REAL ESTATE & BUSINESS
INSIDE SCOOP
ELECTION ‘O8
THE REAL DEAL INITIATIVES BACKED BY WEALTH PAGE 3 DAILY PRESS’ ELECTION ENDORSEMENTS PAGE 4 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2008
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Volume 7 Issue 299
Santa Monica Daily Press ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL? SEE PAGE 10
Since 2001: A news odyssey
THE MAKING PICKS ISSUE
Creativity lives cheap at airport
Financial challenges could reach city coffers
BY MELODY HANATANI BY MELODY HANATANI
Daily Press Staff Writer
Daily Press Staff Writer
SANTA MONICA AIRPORT Tucked away in a muggy old hangar, artist Renee Petropoulos is busy at work crafting one of her latest pieces. The seasoned artist, whose works have been featured in galleries across the country, works past some of the environmental factors that one might consider as deterrents to creativity, such as the frequent buzzing of propeller and jet planes taking off into the sky and the rising temperatures from being in an aging building. Instead the Venice resident sees them as perks to having her own studio in Santa Monica for approximately $500 a month, a bargain in a city where rents are high. There is much imagination taking place in otherwise unimaginative-appearing buildings on Airport Avenue where City Hall for the past seven years has given lowincome artists a way to remain in an area where rising rents have driven their colleagues out for the past three decades. “It’s very quiet and there’s a kind of atmosphere of openness,” Petropoulos said. “It’s not a congested area.” City Hall currently maintains 18 spaces — or 17,600 square feet — in adjacent hangars at the airport as part of a sevenyear-old program that rents affordable studios to artists who have been priced out of their work spaces. While turnover is low with only six new artists coming in since the program was launched in 2001, the Cultural Affairs Division is preparing to accept applications from qualified artists for its waiting list, which is currently 40 names long. The application process will begin on a first-come, first-serve basis on Oct. 30. Eligible applicants must be working artists for at least two years as demonstrated on their tax returns and/or hold a degree in art from an accredited college or university. The applicants must also meet financial eligibility requirements, depending on the size of their household and income level. SEE AIRPORT PAGE 12
Brandon Wise brandonw@smdp.com
HANDS-ON: Artist Trine Wejp-Olsen works on a new piece titled ‘The Lioness’ in her studio at 2900 Airport Ave. on Tuesday afternoon. Wejp-Olsen, an Otis College Graduate, was on a waiting list for roughly six months before she was able to move into her City Hall-subsidized studio, which she has rented for seven years. ‘It's really helped me grow with my art ...,’ Wejp-Olsen said.
Gary Limjap
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SEE ECONOMY PAGE 13
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CITY HALL Financial troubles brewing in the state capitol could spell bad news for local coffers. While the economy in Santa Monica has remained stable as the picture turned bleak nationally, the future might not look so rosy for City Hall where the continuing loss of sales tax revenues and the anticipated $10 billion deficit in Sacramento are expected to hit home hard. The potential impacts are outlined in a seven-page information item that was put out by Finance Director Carol Swindell last week on the economic outlook for the city, warning that the state budget, weak financial market and decline in auto sales could bring challenges in the coming years. One of the biggest punches could come from the state level where a solution to the budget gap is expected to include shifting taxes from local municipalities, according to City Manager Lamont Ewell. For City Hall, that could mean a loss of about $5 to $7 million this year. “We’re continuously looking at different options we might have to bring to council to make sure we can get through the rest of this fiscal year,” Ewell said. “The $5 to $10 billion deficit they’re experiencing in the current year has nothing to do with the $15 to $20 million deficit they will have for next year. “We could get hit right now and get hit again in next year’s budget.” Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently announced that he will call legislators back for an emergency budget session on Nov. 5, one day after the election. City Hall has been able to stave off the negative impacts of the recession as of late thanks to a diversified tax base that comes from five sources — transient occupancy taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, business license taxes and utility users taxes, each of which account for anywhere from 9 to 14 percent of the general fund. Sales tax revenue, which have dropped the
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