By now it has the weight of a Santa tradition. It’s not unique to our town, but nobody does it better. Or more frequently.

In fact, in these hard times, our marketeers should feature it on the tourists’ MUST SEE list. It’s free,  colorful, and very dramatic.

I’m speaking, of course, of the seemingly endless series that plays regularly at City Hall, “Money Wins.”

The latest installment is scheduled to take place at tonight’s City Council meeting.

In this installment, a familiar sequence will play out one more time. Bigtime Texas developer, Trammell Crow, bought the apartment complex at 301  Ocean Avenue. It then evicted its tenants from their affordable    apartments so it could demolish the complex and replace it with so-called “luxury” condos.

The tenants, taking a leaf from the tenants at 125 Pacific, made a case for the complex’s  designation as a landmark, which would prevent its   demolition.

The Landmarks Commission has consistently shown itself to be more knowledgeable, meticulous, diligent and scrupulous than City staff and its consultants. It designated 301 a landmark, after an exhaustive review.

Predictably, Trammell Crow has  appealed the designation, and, as predictably, City staff is siding with
the developer.

The City Council will make the final call tonight.

The Landmarks Commission based its  decision on the fact that 301 Ocean  was built and owned by Chester and Clo Hoover, and was their first, last and only Santa Monica residence.

Clo Hoover was Santa Monica’s first woman Mayor and, to date, its most accomplished woman leader, and she lived at 301 from the day she arrived in Santa Monica in 1950  to her death in 1995.

Landmark Designation Criterion #3 recognizes buildings that are identified with locally significant historic personages. In addition to being the  town’s first woman mayor, Hoover was a Council member for 14 years, and, according to the staff report, was known for her “vision for conserving the scenic and historic aspects of Santa Monica Bay…and her longstanding work on key issues that were important to the community at large…(She) was opposed to off-shore drilling, an offshore causeway. construction of an island in Santa Monica Bay, and the demolition of the Santa Monica and Newcomb Piers. Her positions on these issues were shaped, in part, by the location of her residence at 301 Ocean Avenue…

“Hoover is significant for having been a role model and an advocate for increasing the role of women and minorities in city government. As the second and lone woman Council member for 12 of her 14 years …(she)  was a pioneer, helping to end discriminatory practices against women wanting to serve their community through public office…

“Hoover was recognized for her extensive public service to the community through her volunteer work for local charities and institutions, including the Santa Monica Red Cross, American Hospital Association Council on Hospital Auxiliaries, Rehabilitation Service Guild, Santa Monica Hospital Women’s Auxiliary, Santa Monica Sister City Association, and the Salvation Army Ladies Auxiliary…

“however, the nexus or relationship between Hoover’s contributions and the 47-unit apartment complex is not strong enough to warrant designation. Therefore, designating the apartment complex is not an appropriate way to recognize Mayor Hoover’s leadership.”

That’s just silly. Hoover and her husband chose the location, built the complex, owned, occupied and operated it for the rest of their lives.
The circumstances we live in have  a profound effect on us, and Hoover lived for 45 years in a micro-community of Santa Monica residents, which may account for her progressive political posture. That’s Nexus to the nth power.

But it’s also irrelevant, as is the endless, meandering staff report, In this case, as in so many prior cases,  The Council would probably side with the staff and developer and vote for the money – but for one crucial fact.

Last fall, an associate of Trammell Crow contributed money to Council candidates, incumbents Ken Genser and Richard Bloom’s  re-election campaign funds.

Having taken money from an associate of the developer last fall, Genser and Bloom must recuse themselves from voting on the question tonight, which means the staff and the developer would then  have to take four of the remaining five votes in order to prevail.

If they can’t muster four votes, the landmark designation will stand,  and, in the sweetest sort of justice, Clo Hoover’s old friends and neighbors will triumph.