1 Vernice Hankins
From: Santa Monica City Manager's Office
Sent: Monday, February 7, 2022 10:51 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: FW: Vendors
From: Richard Daum <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, February 7, 2022 10:47 AM
To: Phil Brock <[email protected]>; Gleam Davis <[email protected]>; Oscar de la Torre <[email protected]>; Sue Himmelrich <[email protected]>; Kristin McCowan <[email protected]>; Lana Negrete <[email protected]>; Christine Parra <[email protected]>; Planning <[email protected]>; Santa Monica City Manager's Office <[email protected]>
Subject: Vendors
EXTERNAL
I'm happy that the Counsel is working on the issue of independent vendors.
I think a general rule ought to be that no sidewalk vendor ought to be allowed within so many feet of an established restaurant that pays rent and property taxes.
We need to prioritize support for retail stores and businesses.
I do take issue with reports that enforcement personnel are tossing food out. If someone is violating an ordinance, please find a gentle way to enforce the laws.
Thanks.
Richard Daum
3035 Linda Lane
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 392-1455 (Home Voice and Fax)
[email protected]
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1 Vernice Hankins
From: Edie Lehmann Boddicker <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 8, 2022 11:53 AM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Parking Structure 3
EXTERNAL
PLEASE!!!! Reconsider tearing down our Parking Structure 3 in Santa Monica.
It is incredibly crowded and difficult to park for the Promenade as it is.
The loss of such a valuable and safe place to park will adversely affect the businesses there and will determine whether or not we can continue to shop there.
It is my understanding that there are other locations to build housing on, even across the street! Please listen to us!!
Best,
Edie
Edie Lehmann Boddicker
Vocalist/Vocal Contractor/Conductor
Office: 818) 990-5288
Cell: 818) 430-0268
Email: [email protected]
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1 Vernice Hankins
From: John Alle <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 8, 2022 12:56 PM
To: councilmtgitems; David White; Phil Brock; Sue Himmelrich; Christine Parra; Oscar de la Torre; Lana Negrete; Gleam Davis; Kristin McCowan
Subject: Letter from Fred Gindy, Property Owner on the Promenade (and DTSM Inc.'s Landlord), and from David Houston, owner of the iconic restaurant and fixture on the Promenade for many years Attachments: Parking structure 3.eml
EXTERNAL
Please see attached letter from DTSM Stakeholder Fred Gindy, and Barney's Beanery Restaurant owner David Huston.
Mr. Gindy has authorized me to forward this for the record of tonight's City Council Meeting, Item 14 Public Comment.
John Alle
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
To help protect your
privacy, Micro so ft Office
prevented automatic
download of this picture
from the Internet.
FRED M GINDY
to me, Karen To help protect your
privacy, Micro so ft Office
prevented automatic
download of this picture
from the Internet.
Hi John: Maybe you can forward this email to the City of Santa Monica officials that have no clue as to what parking Structure 3 removal would do to businesses on the “Promenade”. Fred Begin forwarded message:
From: David Houston <[email protected]>
Subject: Parking structure 3
Date: February 2, 2022 at 3:49:38 PM PST
To: "Fred. SM Landlord 8183712202" <[email protected]> Hi Fred,
First of all, thank you for all your help during these last two years of the pandemic. Unfortunately, we have now been dealt another business threatening blow by the city. We've been notified that the city intends to demo parking lot 3 and rebuild it as a homeless structure. This will be devastating to our business as well as every other business on 3rd Street Promenade. First of all, this takes away the primary parking location for most of our customers and staff. Secondly, parking structure 3 houses all our trash bins. The city is telling us to cart our trash several blocks, across main streets and through crowds of people to a trash Item 14
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2 site on 2nd Street. Obviously, this is unworkable. Finally, the biggest complaint we receive from our customers and staff is the over abundance of homeless people in the area. Free housing will only attract more homeless as it has done throughout the city where ever this has been tried. Our business is currently off by over 50%. I can't imagine how much this will hurt us going forward. You've been a great landlord to us for nearly 20 years now, and I know this is not your fault, but any help you could provide would be appreciated.
Thanks, David Houston Owner, Barneys Beanery.
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From: John Alle
To: councilmtgitems; David White; Phil Brock; Sue Himmelrich; Christine Parra; Oscar de la Torre; Lana Negrete; Gleam Davis; Kristin McCowan
Subject: Item 14 Public Comment
Date: Tuesday, February 8, 2022 2:00:48 PM
EXTERNAL
Dear Council,
I am writing to request that as a group you please put the issue of closing and demolishing Parking Garage 3 on hold for further discussion and to reach some sort of compromise.
Rushing any issue through is not the right choice.
Here are the facts - -
I am writing as a person who grew up in Santa Monica, raised my family here, and have continued to do business here. I am a DTSM, Inc. Stakeholder and Member of Santa Monica Bayside Owners Association.
I do not recognize our City any longer.
I am a supporter and brother to every homeless person on the street or in temporary housing, including vagrants. We all have a soul and must look after each other and solve the problem of housing together.
But here are the facts -
We found out about this stupid idea of Parking Garage 3 being demolished and headed for review of the Coastal Commisssion 7 days in advance. We had to mobilize fast. During the Coastal Commission Hearing the Mayor used as her main argument the two-sided digital signs always showing the garage empty. We knew it wasn't true.
The City Staff emphasized the month of August 2019 (1 month during which the study was taken, was a busy Summer month). Wrong. We found a drone video, and I went back into my leasing notes and photos, and saw that the main sewer system down the center of the Promenade was dug up and being replaced, as were the planters. There were 9-foot high chain link barricades separating one side of the Promenade from the other. And several bigdraw tenants like Adidas and Abercrombie & Fitch were not open...under construction.
And our Interim City Manager Lane Dilg spoke of a seismic report and needed repairs. No seismic report has been produced. Thus, no exact costs of repairs, if any.
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Councilmember Phil Brock promised to speak on our behalf but at the last minute texted to say he was out of town.. And Christine Parra said she was at work. Both promised they would speak on our behalf, at least by audio, but backed out.
The Parking and traffic Study we produced was independently researched by a well known and established company. The Company the City used was honest and stated they had not conducted any independent research or investigation, and were relying solely on the City Staff's report.
Here is what the report said
1) Average daily use Wednesday thru Sunday year round is 1,000 cars. 2) Most cars observed had on average 2 people.
3) The average time cars were parked was 45 minutes. Summers cars parke longer for travel to and from the beach.
4) Parking Garage 3 generates an average of $4,000 a day. 5) If 75% of people in one car using the garage spend an average of $100 on dinner, a movie or merchandise, that brings in $40 million in sales and sales tax to the City of about $4 million.
6) Without the Garage, and with on street parking being taken away for uber and bike lanes, the study forecast a slower commute time during the day along 4th St and the cross streets, and more carbon emissions.
None of us will be successful living and working in our City unless we have housing and help solve the homeless crisis together,
But we have several City-owned sites available....one several acres large directly across the street
City Staff has identified 2i other sites within a mile.
Despite Councilmember Brock's comments published in the Santa Monica Observer, all of you could have pushed the "pause button" on this for further study.
We are losing major and attractive tenants in our Downtown, Prospects are not interested in seeing space. Please help your constituents by providing more time on this. "The decision to retrofit the parking garage vs demolish it was begun before my time on the council," City
Council member Phil Brock told us. "While I always
appreciate the need for more parking in our
downtown, I realize that the sparkling new garage on
2nd and Broadway was constructed with extra capacity
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with an eye towards demolishing Parking Garage #3.
The cost of retrofitting the existing 1965 era garage
versus building new affordable housing becomes a
one-sided discussion. Ultimately, downtown won't
suffer but the lives of over 150 people will be enhanced by this new affordable housing project," he wrote.
https://www.smobserved.com/story/2022/02/03/news/after-beating-business-owners-on-atechnicality-city-of-santa-monica-to-demolish-parking-structure-3-on-february-14/6428.html This issue will be remembered in the coming elections.
Thanks,
John Alle
--
John E. Alle
President
JOHN ALLE COMPANY
Real Estate Advisors
Website: www.JOHNALLECOMPANY.com
Cell: (310) 990-7124
Office: (626) 795-1511 or (310) 319-1511
Email: [email protected]
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Garage 3
1320 4th Street
Santa Monica, CA
The Parking Network (TPN), a national parking consulting company, conducted a survey of Garage 3 to verify the accuracy of the space available sign located at the entrance of the facility and to confirm utilization of the garage. The survey was conducted in October and November, 2021.
Findings showed the space available sign was close to accurate most of the day until approximately 6:00pm when it reset to 336 indicating the garage was completely empty of vehicles, which was completely inaccurate as the garage was nearly full. The sign overstated space availability for the remainder of the evening.
The city’s assertion that the garage is not highly utilized is not correct. The city hired a consulting company to verify the space available sign was correct and was given misinformation when that company reported that the sign was accurate. The TPN study proved, including pictures, that the sign was close to accurate during the day, but after approximately 6:00pm, was very far from accurate, drastically overstating space availability.
The TPN study was not designed to review utilization of the other city parking facilities in this area. However, TPN representatives observed that the demands placed on Garage 3 were greater, per parking space, than any of the other garages on the North side of the mall.
Parking Garage 3 only contains 336 spaces, but during the study period parked an average 1,000 cars per day, indicating more than 3 turns per day. This is conclusive of a very active parking facility.
TPN was not tasked with evaluating the actual value of the garage to the community, but the study team did take note of its potential value. The value of a parking facility is based on the value of money spent in the community by patrons of the facility. While not a direct part of the study, TPN estimated value of each parking space in Garage 3 to be approximately $90K per parking space annually, or $29M for the entire 336 spaces in the garage.
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1 Vernice Hankins
From: Karen Croner <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 8, 2022 3:00 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Cc: Susan Hayden; [email protected]; Jeff Okin
Subject: question for FEB 8 council meeting tonight
EXTERNAL
I represent a large group of residents who are very concerned about the Lincoln Center Project.
Or as it is known in the neighborhood, the Lincoln Center Land Grab. We are very concerned about the quality of life of residents. Here are 3 questions.
1.Since the Lincoln Center is over 1 acre, it is, according to the vote initiated by Phil Brock, now required to not just do a DA but to also do a safety and traffic report. When can we expect that? 5 stories is too big and that intersection is the second most dangerous in Santa Monica. To proceed without that important information is negligence on the party of the City Council.
2.Can the city council commit right now to notify the ENTIRE community of Sunset Park about the next Lincoln Project community meeting?
Not just people living within 750 feet. Lincoln Center showed clear disdain for real community input. Can the City Council commit right now to have serious community input that will be respected? Not just a show.
3. What is the cumulative effect on traffic and safety of the multiple developments being built now on Lincoln? How many more car trips. And how is the air affected?
All of this must be addressed before any further action is taken on Lincoln Center.
Thank you, Karen Croner
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1 Vernice Hankins
From: Terri Faith <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 8, 2022 3:01 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: Typo correction to previous email.. Please use this one. Vaccine mandate and passport ruling
EXTERNAL
From: Terri Faith <[email protected]>
Subject: Vaccine mandate and passport ruling
Date: February 8, 2022 at 2:37:26 PM PST
To: [email protected]
To the City Council of Santa Monica.
I have so much to say..I am speaking as a Psychologist. Citing what I am seeing as a mental health practitioner in Santa Monica.
I have been a Psychologist in Santa Monica for 7 years. I have never seen so much depression and anxiety in my entire practice here. Many people are scared, feel left out of society and betrayed by their government. Many young people which make up the majority of my practice, do not need or want to take the vaccine and have been unable to go out at night with their friends and are having arguments with their families over these vaccines. It’s a disgrace what this has done to our children and our people.
Nobody is talking about mental health. We’ve been through a lot for the last two years and the last thing people need or want is to be divided and banned from participating in society because they’ve made a personal choice not to take a needle in their arm without informed consent, which means, knowing the ingredients or the side effects..This is unprecedented in the history of medicine. While countries around the world are dropping the vaccine passports and mandates because there is no present danger, why is Santa Monica even contemplating this?? Doctors are saying and studies are now coming out, that unvaccinated people are not spreading the virus.
My second point is the discrimination, the segregation of all people but especially those in the minority groups who are even more fearful to take the vaccine. Also, there are many studies out there now especially from the UK and Israel citing that most of the people getting sick and n the hospital are vaccinated. The CDC has even come out to say that natural immunity is superior to vaccines. The vaccines have not been doing their job. Every patient of mine who has received 2 doses plus the booster are still getting Covid and are having side effects after taking the vaccines.
Lastly, the masking, vaccine passports and vaccine mandates have devastated this country. People have been fired and humiliated. Santa Monica has lost its personality, people are walking around depressed.
We want our town back. We want people to be able to go to any restaurant without being kicked out.
To be able to go to a yoga class. To go the the grocery store without wearing a mask.
It’s been 2 years now. People are not dying from the virus, they are dying inside psychologically.
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2 Businesses are suffering.
Please do not enforce vaccine mandates, passports or masks in the beach city of Santa Monica..It’s time to let people be free again. It’s time to treat people humanely. If you decide to pass these mandates, things will continue to get worse. It is unconstitutional to not allow people the right to make their own decisions.
If you would like me to supply you with the studies i have cited please let me know.
Thank you
Terri Faith, PhD
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