9-0-4-0-what?

Santa Monica is one of the westernmost points of West Los Angeles.  It’s a wonderful place to live in many ways.  Hovering just around a population of 100,000 and possessing mild weather, there’s little to complain about, other than the perennial city problems of traffic and congestion.  The level of civic pride and community spirit is high, and mentioning Santa Monica to anyone who knows Los Angeles will likely bring a response like, “Nice!”  Sometimes something along the lines of “Well, la-de-dah!” is the response.  It’s considered a posh place because it has it’s share of celebrity residents and fancy beachside hotels.  Unlike it’s fellow Westside city-within-a-city, Beverly Hills, the character of Santa Monica is more diverse and urban, grimier in general, and a little more embarrassed to have plenty of houses worth $5 million than Beverly Hills is.  To Los Angeles residents who’ve fled the grid, Santa Monica may bring a shudder of disgust because of it’s large homeless population and history of relative tolerance to the homeless.  Santa Monica, as compared to Westlake Village or other cushy suburban areas, is still a place where there are gangs and graffiti to be found, spates of summer shootings, and more assaults and property crime than a city of 100,000 in the middle of the country is likely to have.

 

I have lived in Santa Monica for nearly a decade, and my hope with this blog is to characterize the city’s foibles and greatness, the fun and the underlying silliness of this over-the-top place, and get other residents to write about our fair city too.