When most students think of Santa Monica, they think of cool,
palm tree-lined avenues, white beaches, the Pier, dinner and
shopping on the boulevard.
But beneath this bustling vibe is a changing city caught between
its liberal roots and a burgeoning commercialism, and students are
trapped in the middle.
Rising rents, chain stores, luxury cars ““ students see the
change.
“How sad is it to have people drive up in a Mercedes-Benz
and see homeless people everywhere?” asked Jessica Castillo,
a student at California State University, Long Beach and a server
at Wahoo’s on Wilshire Boulevard.
Two ordinances, the homeless ordinance passed last Wednesday,
and Measure JJ, the Wage Ordinance up for voting on Nov. 5, reflect
the conflict between gentrification and preserving the status
quo.
The homeless ordinance prevents the handout of free meals to the
needy without a health permit. It also allows store owners to post
signs preventing them from sleeping in their store doorways at
night ““ a far cry from the city that some once called
“the home of the homeless.”
Mayor Michael Feinstein expressed displeasure at the
ordinance.
“When a community like ours is willing to sink to the
lowest common denominator, that sends the wrong message,” he
said.
However, on the other end of the spectrum is Measure JJ, the
Santa Monica Wage Ordinance. The ordinance, if passed, would
require employers to raise the minimum wage of 2,000 hotel and
restaurant workers to $10.50.
Nancy Greenstein, a co-chairwoman of Santa Monicans for
Renter’s Rights, feels confident the ordinance will pass,
citing support by Santa Monicans in the past for the living
wage.
“The living wage simply ensures that employers pay their
fair share,” she said. Greenstein is also the director of
police community services at UCLA.
The change in Santa Monica and the looming conflict of interests
is noticeable to students, particularly to those who live in the
area.
“I think it makes it a less friendly place to live
in,” said Michael Gross, a second-year undeclared student at
UCLA.
Calling it the “yuppification” of Santa Monica,
Gross suggests that the city is becoming “a place for fat
wallets,” a carbon copy of Beverly Hills and Brentwood.
However, Jason Spradlin, a fourth year political science
student, points out that recent efforts to “clean up”
the city are beneficial.
“The one cool thing is that it’s cleaned up the
streets a lot. The streets have gotten a lot better and lots of
cool shops are coming up.”
These “cool shops” are most visible along the
boulevard, where designer stores such as Puma and Armani rub
shoulders with Borders and Italian and Greek restaurants.
But the boulevard was not always this commercial.
“This promenade used to be a community promenade. Now,
it’s corporate America,” James Grizzell, an employee at
the Midnight Special bookstore laments.
Grizzell says when the book store moved onto the boulevard 20
years ago, it was guaranteed that there “wouldn’t be
any chain stores.”
The Midnight Special is one of the last independent stores on
the boulevard.
Now, it is moving out because of high rent, and Grizzell
doesn’t know where it can relocate.
He cautions that, at the rate the boulevard is changing,
“Students won’t be able to afford to live
here.”
Affordability of housing is certainly something that weighs
heavily on students’ minds. When big companies buy up space,
they drive business rent rates up.
This affects real estate value, which increases the rent for
apartments.
“Almost everyone I know moved out of Santa Monica over the
summer,” said Jessica Stokes, a fourth-year political science
student who moved out of her Santa Monica apartment due to rising
rents.
“The cost of living is high,” confirmed Dave
Schwartz, a fourth-year psychology student and homeowner in Santa
Monica.
Schwartz has seen property values around his home triple in the
last eight years, forcing middle class workers to move out and
allowing more affluent patrons to move in.
Greenstein says that this is a problem for Santa Monica, a place
where rent control was geared towards “keeping the diversity
of the community.”
“We want to conserve the mix,” she said.
Students won’t be part of this mix if low-income renters
continue to be driven out.
Mayor Feinstein encourages students to get involved in policy
meetings and in joining groups if they are interested in the
direction that Santa Monica is taking.
“People need to participate in this process. We need to
hear the voices of younger people saying: “˜Hey, we need a
place for us.'”