes to extend beyond the three-year waiver period.

So, I am in the position of having to apologize to the many Venice residents who took my recommendation to vote for Traci. If I had known of this troubling lack of integrity, I might have looked harder at a couple of the other candidates.

While her quick action on clearing Rose/

Hampton/Sunset and Flower/Lincoln is to be lauded, her lack of will on removing all the RVs and campers from Jefferson Boulevard is also very troubling.

As I have pointed out her, when we finally got Bill Rosendahl’s support for a Venicespecific No Oversize Vehicles 2-6 AM ordinance, we convinced him to install the signs without worrying where the 250 RVs and

campers went. The installation of those signs freed up over 600 parking spaces for Venice residents and beach visitors (each camper takes two spaces, and each RV takes three).

Traci is letting her concerns and indecision about where the vehicles on Jefferson will end up paralyzing her from doing anything other than some occasional clean-ups.

This is not who I thought I was voting for.

Bar Coucou Brings Parisian Flair to Venice with Artisanal Cocktails and Locally-Sourced Cuisine

Aperitif culture meets coastal California at Bar Coucou in Venice

Bar Coucou, the new hot spot on 218 Main Street in Venice, is already creating buzz among locals and visitors alike. The restaurant celebrates aperitif culture and artisanal cocktails, as well as locally-sourced dishes cooked over a wood-fired grill in a “Parisian-meets-Pacific” atmosphere. Bar Coucou honors the locale by embracing a coastal California ethos and highlighting the abundance of high-quality seasonal market

offerings.

Executive Chef Jacob Wetherington, known for his work at Bouchon, Surfrider Malibu, and Farmshop, has created a dinner menu featuring dishes such as Moules Marinière made with Vadouvan, and grilled pain de campagne, Morro Bay Oysters served with cucumber and mignonette, and a veggie French Dip with King Oyster mushrooms and Herbes de Provence.

The cocktail program is equally impressive, with drinks such as the Coucou made with Sour Pisco, dry orange Curacao, lime, and egg white, and the European Summer made with Ford’s gin, Dubonnet, fresh kumquat, and

mandarin lime.

Owners Jesse and Hayley Feldman, who also created Chex Tex restaurant, have transformed the former art gallery into a beautifully designed space with warm, visually striking interiors set around an arched bar. The space features classic old-world details, such as exposed brick and steel paneled windows, which have been updated with a board-formed concrete bar, a triple-arched wooden barback, and a custom banquette with cognac leather booths for added warmth and comfort.

Bar Coucou is open Tuesday through Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Saturday from

from

to 9:30 p.m. Reservations can be made through their website.

Photo: Marc Ryavec

Address:2304 Sawtelle Blvd 90064

License number: C10-0000626LIC

Phone number: (310)616-5140

Insta: @Erba_Sawtelle

Police Investigate Assault at Santa Monica Restaurant, Suspect Still at Large

Unknown Assailant Smashed Table With Chairs At Popular Restaurant

The Santa Monica Police Department has announced via press release that two diners at a popular restaurant in Santa Monica were assaulted last week. According to the victim and several witnesses, the attack happened a few minutes before the officers arrived on April 20, 2023, at approximately 7:43 PM. The Santa Monica Police Department received a 911 call of an assault at the California Pizza Kitchen located at 210 Wilshire Boulevard.

A male suspect, who was unknown to the victim, approached the victim and his dining partner unprovoked while they were seated at

their table. The suspect picked up two chairs and slammed them down on the table. During the altercation, the victim fell to the ground and cut his hand on broken dishware lying on the floor. The victim was later taken to the hospital to receive treatment for his lacerations.

The suspect is described as a white male, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing between 180200 pounds, with a full beard. He was wearing a green or brown jacket, an orange sweater, a white undershirt, blue jeans, and blue-framed glasses. It is believed that the suspect may be homeless.

The SMPD is urging anyone with information regarding this incident or the suspect to contact Sergeant Goodwin during business hours at 310458-8451 or chad.goodwin@santamonica.gov.

The Watch Commander can also be reached 24/7 at 310-458-8427.

SMO (So Many Options) Part 2

SMa.r.t.

Last week’s column was Part 1. If you did not have the opportunity to read Part 1 then, you can find it here.

Part 2

The city’s planning study will not be just the design of 227 SMO acres as an extension of the existing Clover Park adjacent to SMO but will involve analysis for helping to solve some part of the City’s enormous financial obligations, as well as determining funding sources for implementing a change of use to the existing airport land. As the principal city planner presented to the City Council in January 2023, which you can read here, there are no funds available to proceed with additional park construction, regardless of size, and he points out that historically such park projects often lay dormant for years for that very reason. SMO is not expected to be an exception.

Reality

The city reality of 2023 does not resemble the city reality of 2014. In 2014 there were still reasonable height and density limits,

there was no light rail to Santa Monica, and the Council had authority over land use. All of this has changed with the State exercising more and more control over local planning decisions, including housing mandates.

Should the decision to close SMO, per the Consent Decree, be successfully voted for by a council majority (i.e. four individuals), on or after January 1, 2029, any portion of the airport land that is not actually designated as a park, recreational use, or educational purposes, will lose the federal protections on development that the current airport use provides, and possibly

be subjected to the state Surplus Lands Act wherein:

“The SLA is a “right of first refusal” law that requires all local agencies to offer surplus land for sale or lease to affordable home developers and certain other entities before selling or leasing the land to any other individual or entity.”

The risks to Santa Monica residents from the emerging reality of 2023 (and 2028?) are multiple: (1) the 7th Cycle RHNA process could significantly add to the number of residential units the city needs to build (above the current required 8,895 units) and

(2) the state Surplus Lands Act is constantly evolving and expanding, prescribing what can be done with municipally owned land. The defects of Measure LC (See Part 1 link below), the realities of the costs involved with developing an urban park, combined with the city’s actual financial situation, along with the city’s potential loss of land use control to the state, have created a completely different picture than the assumptions in place during the 2014 LC vote, which even then garnered support from only 23% of registered voters. While there has been a consistent reference to the closure and development of a “great park” by one anti-airport group, they seldom if ever discuss the realities of financing and building a 187-acre park.

The RFQ (Request For Qualifications)

The city’s lead planner presented to the City Council in January made some adjustments in March and has now prepared an RFQ to solicit bids for the consulting contracts (see link [c] below), stating:

“The City is seeking support in land use scenario planning and urban design, to develop conceptual design options…”. “Scenario” options, which include instructions to/for: (emphasis added)

• Estimate the market potential for various types of land uses that enjoy solid market support, including housing and commercial sectors

• Identifying market gaps

• Market demand studies should concentrate on the types of businesses that have the greatest potential for growth and sustainability

• Recommendations for developing housing at various affordability levels

either as stand-alone projects or within mixed-use projects

• Economic analysis services are required to provide the planning efforts with accurate information in order

And it noted that “The conceptual alternatives should investigate the feasibility of a Mello-Roos Community Facilities District, an Assessment District, and/or Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD), and potential revenue generation from supporting land uses.” i.e. property tax assessments for Santa Monica residents. It is unclear whether such an assessment district would extend into adjacent Los Angeles and to the homeowners there that will experience the greatest benefit of a park, should there be one on closed SMO land. The easterly 17 acres of SMO are actually within Los Angeles.

Scenarios

The general public has been consistently told by pro-closure interests and local headlines that 227 acres of SMO (187 acres after deducting L.A. land and existing structures), will be closed to aviation on 12/31/28, and will become a “great park”, with no housing or other development. The city, however, recognizes there are limited (or no) funds available and outlines various “scenarios”, that may generate needed funds, and they are listed for study within the RFQ.

One likely ‘scenario’ that would occur in the event of a closed SMO, to finance a park development, would be the development of housing. The RFQ has a single-line statement in it that says “…Measure LC prohibits housing at the Airport”. But there are a couple of things to consider with that statement, and they are addressed in the RFQ; one of which is what will be necessary to finance the construction and maintenance of a park. Selling the land to a developer to help with financing is not prohibited ‘per se’, but LC is now a part of the City Charter legally, as Section 640, and it states:

“If all or part of the Airport land is permanently closed to aviation use, no new development of that land shall be allowed

Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow

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The City has noted that the preferred option would be to keep the airport open until such an agreed plan were in place since airport use is the only land use that cannot be challenged by the state.

So…

So, it is clear that SMO is not, by any law or regulation in effect at this time, going to be closed on 12/31/28, and the public should not be deceived by such claims that it will be closed. The +/-50,000 voters that may only now be becoming aware of the potential loss of the last meaningful open space in Santa Monica should SMO cease aviation operations can still have a say in its future.

The challenge for the residents is that under Section 640, SMO can be closed by a Council vote. So no matter how much residents may object to the development options the City allows (at its sole prerogative), the one option residents might want to consider more desirable, keeping SMO open, would be gone.

is only one alternative action: understanding that the most livable and sustainable option will be a vote to maintain SMO open and operational. We will address environmental issues in a future column.

SMO remaining operational will require either no action by the council on or after 1/1/29, or a minimum of four council members that will seriously evaluate the negative impact on everyone’s quality of life that will occur with a closed SMO, and put aside any desire to continue the rampant development of the last 15 years. There are two or three more election cycles to achieve that goal. Not a call for a litmus test, just ringing an alarm bell for what is the best option.

Bob Taylor, AIA

For SMa.r.t.

Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow

Dan Jansenson, Architect, Building & Fire-Life Safety Commissioner; Thane Roberts, Architect; Robert H. Taylor, Architect AIA; Mario Fonda-Bonardi, Architect AIA Planning Commissioner; Sam Tolkin, Architect, Planning Commissioner; Michael Jolly ARECRE SMa.r.t, from page 6

until the voters have approved limits on the uses and development that may occur on the land. However, this section shall not prohibit the City Council from approving the following on Airport land that has been permanently closed to aviation use: the development of parks, public open spaces, and public recreational facilities; and the maintenance and replacement of existing cultural, arts and education uses. Therefore, housing would, potentially, require a vote of the public, but housing and other uses could indeed be developed by public vote. More importantly however, and also addressed in the RFQ, is the state Surplus Lands Act which, as mentioned above, would be given first priority to a housing developer on any portion of vacated land, and would not require voter approval, nor would college expansion and other dense public uses.

The Real Costs Become Apparent

In 2019, park construction costs ranged from around $6.8 million per acre for Tongva Park to around $8.3 million

per acre for Memorial Park. Just for comparison, the airport runway shortening of 2017 was essentially a demolition-only project without any added development or remediation. That basic demolition-only project cost around $700,000 per acre.

Applying the above park construction costs to the 187 acres at SMO indicate costs in the range of between $1.3 billion to $1.5 billion, and with five years of inflation, maybe up to about $1.8 billion.

In comparison, the City estimated in 2015 that the planned (but still unfunded) basic sports field expansion on the south side of the airport would have cost an estimated $36.3 million for the 12 acres or $3+ million/acre eight years ago. Likely over $4 million/acre today. With inflation to 2030, park development would be +/$4.7 million per acre.

Timeline Requirement and State Land Use Risks

As the City’s presentation makes clear, a signed-off plan is essential before any change of use, including closure. Why? Because if the airport is closed without an approved plan in place, the land could become subject to the state Surplus Lands Act and subject to housing development.

With no, or very limited, funds for a park, and knowing the development frenzy the council has championed for years, combined with egregious State housing mandates and the Surplus Lands Act, there

Santa Monica To Pay $122M in Sexual Abuse Settlement Against Former Employee

Eric Uller Allegedly Abused Young Boys Over a Multi-Decade Period Starting in the Late 1980s.

By Zach Armstrong

The Santa Monica Council approved a settlement to pay $122.5 million to 124 people who allegedly suffered sexual abuse

from a former city employee.

This brings the total amount paid by Santa Monica over the actions of Eric Uller, who volunteered with the Police Activities League, to almost $230 million. Allegations say Uller abused young boys over a multi-decade period starting in the late 1980s. In 2018, he committed suicide before he stood trial.

“My heart goes out to the victims who have experienced so much pain and heartbreak,” Mayor Gleam Davis said in a news release. “The settlement is the City’s best effort to address the suffering of the victims in a responsible way, while also acknowledging that the harm done to the

victims cannot be undone.”

The City will pay $70 million within 10 days and the rest by the end of June. It already paid $107.3 million to 105 individuals. To make the payments, the city will reportedly take actions such as drawing down reserves in the general fund and borrowing from the workers compensation fund and the water fund.

After the abuse, Santa Monica will expand requirements for child abuse mandated reporter training for employees. It also created a Child Protection Committee, a child protection officer, a conduct for providing services to youth and updated volunteer screening.

Former UCLA Gynecologist Sentenced to 11 Years for Sexual Misconduct Regus Sues Activision for Alleged $2.1 Million in Coworking Space Fees in Santa Monica

Activision Was In Discussion For An Extension When Hit With Rent Hike

James Heaps Worked at the UCLA Student Health Center and UCLA Medical Center Where Women Have Alleged He Assaulted Them.

By Zach Armstrong

James Heaps, a former UCLA gynecologist of nearly three decades, was sentenced to 11 years in state prison for felony sexual battery and penetration.

The former David Geffen School of Medicine faculty member was convicted on two counts of sexual exploitation of an unconscious victim and three counts of sexual

battery by fraud. He was acquitted on seven counts of sexual misconduct while the jury didn’t make a decision on nine counts.

All felony counts against Heaps are related to the misconduct toward seven women who claim he sexually abused them during appointments for medical treatment. Others have accused Heaps of sexual assault during his time at the UCLA student health center and UCLA Medical Center, which he worked at between 1983 and 2018.

Women have alleged the university ignored complaints and purposely hid abuse that occurred at the UCLA student health center, the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center or in Heaps’ office.

The University of California has settled cases against Heaps totaling nearly $700 million, while he currently faces over 500 sexual misconduct lawsuits in relation to his time as a gynecologist at the university.

The next time Heaps will appear in court will be on May 11 for a motion to grant his release on bail, and then on Aug. 7 for a restitution setting hearing.

IWG subsidiary Regus is suing Activision Publishing, claiming the video game company owes $2.1 million in fees for Regus’ coworking space at the Santa Monica Water Garden office complex as reported by The Real Deal.com. According to the lawsuit, Activision signed an agreement in October 2021 to use 78 office suites at Regus’ location at 2450 Colorado Avenue for a monthly fee of $233,000.

The one-year deal lasted through November

2022 but was renewed through February 2023 for a monthly base fee of $254,000. Activision was reportedly in discussions for an additional three-month extension when Regus offered an “exorbitant rent hike” during lease extension negotiations.

Regus claimed that Activision breached the agreement by failing to pay the entire amount owed for the six-month license term and repudiating the agreement. Activision alleges that Regus owes it hundreds of thousands of dollars. The dispute comes as JPMorgan, the owner of the Santa Monica Water Garden, is seeking $1.4 billion for the 1.4 million-squarefoot office campus.

Photo: Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

Photo: Getty Photos

Iconic Shepard Fairey Work Previewing For Auction At SANTA MONICA AUCTIONS

Hope 2008, Andy Warhol’s Instant Warhol Polaroid Collages, And Other Works Up For Auction Starting Saturday, May 6 at 1 pm.

SANTA MONICA AUCTIONS is set to host a Two Day auction: photography Saturday, May 6 and Modern & Contemporary Fine Art: Sunday, May 7, and the highlight of the event on Sunday is the auction of a masterwork by contemporary artist Shepard Fairey, HOPE, 2008.

The modern and contemporary art sale on Sunday, May 7, 2023, will include the original work by Shepard Fairey of HOPE, 2008. This is the FIRST and ONLY canvas artwork made of the iconic HOPE image specifically created for the posters used in Barack Obama’s historic 2008 presidential campaign. Two later larger versions were created: One resides in the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery, and the other sold at Heritage Auctions in May 2022 for $735,000. The one at SANTA MONICA AUCTIONS is estimated at $1,000,000 - $1,200,000. We have also acquired the original unique framed stencil used to make this canvas by Shepard Fairey which is estimated at $400,000 - $500,000.

The artwork, a mixed-media stenciled collage on canvas, is signed and dated by Shepard Fairey and measures 48 x 31 inches.

The framed artwork measures 49 3/4 x 33 inches.

SANTA

MONICA AUCTIONS 2-Day

Spring Auction will begin on May 6, 2023, featuring 130+ works of Fine Art Photography, with 100% of the hammer for the last 28 lots to be donated to the Focus on AIDS Foundation, which is a 501c3. The modern and contemporary art sale on May 7, 2023, will include the iconic HOPE artwork by Shepard Fairey.

The Instant Warhol collages will be included in the auction and consist of a total of 66 photographs, including 15 collages and one individual Polaroid, all commissioned by Hugh Hefner and first published in Playboy in August 1974. These are likely the first fine art Polaroid collages ever created.

The works remained in the Playboy collection for two decades before being deaccessed. Three of the four framed collages were featured and exhibited at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh in 2008-2009, with a total insured value of $300,000. The four framed collages are now being auctioned as a complete set for the first time, having been acquired by the consignors over the past few decades.

Included with the collages is a copy of the 1974 Playboy to Warhol Photo Assignment, a copy of the 1974 Playboy Check to Andy Warhol, and an original letter from Playboy explaining the Warhol photographs. Also included are other receipts, the original Playboy magazines from 1974 and 1990 featuring the photographs, and a copy of the 1974 embossed self-portrait of Andy Warhol in a mirror, which Warhol shot for Playboy using

Shepard Fairey (1970)

HOPE, 2008

Mixed-Media Stenciled Collage

Unique

Image: 48 x 31 inches

Framed: 49 3/4 x 33 inches

Estimate: $1,000,000 - $1,200,000

a Polaroid camera and which was published in both 1974 and 1990.

The set of collages is estimated to sell for between $400,000 and $500,000 at the upcoming auction. Interested buyers can preview the collages, as well as other items in the auction, live and online at the Santa Monica Auctions website.

Following our auction on Day 1, we will be holding a modern and contemporary art auction featuring over 100 works by artists including: Shepard Fairey, Andy Warhol, Mary

Julian Wasser (1938)

Duchamp Playing Chess with a Nude (Eve Babitz), Duchamp Retrospective, Pasadena Art Museum, 1963, 2015

Printed in 2016

Original photograph taken in 1963

Light-jet print

Edition of 5

2/5

Framed: 40 7/8 x 60 7/8 inches

Estimate: $60,000 - $70,000

Corse, Keith Haring, Carlos Almaraz, Jean Michel Basquiat, David Hockney, GRONK, Sam Francis, Eric Orr, Robbie Conal, Billy Al Bengston, Alex Katz, Ed Moses, Jenny Holzer, Christo, John Baldessari, Sterling Ruby, Man Ray, Miró, Chagall, Robert Indiana, Ed Ruscha, and Tom Wesselmann.

You can preview these works live and online NOW along with other works at their auction website: smauctions.com.

Traci Park Demands Clarity for Homelessness Program

Traci Park Requested That the Care Court Program Has a Well-Defined Timeline and That the City Is Ready To Execute on It

By Zach Armstrong

Councilwoman Traci Park is demanding a clear timeline and strategy for the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment Court program in order to tackle homelessness.

The CARE Court program, administered by the County of Los Angeles, attempts to provide a plan that would connect vulnerable individuals suffering with mental illness and addiction for up to two years. It aims to provide them with access to behavioral health services, housing and support. The program enables referrals of such individuals by families, clinicians and first responders.

By January 2024, Los Angeles County is required to implement the program. Park

expressed her belief that the program will play an important role in addressing the mental illness and addiction factors that play in Los Angeles’ homelessness crisis.

Park made her call for a clearly-defined timeline for the program in a recent motion presented to the City Council. She requested a report on the City’s near and long-term strategy to support the program, while saying it is imperative that the City is ready to assist.

Photo: Courtesy: Traci Park

Tree of Life Memorial In Palisades Park Celebrates

Life of Marissa Rubin, Wife of Jerry Rubin.

Santa Monica Mayor

Gleam Davis Attended The Ceremony When Tree Of Gratitude Was Planted In Rubin’s Memory

Jerry Rubin speaks in memory of his late wife, Marissa Rubin.

Former Santa Monica Mayor Judy Abdo and several others praised Marissa Rubin’s dedication to Santa Monica and the environment.

Mayor Gleam Davis presents a proclamation to Jerry Rubin.

This plaque will accompany the “Tree of Gratitude,” planted in Marissa Rubin’s honor. The tree is planted on the bluff overlooking the ocean, very close to the pier.

The weather cooperated nicely on Earth Day, 2023.

Chair; Dr. Margaret Quiñones-Perez, Vice Chair; Dr. Susan Aminoff; Dr. Nancy Greenstein; Dr. Tom Peters; Rob Rader; Dr. Sion Roy; Catalina Fuentes Aguirre, Student Trustee; Kathryn E. Jeffery, Ph.D.,