PROFESSIONAL BUILDING’S FUTURE IS UNCERTAIN

PROFESSIONAL BUILDING’S FUTURE IS UNCERTAIN

As far as I know, I’m the only person in Santa Monica who doesn’t like the plans for the addition to the Professional Building on the southeast corner of Wilshire and Seventh Street.

It’s old, ornate and very graceful, the tallest building in the area. There are shops on the first floor, offices on the upper floors. It rules the intersection, which it shares with a 7-11, a corner of Reed Park, and a non-descript two-story rectangular building that the late Herb Katz jazzed up with an ersatz, but decent Streamline Moderne façade some years ago, It rules not because it’s taller than the other buildings, or more beautiful, though it is, but because it’s magnificent.

The building is straight out of a Raymond Chandler novel — a bit worn, shabby, but still wholly present, and mildly, wonderfully sinister. It has character of the moody sort. And it’s a true professional building. I love that about it – especially as professional buildings in Santa Monica are being crowded out by the amateur variety. It’s also a City landmark.

I have always believed that if its owners were truly savvy, they would leave the exterior intact, remove all but the bearing walls from the interior, scrub it back to stone, and then outfit it with large, distinctive, airy offices and studios. It would be an overnight sensation, an instant legend, the building in which everyone wanted to be. The owner would profit, the new tenants would prosper, and those of us who simply love looking at it would be grateful.

Unfortunately, either the owner believed that bigger is better, or more lucrative, or grander, and so the owner and architect Howard Laks, and City staff and the Landmarks Commission and now the Planning Commission have spent years fiddling with what should remain a grand landmark, but seems to be on its way to becoming merely grandiose.

Rationalizing all the way, they’re preparing to turn this beloved professional building into a very large hotel — 55 rooms in the original building and 285 in a new building that they plan on wrapping around the original building. There will also be a bar and pool on the roof, and a large underground parking structure.

The new building consists of a series of plump cylinders that are not as tall as the original building, but, in the architect’s renderings, seem to reduce its height and increase its girth. In the renderings, the original building looks exactly like what it will become — a star that has been reduced to an extra.

But disturbed as I am about the diminution of this singular building, I am equally disturbed by a bizarre turn that swamped the aesthetic discussion at a lengthy Planning Commission hearing on Wednesday night.

The City proposed including a living wage ($10.64/$11.81 an hour) in the development agreement that would put neither the proposed new hotel nor existing hotels at a “competitive disadvantage.” All of a sudden, speakers were talking, not about the design, but the living wage. Everybody, including the President of the Chamber of Commerce, wanted the hotel, but no one wanted the living wage – except some hotel workers.

Several local business owners claimed that requiring a living wage for hourly workers in the proposed hotel would wreak havoc on local hotels and other businesses. The chair of the Chamber of Commerce, a car dealer, said the Chamber objected to the City’s including salary standards in development agreements (DA).

All of the Planning Commissioners were surprised to find the living wage addressed in the draft DA, and some of them were disturbed that the community at large had not been informed of this new wrinkle in the DA process and had not had an opportunity to discuss it.

The wage issue is not new. For as long as there have been businesses, business owners and their employees have debated it. The City put a City-wide living wage ordinance on the ballot some years ago, but it was clobbered by hotel owners and other businesses who spent about $1 million to kill it. Since then, after extended and vigorous struggles, workers at four local hotels have formed unions.

Several hotel workers spoke eloquently Wednesday night on behalf of the living wage, explaining that it enabled them to live here and raise their children here rather than having to commute long distances every day. In the view of the City, the more workers who live here rather than having to endure the daily commute, the healthier and more stable and complete the town is, but, thanks to the tourism and technology booms, the cost of living in Santa Monica is higher than it is in most of Southern California. Here and now, the daily transient population of our town is over 300,000 – more than three times the permanent population.

The City of L.A. runs “maids” buses out Sunset — one or two in the morning east to west, one or two west to east in the afternoon, dropping off and picking up maids in Beverly Glen, Westwood, Bel Air and the Palisades. To my knowledge, no one has been crass enough to say out loud that the Expo light rail will bring hourly wage workers into Santa Monica in the morning and take them home in the afternoon, thus freeing the hotels from any obligation to pay their hourly workers a real living wage, and the City from building more than the minimum quantity of affordable housing required by the state.

Clearly, a City-wide forum on the issue of fair wages is long overdue. Hotel operators eager to cash in on the boom are lining up in the Planning office. A Convention & Visitors Bureau representative was at the Planning meeting Wednesday to plump for the proposed hotel. But, if, as hotels and other tourist-driven businesses allege, they can only make money by exploiting some or all of their employees, then they shouldn’t be in business, and the City shouldn’t be cheering them on.

We have danced around the issue for too long. It’s time to face it, and resolve it – but not at a Planning Commission meeting.

PARENTS, STUDENTS, COMMUNITY CALL FOR ANTI-RACISM MEASURES AT SAMOHI

PARENTS, STUDENTS, COMMUNITY CALL FOR ANTI-RACISM MEASURES AT SAMOHI

A week ago, a number of Latino and African American students became embroiled in conflicts around the Santa Monica High School campus. While school administrators categorized the conflicts as problems between certain groups on campus, and mainly problems between groups off-campus, to many students the fights represented another thread of the assaults on African American students at Santa Monica High School.

A group of concerned citizens known as the Committee for Racial Justice (CRJ) has called for the District to get to the root of the problem. They are insisting that the School District address the school’s climate of racism. CRJ formed last summer after an incident that took place in May, 2011 involving members of the Santa Monica High School Wresting Team.

On May 4, 2011, an African American member of the Santa Monica High School wrestling team was held against his will by two Caucasian team mates while there were chants of “Slave for sale” and a noose was hung nearby. The school staff members and the school district administration never notified the mother of the victim. This racially charged incident and the District’s slow response were the catalyst for the formation of the Committee for Racial Justice. The Committee consists of parents of students at Santa Monica High School, students, community members and clergy.

“To quote Reverend King, a threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” says Gina Frazier, mother of an 11th grader at Santa Monica High School. “And what we see on campus is injustice to the African American students. Many non-African American students don’t understand how their attitudes towards African American students have caused a climate of hostility.”

Since its inception, the Committee for Racial Justice has met with Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District Board members, the superintendent, the principal of Santa Monica High School and other district officials.

“Of course, a major concern of parents is their children’s safety, but we are equally concerned about their educational progress” said Frazier. “The parents are alarmed by the consistent decline in test scores of Black youth. We need the teachers, students and administrators to become aware of how racism plagues the classrooms. And we’ve called upon the District board members and staff to launch a vigorous plan to address both the cultural and educational needs of the students.”

The Committee has hosted several racism awareness workshops including presentations by Fluke Fluker from The Village Nation, UCLA professor Jerome Rabow, Reverend James Lawson, (a former colleague of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.), and students from Santa Monica High School to talk about their experiences with racism.

“Whether it’s the issue of racial tensions between Black and Brown students or the chaining a student to a locker, we need the staff and students to understand the dynamics of racism and we need them to become allies of the African American students on campus,” said Frazier. “That’s why we are calling on the School District to bring in programs that have a solid track record in building racial awareness and expanding the appreciation of cultural differences.”

The Committee for Racial Justice hosts racial awareness workshops the second Sunday of each month 6:00-8:30pm at The Church in Ocean Park located at 235 Hill Street, Santa Monica, Ca 90405. For more information email sanctuaryofchange@yahoo.com or call Rev. Janet McKeithen at 310-399-1631.

COUNCIL REFUSES TO “MOVE TO AMEND”

COUNCIL REFUSES TO “MOVE TO AMEND”

At its January 24 meeting, the City Council
1. okayed relocation of the Windward School well, and an amendment to an agreement with Black and Veatch Construction,in the amount of $1,421,417, to provide project management and construction services for the well relocation project.
2. okayed Bid #3067 to Univar USA, Inc. in the amount of $381,375 for the purchase and delivery of Sulfuric Acid for use at the City’s Arcadia Water Treatment Plant, for a one-year term.
3. okayed a $300,000 contract for legal services for assistance with labor and employment law with Liebert, Cassidy and Whitmore from February 2012 through June 2013 with four one-year options to review.
4. okayed a professional services agreement with Ingo Manglano-Ovalle for $440,200 for the fabrication of an artwork to be installed in the Palisades Garden Walk that consists of 49 aluminum poles equipped with wind vanes and anemometers, which measure wind velocity. (scroll down to see photo).
5. approved a resolution declaring the City’s intent to participate in the Institute of Local Government’s Beacon Award Program.
6. okayed spending $400,273 to install and configure Transit Master traffic signal priority system components on 56 transit vehicles.
7. okayed re-plastering the Municipal Pools at the Santa Monica Swim Center for an amount not to exceed $16,350 for additional costs.
8. okayed a $27,577 contract with Design Space Modular for demobilization of the temporary trailers which housed the Big Blue Bus staff.
9. okayed Transfer Project Sponsorship of Expo Bike Path to the L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority in the amount of $2,018,650, including federal transportation Enhancement Activities funds authorized by
Metro and authorization for Metro to invoice the City for a local Match obligation in the amount of $672,000.
10. okayed a second modification with Monarch Plumbing & Mechanical, in the amount of $21,952 for additional work for the Beach Restroom Facilities Replacement Project, for a total contract of $220,486; and authorize any necessary changes.
11. okayed resolution to Correct the Penalty Schedule Reference in the Taxicab Rules and Regulations.
12. okayed a recommendation to support the community’s preferred use of the Expo maintenance yard buffer site as open space/park, direct staff to issue a request for proposals for design services for the buffer as open space/park, to continue working with the community on buffer zone design; and to continue to with the Expo Construction Authority, Metro, and their consultant teams on the design and construction of the Maintenance Facility to be a “good neighbor” to the community.
13. okayed Design-Build Contract for Civic Auditorium Remodel & Seismic Upgrade with Morley Construction Company in an amount not to exceed $51,944,432, including contingencies and allowances, and appropriate budget increases.
14.okayed bid No. 3068 to GFI Genfare, for a total amount not to exceed $200,000,for the purchase and service of GFI farebox parts and components for a one-year term.
15. okayed Guaranteed Maximum Price Amendment for construction for Palisades Garden Walk and Town
Square Project – recommendation to authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an amendment to Contract No. 9395 (CCS) with W.E. O’Neil Construction Company in an amount not to exceed $47,014,773, including contingencies and allowances, for construction services for the Palisades
Garden Walk and Town Square; and appropriate the budget increases.
16. okayed a Professional Services Agreement with Keyser Marston Associates in the amount of $80,000, and amended contract No. 9113 (CCS), with Allan D. Kotin & Associates in the amount of $70,000, for the purposes of providing professional real estate and economic development advice and support to City staff.
17. okayed an agreement with the Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority for a lump sum payment of $16,500,000 for the required 3% local match; authorize such agreements, as may be appropriate, not-to-exceed $8,850,000 with the Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority to perform engineering services and construction of betterments at the
Downtown/4th Street Station; make related appropriations; and, revises funding source for previously authorized betterments at the Memorial Park/17th Street and Bergamot/26th Street Stations and preliminary engineering services at Downtown/4th Street Station.
18. okayed Modification to Contract for improving connections between the Downtown, Expo Light Rail station and Civic Center over the I-10 Freeway –
authorizing the City Manager to negotiate and execute a first modification to Contract No. 9167 (CCS) with AECOM, in the amount of $740,000 for improving connections between the Downtown, Expo Light Rail Station and Civic Center over the I-10 freeway, for a total contract not to exceed $1,723,112.
19. Then, donning its second hat, as Parking Authority, it okayed consulting services for financial planning and analysis, and debt issuance activities – recommendation to authorize the City Manager to execute a third adjustment to Professional Services Agreement 8724 (CCS) with Public
Resources Advisory Group (PRAG) to increase contract amount by $150,000 for a total contract amount not to exceed $650,000 for the five-year contract term.
20. Then exchanging its Parking Authority hat for its Redevelopment Agency hat, it okayed a resolution approving the Redevelopment Agency’s amended Enforceable Obligation Payment Schedule.
21. Then trading its Redevelopment Agency hat for its Housing Authority hat, it okayed the transfer of responsibility from the City to the Housing Authority for affordable housing compliance monitoring, inspections, waiting list management, enrollment, reporting, and related activities; for affordable housing production and preservation activities; and for implementation and continuing oversight of the Senior Homeless Prevention
and Rental Assistance Program to the Housing Authority; and (ii) to fund said affordable housing responsibilities to be assumed by the Housing Authority by assigning from the City to the Housing Authority the stream of affordable housing
payments required by Cooperation Agreement No. 8180 (CCS); an amount not to exceed $20,282,771, and future payments pursuant to Cooperation Agreement No. 9267 (CCS); and housing set-aside funds as are available from the City.

It then heard the appeal of a Landmarks Commission designation of a vintage house in Ocean Park as a landmark, and, as it rarely does, agreed with the Commission and denied the appeal.

Moving right along, the Council heard and approved the annual development agreement compliance review, but Saint John’s Hospital continues to create parking and traffic problems for its neighbors.

Then some 40 people, including a number of students from both Samohi and Santa Monica College, asked the Council to commit the City to a Bill of Sustainable Rights and pass a Move to Amend resolution that would amend The U.S. Constitution to abolish corporate personhood.

Approval of the Bill of Sustainable Rights, which emerged from a year-long study of the issues by the City’s Task Force on the Environment, which commits the City to formulate the policies and laws that would establish, protect and sustain the rights of the people and the natural environment, ensure clean water, air, soil and energy and develop means of ensuring
the continued health of both the people and the natural environment.

Both the Sustainable Bill of Rights and Move to Amend are national movements.

The Council approved the Sustainable Bill of Rights resolution and directed that it be incorporated in the City’s existing Sustainable City Plan this year.

But it rejected the Move to Amend, which would reverse the Supreme Court’s decision that corporations, in effect, have the rights the Constitution assigns to individuals. The decision has led to the Super-PACs that can spend any amount of money without identifying themselves, backing political candidates and issues and have polluted the political process.

The three lawyers on the Council – Mayor Richard Bloom, Mayor Pro Tem Gleam Davis and Bobby Shriver – all worried about the language. Davis wondered what such an amendment might do to non-profit corporations. Bloom thought it went too far. Shriver thought the City shouldn’t commit itself to an measure that hadn’t been written.

They had just voted to spend well over $100 million in a blink, but rather than voting to support the campaign to amend the Constitution to deny corporations personhood, the three lawyers and Councilman Bob Holbrook voted to express their disapproval of Citizens United, which sought and won the Supreme Court case that gave the corporations rights that from the founding of this country had been reserved for individuals.

TRUST WOMEN WEEK IS UNDERWAY

TRUST WOMEN WEEK IS UNDERWAY

National Nurses United is participating this week in the first-ever “Trust Women Week,” an online mass mobilization on behalf of women’s lives and rights.

The nurses, MoveOn and 50 other organizations are taking part in the nationwide campaign.

Messages from “virtual marchers,” as participants are known, are being packaged and delivered online directly to members of Congress, governors and state legislators to underscore that America must trust women to make their own decisions about their bodies and their lives.

Trust Women Week overlaps the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and reasserts women’s commitment to reclaiming the future of reproductive decision-making in 2012.

At mid-week, over 70,000 messages had been sent to members of Congress, governors and state legislators in support of reproductive justice, reproductive health and reproductive rights.

Women who want to take part, should go to www.MainStreetContract.org.

INDEPENDENT FILMS TAKE 60 OSCAR NOMINATIONS

INDEPENDENT FILMS TAKE 60 OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Once upon a time, independent film companies were Hollywood anomalies. Today, they play a major role, as is demonstrated in the 84th Academy Award nominations, which were announced last week.

Independents garnered 60 nominations in feature categories, according to the Independent Film and Television Alliance, whose member companies captured a total of 44 nominations. IFTA member companies are noted with their nominated films.

HUGO (GK Films) leads the race with 11, followed by THE ARTIST (Wild Bunch, The Weinstein Company) with 10, and TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY (Studio Canal, Focus Features) and THE TREE OF LIFE (Summit Entertainment) with three nominations each.

Best Picture: THE ARTIST (Wild Bunch, The Weinstein Company),HUGO (GK Films), MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, and THE TREE OF LIFE (Summit Entertainment).

Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius – THE ARTIST(Wild Bunch, The Weinstein Company), Martin Scorsese – HUGO (GK Films), Woody Allen – MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, Terrence Malick – THE TREE OF LIFE (Summit Entertainment).

Actor in a Leading Role: Demián Bichir – A BETTER LIFE (Wild Bunch, Summit Entertainment), Jean Dujardin – THE ARTIST (Wild Bunch, The Weinstein Company), Gary Oldman – TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY (StudioCanal, Focus Features)

Actress in a Leading Role: Glenn Close – ALBERT NOBBS, Meryl Streep – THE IRON LADY (Pathé International, Goldcrest Pictures, U.K. Film Council, The Weinstein Company), Michelle Williams – MY WEEK WITH MARILYN (The Weinstein Company, U.K. Film Council)

Actor in a Supporting Role: Kenneth Branagh – MY WEEK WITH MARILYN (The Weinstein Company, U.K. Film Council), Nick Nolte – WARRIOR (Lionsgate, Mandate Pictures), Christopher Plummer – BEGINNERS (Focus Features).

Actress in a Supporting Role: Berenice Bejo – THE ARTIST (Wild Bunch, The Weinstein Company), Janet McTeer – ALBERT NOBBS.

Writing/Original Screenplay: Michel Hazanavicius – THE ARTIST (Wild Bunch, The Weinstein Company), J.C. Chandor – MARGIN CALL (Myriad Pictures, Lionsgate), Woody Allen – MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, Asghar Farhadi – A SEPARATION.

Writing/Adapted Screenplay: John Logan – HUGO (GK Films), George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon – THE IDES OF MARCH (Exclusive Films International Ltd., Comerica Bank). Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan – TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER, SPY (StudioCanal, Focus Features)

Foreign Language Film: BULLHEAD, FOOTNOTE, IN DARKNESS, MONSIEUR LAZHAR, A SEPERATION

Animated Feature Film: A CAT IN PARIS, CHICO & RITA (Hanway Films), RANGO (GK Films)

Art Direction: THE ARTIST (Wild Bunch, The Weinstein Company) – Production Design: Laurence Bennett; Set Decoration: Robert Gould, HUGO (GK Films) – Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS – Production Design: Ann Seibel; Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil

Cinematography: Guillaume Schiffman – THE ARTIST (Wild Bunch, The Weinstein Company), Robert Richardson – HUGO (GK Films), Emmanuel Lubezki – THE TREE OF LIFE (Summit Entertainment)

Costume Design: Mark Bridges – THE ARTIST (Wild Bunch, The Weinstein Company) Sandy Powell – HUGO (GK Films), Michael O’Connor – JANE EYRE (Focus Features), Arianne Phillips – W.E. (The Weinstein Company, IM Global)
:
Documentary (Feature): HELL AND BACK AGAIN; IF A TREE FALLS: A STORY OF THE EARTH LIBERATION FRONT. PARADISE LOST 3: Purgatory (HBO), PINA (Hanway Films), UNDEFEATED (The Weinstein Company)

Film Editing: Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius – THE ARTIST(Wild Bunch, The Weinstein Company), Thelma Schoonmaker HUGO (GK Films)
:
Makeup: Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle – ALBERT NOBBS, Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland – THE IRON LADY, (Pathé International, Goldcrest Pictures, U.K. Film Council, The Weinstein Company)

Music (Original Score): Ludovic Bource – THE ARTIST (Wild Bunch, The Weinstein Company), Howard Shore – HUGO (GK Films), Alberto Iglesias – TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY (StudioCanal, Focus Features)

Sound Editing: Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis – DRIVE (Sierra/Affinity), Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty – HUGO (GK Films)
:
Sound Mixing: Tom Fleischman and John Midgley – HUGO (GK Films)

Visual Effects: Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning – HUGO (GK Films)

For more than 30 years, IFTA Members have produced, distributed and financed leading films. 19 have won the Academy Award® for Best Picture since 1980, most recently THE KING’S SPEECH (The Weinstein Company) , THE HURT LOCKER (Voltage Pictures and Summit Entertainment) and SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (Pathé International).

The Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) is the global trade association of the independent motion picture and television programming industry. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the organization represents and provides significant entertainment industry services to more than 150 member companies from 23 countries, consisting of independent production and distribution companies, sales agents, television companies, studio-affiliated companies, and financial institutions engaged in content finance.

Collectively, the Independent Film & Television Alliance’s members produce more than 400 independent films and countless hours of television programming each year and generate more than $4 billion in distribution revenues annually. The organization’s premiere event, the American Film Market, held in conjunction with AFI FEST, takes place every year in November in Santa Monica.

As the voice and advocate for the independent film and television industry worldwide, the Alliance speaks out on matters of critical importance and, where appropriate, actively lobbies governments around the world in regard to measures directly affecting the independent industry. For more information on IFTA and the American Film Market, please visit www.ifta-online.org.

KINETIC ARTIST DAVE QUICK’S LEGENDARY WORKS ON DISPLAY HERE

KINETIC ARTIST DAVE QUICK’S LEGENDARY WORKS ON DISPLAY HERE

Originally scheduled to close today, a “mini-retrospective” of works by Santa Monica artist/writer Dave Quick at the Bleicher/Golightly Gallery at 1431 Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica will run through February 1.

The show, “All Systems Go,” is part of Pacific Standard Time (PST), a survey of Southern California art between post WWII and 1980. The Getty Foundation and Bank of America are sponsors of Pacific Standard Time, in which 60 institutions are participating.

Among the works in the exhibition is Quick’s landmark kinetic assemblage, “Little Nuke” (1979). It features a high tech rubber chicken that, with the press of a button, has a nuclear accident. Also on display is “Homage to Busby Berkeley” (1983), an extravaganza of 12 white plastic bulls that “dance” in concert with one another. The earliest work in the show is “Goodyear Blimp Crashing into the Grand Canyon,” a spoof on Sigmund Freud or as the artist notes: “Sometimes a blimp is just a blimp.”

Quick’s works — unlikely collisions of found objects, photography, political satire, and “machine era” mechanical motion — have appeared in scores of exhibitions over the decades, including Japan and Italy.

In 1987, Quck was artist-in-residence in Yosemite National Park (the current exhibition includes a Yosemite-themed work) and he co-authored the 1989 book “Motion-Motion Kinetic Art,” a national survey of leading kinetic artists with Professor Jim Jenkins.

Joella March curated the current exhibition.

PRESIDENT ORDERS FEDERAL INVESTIGATION OF WALL STREET

PRESIDENT ORDERS FEDERAL INVESTIGATION OF WALL STREET

From MoveOn

Did you watch the State of the Union tonight? President Obama did exactly what hundreds of thousands of us have been calling on him to do—he announced a federal investigation into Wall Street. Here’s what he said:

“I am asking my Attorney General to create a special unit of federal prosecutors and leading state attorneys general to expand our investigations into the abusive lending and packaging of risky mortgages that led to the housing crisis. This new unit will hold accountable those who broke the law, speed assistance to homeowners, and help turn the page on an era of recklessness that hurt so many Americans.”

The best part is, progressive champion New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is co-chairing the investigation and will make sure it stays on track.

Just weeks ago, this investigation wasn’t even on the table, and the big banks were pushing for a broad settlement that would have made it impossible. Your work changed all that.

This is truly a huge victory for the 99% movement. Hundreds of thousands of us signed petitions, made calls, and held signs outside in the cold to make this issue something that President Obama couldn’t ignore. Here’s some of what MoveOn members and our allies did to bring about this victory:

* Over 360,000 of us signed a petition calling on President Obama to fully investigate the banks.
* We delivered that petition at over 150 events last Thursday around the country at Obama for America campaign offices.
* Our pressure on state attorneys general stopped the rush to a sweetheart deal that would have precluded this investigation.
* And we’ve called, Facebooked, and tweeted at the White House repeatedly to ask the president to launch this investigation.

Can you take a few minutes and thank President Obama for holding Wall Street accountable?

Click here to post a message of thanks on the White House Facebook wall.

Without an investigation, real accountability for the banks wouldn’t be possible. But while this is a big win, it isn’t enough all by itself. We still need to keep a close eye on the investigation, make sure top bankers don’t escape prosecution, and keep fighting for real solutions for the 11 million underwater homeowners who are still struggling to keep their homes.

And, we need to keep pushing for more wins for the 99%, including our campaigns to get big money out of politics and tax the rich fairly. That all takes resources, and for obvious reasons, MoveOn doesn’t get big checks from bank CEOs! So please click here to donate to keep the momentum going:

https://pol.moveon.org/donate/investigation.html?id=35068-19980072-Uj8r8ex&t=2

Progressive victories don’t come that often, and there’s so much more to do. But this is a very big one. Thank you for all you did to make it happen!

–Elena, Emily, Lenore, Robin, and the rest of the team

P.S. I just called Regina, an affected homeowner and MoveOn member, to tell her the news. She was at our rally outside President Obama’s campaign event in Harlem last Thursday, calling on the president to investigate the banks on behalf of homeowners like her. She said, “The president heard the pain of the American people. Thank you, Mr. President!”

Want to support our work? We’re entirely funded by our 5 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.
PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/.

RESIDENTS PLAN TO HOLD RALLY AT CITY HALL

RESIDENTS PLAN TO HOLD RALLY AT CITY HALL

Santa Monica Neighbors Unite! will rally at 5:30 Tuesday on the City Hall lawn in support of a Sustainability Bill of Rights and Move to Amend, both of which are on the City Council’s agenda and both of which, in their view, will work to end big corporations’ domination of “people, nature and our democracy.”

Following the rally, the group will attend the City Council meeting in the Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall, which generally reconvenes after its closed session at about 6:30 p.m.

Link to measures

http://www01.smgov.net/cityclerk/council/agendas/2012/20120124/s2012012408-B.htm

to Council
council@smgov.net or (310) 458-8201

to Who Decides? http://whodecidessantamonica.wordpress.com/

to Move to Amend http://movetoamend.org/

SM CONSERVANCY’S ANNUAL MEETING IS SUNDAY

SM CONSERVANCY’S ANNUAL MEETING IS SUNDAY

The Santa Monica Conservancy will hold its Annual Meeting and present its Preservation Awards on Sunday, January 29 from 3 to 5 PM at the John Byers-designed Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica.

In addition to the Board of Directors election and Preservation Awards, the program will include an update on plans for the Preservation Resource Center.

The church is located at 1260 18th St (corner of 18th St and Arizona). Additional information about John Byers and the history of the Church can be found with the event announcement on our website.

Members will elect four board members to three-year terms at the Meeting.

Bruce Cameron is a longtime preservation advocate. After serving on the successful “No on A” campaign to defend the city’s landmarks ordinance, he became a founding Board member of the Santa Monica Conservancy and has served since 2002. Additionally he has been a Board member of the Santa Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau and of the Pier Restoration Corp.

Tom Cleys was founding President of the Conservancy and currently serves as Treasurer. His passion for preservation co-mingles with his perspective as a real estate developer for the last 15 years. He’s currently Vice President of Mesa West Capital, a member of the Urban Forest Task Force and a former board member of Friends of Sunset Park.

Mike Deasy is co-founder and CEO of the real estate firm Deasy Penner & Partners. He has worked for over thirty years as a leader in the marketing and sale of architecturally and historically significant properties in Los Angeles. Past president of the Beverly Hills Board of Realtors, he lives in Santa Monica Canyon in John Entenza’s House (1936), which was featured in the Conservancy’s 2010 tour of mid century homes.

Chris Gray is nominated for his first term on the Board of Directors. He is Director of Preservation and Survey for GB Geotechnics Inc, and previously served as head of survey procurement for English Heritage and as deputy director of Documentation for the Getty Conservation Institute. Chris is a frequent lecturer in the USC School of Architecture Historic Preservation Program and was a member of both the Program and Steering Committees for the 2011 California Preservation Conference in Santa Monica.

Members of the Board with continuing terms are: Sarah Barnard, Michael Folonis, FAIA, Mario Fonda- Bonardi, AIA, Nina Fresco, David Kaplan, Sherrill Kushner, Cristyne Lawson, Ruthann Lehrer, Carol Lemlein, Susan McCarthy, Barbara Whitney and John Zinner.

Any member with an interest in serving on the board in the future is asked to speak to a board member, send email to info@smconservancy.org, or call 310-496-3146 and leave a message. We will contact you to discuss your interests and qualifications as well as the expectations for board members. Recommendations of others for board membership are also welcomed!

Space is limited for the annual meeting. Advance reservations are advised by January 25. Register online, by sending email to rsvp@smconservancy.org, or by leaving a message at (310) 496-3146.

Annual membership contributions support our work to preserve the architectural and cultural heritage of our city, and members receive our informative quarterly newsletter and discounts on tours and events.

If you are a current or recent past member, your expiration date will be listed here: Final Renewal 3-31-08. Join or renew now! You may join online as an Individual or Household Member or as a Business/Corporate Member. Or send a check to the address below.

Thank you for your support! Questions? Call 310-496-3146 or email info@smconservancy.org.

Mailing Address: Santa Monica Conservancy, PO BOX 653, Santa Monica, CA 90406 U.S. Contact Name: Santa Monica Conservancy Telephone Number: (310) 496-3146

LEGENDARY STUDIO, INCEVILLE, SHINES AGAIN

LEGENDARY STUDIO, INCEVILLE, SHINES AGAIN

Today Thomas Harper Ince is remembered, if at all, for the mysterious circumstances of his death, which may or may not have involved media mogul William Randolph Hearst.

But, as historian Eric Dugdale recounts in his Thursday, January 26, free lecture at the Santa Monica Bay Womanʼs Club, Ince was, in fact, a pioneering genius in the early film industry and major influence in the development of our Santa Monica Bay.

Arriving in Venice, in 1910, Ince had already made his mark as a young director on the east coast, but it was his lease and subsequent purchase of 11,000 acres of land in the Santa Ynez Canyon that made him an industry titan and altered our landscape forever.

He built Inceville, the first modern film studio, a virtual city of motion picture sets that ranged from a Scottish hamlet to a Japanese village on the site.

Inceville employed hundreds of people in a stampede of movie-making that saw the production of more that 150 two-reel movies in 1913 alone, and brought a new industry to the lima bean fields of Santa Monica.

Key to the settlement of Inceville was Inceʼs collaboration with the Millers Brothers and their “101 Ranch Wild West show of Cowboys and Indians.” The show included an entire tribe of Oglala Lakota Sioux, some of whom had fought at the battle of the Little Bighorn, who pitched their teepees and brought their traditions to Inceville. The Wild West show provided Ince
with a resident group of players, enabling him to develop his signature Westerns.

Thomas Ince originated many of the studio practices that we take for granted today, such as the use of multiple cameras and development of shooting scripts that enabled directors to shoot out of sequence. His partnership with D.W. Griffith defined the roles of Producer and Director within the studio system.

By 1915, Ince was one of the most powerful producer/directors in the nation and used his power to build substantial new studios in Culver City, which later became the fabled MGM lot. By 1922, Inceville was a shadow of itself, having been swept by multiple fires that reduced it to a ghost town.

It was ultimately replaced by the settlements of Pacific Palisades, Marquez Knolls and Malibu.

During the twelve years of Incevilleʼs reign, it was a magnet for the leading stars and directors of the day, including Mary Pickford, William S. Hart and Francis Ford. Arguably, the biggest of the movies Ince produced at his Santa Monica studios was the 1916 epic, “Civilization,” a dramatic plea for peace in the era of the First World War that topped D.W. Griffithʼs “Intolerance” at the box office that year. The film continues to be lauded for its cultural and
aesthetic innovation, and was selected by the Library of Congress in 1999 for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Eric Dugdale, the current President of Pacific Palisades Historical Society and a noted local historian, is particularly intrigued by the rich history of the bluffs and bay.

Located in the heart of downtown Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Bay Womanʼs Club is a non-profit 501c3 institution dedicated to enriching the lives of its members and the community through its legacy of womenʼs fellowship and charitable service. The Club, founded in 1905 and headquartered in its historic 1914 clubhouse, at 1210 Fourth Street, has a of a multigenerational membership and hosts a variety of social, civic educational and cultural programs.

LISTEN TO GEORGE!

LISTEN TO GEORGE!

George Wolfberg, the very wise president of the Santa Monica Canyon Civic Asociation, continues to warn us to lock our cars, remove anything valuable, and set our alarms, and we continue to ignore him and burglars continue to steal our stuff.

Last week, five cars were burgled.

A burglar smashed a window and took a laptop computer, blood pressure kit and earphones from a car on Radcliffe

A burglar entered a car on Hartzell and took a camera, bag and surgical tools.

A burglar entered an unlocked car on Ocean Way and took money, a GPS, blue tooth, glasses and flashlight.

A burglar enterd an unlocked car on Hartzell and took money, headphones and an emergency kit.

All four of these cars were robbed sometime during the night or early morning.

Sometime between 7:30 and 9:30 a.m., a burglar smashed a window and took a purse, money and cell phone from a car on Ocean Avenue.

Community Meeting on Closing of Parking Structure #6

Community Meeting on Closing of Parking Structure #6

City parking structure 6 at 1431 2nd Street will close at 12:01 a.m. on February 16, 2012 and be demolished in March.

The City plans to rebuild and enlarge it, nearly doubling its capacity to over 700 spaces and incorporating “many aesthetic and environmental improvements,” according to a City press release. It’s scheduled to reopen in late 2013. The design/build contractor is Morley Construction.

According to the press release, “Parking and noise will be a challenge at some points during the reconstruction.”
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City staff from Finance, Architecture Services, Fire, Police and the City Manager’s Office and Downtown Santa Monica Inc. and Morley officials will be present at a community meeting Wednesday, January 25, to discuss construction and parking impacts, and answer questions.

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at the Ken Edwards Center, 1547 4th Street

More information on the project can be found at www.SMConstructs.org/PS6

OCCUPY MOVEMENT IS SUBJECT OF UCLA ROUNDTABLE

OCCUPY MOVEMENT IS SUBJECT OF UCLA ROUNDTABLE

Activists and organizers will discuss what worked, what didn’t and what’s next at a UCLA Roundtable, “The Occupy Movement Considered,” on Wednesday, January 25.

It will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in Kaufman Hall 200, and the public is not
merely invited, but urged to to attend.

It’s being sponsored by the UCLA Department of Anthropology, Asian American Studies Center, American Indian Studies Interdepartmental Program, American Indian Studies Center, Art and Global Health Center, Women’s Studies, World Arts and Cultures/Dance.

“Occupy L.A.: A Photo Exhibit” by photojournalist Margaret Molloy will be
featured in the Rainbow Lounge in Kaufman Hall.

GOOD NEWS!

GOOD NEWS!

In the midst of the madness that passes for every day life here and now, there are occasional sublime moments, and this is one of them.

On Monday, January 23, at 10 a.m., the amazing “Ballroom Madness” team match will get underway in Barnum Hall on the Samohi Campus.

Specifically, fifth graders will be dancing their hearts out in front of all of their fifth grade peers.

It’s impossible to imagine anything grander, or more encouraging, than beginning your week by watching these students whirl about on the Barnum stage.

Parking is available in the City parking structure on Fourth Street, across the street and down the hill from Barnum.

$440,200 ARTWORK DESTINED FOR NEW PARK

$440,200 ARTWORK DESTINED FOR NEW PARK

Tuesday night, the City Council will be asked to authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a professional services agreement with Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle for the fabrication of the artwork to be installed in Palisades Garden Walk in an amount not to exceed $440,200.

If the Council okays it, according to the staff report, Manglano-Ovalle will “create an iconic sculpture comprised of 49 telescoping stainless steel poles each affixed at the top with anemometers and wind vanes, staggered in height in increments of one foot. Viewable from many vantage points in the park, the elegant, grid-like form and quiet kinetic aspect of “Weather Field” (as the piece is tentatively titled) complements the innovative design of the park by James Corner Field Operations both physically and conceptually by highlighting the topography of the park and acknowledging the local environment.

“Manglano-Ovalle was selected last year through a competitive process and his designs have been reviewed and approved by the Santa Monica Arts Commission and its Public Art Committee.

“In September 2010, the Public Art Committee…unanimously approved use of an invitational selection process for the Park, per the City’s adopted procedures for artist selection. The selection panel, assembled by the Cultural Affairs Division and consisting of five prominent arts administrators and curators, was asked to develop a pool of 20 qualified artists to invite to submit a Statement of Interest. The City received submissions from fourteen internationally-renowned artists and the selection panel short-listed five to interview. Based on the original submissions and the interview, the panel recommended Mr. Manglano-Ovalle to the Public Art Committee of the Arts Commission as the best artist for the project.

“Based in Chicago, Mr. Manglano-Ovalle has a varied and complex practice that encompasses sculpture, video and other disciplines. (He) often collaborates with scientists on projects that make objects in the natural world that are difficult to touch, such as DNA molecules or clouds, tangible. It was this aspect of his work, as well as his track record, that favorably impressed the selection panel, which felt that he would create a significant work of art for the park, one that addresses the uniqueness and prominence of the site and embraces the culture and values of the community. Mr. Manglano-Ovalle’s work gained international recognition at events, such as Documenta XII and Art 38 Basel, and is held in a number of collections, such as the Peter Norton Collection and the Guggenheim and Whitney Museums. In addition, he has received a number of awards, including fellowships from both the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. In December 2011, he was awarded the prestigious United States Artists Fellowship.

“Viewable from many vantage points in the park, the elegant, grid-like form and quiet kinetic aspect of “Weather Field” (as the piece is tentatively titled) complements the innovative design of the park by James Corner Field Operations both physically and conceptually by highlighting the topography of the park and acknowledging the local environment…”

“…Once the work has been approved by the City, the work would become part of the City’s collection and the City would be responsible for its long term maintenance. Every effort has been made as part of the design review process to minimize anticipated maintenance primarily to periodic pressure washing.”

The Public Art Committee approved the selection panel’s recommendation of Mr. Manglano-Ovalle, and, subsequently approved the conceptual design. The final design was approved by the Arts Commission and its Public Art Committee at a joint meeting in December.

The funding will come from the City’s Percent for Art program. Annual maintenance of the work, in an amount not to exceed $2,000, will be paid for by the City.

Just about everything is wrong with this story. First, the City boasts that 46 percent of Santa Monica residents are working artists — in all media. Why, then, do our “adopted procedures for artist selection” include bringing in alleged experts to make our major aesthetic decisions, as described here? Said experts may actually know a great deal about art and artists, but nothing about Santa Monica, much less the site. Not coincidentally, I reckon, the landscape architect who’s designing the park, James Corner, was chosen in the same way.

Was Michael McMillen, an acclaimed California artist who makes dazzling,
hauntingly beautiful installations, considered by the “experts?” Probably not.

But all that pales when compared to the $444,200 “artwork.” It is what it is
– a crowd of aluminum poles with small devices on them. They do not
“embrace the culture and values of the community,” or “acknowledge the local environment,” they acknowledge the weather. Noisily. Nor do they “highlight” the park’s topography, they merely repeat it.

To what end? They are neither beautiful nor useful. They neither inform nor
enlighten, much less delight. And I will bet the Public Art Committee $5
that some of the anemometers will break within a month of their installation, or be broken — as the work begs to be vandalized.

The Percent for Art program is altogether laudable, but the selection process is fatally flawed, and in urgent need of revision.