In what now seems a lifetime ago, in May, 2005, at a joint meeting, the Santa Monica City Council and Planning Commission approved, in concept, the 12 “emerging themes” that the planners and their cadre of consultants had pulled out of the initial round of surveys, questionnaires and workshops on the State-mandated revision of the land use and circulation elements of the General Plan.

The 12 themes were:
1) A unique city with a strong
sense of community.
2) A city rich in amenities,
in walking distance to shops and
services from neighborhoods.
3) A diverse and inclusive city.
4) A community built at an
appropriate town-scale.
5) A city of strong neighbor-
hoods, protected from
commercial and industrial uses.
6) A pedestrian and
bicycle-friendly place.
7) A city rich in its array of
transit offerings.
8) A city where traffic and
parking work.
9) A city of balanced growth.
10) A city with attractive
boulevards.
11) A safe and secure
community.
12) An environmentally
sustainable place.

The full text of the themes stressed over and over again the need to preserve the small town, its small scale, its history, its unique character and its strong sense of place.

During the public hearing that followed, Kathy Dodson, then-CEO of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce, said that the “emerging themes seem to ignore the economy and its effect on Santa Monica…[such as] City revenue from business-related taxes, job creation for residents and the diversity and richness of the business community.”

Land use attorney Kevin Kozal agreed, and censured City staff for not talking to “such stakeholders as “major employers, health care providers such as St. John’s Hospital and the Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center, and education leaders from Santa Monica College (SMC) and the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.”

Bayside District Corporation Board member John Warfel said the themes lacked “a regional context,”

It will not surprise anyone who’s been paying attention that the planners and consultants’ “Strategic Framework” for the revision faithfully reflects the special interests of the “ business community,” while giving not much more than a smile and a wink to the actual community of residents, After all, Santa Monica, Inc. with its shiny new half-billion-dollar budget is a very big business.

The only surprise is that it took three years to do it.