What Say You? The Council, Palisades Park and Santa Monicans.

SUSAN CLOKE

Columnist

Santa Monica City Council.  October 22, 2013.  Item 7-A.  Second Reading and Adoption of an Ordinance Amending Santa Monica Municipal Code (SMMC) Chapter 4.55 Related to Commercial Fitness or Athletic Instruction, Classes or Camps in Parks and the Beach.

The question before the Council: Should commercial fitness classes be allowed in Santa Monica Parks?  Top of the list, should they be allowed in Palisades Park?

When the agenda item was called Gleam Davis moved and Pam O’Connor seconded the motion to adopt the Ordinance.  Bob Holbrook voted no. Kevin McKeown voted no.  Tony Vazquez voted no.  Ted Winterer voted yes.  Terry O’Day was not present.  Under parliamentary rules an ordinance needs four votes to pass.  This was a tied 3-3 vote.  The Ordinance failed.

That was it.  If the City wanted to take up the issue again it would have to be as a new item.  Or was it?  

About 25 minutes later Council Member McKeown made a procedural motion to reconsider the vote on 7-A.  He said, “I’ve decided to pull on my big boy pants and do the right thing.  If we do nothing tonight we will not have regulated fitness trainers in any of our parks.”

Council Member Holbrook offered an alternative to McKeown’s motion to vote to reconsider the ordinance and instead suggested moving on and enacting regulations regarding commercial fitness training classes in parks as appropriate.  He said he planned to put an Item 13 (a Council Member item request) on the next agenda to do just that.

Council Member Vazquez, a consistent opponent of allowing commercial fitness training classes in Palisades Park, recommended letting the failure of the ordinance stand and directing Staff to return with an ordinance regulating commercial fitness classes in appropriate parks and banning them in Palisades Park.

Council Member McKeown said, “My desire to protect Palisades Park remains unchanged.  But we have to do something because what we see now (with the fitness classes) is the Wild West.”

Council Member Davis said, “We have been considering this issue for over a year.  All this ordinance calls for is a pilot program (in Palisades Park and regulations for all the parks).  Let’s go ahead and see what happens.”

Council Member Holbrook stated that a lot had changed in just the last two weeks since the First Reading of the Ordinance.  He said many City Commissioners had asked him why the Council was ignoring their advice to ban the commercial fitness classes in Palisades Park.

Holbrook added that the all the Neighborhood Organizations had communicated to Council, recommending a prohibition on commercial fitness classes in Palisades Park. He also said he’d received a slew of emails asking him to ban the classes in Palisades Park.  “This is the loudest I’ve seen our community since the hedge ordinance.  It’s a big thing in the City and it’s getting bigger.”

Mayor Pam O’Connor thought it was an age thing.  “It is a difficult decision and we know that there are appropriate uses of different parks.  But I think this is an age thing.  There are a group of younger folks who are into fitness training and they want this and I think we have to change with the times.  I think we owe this (to allow fitness trainers in Palisades Park) to our young people.”

With Kevin McKeown's vote his motion for reconsideration passed and the Ordinance was adopted.  Council Members Holbrook and Vazquez voted no.
Council Members Davis, McKeown, O’Connor and Winterer voted yes.

In an email sent on October 23, the day after passing the ordinance, McKeown wrote, “The balance here is only one vote…  One advantage of my casting my unenthusiastic vote last night is that I'm now on the prevailing side, and have the right to bring the ordinance back for reconsideration, with a clause protecting Palisades Park…. I don't see any point in my doing that until the community works on that fourth vote.  I've argued the case as best I could, and failed to sway my colleagues.”

In a letter to the Council dated October 8, 2013, Phil Brock, Chair of the Recreation and Parks Commission, wrote, “Our Commission revisited the issue in May of this year and voted to ask the Council to ban all paid fitness training in Palisades Park.  The Commission supported the proposed ordinance detailed in item 7-A in all other Parks in Santa Monica.”

Calling himself a ‘pragmatic optimist’ he went on to say in the letter that he had come to realize that the Council could not be convinced to ban the classes in Palisades Park and so, reluctantly, he would support the proposed Ordinance because it would enact regulations for the classes that would protect other parks.

The Neighborhood Groups: North of Montana Association, Santa Monica Northeast Neighbors, Wilshire Montana Neighborhood Coalition, Santa Monica Mid City Neighbors and North of Montana Association all signed an open letter to the Council asking the Council to reconsider their decision to allow commercial fitness instruction in Palisades Park.  

“Palisades Park is more than a municipal resource. It is a national treasure, “ they wrote.  It’s “America’s gateway to the Pacific, a cherished view corridor that daily welcomes thousands of people, both local residents and visitors from all over the world….

“If the ordinance is enacted as currently written, private businesses will be free to use taxpayer-supported lands as their private fiefs, interfering with the public’s use and enjoyment of the historic lands that make up Palisades Park….

“Under the measure that received provisional approval from the Santa Monica City Council members of the public would be barred from the use of four newly designated “commercial group training zones” (in Palisades Park) for up to 15 hours a day, 6 days a week, from 6 a.m. to 9 pm.”

Adding their voices to the discussion, the Ocean Park Association, Friends of Sunset Park and the Pico Neighborhood Association wrote to the Council saying, “It is our opinion that all parks, beaches and public areas should not be used for commercial purposes except by special permit for a limited time use that is in the public interest….

“Are Santa Monica taxpayers who maintain and fund new parks expected to make way for commercial business interests in our parks…?”

The Neighborhood Groups listed above represent every neighborhood in the City.  Their opinion should be, and historically has been, of utmost importance to the Council.

So what happened?  Why the schism between the Council and the Neighborhood Groups, the Commissioners and the hundreds of Santa Monicans who have communicated with the Council directly and the thousand plus who have signed petitions?

This is not about fitness classes.  Santa Monica is a place where just about everyone exercises.  Santa Monicans jog, ride bikes, surf, swim, go to Yoga classes and NIA dance classes, hire trainers and go to gyms to work out.

This is about the City Parks.  This is especially about Palisades Park.  The Council has somehow blundered into messing with an icon.

Palisades Park is the first City Park.  Originally named Linda Vista because of the great views from the Park, it was a favored promenade of both Arcadia Bandini and Senator Jones.

Palisades Park has a unique plant palette, the gorgeous Arts and Crafts Pergola and is our only Park with a Landmark Designation.

Allowing sections of the park to be set aside for commercial fitness classes is a misunderstanding of how the park has been used historically and how it continues to be used by the hundreds of Santa Monicans and visitors to Santa Monica who come, daily, to Palisades Park.  

Santa Monica supports surf camps on the beach, tennis at Ocean View Park, basketball at VAP, softball at Memorial Park, soccer at the Airport Park. There are also appropriate parks for fitness classes, but not Palisades Park.

Palisades Park is Santa Monica’s only park specifically designed for contemplation and quiet thought.  Its linear character naturally supports its original use as a Grand Promenade, a place for leisurely strolls at sunset and for early morning jogging among the beautiful trees and, yes, for the gorgeous views.  It’s also a great place to picnic, to meet your friends, a place for children to run and play. 

Palisades Park is a place of meaning and memory, of imagery and importance in a way that cannot be said about any other park in Santa Monica.  A photo of Palisades Park is synonymous with Santa Monica and is recognized around the world.

At the Council meeting Davis said, “the Council has been working on this matter for over a year.”  Her frustration is understandable. It may be fair to discuss whether people should have communicated their concerns sooner to the Council and/or whether the Council should have gone out into the community earlier.  But that is in the past.

Now is the time to show respect to the founders of Santa Monica for their gift to the City and to recognize our responsibility to protect that gift for our benefit and the benefit of residents and visitors of the future.

What Say You?

Mark Benjamin. City and Community Builder 1950 -2013

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Mark Benjamin.  1950 – 2013   

Mark Benjamin
City and Community Builder

SUSAN CLOKE

Columnist 

Mark Benjamin was a guy with an easy going manner and a work hard ethic.  He began in the construction business as an apprentice carpenter at Morley Builders, a family company started by his father in the 1950’s to meet the post WWII housing boom.   Mark Benjamin went on to become the CEO of Morley and to be the founder of Benchmark Contractors.

In their mission statement Morley Builders define themselves as being “an innovative and entrepreneurial company of individuals with integrity, working together to build quality projects with pride and dignity. The overriding principle we all share is integrity of character. From this flows the traits of honesty, respect for others, ethical behavior and being profitable without being predatory.”

Mark Benjamin lived the principles of the company.  He was known for the integrity of his work.  He also lived the principles of his company in the many ways he contributed his skills and knowledge and support to his local community.

Morley and the second family company, Benchmark Contractors, were major construction companies in Southern California.  Under Mark’s leadership the companies expanded and he was known for incorporating sustainable building practices and new technologies. 

Their clients included: studios 20^th Century Fox and CBS; institutional buildings for the California Institute of Technology, California Institute of the Arts, the California Science Foundation; medical buildings for City of Hope, Huntington Memorial Hospital, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Saint John’s Health Center; libraries and exhibition and performance spaces for the City of Santa Monica, Huntington Foundation, LA County Museum of Art, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Hollywood Bowl.

Mark Benjamin was also committed to community building and his company adopted Grant Elementary School, four blocks from their home office in Santa Monica.   Benjamin is an original supporter of the ACE Mentor Program in Los Angeles. This program introduces high school students to career possibilities and learning opportunities in architecture, construction and engineering.

Mark supported Habitat for Humanity, the Los Angeles Music Center, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, City of Hope Medical Center and the Idaho Conservation League.

In Idaho, where he had a second home, and in Southern CA where he supported Nature Bridge, Yellowstone Association, Wood River Land Trust, and the Malibu Foundation for Youth and Families, Mark found ways to demonstrate his support for environmental protection and enhancement.

Mark Benjamin’s professional credits include serving as president of the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE), providing leadership to the Architectural Guild at the University of Southern California, contributing to the work of the Structural Engineers Association of California, the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, and the American Institute of Architects and the American Concrete Institute.

Mark Benjamin, 63, was killed, along with his son Luke, 28, two family friends and his golden retriever, when the jet he was piloting crashed on landing at Santa Monica Airport on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013.  He is survived by his son, Matthew.

Santa Monica has lost a talented, generous and kind member of the community.  We were so very fortunate to have his presence in our lives and in the life of our City.

What Say You? Saint John's Open House and Health Fair

Saint John's Health Center
Rendering Courtesy of Saint John's Health Center

  “When you move to a new house you call your friends and neighbors to come see what you’ve done.  We happen to have a lot of neighbors and we’ve invited them all, all the people of Santa Monica and we’re going to have fun,” said Sister Maureen Craig of Saint John’s Health Center, speaking about the Saint John's Community Open House and Health Fair. The Open House will be held on Saturday, October 5, 2013, from noon to 4 p.m.  

John Robertson M.D., the Medical Director of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at Saint John's and the Chair Elect of the Saint John’s Health Center Foundation Board of Trustees, enthusiastically talked about the Open House, saying, “Visitors will be able to tour the hospital, including the open-heart surgery and orthopedic operating rooms, the Women’s Health Center, and the Chapel.  I will be there, along with Saint John’s medical staff to meet guests and provide information about services and departments at Saint John’s.  Special activities for children include face painting, arts and crafts and, of course, healthy snacks.”  

http://www.smmirror.com/articles/seven-days/Saint-Johns-To-Host-Community-Open-House-Health-Fair-Oct-5/38510

The 1994 earthquake that caused severe damage in Santa Monica and in Los Angeles also severely damaged Saint John’s Hospital.  After almost 20 years of rebuilding, using the rebuilding as an opportunity to incorporate the new technology in health care, construction of the new hospital is complete. 

The idea to build a new hospital in Santa Monica began in 1939 when a group of Santa Monica doctors went to Kansas and asked the Sisters Of Charity to come to Santa Monica to help start a hospital.

The nuns came and their first task was to go door to door in the City to get the money to buy the land for the new hospital.  It was a difficult time because of the war but the city wanted the hospital and it was built with charitable donations.

Supplies were also hard to get and couldn’t just be ordered.  In response a group of women in the community formed the Women’s Guild of Saint John’s.  The Guild made sheets for patient beds, curtains for the rooms and bandages for burn victims.

Saint John’s first opened its doors on October 26, 1942 with 52 beds.  By 1952 they had to add another wing to the hospital.  It was the end of the war and the hospital was serving a greater number of patients and the many doctors who had come home from the war and joined the Medical Staff at Saint John’s.

Fifty years later, as part of the Jubilee Year Celebration in 1992, almost a thousand people attended a community open house very much like the one planned for the celebration on October 5, 2013.  Medical Staff were there to meet and greet, to explain services and equipment, and visitors toured the hospital.

“One thing that hasn’t changed is that whenever a baby is born we play Brahms’s lullaby on the PA.  If twins are born it is played twice.  People just stop wherever they are and smile,” said Sister Maureen.

“In the early days of the hospital where was a different relationship between doctors and patients, maybe because people had to stay in the hospital for longer periods, maybe because people knew each other from being part of the same community.

“The Open House is a sign that we want to continue to make people feel welcome, at home, and that we care about our neighbors and the City.  Our mission is to make everyone feel at home,” said Sister Maureen

In the last few years Saint John’s has also gone through a change of ownership. The storied hospital received competing bids from UCLA Health System, Ascension Health Alliance and Dignity Health as well as a bid from Patrick-Soon-Shiong, a bid made with the support of the local Archdiocese, and from Providence Health and Services.

Saint John’s now will be part of Providence Health and Services, based in Washington, Providence Health owns other hospitals in California, Oregon and Washington.  The CEO of Providence Health will be at the Open House to help welcome visitors to Saint John’s.

John Robertson M.D.

Dr. John Robertson was keen to have the Open House and to make sure everyone felt welcome.  “This is a way for Saint John’s to open our doors and invite people to see how beautiful the new hospital is.  It's a say to say thank you to the public for being there for us through all the years of construction and all the problems that created.  We are back better than ever. We’re excited about being with the Providence Group.  We are one of the top 50 hospitals in the country and we plan on getting better every year,” said Dr. Robertson.

Sister Maureen Craig SCL

Underscoring Dr. Robertson’s invitation to the community, Sister Maureen said,  “Our venue may have changed, the technology may have changed, but our values have remained the same – great care in comfortable surroundings in a community we love.”

Among the many reasons we have to be grateful for living in Santa Monica is the excellence of the health care in our city.
We are truly fortunate.

What Say You?

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