At least a year before it was seen by Santa Monica residents, the “revitalization” plan for the historic Miramar Hotel was shown by Miramar officials to so-called “community leaders” in a series of meetings that led to the creation of “Friends of the Miramar.”

“Friends” has four co-chairs: Albin Gielicz, until last week Vice Chair of the Wilshire Montana Neighborhood Coalition, Rebecca Kennerly, Co-Chair, Community For Excellent Public Schools, Nat Trives, former Mayor, and Irene Zivi, Early Childhood Education Advocate. The Steering Committee includes other “leaders” — a couple of former city managers and former mayors, a distinguished educator and writer, some former Chamber presidents and several dozen other people.

According to the text, in a full page ad in the Santa Monica Mirror, the friends support “the proposed revitalization of the 85-year old Miramar Hotel. The plan will create a gateway to Downtown Santa Monica and deliver much-needed benefits to the people of our community.”

The night the Miramar plans were finally shown to the public, the “friends” were out in force, but were outnumbered by the opponents.

The spin accelerated. The venerable hotel was given a sustainability award at a joint City-Chamber of Commerce ceremony – overlooking the fact that the hotel’s owner had recently announced its plans to “revitalize” it by demolishing nearly all the buildings on the City block it occupies, doubling its size to 556,000 square feet and increasing its height by several stories. In these ways, it would obliterate its immediate neighborhood, and give a whole new meaning to sustainability, one of the City’s most bruited “core values.”

Subsequently, at another elaborate ceremony, the Chamber anointed the former general Manager of the Miramar, Ellis O’Connor, as its new Chairman. As it turns out, he’s now an official of MSD Capital, which owns the Miramar and is itself owned by Michael Dell, the nineteenth richest person in the world.

O’Connor accepted his anointment at an elaborate dinner at the Miramar that was preceded by the showing of a film about the Miramar.

Now the Santa Monica History Museum, which a moment ago was the Santa Monica Historical Society, is featuring a major exhibit, “Life at the Miramar.” According to a story in Surf Santa Monica, it “traces the famed property’s history from the site owned in 1875 by Santa Monica Co-founder Senator John P. Jones. to the hotel currently owned by tech billionaire Michael Dell.”

According to a story in Surf Santa Monica, “Put together with input from the Fairmont Miramar, the exhibit contains rare photos that once belonged to Senator Jones…A hub for local gatherings, the hotel has long been a popular haunt for the rich and famous. Greta Garbo lived there for more than four years. Charles Lindbergh, Howard Hughes, John Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe all were guests. And President Bill Clinton routinely stayed at one of its 32 secluded garden bungalows when he was in town.”

Etcetera.

Surf Santa Monica has close ties to City Hall, and City Hall obviously has close ties to the Miramar and the Chamber. Ironically, the City and the Chamber were once mortal enemies – until they realized that they were allies in the apparently endless drive to increase City revenue.

In the last decade, City staff has doubled, City budgets have topped half-a-billion dollars. Residents, ostensibly the beneficiaries of their town’s success, not only haven’t benefited from this rising commercial commotion, but have been treated to ever-increasing gridlock, an ever more crowded townscape, an aloof staff and now the City’s relentless, endless spin – in which revenue is always the primary priority.