Of Trees . . .
Now it is carob trees; suddenly about half of them all over the city, hundreds, are a danger to the public. The trouble is that community forester Walt Warriner, and other city employees responsible for caring for our trees, have lost all credibility. They have been running a sad, extended disinformation campaign attacking our downtown ficus trees: first it was just for design, then it was not; then they were diseased, then they were not; then they were blocking signs, then they were not; then the businesses requested it, then they did not; then they were dangerous, but so far neither the courts nor anyone else seems to believe that – all in the cause of a silly, unnecessary and anti-environmental design plan. Their appalling behavior makes it impossible to take their word that destroying these additional 300 trees is really necessary. Not a tree should be touched until we have an independent analysis. Santa Monica residents must be made confident not only that we know the condition of the trees, but also that the city is being honest as to what healing options could be tried before hacking these living things to pieces.
Cosmo Bua
Santa Monica
* * * *
. . . and Councilmember Shriver
What is all the fuss about Bobby Shriver not being re-appointed to one of the Governor’s Commissions? In a recent article by Terence Lyons, he states that the NRDC and all of ten (10) other groups are calling for hearings for the decision. I’m sure that when the Governor saw Shriver’s vote to destroy all those ficus trees in Santa Monica, he decided that someone with absolutely no knowledge of the importance of trees to the environment had no place on his CALIFORNIA STATE PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION.
Thank you,
Cecelia Rosenthal
Santa Monica
