Privatization and Commercialization of Santa Monica: Effects on Local Youth

    Santa Monica’s focal point has always been situated near 3rd Street Promenade.

In the late 1880’s, all businesses and financial districts were established right along on

the coast. The first hotels, such as The Arcadia, City Hall and numerous piers were all

within walking distance of one another. Today, the city of Santa Monica is one of the

oldest, most popular, and therefore most prosperous beach-side cities on the west coast.

Over the last few decades, elaborate efforts have been exerted in order to revamp this

historic locale. Modernization in this metropolis has resulted in new and refurbished

entertainment centers for locals and tourists alike. The population of Santa Monica’s

residents is quite extensive across the ethnic and economic board. Since

commercialization and privatization of public spaces tends to “limit participation to those

who can afford it and who conform to middle-class rules of conduct and appearance,”

(Low, 35) my intent for this ethnography was to research how new developments within

the city have affected the local youth population.
   
    In order to collect research and make relevant annotations, I chose to begin my

participant observation on Main Street and the Santa Monica Mall. Main Street is a busy 

boulevard that runs north and south near the beach. The abundance of restaurants, bars,

and boutiques make Main Street’s environment perpetually lively. As someone

whose frequented the city of Santa Monica for several years now, I’d long ago taken

notice that the night-life hotspots had been shifting further north, much closer to  3rd

street. Of course, this is very typical of lounges in most cities that have room for

expansion. My question, however, was why were the new bars/restaurants and old

clientele moving further and further away from the south side of Main street?
   
    The Santa Monica Mall has always been a staple for the city and yet it was never

nearly as popular as the 3rd Street Promenade. Recently, the city decided to tear down

the mall and renovate it completely. Now know as Santa Monica Place, it is a luxurious,

multi-leveled, outdoor fashion center. Whereas before the mall hosted mostly

independent clothing shops and small scale brands, today it boasts both a Bloomingdales

and Nordstrom, Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, Burberry, Tiffany and Co., and every other

prominent high-fashion designer that was absent at the Promenade across the street. The

dining deck, which overlooks the pier, the beach, and the Santa Monica Mountains, also

contains Americanized cuisine from around the globe. There’s a wide array of fast food

including Southwestern, Mexican, Italian, Asian, and Mediterranean. Restaurants offer

the same variety but at an elevated price.
   
    Santa Monica offers one of the finest police departments in the Los Angeles

county. Officers are well paid which makes for a great police force with little to no

corruption. Policemen start at about 100,000 a year and are funded by the city itself. The

city needs police to protect the area and tourists as well. Santa Monica High employs

great teachers who’s objective is to put kids in college. Santa Monica City College is also

one of the best junior colleges in the state. It too is funded by the city, and of course

tuition. The restored mall adds a great deal of commerce to the city and attracts a wide

variety of tourists from local destinations as well as tourists from outside the region. This

helps stimulate the economy and helps pay for the above average amenities this city has

to offer. In addition, Santa Monica has an excellent public transportation system. It is

possible to get around the city by way of bus alone.
   
    There’s no question that the rejuvenation of Santa Monica’s most prevalent

neighborhood has boosted it’s economy and popularity through active advertisement.

Consequently, this has also spurred an enormous profit for investors. 3rd Street

Promenade, Santa Monica Place and many other local businesses are all owned by the

city. Santa Monica is therefore self-sustained. Still, while conducting interviews I

learned that many local inhabitants have very mixed feelings about the developments

taking place. 
   
    The first places I decided to perform participant observations were in the “old hot

spots” of the city. I went to Main on Main and Circle Bar, two bars located on Main St

that have lately been associated with lower-class individuals who don‘t necessarily reside

in the area. However, only about 3 years ago, these two bars were the most popular

places for locals to congregate. Although I hadn’t visited these spots in quite some time, I

immediately noticed that they had in fact changed from the last time I had come around. I

dropped by in late January of this year on a Friday night around 10:30pm. It was rather

cold out but that was to be expected. I scoped out the scene and noticed that a couple of

things were different. The crowds huddling outside both of these bars, which are on the

same block were predominately minorities. It seemed from a distance that dress code was

no longer strongly enforced but certain  men walking past security were being checked

for what I assume was either weapons or drugs.  As usual, most women were walking

right in. I myself waited in line momentarily with a friend who was kind enough to

accompany me. I found that most people that were lined up were already pretty

intoxicated. They were being loud and talking about needing more drinks and feeling

cold. Although it was relatively early, when I walked through the doors, it seemed as

though the party had already started. I recalled from my last visit, some years ago, that

this was odd. People didn’t usually start dancing until around midnight. Contrary wise,

the dance floor was already crowded enough to have to squeeze your way through to the

bar. As I looked around, I noted that most people were here in large groups exceeding

five or six. They all had drinks or bottle service,which was actually very affordable

according to the doorman who was advertising a quick entry for anyone interested in

reserving a table. I found it very difficult to communicate with people here. They all

seemed extremely preoccupied by the good time they were having. Therefore, I made my

way to Circle Bar across the street which I had last visited a little over a year ago. I

arrived there around 11pm. I think the bouncer may have recognized me and my friend. I

wasn’t surprised since this had been our favorite Friday night destination for many, many

months. We were let in at once. Inside, the place was pretty much the same as last time.

Overcrowded and messy. The floor around the circular bar in the middle was wet and

slippery. People were yelling over each other to get the bartender’s attention and the

dance floor was jam-packed. Personally, I didn’t feel very comfortable here. Maybe It

was because I was sober but I felt the immediate urge to get out. It must have taken 15

minutes for me to make my way to the patio in the back where people smoke cigarettes.

It was here that I met two men from Lebanon. They asked my friend and I for a light although I highly suspect that it was just an excuse to start a conversation. Either way, it

worked and I preceded to ask them a couple of questions. I discovered that they had

moved to Venice beach a few years ago and were in Santa Monica to get away from their

usual bar scene. They generally walked to bars near their home but tonight they decided

to venture out. It wasn’t their first time at Circle Bar and they said they enjoyed the place

because “you can get really shit-faced and no one seems to mind.” As I looked around at

people stumbling across the dance floor to the bathroom, I reckoned that they were right.

They also expressed that they enjoyed the ethnic variety Circle Bar offered. Left and right

I saw people of all race and age bumping, grinding and pretty much all over each other.

The two men were pretty drunk themselves and not very helpful but I didn’t dare make

my way back in because all there was for me to do was dance. I stayed on the patio, and

eventually a security guard stepped outside for a smoke. I made my way toward him

while my friend continued to socialize. We chewed a bit about the weather and  I decided

to tell him exactly what I was up to. He found my ethnographic topic quite interesting

and articulated that he too had an affinity for anthropology in college. However he was

about 50 years old now and he said the ship had sailed long ago. In an effort to be of

some assistance he began telling me a little of his experience working at Circle Bar.
   
    During this installment I did not carry a notepad but quickly decided that next

time I would. He told me that a new crowd had taken over the bar on weekends within

the last year but that many locals stayed faithful, especially during the week when it

wasn’t quite as rowdy. He also mentioned that many fist fights had ensued within the last

couple of weeks due mostly to racial issues between whites and either blacks or

Hispanics. He himself, was white. I asked him if this had affected business at all and he said “not the slightest.” Circle Bar, according to him, was doing quite well financially

because of the influx of new costumers. Then I asked him if the newer bars up the street

such as the Victorian and 31ten had provided much competition and he said he didn’t

think so. It then became very apparent to me that migrants from other areas were

compensating for the lack of locals at these bars. I visited these two bars on three

different weekends and saw a lot of the same people and a lot of the same activity.

    Hence, I decided to move on to my next two sites which are the Basement, a bar

at the Victorian  which is a few feet north of Circle,  and 31Ten, a new lounge that is also

on Main Street, but actually pretty isolated from the rest of this setting. I will also include

Santa Monica Place in this portion. The Victorian is very elaborate and much more

elegant than the previous sites which where pretty much hole-in-the-wall bars. From the

outside, it looks like an actual 19th centaury Victorian home equipped with a patio and

surrounded by willow-like trees. The bar has two entrances on the outside and one from

within the venue, all of which had long queues of predominately Caucasian people.

Although there was a lot more people, it was far quieter. The atmosphere was calm and

well illuminated by decorative lights unlike Circle Bar and Main on Main which were

very boisterous and dark.
   
    These two new locations differed from the bars further south in price and

appearance. All the people here were dressed formally. I did notice however that women

were more scantly clad at Main and Circle than at the Victorian; whereas men were more

dressed up at the Victorian than at the previous bars. It dawned on me that individuals at

Main and Circle bar were either unable or unwilling to pay for drinks at Victorian

because they were double the price, if not more. That is a major strategy employed by
these new locations to people’s accessibility. The same thing was going on at 31Ten.

This new lounge is located further down Main Street and thereby less accessible. Since

this lounge is much newer, there was an enormous line and the only people getting

through the doors were those who purchased $500+ bottle service. The rest were waiting

outside patiently to pay the cover fee which was $10 for men. Quite a few people ended

up actually hailing cabs down to leave within the first half hour I was observing.
   
    I arrived at 31Ten very early, before 10pm the following Friday because I wanted

to ensure that I was granted free entry. It was very lonely in there for the first hour. Then

they finally started to let a few people in. Before I new it all of the VIP tables were taken

up. The crowed, for the most part,  was elegant and sophisticated. The music was playing

loudly and it drowned out the sound of their voices. It was here that I met my first

interviewee. His name is Alex and he was there with a group of about six. They had a

table reserved and were celebrating a birthday. After talking briefly with his cousin, I was

able to ask him a few questions but it was obvious that they were drinking so we

exchanged information so that we could meet the next day.
   
    The following day, which was a Saturday, I decided to spot by Santa Monica

Place to do some fieldwork before meeting up with Alex at his house. It was about noon

and I kept getting the feeling it was Sunday. The ambiance was very relaxed. Later

though, within the hour, I would say things started to pick up and it became increasingly

busier. I noticed that most people out and about where groups of young women (in there

20s and early 30s) shopping around and getting lunch. The rest were mainly families and

groups of tourists. A few groups of tourists were Asians. The Disney Store, which is

pretty extravagant, was full of kids, girls and boys alike. They were there to take pictures
with Perry the Platypus, a popular character on the show Phineas and Ferb. At this point I

was already leaving but there was a lot of commotion among the children and parents on

the second floor. The mall has activities like this on a weekly bases, always different and

always targeted at different demographics. On my way to the parking lot I saw a moving

billboard announcing a street performance of African dancers. Tactics such as these

induce me to think that Santa Monica Place was drawing a much more diverse audience

then they has attempted to attract before.

    After several weeks of fieldwork, I realized that Santa Monica’s refurbishment

contributed to a wider range of interested people. However, these individuals are for the

most part, much wealthier. From the interviews I conducted, I learned that a lot of the

lower income families are actually feeling excluded by renovations taking place in Santa

Monica, Few of them, especially the very young residents, can hardly afford to hang out

at the mall. Yet, some people I talked to expressed that this enhancement has actually

greatly improved the city. Most of these people are locals living within a few blocks of

3rd street and Main Street.  The people occupying the old habitats of locals aren’t really

from the area. They migrate over from either Venice Beach or areas outside of Santa

Monica. This confirms that the local youth of Santa Monica is looking for new locations

that meet their expectations. If they want to continue socializing with their particular 

crowd, they must become accustomed to new surroundings that meet their individual

needs.
   
    On the other hand, once I met with Alex I learned a little bit more about what the

lower income residents’ sentiments were. I called Alex after my interview and he said he

was awfully hung over and had just gotten home from breakfast with his girlfriend.
Therefore, they would very much prefer if I just stopped by the house. I arrived within

minutes since I was already in the area. He lived in a typical Santa Monica block. The

streets were wide and there was ample parking. Most of the cars were either brand new

Prius, or family-friendly SUV’s, not to mention a few BMWs and Mercedes. The house

weren’t huge but most looked recently renovated and there were two pick up trucks with

gardening apparatus and tools which suggested that someone on the block was doing

some heavy-duty landscaping. Alex’s home was a large lot that actually consisted of six 2

bedroom complexes that stretched as far back as the alley. Soon I learned that Alex was

in fact the landlord.

    The door was open when I arrived and I was greeted by Alex who was sitting on

the couch watching ESPN on a tremendous flat screen TV. He told me Marisela, the

girlfriend, was in the shower which I knew was true because I could here the water

running. The apartment was rather small. There was still a mess from the night before.

Burger King bags sat all over the granite counter tops and shot glasses were sprinkled

about the living room and in the kitchen sink. He greeted me like an old friend which

made me feel comfortable. He offered my some Grey Goose vodka which was on a table

near the entrance half jokingly but I refused and got straight to the questions I had

prepared. In this case, I was able to document his answers.

   

Me: How long have you been a resident of Santa Monica?

Alex: “Born and raised.” I went to SaMoHi actually, right down the street (he signaled west) My parents live right down the street  on Ocean Park (he pointed in the other direction) and my grandparents live a block away from them. We own quite a bit of property out here. Mostly apartments and complexes like this one.

Me: Oh So you own all six houses?

Alex: Yeah, well my sister and I but she moved out recently with her husband. They’re newly weds. (Just then Marisela came out of the bedroom. She was quite charming and extremely interested in the conversation though she didn’t participate very much)

Me: So you sister and her husband still live in the area?

Alex: Just a few blocks west. They’re living in some apartments my grandparents own. They’re the managers for now. (every so often he was distracted by something sport-related on TV but he made an effort to continue.) We’re looking to refurbish this property as soon as possible, just going through some legal work first.

Me: I thought I noticed that the paint on your house was particularly fresher than the rest.

Alex: We’re working on it! (we all laughed)

Me: Well as long as we’re on the subject, this kind of brings me to my next point. How do you feel about the renovations taking place in Santa Monica? The mall, for example.

Alex: It’s great. Santa Monica Mall has been a staple for the city and it needed a facelift. A few decades back, this neighborhood was considered the “ghetto” of Santa Monica. The slums, if you will. Now a lot people are moving and those who’ve been here for years are finally investing into the aesthetics.

(His girlfriend then decided to interject)
Marisela: Santa Monica Place is AMAZING! I love it. Everything that the Promenade was missing can be found at the mall now.

Me: So do you both prefer the mall to the Promenade?

Marisela: No. If you go to one you have to go to the other. It’s become more of an extension, really.

Me: (Directed at Alex) So your cousin from last night mentioned that you guys hadn’t been to 31Ten very often since it opened. . .

Alex: Well no, it’s too exclusive right now. We went last night because it was a special occasion, a birthday and it’s local. We just cabbed it from here. It may pass though, I remember when Main on Main was the spot. Eventually these hotspots cool down though and a more eclectic crowd will take over. My theory (he finally admitted) is that when a new location opens up to the public, it goes through a pattern. First you get a wealthier, more elite crowd. They always get dibs. Then, after a few months or a year, in the interest of expanding business, managers allow different promoters to take a crack at filling up the place. That’s when the lower class crowds come in but by the time everyone’s moved on to the next big thing and it doesn’t make much a difference anymore.
   
Eli: I see (What he said actually made perfect sense to me) Well I’m wondering if 31Ten will became the next Circle Bar?

Alex: Maybe not. I wouldn’t doubt it but eventually it’ll get played out and handed down.

Eli: So I guess local hotspots in Santa Monica are pretty dynamic?

Alex: I would say so. You’ve got your Venice beach hipsters and that crowd coming from what you would call the South Bay and you’ve also got super rich folks coming from Brentwood, just north of here. And of course, everything else in between.

Eli: Do you find that you can easily distinguish between the Brentwooders and the South Bayers?

Alex: I can.


    Alex and I talked for about an hour. I also learned that he was looking to start

hiking up rent prices. The tenants there paid only about $500 a month. They had been

paying this for many, many years. He was going to increase rent to market value which is

about $2,000 a month! I was shocked but when he remained me that they were literally

blocks away form the beach and across from Santa Monica City College, I saw things in

a different light. I’m sure that there are plenty of people willing and able to split that kind

of rent for a an apartment in such a nice neighborhood. The unfortunate part was the that

current residents would have to leave. Realistically, none of them would be able to go

from paying $500 to paying $2,000 a month.

    After this interview, I realized that while the developments in Santa Monica were

in many ways, a great occurrence, there are many people who are being greatly affected

by this privatization. While a majority of the locals are enjoying the restored exclusivity

and individuality that go with being from Santa Monica, there are a few groups that are being left out of this advancement. 












































Bibliography

Low, Setha. “On the Plaza: The Politics of Public Space and Culture.” University of Texas Press. Copyright 2000.

Stewart, Kathleen. “Ordinary Effects” Duke University Press Durham & London. Copyright 2007.

Peterson, Marina. “Sound, Space, and the City.” University of Pennsylvania Press. Copyright 2010.