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Monthly NOMA Meeting
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City of Santa Monica Meetings
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Changes to Some Big Blue Bus Schedules to Begin Dec. 5Beginning Sunday, December 5, The Big Blue Bus is making schedule changes on ten (10) routes. Further, Route 44 service will resume on Monday, February 14.
Preview changes & print new schedules at: bigbluebus.com/servicechange. Volunteer for the Santa Monica Homeless Count on Jan. 26
After a one-year hiatus across Los Angeles County due to COVID-19, the Santa Monica Homeless Count is back and set for January 26, 2022. The count will be modified with COVID-19 safety best practices in place to ensure a safe experience for the volunteer corps who power this important and mandatory activity.
Santa Monica community members who are interested in volunteering on January 26, can now register here. New law re organics recycling will become effective Jan. 1, 2022As of January 1, 2022, all single and multi-families households and businesses will be required to recycle all food scraps in addition to green waste. This state mandate is in response to climate changes considered dangerous, caused in part from the contribution of landfill-produced methane gas (from food wastes) released into the atmosphere. By diverting organics from landfills – and recycling it into compost and mulch, which is then processed into renewable energy - we reduce contributions of landfill-methane into the atmosphere, and produce useful products from a perceived waste product.
For a green container, please email the city at recycling@smgov.net, to request one, free of charge. CLICK HERE to download a handy green container recycling guide. Follow-up to the discussion about the City Hall murals at NOMA's August meetingThe Santa Monica Conservancy informs us that on September 28, the City Council assigned the Landmarks Commission the responsibility of interpreting and contextualizing the City Hall murals. An ad hoc Council committee consisting of Oscar De La Torre and Christine Parra will advise the Commission and make recommendations as part of the Commission discussions. The Arts Commission will also be involved.
Both the History mural panel in City Hall and the companion mural depicting recreation in Santa Monica have been criticized. The images in the Recreation mural feature what appear to be elitist, upper class white people engaged in tennis, polo, aviation, auto races and sailing. (See a 360-degree view of the murals.) There is a transcribed oral interview with artist Stanton MacDonald-Wright at the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian. In the excerpt below, MacDonald-Wright talks about the Recreation mural and gives us insight into why he chose to depict these particular images. (Unfortunately, the History mural is not discussed in the interview.) Betty Hoag: There are some details about the Santa Monica City Hall mural I want to ask you about . . . particularly the one where the polo-players are. Do you remember the man in polo jodhpurs standing in front, and then a man on a horse behind him with a mallet? Stanton MacDonald-Wright: Yes, I remember. BH: Did those have anything to do with Will Rogers and his polo field? SM: Yes. And that airplane and the automobile are very distinctly related to Santa Monica. The biggest automobile road-races that they had in California at that time were held in Santa Monica . . . . BH: On San Vicente Boulevard? SM: I don't remember whether they were there or whether they were on Wilshire Boulevard, I forget. Also the first airplane field, Rogers Field, was built and given to Santa Monica by the son-in-law of this fellow about whom I told you, Gorham; he is depicted there. Now the plane business was important then. The Douglas building is shown in the mural. Douglas was the first great airplane-builder in the United States. And the tennis players! Remember, the best tennis players, the world champions, were all developed in Santa Monica: May Sutton and the Ryan girls and May Sutton's daughter and Tom Bundy (who was later her husband) played in the doubles, and so on. All the greatest tennis players. So all those were put in the mural for good reasons. From this interview, we learn that the artist selected recreational and spectator sports that were huge visitor attractions and which drew people to Santa Monica. The images were chosen in the spirit of boosterism, and pride in recreational activities that made the City famous. MacDonald-Wright was a Santa Monica resident who was quite knowledgeable about the City's history and attractions. Santa Monica Housing Element UpdateState law requires the City of Santa Monica to update its Housing Element every eight years. With the previous eight year cycle Housing Element (2013 - 2021) coming to an end, the City must now plan for the next eight year cycle. Santa Monica’s 6th Cycle Housing Element must be adopted and certified by October 2021. Without certification, the City could be penalized and lose important State funding.
For more information on the Housing Element, please check out the Housing Element Update website or email HousingUpdate@smgov.net if you have any questions on the Housing Element update. Crime MappingClick here for a map of local police activity in Santa Monica. Use the Santa Monica Police Department's crime mapping system to obtain crime information and register for crime alerts.
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