COMMUNITY

The Right to Return

City of Santa Monica’s pilot program aims to welcome back historically displaced residents

By Pat Mellon

The City of Santa Monica has initiated a pilot program for low-income and black families (or their descendants) displaced by urban renewal during the construction of the 10 Freeway to welcome them back to the area. Historians and policymakers for the City of Santa Monica have announced that in light of around 800 Pico neighborhood families being forced out by the construction in the early to mid-1950s and 1960s, it is time to right a wrong. The initiative, which is part of the City’s Below Market Housing Program, is dubbed The Right to Return Program, and will provide priority in City-funded housing for up to 100 applicants, some of them descendants of households who were displaced, as stated on the City of Santa Monica website. A permanent exhibit was also previously installed around the City’s new sports field to commemorate Black families who had been displaced and lost their homes. “This pilot provides rents at current Below Market Housing rates,” said Natasha Guest Kingscote, program manager for the City’s Historically Displaced Households Program. “How much applicants pay depends on their income level and household size.” The announcement of the inclusion of the affected groups, approved by The City Council in July 2021, comes as Black History Month nears its end and serves to correct what many believe to be one of the most egregious acts of discrimination to ever affect a socioeconomic group. When the highway was proposed, it was learned that some homes weren’t geographically compliant to the construction’s success and would hinder completion without remedy, or in this case, demolition. A fairly common scenario now, the convenient removal of structure and/or residents for the sake of progress, for which there is almost always a large financial ingredient; the concept was different, if not completely overlooked, in the mid 1960s when hundreds of poor and black families lost their homes in the name of interstate beach access. Most of the families believed they’d be compensated for the inconvenience and given assistance for relocation, but were not. Instead, those families are being offered a place on the waitlist for the City’s Below Market Housing collection of After 10 years, Café Gratitude teamed up with Katie Hodges Design to reimagine the Venice location as a calming, airy environment with minimalistic neutral furniture.

The Right to Return Program aims to welcome back low-income and black families displaced by urban renewal during the construction of the 10 Freeway in the 1950s and 1960s.

low-income hopefuls. “Santa Monica has limited affordable housing and City Council voted to allow [these] families to gain priority on the BMH waitlist,” Kingscote said. “The priority is the same for folks [who] live or work in Santa Monica,” she added, clarifying that the BMH is open for general applicants, not just these families who lost their homes years ago. “This is a pilot that will take the temperature of the amount of interest in affordable housing for this population, and City Council may consider expanding the program,” Kingscote said. “When it comes to housing, we do realize the demand far outweighs the supply.” Feb. 21 was the deadline for displaced residents of the Pico neighborhood or Belmar Triangle to apply. For more information, visit the City of Santa Monica’s website. ”

Going Fine Free

Santa Monica Public Library eliminates fees for overdue books and materials

By Kamala Kirk

As part of its continued recovery and to remove barriers to accessing the Santa Monica Public Library, the Santa Monica City Council approved a new Fine Free for All Program. Going into effect on March 1, the program will eliminate fines for overdue books and materials at the library. “Overdue fines create barriers to access for the very community members and populations that the library intends to serve,” said Erica Cuyugan, interim city librarian. “Removing fines will give cardholders increased access to services and use of the library and its materials both virtually and at any of our locations.” The new program comes after a similar program launched in July 2018, eliminating fines for youth up to 18 years of age who are Santa Monica Public Library cardholders. That program successfully increased library use by that age group and supported the goal of building stronger ties with Santa Monica youth. During the pandemic, the library temporarily suspended fines to support the community as it dealt with the impacts of COVID-19. This change applies to overdue fines only. Charges related to lost or damaged materials will continue to apply. Building on these efforts, the City Council adopted the Fine Free for All program at its recent Feb. 8 meeting, joining a host of local libraries that have adopted similar programs removing fines for library cardholders including LA County Public Library, Burbank Public Library and Los Angeles Public Library, among others. “We are proud to join the nationwide movement to eliminate library fines and ensure free and equal access to books, information and lifelong learning,” said Santa Monica Mayor Sue Himmelrich. “If you are avoiding our libraries for fear of past or possible fines, please come back to take advantage of the tremendous resources and entertainment available.”

“HI, C!” (2/17/22) By MARK McCLAIN