Dear Editor,
As the old adage goes, “Politics Makes Strange Bedfellows” and so it goes between myself and Kevin McKeown with his most recent letter to the editor over the state of the city such as he sees it, that dog gone it I have to admit that I can’t disagree with him this time around?
I do readily admit that I have long admired Oscar De La Torre and have always thought highly of his fierce efforts on behalf of the community at large and I still do.
Mr Brock and some of the others mentioned in Kevin’s letter remain a work in progress in my mind that remains open.
But I have to admit that I never thought that I would live to see the proposed tectonic shifts in development that the city is laboring under that McKeown expresses his concerns about? Not the least of which is the disposition of the airport that he cites?
In his opinion he doubts the city’s ability to allocate billions to develop the sizable swath of land and that experience has taught us that money, really big money, in a capitalist society always wins.
If McKeown is ultimately correct about the airport and the greater city, that money will run the table again.
The best example of that power is when Ocean Park was bulldozed under by the Del Webb corporation (that poured the Las Vegas concrete)and an entire community was displaced, and despite assurances and promises those displaced People and their families for all intents and purposes never had a chance to return to their beloved community ever again.
The same sort of thing happened when Interstate 10 (Route 66) sliced through Santa Monica and divided a community north and south of mostly middle to low income residents who I suppose were no match for the power they had been up against either?
While I neither doubt either camps commitment to Santa Monica and the best interests of all the people living and working here, I am given pause as to how such learned and passionate movers and shakers here can forge an alliance that serves the best interests of all parties and I genuinely expect that we can and will.
As the Bible teaches, The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and so I look forward to all parties to have the wisdom to discern the differences to come to a working relationship to moderate the unbridled development that has already changed the tapestry of this small beach town and is set to exponentially do so again because I’m my unsolicited opinion and 60 year observation?
We haven’t seen anything yet?
Stewart Resmer, Santa Monica
