The Compass Rose, a 12-point circular magnetic compass, painted nearly 100 years ago onto the tarmac at the northwest corner of Santa Monica Airport, was officially designated as a historic landmark, in a unanimous vote of 7-0.
The first incarnation was originally painted circa 1929, but it’s been modified and moved for one reason or another a couple of times. Used as an early aviation navigational aid to manually calibrate compasses, it was adjacent to runways 21 and 22 from 1947 to 1987 and was relocated once again in 1989 to where it currently resides. It was painstakingly repainted in 2010 by the Los Angeles chapter of the Ninety-Nines, an international non-profit organization of women pilots founded coincidently the same year that the Compass Rose was painted.
“A surveyor comes out and essentially marks the cardinal points and then we paint it,” explains Chairman of the LA Chapter of the Ninety-Nines and Partner of Lopez Law Group, Eve Lopez, adding, “It's mostly maintenance, but sometimes it's a little bit more because every year the earth shifts, so the actual magnetic direction shifts and have to repaint the cardinal marks.”
Lopez says that through years of perseverance and a lot of petitioning, the Ninety-Nines have, to all intents and purposes, become custodians of the Compass Rose and in a statement made after the decision by Council, the organization said that, “The Compass Rose stands as an enduring symbol of the contributions of women pilots who have flown out of Santa Monica since the early 20th century. Amelia Earhart’s historic 1929 flight in the First Women’s Air Derby, which started from Santa Monica airport, inspired this landmark, serving as a beacon of inspiration and a reminder of the City’s deep-rooted aviation heritage.”
The individual that was adamant in revoking this decision is a gentleman named Ben Wang and he filed an appeal on September 19, 2019. The appeal contends that the Compass Rose does not meet the criteria for Landmarks designation because it:
1. Meets only one of the six Landmarks criteria;
2. Is a painted feature that has changed location over time, is non original, and has been repainted; and
3. Is inconsistent in design with the Ninety-Nines trademarked 16-point symbol.
Additionally, the appeal contends a designation may not be appropriate of the Compass Rose given the City’s obligations under the Consent Decree and the City Charter as they relate to the operation of the Airport.
Correspondence obtained by the Daily Press shows that Lopez and Ben Wang have exchanged emails in the past with regards to a letter Lopez wrote to the Editor of the Daily Press on April 11, 2022. Moreover, a cursory search through the newspaper’s website reveals comments Wang made on another airport-related issue in October, 2015. In order to register to comment, a minimum amount of personalized information must be provided and in doing so he listed a Facebook page under the name Ben Wenge. Wang was also noticeably absent in Monday’s meeting.
Wang filed the appeal independently, without disclosing any official outside counsel. However, Lopez believes he may have received some level of legal guidance. “I’m an attorney, so I’m familiar with legal language and reasoning,” Lopez told the Daily Press. “If I had to guess, I’d say there’s a lawyer involved behind the scenes, given the appeal’s structure and the nuances of his argument, they seem very lawyer-like.”
Lopez says that the five year long-appeal has depleted over five years worth of funds for the organization. “As a small chapter of a nonprofit with an extremely limited budget, we had to stretch our resources to bring in a historic preservation consultant — even though we could barely afford it.
“Meanwhile, Mr. Wang filed his appeal independently, submitted a supplemental memorandum, prompting the City Attorney to disseminate a legal memorandum. When you add it all up, it certainly feels like a calculated effort to remain just out of reach — classic lobbyist tactics,” Lopez said.
John Fairweather, a key member of the Airport 2 Park campaign, told the Daily Press, “I think the Compass Rose would be a wonderful addition to the park, I can’t understand why anyone would want it removed.”
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Press, Wang said he filed the appeal because he believes that this decision regarding the Compass Rose should only be made by local government and not the Landmarks Commission. “What we observed was that this landmark decision, while we supported it … the planning commission wasn't the right decision maker. It had to go to the City Council … And so we simply asked, and they said, if you want the City Council to review it or to be the decision maker, you simply just have to appeal it, because then they hear the appeal. So it’s a procedural thing and so we'll just file the appeal.”
Responding to why he was absent at the meeting on Monday evening, Wang said, “Because they just had to decide on the issue, I wrote them that letter that said, I support [the designation]. I didn't think there should be any controversy.”
Wang claimed that “zero lawyers were retained” and was unaware that this litigation had cost the Ninety-Nines in excess of $5,000. Regarding his social media pseudonyms, he said he only really used two and that his “usernames” were the result of seeking privacy.
Lopez presented to the City Council and many members of both the public and the Ninety-Nines gave emotional accounts of what this modest mural means to them. Members of Council took no time at all to make a decision and no discussion was required.
“I want to thank all of you for coming and providing such moving and beautiful testimony, Councilmember Caroline Torosis said, adding, “I'm ready to move the staff recommendation and to deny the appeal.”
The motion was made by Torosis and seconded by Councilmember Christine Parra before passing unanimously 7-0. All seven members of Council applauded the decision afterward.
scott.snowden@smdp.com
