City Leases Former Public Space To Highest Bidder

A resident of Santa Monica has gone online to express his opposition to the loss of what had been public space at the Santa Monica Airport Administration Building.

Writing on www.johnjerabek.com, John Jerabek says that until recently, the public had access to an observation deck on the building on the south side of the airport's only runway, as well as the former Typhoon Restaurant.

But no more. "[C]ity leaders have made sure we won’t get it back, recently leasing the space to the highest bidder for that oh-so-rare commodity in Santa Monica, office space," he writes.

The city has expanded Airport Park with soccer fields and pickleball courts, but Jerabek says that is not "airport access."

"Why pickleball and soccer at our Airport? Because your family should be outside and exercising closer and closer to our awful, pollution ridden, oh so dangerous the-sky-is-falling runway. Closer than ever before, tickling the very edge of the noise contours for aircraft operations. For when you’re a politician in Santa Monica, now more than ever, speaking from both sides of your mouth is de rigueur," he writes.

Jarabek says that his readers should care about what's going on at the airport, as it is a possible indication of things to come. "If the city’s effort to systematically disrupt and destroy this century old corner of Santa Monica’s community continues unchecked, they’ll just get around to dismantling another favorite part of our city that much faster, make no mistake."

(Image from file)

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