Dear Santa Monica Citizens,
Two years ago I wrote you regarding the lack of bike lanes connecting Main Street to the “Third Street” shopping area. Back then there was a massive construction project in the works… finally we see light at the end of that tunnel!
However, the two commercial areas still do not connect – and to make matters worse, the success of Santa Monica Place has made the road far more hazardous.
[Referencing “Recession Continues to Haunt Main Street,” Santa Monica Mirror August 6 – 12, 2010] — I suggest there are bicycle and pedestrian friendly ways we can connect the commercial areas, so that Main Street and Third Street can both benefit from the new commercial hub that is Santa Monica Place. Can we work to see what can be done to make Santa Monica a more sensible walking and biking city?
I want to add that I think Santa Monica Place is simply fantastic. … But I have to say there was absolutely no bike parking to be seen! Was that a total oversight? We biked up Main Street, and over to Second Street to the new mall, and found the two or three (two-bike capacity) city bike racks full, and had to lock-up against a tree (after asking the valet what to do with bikes and getting confused looks). Surely planners have thought about visitors to the new mall arriving by bicycle! But what happened to bike lanes? What happened to bike racks?
Fourth Street, Second Street (and soon to be Broadway) are as unfriendly as ever, and I dare say its a matter of time before someone is killed at the intersection of Main and Colorado… Northbound bikes have to swing wide into the intersection, and often get crushed against the far curb as motorists look over their left shoulder (into the left-hand turn), ignoring bikes on their right.
It’s not too late to do something positive for our city! Thank you so much for your time and concern.
Andrew Stiles, Santa Monica
Dear Editor,
According to Sonya Fox Sultan (Letters to the Editor, Santa Monica Mirror August 13 – 19, 2010) the Santa Monicans for Renters Rights Steering Committee supported three candidates who failed to win the required votes at the SMRR convention because these people have “consistently supported rent control and worked hard to protect tenants.” As long as one doesn’t object to replacing democracy with oligarchy, that argument makes a small particle of sense for Pam O’Connor, the City Council candidate, because the Council does deal with a few rent control issues.
But what about the school board candidates the added, Ralph Mechur and Oscar de la Torre? What does the school board have to do with rent control? In fact, why does an organization supposedly devoted to protecting rent control even get involved in electing our school board? They say it’s to support public education, but who in this city doesn’t?
Over the years the results have been toxic. Because many renters who don’t know much about the schools just vote the SMRR slate, anyone on their school board slate gets elected. No SMRR school board candidate has been defeated since Bob Holbrook did it 24 years ago. A few non-SMRR candidates have been elected, but only when SMRR didn’t run a full slate.
So instead of having a school board accountable to the voters, we get six or (currently) seven board members who are accountable to only eight voters. As long as these mostly nameless—even on their own website—Steering Committee members are happy, SMRR school board members can do whatever they want, pretty much thumbing their noses at the public or (currently) sitting there like bobble-heads doing whatever the superintendent says to do.
Wake up this year, voters.
Larry Flannigan, Santa Monica
