Dear City Council,
As a dedicated Santa Monica Recreation and Parks Commissioner, I believe there are three things the City Council can and must do as it debates the future of our Civic Center:
1) Ensure the site includes a temporary field for use by Santa Monica High School and every resident and visitor to our city…
2) Reconsider the construction of the Early Childhood Lab School, which is to be primarily used as a glorified day care center for the children of already well-compensated City, Santa Monica College and Rand employees, many of whom do not live here…
3) Make sure the Civic Auditorium is run by a private entity and can be profitable as such, and if it cannot, consider ways to preserve the wonderful, land-marked facade and create something more utilitarian and culturally positive on the site…
Here’s why…
Santa Monica High is home to thousands of students. The 2005 Civic Center Plan committed to a much-needed field on the Civic site. Even before that, the plan included a wide swath of open public green space. The Council, by approving the temporary field, can deliver on those promises and create the open space the Civic Center site should have. That open space would also serve as the “glue” which connects and unites the Civic Center with SaMoHi facilities such as Barnum Hall and the Greek Amphitheater, which could be used to compliment any venue the Civic Auditorium might eventually become.
The Early Childhood Lab School (formerly the Early Childhood Education Center) is a noble pursuit… Who would not support the creation of a facility that serves our neediest and most-vulnerable young residents? But the ECLS as conceived now is no such a place: It would serve primarily the children of three entities; City, SMC and Rand employees, many whom are not residents. The parents of those children, to be sure, are well-compensated. Surely, Rand can and should fund its own daycare on its own site, like other progressive companies. Surely, the City can and could utilize present space such as the Ken Edwards Center or the city’s Palisades Park facility for its daycare. And please don't tell me that SMC doesn't have room or the means for its own daycare. SMC just bought the old YWCA, which has a gym, dance studio, small auditorium, three playgrounds, office space, housing and parking. Adaptive reuse. The old YWCA should become the new ECLS and for much less cost. One final point: An expensive, new building on city-owned land at the Civic Center is not the key to better education for children. Dedicated teachers in any loving environment are. There are less-expensive alternatives to the ECLS and the Council must consider them.
Finally, the Civic Auditorium itself. I was part of the “Save the Civic” group which advocated for the creation of the Civic Working Group and for many of its members. I commend their efforts and dedication. But let’s be clear: History has shown that the city’s Department of Community and Cultural Affairs has proven to be a less-than-ideal Civic steward. I say this not as criticism but as fact. The City Council can and must allow a private entity to give the Civic a second life as a new cultural venue for a small King Tut exhibit, or Tom Petty concert, or AltCar Expo, or Santa Monica Symphony, or marquee movie during the AFI Convention. The new Civic must be all these things and must earn its place in the Civic Center’s future. If it cannot, then the best option might be to preserve its land-marked facade and create something on the site that will serve the above uses and much more. A white elephant serves no one and takes up a lot of space. The Civic must be reborn, or it must be allowed to fade gently into history.
These decisions are complex and difficult. But the right decisions outlined above can and must be made and the right actions taken. Anything less is to squander the opportunity to be truly “civic” to the Civic Center’s future.
Sincerely,
John C. Smith,
Santa Monica Recreation and Parks Commissioner
As a dedicated Santa Monica Recreation and Parks Commissioner, I believe there are three things the City Council can and must do as it debates the future of our Civic Center:
1) Ensure the site includes a temporary field for use by Santa Monica High School and every resident and visitor to our city…
2) Reconsider the construction of the Early Childhood Lab School, which is to be primarily used as a glorified day care center for the children of already well-compensated City, Santa Monica College and Rand employees, many of whom do not live here…
3) Make sure the Civic Auditorium is run by a private entity and can be profitable as such, and if it cannot, consider ways to preserve the wonderful, land-marked facade and create something more utilitarian and culturally positive on the site…
Here’s why…
Santa Monica High is home to thousands of students. The 2005 Civic Center Plan committed to a much-needed field on the Civic site. Even before that, the plan included a wide swath of open public green space. The Council, by approving the temporary field, can deliver on those promises and create the open space the Civic Center site should have. That open space would also serve as the “glue” which connects and unites the Civic Center with SaMoHi facilities such as Barnum Hall and the Greek Amphitheater, which could be used to compliment any venue the Civic Auditorium might eventually become.
The Early Childhood Lab School (formerly the Early Childhood Education Center) is a noble pursuit… Who would not support the creation of a facility that serves our neediest and most-vulnerable young residents? But the ECLS as conceived now is no such a place: It would serve primarily the children of three entities; City, SMC and Rand employees, many whom are not residents. The parents of those children, to be sure, are well-compensated. Surely, Rand can and should fund its own daycare on its own site, like other progressive companies. Surely, the City can and could utilize present space such as the Ken Edwards Center or the city’s Palisades Park facility for its daycare. And please don't tell me that SMC doesn't have room or the means for its own daycare. SMC just bought the old YWCA, which has a gym, dance studio, small auditorium, three playgrounds, office space, housing and parking. Adaptive reuse. The old YWCA should become the new ECLS and for much less cost. One final point: An expensive, new building on city-owned land at the Civic Center is not the key to better education for children. Dedicated teachers in any loving environment are. There are less-expensive alternatives to the ECLS and the Council must consider them.
Finally, the Civic Auditorium itself. I was part of the “Save the Civic” group which advocated for the creation of the Civic Working Group and for many of its members. I commend their efforts and dedication. But let’s be clear: History has shown that the city’s Department of Community and Cultural Affairs has proven to be a less-than-ideal Civic steward. I say this not as criticism but as fact. The City Council can and must allow a private entity to give the Civic a second life as a new cultural venue for a small King Tut exhibit, or Tom Petty concert, or AltCar Expo, or Santa Monica Symphony, or marquee movie during the AFI Convention. The new Civic must be all these things and must earn its place in the Civic Center’s future. If it cannot, then the best option might be to preserve its land-marked facade and create something on the site that will serve the above uses and much more. A white elephant serves no one and takes up a lot of space. The Civic must be reborn, or it must be allowed to fade gently into history.
These decisions are complex and difficult. But the right decisions outlined above can and must be made and the right actions taken. Anything less is to squander the opportunity to be truly “civic” to the Civic Center’s future.
Sincerely,
John C. Smith,
Santa Monica Recreation and Parks Commissioner
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