Some City Hall documents are designed to explicitly trumpet its accomplishments – real and imagined, while implicitly chastising the rest of us for not doing more. The third annual “Sustainable City Report Card,” which was released last week, is such a document. Herewith, our First Annual Report Card on the Sustainable City Report Card.

Resource Conservation

According to the City Report Card, “Solid waste generation exceeds the Sustainable City Plan ceiling and continues to increase. Diversion dropped to 62% of generation, down from a high at 67%, thus reversing a nearly ten-year record of improvement. Water use increased 3% and remains higher than our aggressive target levels. However, water and energy conservation has kept at bay expected increases in resource usage associated with Santa Monica’s strong economy and growth in construction activity. Energy conservation measures have been successful and energy use in the city remains stable. The city government continues to purchase 100% renewable power for municipal operations…

“The grade for this area has dropped due to the increases in waste generation and water use and the drop in waste diversion rates. “

The City gives itself an A- for effort (down from last year’s A, and a C grade, down from last year’s C+.

As long as the City’s aggressive economic development policies are in direct conflict with its “aggressive” conservation policies, it should give Itself an F for effort.

Transportation

The City’s Report Card alleges that “Santa Monica has been a leading advocate for regional transportation planning, including the Exposition Line Light Rail which is an important part of the overall regional strategy to enhance mobility and relieve congestion. The city continues to increase Average Vehicle Ridership by encouraging ridesharing among larger employers. In fact, the current Average Vehicle Ridership of 1.59 exceeds the Sustainable City Plan target of 1.5. Ridership remains strong on the award-winning Big Blue Bus transit system, which is now almost 100% alternatively fueled. The environmentally friendly Mini Blue was launched this year to meet community transit needs. The new bike valet service parked 16,310 bikes last year for free, thus reducing vehicle traffic and emissions while improving air quality and safety in pedestrian walk areas. Additionally, more than 80% of the city’s municipal fleet is fueled by alternative fuels. However, traffic and congestion remain significant issues in the community…The current network of bicycle lanes and paths are inadequate to meet the Sustainable City Plan targets. Converting greater numbers of people to more sustainable modes of transit has had limited success in offsetting the impacts of increased tourism, commuter traffic and construction of parking lots. The grade improvement reflects the increases in Average Vehicle Ridership, the use of alternative fuels in the municipal fleet, the incentives for bicycling as an alternative to car use, and the commitment to regional transportation solutions “

Traffic and congestion are not simply “significant issues,” they’re major
problems, and it’ll take a lot more than free bike parking and more bike lanes to solve them. Here, too, the City’s economic development policies are at odds with its sustainable city objectives. According to the City, the daily population of Santa Monica nearly quadruples to 300,000. All those visitors are not simply dropping out of the sky. The City’s own Convention and Visitors’ Bureau now spends $2.4 million annually to draw people here, and recently launched a brand marketing campaign to attract even more people. It’s also making the Third Street Promenade and the Santa Monica Pier more “competitive” with The Grove and other area shopping centers, presumably to further increase our daily transient population. Meanwhile, aside from “encouraging” car-pooling, its only traffic/congestion reduction measures to date are its effort to shame residents into abandoning their cars to make room for tourists and shoppers, and its “commitment to
regional transportation solutions.”

The City gives itself a grade of C+, up from last year’s C, and A for effort
But as long as it continues to heedlessly pump up the local economy, it deserves Fs on both.

Environmental & Public Health

According to its Report Card, “This year Santa Monica voters supported the implementation of the Watershed Management Plan by passing the Clean Beaches and Ocean parcel tax. This allows work to begin on a comprehensive 20-year approach to improving water quality in the Santa Monica Bay, including significantly enhancing the level of investment in our storm water infrastructure and our pollution control efforts. The city continued its commitment to protecting the Bay and its marine habitat by prohibiting the use of all non-recyclable plastic take-out food service containers. Sales of recycled water from the Santa Monica Urban Runoff and Recycling Facility (SMURRF) increased 35% to a total of 32 million gallons per year. The cumulative number of Santa Monica households properly disposing of hazardous waste at the Household Hazardous Waste Center increased from 29% to 36%. Four thriving farmers’ markets, one of which is regularly a zero-waste event, provide access to fresh, locally grown and organic produce. These successes aside, the grade for this area has dropped because wastewater levels continue to be high and the city is far from reaching its targets for beach closures and Santa Monica Bay pollution reduction.”

The City givers itself a grade of C, down from B- last year, and an
A- for effort, down from A. It seems to us that if anyone deserves an A in this category, it’s the voters who agreed to tax themselves to clean up the Bay, not the City.

Housing

According to the City Report Card, “Since 1999, the city has lost more than half of its rent controlled housing units due to state-mandated vacancy decontrol. The controlled housing stock affordable to low and very-low income residents continues to decrease from 86% before state-mandated vacancy decontrol in 1999 to 40% in 2006. This factor, combined with sustained upward pressure on real estate prices, has severely reduced the availability of affordable housing. However, the city’s progressive legal protections, such as the just-cause eviction protections in rent controlled units, have contributed to keeping 40% of the controlled units affordable to low and very-low income tenants. In addition to preserving the existing stock of affordable rental units, the city is investing in the development of new affordable housing projects… Design development for the Civic Center Village is underway and will include at least 160 affordable housing units

“The consistent grade reflects the continued loss of housing affordability while recognizing the significant accomplishments being made in both retaining existing and providing additional housing units affordable to low income residents.”

Though the City has built some affordable housing, it has done nothing to aid the thousands of longtime renters whose homes are being demolished to make way for more and more luxury condos. These residents are vital members of this community and the apartment buildings and garden apartments they inhabit are integral to this beach town. These residents make too much money to qualify for affordable housing, but not enough to buy the allegedly luxurious condos.

The City’s latest “affordable” housing project, “the Civic Center Village,”is as misbegot as the Civic Center itself. It is the largest, tallest and most densely populated housing project the City has ever untaken, It will add more than 600 cars to an area that has already been overwhelmed by traffic, and the architects’ preliminary renderings suggest that the five-building complex will overwhelm the site. Each of its 320+- apartments will cost $550,000 to construct and less than half will be “affordable” while the rest will be luxury condos that are expected to sell for $2 million.

The City gives itself a grade of D this year as it did last year, which it richly deserves, but it gives itself another A for effort, which is utterly undeserved, It warrants another F.

Open Space & Land Use

According to the City’s Report Card, “In the face of increasing real estate prices and construction costs, the maintenance and expansion of the city’s open space over the last decade is remarkable. The city opened both Airport Park and Euclid Park this year. Together they represented more than 8.3 acres of park space. Airport Park is the first new park in Santa Monica since 1983 and Euclid Park is a newly renovated ‘backyard’ park in a densely populated neighborhood. A Beach Greening project at the southern end of 2030 Ocean Avenue Beach parking lot and planned improvements at REED Park are also proceeding and Santa Monica’s urban forest has grown in number and has diversified the average age and species of the trees. Park accessibility continues to be outstanding with nearly 90%of residents living within ½ mile of a park or open space. A number of mixed-use development projects that combine housing, office and retail space have been built which can help reduce traffic and parking congestion and encourage walking and transit use

“The consistent grade reflects the city’s ongoing commitment to maintaining a sufficient and diverse open space system as well as the continued efforts to create land use and transportation policies that promote mixed-use, transit-oriented development.”

Now the airport, which has no residents, has a park but North of Montana’s thousands of residents are still without one.

Densely populated Santa Monica’s chronic shortage of open space for years has been made worse by the accelerated development of recent years, and no matter how the City sees it, turning open land into parks does not increase the City’s supply of open space, nor does laying turf on a portion of a beach parking lot or “improving” Reed Park, The shortage of open space is another by-product of the City’s economic development policies. And, given the City’s planned removal of some 75 trees from Second and Fourth Streets, its claims about the urban forest are plain dumb.

The City’s rich fantasy life overtakes here, as it gives itself another A- grade this year and another A for effort It deserves Ds at best.

Economic Development

According to the City Report Card, “Santa Monica’s economy remains strong and diverse with growth in the tourism, retail, and information sectors. The local economy remains resilient with no sector representing more than 25% of the total economic activity. To build on this success, the City Council funded the creation of a Sustainable Economic Development Strategy to attract and retain businesses that support economic development, social responsibility and environmental stewardship. The city, the Chamber of Commerce, the Convention and Visitors Bureau and Sustainable Works are collaborating on projects to promote sustainable businesses and improve the quality of life for residents and visitors. Over 20 Santa Monica businesses were recognized for their exceptional commitment to sustainable practices through the Green Business Certification Program and the Sustainable Quality Awards. An additional 20 businesses received comprehensive green business consultations as part of the Sustainable Works Business Greening Program. However, the rising cost of living and an unbalanced ratio of jobs to housing make it difficult for people to live near their workplace, exacerbating local and regional traffic and parking problems. Santa Monica’s jobs/housing balance rose to 1.52 this year, a further move away from the 1.0 target established in the Sustainable City Plan.

“The grade improvement reflects the continued adoption of business greening practices throughout the community.”

Over-development – whether it’s conventional or “green” – is still over-development, and Santa Monica has a bad case of it. It’s caused virtually every problem Santa Monica has – from traffic congestion to to a shortage of affordable housing and ever-escalating rents and land prices. It has also thrown the local economy out of balance.

With the rise of big box chain stores and decline of local independent businesses and services, more and more residents have to leave town to find the basic goods and services they used to find here. In sum, the City’s imposition of orthodox economic development policies on this very small and very unorthodox beach town is wreaking havoc.

The City is engaged in major wishful thinking here, giving itself another B grade this year, but upping last Year’s B+ for effort to an A this year,despite the fact that all of last year’s problems are larger this year than they were last year.

Community Education & Civic Participation

According to the City Report Card, “Santa Monicans are engaged with their community and participate in community events and neighborhood meetings. There are seven active neighborhood organizations and five active business improvement districts throughout the community. More than 49% of residents contacted a city department in 2006 and almost half of all residents attended an arts or cultural event. Santa Monica residents have widespread awareness of community issues. Residents and business leaders have been active participants in the update to the Land Use and Circulation Elements. Santa Monica’s voter participation rates typically exceed LA County, state and federal averages, although off-year voter participation continues to be marginal. Santa Monicans also utilize their public resources. Last year, the Santa Monica Public Library celebrated its 1,000,000th visitor.

“The consistent grade reflects the continued community participation in the update of the Land Use and Circulation Elements as well as major civic projects. Further, it reflects the leadership of the Cultural Affairs Division in developing Creative Capital: A Community and Cultural Arts Plan to forge a common vision of the artistic and cultural life of the city.”

Last year and this year, the City gives itself A for effort and A- grades,but it deserves no credit at all. Residents are engaged in local affairs and activities because they love Santa Monica and do not trust City Hall. The City boasts about the number of people who take part in City affairs, neglecting to note that it rarely pays any attention to them and hardly ever does their bidding.

Human Dignity

According to the City Report Card, “Santa Monica has historically been very proactive in supporting the ability of its residents to meet their basic needs and live with dignity. Generally, Santa Monica residents feel safe in their communities and feel empowered to meet their basic needs. The Community Development Grants Program provides over $6.7 million annually to support local family, disability, employment and homeless services. Last year, more than 2,700 homeless persons received
case management and employment assistance. As a result, 1,116 people were placed in housing and 502 people were employed. However, public safety in the Pico neighborhood remains a significant concern. Much work remains to be done as the city and the community better define the additional initiatives and investments that will positively impact human dignity.

“The consistent grade reflects the continued leadership role the city has taken in addressing regional homelessness including the establishment of a Homeless Community Court and other significant initiatives.”

Last year and this, the City gave itself A for effort and B- for grade, and this is the only category in which it actually warned the rating it gave itself.

The Inescapable Conclusion

As philosopher/comedienne Rita Rudner has said, “You can’t have everything. Where would you put It?”

The Sustainable City goals are worthy, as well as vital, but achieving them requires doing more with less. The operative word is LESS, while the operative word for the City’s economic development policies is MORE. More tourists, more shoppers, more cars and trucks, more development, more businesses, more action, more congestion, more problems and, of course, more revenue for City Hall.

The opening paragraph of the Report Card notes that “Santa Monica is now an internationally recognized and award-winning sustainability leader.”

More significantly, it has been a world-famous and iconic beach town for decades, but we’re not sure it can survive City Hall’s simultaneous drives for MORE and LESS.

The City’s Report Card concludes, ungrammatically, “In order to become a more sustainable community all community members must be educated and empowered to achieve our goals.”

We have only one goal. We don’t want a money mill or a machine for living. We simply want to preserve, sustain and refine this legendary beach town. In the current municipal maelstrom, that’s a daunting task, but it’s our town, so it’s our task.

Note: Sustainable City Progress Report website at www.smepd.org/scpr. The indicator data present a comprehensive picture of our progress toward, and challenges to, becoming a sustainable community.