A BRONZE STATUE
The point
for posting the above picture is to show what a rider might have held onto as
he was trying to board the train while moving as is depicted in Daniel Stern's
sculpture.
Mr.
Temple City
WHY A TRIBUTE TO THE PACIFIC ELECTRIC
RED CAR?
Had someone told me who the artist was I would
not have believed it. At first glance, it is not immediately apparent that
this is a statue of a guy catching a ride while holding out his hand for a
friend. Then it hit me--it's a reference to the Pacific Electric Red Car system
that ran in Los Angeles from 1901 to 1951. On Las Tunas, the Red Car ran
from 1924 to 1941 before Huntington Drive became the main thoroughfare for
Temple City residents to and from Los Angeles. Interstate 10 didn't
come into existence until 1957. But why honor a transportation system in
sculpture? I mean of all of the events from the past, why the Pac.
Electric Red Car? Just curious. Hey, I love that history. But
I don't always place Red Car history centered in Temple City. If I were
to pick a city with a monument to the Red Car it would be the broad, landscaped
island on Huntington Drive that runs from Arcadia to San Gabriel through San
Marino and into South Pasadena, for that island used to be the tracks on which
the Red Car ran. Quickly, there is a big difference between the Pacific
Electric Red Car and LA's Metro
Red Line. Wikipedia explains that "The Red Line is a
heavy rail subway line running between Downtown Los Angeles via the districts
of Hollywood and Mid-Wilshire to North Hollywood within Los Angeles where it
connects with the Metroliner Orange Line (bus rapid transit) service for
stations to the Warner Center in Woodland Hills and Chatsworth."
So although the statue
by Daniel Stern is interesting, I find it a bit of a stretch for a city to
commission a statue honoring a decommissioned transportation system built by
Henry Huntington. Is Temple City trying to put a feather in its cap for
its role in the Rosemead Beautification Project? The two
projects--Rosemead Blvd. Project and the Red Line are two dramatically different
projects. The Red Line actually improved transportation across LA
County. Rosemead Blvd. Project with its typical government-obsessed
safety measures will make traffic worse. In fact, nowhere is it stated
that the project's intentions were to improve traffic, but only to increase
safety measures. It's the typical 9-11 refrain. You'd think that
civic-minded individuals would honor that tragedy in more quiet, reverent ways
than in city after city ostentatiously exploiting it for shovel-ready projects that
destroy the character of a city.
Are Stern's statues a
small nod to Henry Huntington and an effort to put Temple City on the cultural
map of Angelinos? Hardly can two average-sized, bronze statues, tucked
neatly away at inconspicuous bus stops declare to the world or the world of
drivers-by that Temple City is an art capital of the San Gabriel Valley.
And maybe that is what it is. Maybe the statues are just one in a long, unseen competition by local governments vying for funds within the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments to
find new and innovative ways to generate business for revenue's sake. The
statues are not placed prominently on downtown or main-street islands.
The only downtown islands in Temple City are those on Las Tunas and Rosemead
that radiate north, south, east, and west of that intersection. So the
Rosemead Blvd. Project is essentially an art project, a $17 million-dollar art
project that made sure to put in concrete benches at bus stops. Not
specifically for bus riders, since the benches face away from the street, but
for pedestrians who might get tired. Let's see who uses these concrete
benches. My guess is that the homeless will use those benches. I'm
okay with that. The concrete bench near Stern's bronze statue does not
sit directly in front of the Starbuck's so that it might serve as a complement
to Starbuck's patrons, but it is set between Starbuck's and Applebee's.
And the bench is turned toward the stores and not the street, declaring itself
not so subtly to bus riders that, hey, this bench is not for you. I mean
the number of mixed messages in the design of this Rosemead Blvd. Project is
astounding. But all you have to do is get all of the city officials,
police, and fire, fanfare, and fans, the local high school cheer and band and
you've got yourself a christening event that helps to hide all of the questions
and the cost overruns. And what is left is a city preening its own
feathers at the tax-payers' expense. Thanks, Temple City.
Locals know that
Huntington Drive, Huntington Beach, Huntington Library, and the city of
Huntington Park are all named after Henry E. Huntington. Here
is a map of the Red Car route in the LA area. Here is a pretty
good Huffington
Post article on the Red Car's history.
THE
ARTIST: DANIEL STERN
Once online
I found that Daniel Stern sculpted this bronze statue. Yes, Daniel
Stern. That Daniel
Stern! After a quick review of his work on his Facebook page [DanielSternArt] and on
YouTube, I have to say that I like his work. I have always liked Daniel
Stern, the actor. Haven't liked all of his roles, but I've always
liked his expressions and his genuinely funny and ironic delivery. So
it's easy to like the art because of him. And that must be the point: hire an artist whose background only conjures warm, fuzzy feelings and then to put that stamp of approval on a city landmark.
TEMPLE
CITY
And without
talking about cost, it is true that art does enhance the perception and
aesthetic of a city. Outdoor art does distinguish a city. For
outdoor art, the topography is the city's background. Where did Temple
City come from artistically speaking? The last big effort was the gazebo
placed right at the center of Golden West Park. The gazebo is used for
summer concerts and seasonal events. It is a big draw for local
citizens. I've seen it. I've had to drive on Las Tunas during
performances. But to the city's credit, the traffic on Las Tunas is
actually pretty good. So the planners there applied forethought to their
projects. Yay!!
ROSEMEAD
BLVD. PROJECT: WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT!
I have read
several articles on this project. The way that most articles describe the
project is as such: beautification, improve road safety (for whom?), and
the latest description is "auto-oriented pass-through thoroughfare, into
an attractive place for community life." What was wrong with the
community before this project? Wasn't there a community life in Temple
City? I happened to see it quite frequently at the Golden West
Park. Lots of people hanging out at the park. To this day, lots of
people at the County library. Lots of people visiting shops, stores,
coffee houses, tutoring spots along Las Tunas. All of it is community
life. What new definition of community is the city offering?
Shopping? So, what, lots of new retail stores will converge into the new
shopping plaza at the northeast block where the old Rosemead Theater used to
be, along with barbershop and florist? Remember? That was a great
local theater. Rosemead could use one of those again. A theater
provides a great community life. And what I would like to know is why did
the city take so long to realize that community life was so important to
them? I mean I remember in recent memory how the city was shoving down
the throats of the residents a new Wal-Mart before the city stood tight against
the city and the project was scrapped in Temple City and moved to Rush Street
and Walnut Grove in South San Gabriel. I attended an all-night city council
session heard at Rosemead High School. Cops were in attendance. The
city council was bought and paid for and they were lying. I am glad that
the Wal-Mart was built. I just don't like the politics that ushered it
in. And I've experienced driving on the boulevard during its
construction. It was the worst managed project I'd ever been witness
to. The project was run over seven years. That's right--seven
years. It began in 2007.
PHASE I
Phase one
began in 2007. It took four years to complete. Phase I involved
Rosemead Blvd. from Huntington Drive north to the 210 Freeway. A
reinforcing project was also underway on the 210 Freeway at the 210 East
on-ramp at Rosemead just south of Foothill Blvd. I believe that that was
one of the shovel-ready projects. Just
learned that the stretch of Rosemead between Foothill and Colorado Blvd. will
be closed for a project on the Gold Line. Read it here.
But Phase I was a nightmare for motorists. Rosemead in both directions
was reduced to a single lane. And traffic more often than not came to a
complete stop and crawl. Motorists used San Gabriel Blvd. as an alternate
route to the 210 Freeway, which means that they cut through San Gabriel,
San Marino, and Pasadena. Once you're north of California Blvd., you're
in Pasadena territory. Territory has such an old west sound to it, a kind
of Judge Roy Bean sound
to it. But true to Murray Rothbard's "state is a gang writ
large" description, this is exactly how cities operate. Like a
gang that has claimed a territory. The territories just happen to
have nice-sounding names, "Pasadena," San Marino," "San
Gabriel" and so we think otherwise that a city is civil and civic-minded,
if by civic-minded you mean revenue-generating. And then there are those
tax-payers who love to declare to the world--or anyone who will listen to
them--that taxes are the sacred coffers from which city officials, the
only qualified priests, can judiciously decide where that sacred money
should be spent. The Temple City priests obviously think that bike
lanes and bronze statues at city bus stops--forget the fact that it took 7
years from start to finish to complete--is just the place to spend your . . .
your money. So as more motorists chose San Gabriel Blvd. to get to work,
the city of Pasadena benefitted financially by assigning motorcycle
cops to sit and wait, recessed on one of the small, quiet side streets from San
Gabriel Blvd. Motorcycle cops' sole job is to generate revenue through
traffic citations. That's it. If you see one, slow down. It's
not good news. Slow down immediately. That is their sole
assignment. I have that on good authority.
PHASE II: ROSEMEAD
BLVD. PROJECT: WORTH THE COST? DID ANYONE COUNT THE COST?
I like
Temple City. Although its city council pushed citizens hard to install a
Wal-Mart at the northeastern corner of Rosemead and Las Tunas, the city
ultimately heeded the call of its citizens, homeowners, and small businesses,
and the project was scrapped. Scrapped from Temple City. The
project found a home at the corner of Rush Street and Walnut Grove in
Montebello. So there is that history with the city fighting its own
residents. The Rosemead Blvd. Project has not bode well for the city
either, despite my appreciation for Stern's statues. Work on the Rosemead
Blvd. Project continues to this day. It started years ago. How many
years? Bureaucratic years.
It is my contention that the redundant lampposts both on the sidewalks as well as on the center island of the boulevard contain microphones for eavesdropping.
The project
was done in at least two phases, perhaps three. The first part of the
Rosemead Blvd. Project began from Huntington Drive north to the 210
Freeway. The year? 2007. It took four years for the
construction to be completed. And what is there now? Good
question. It is my contention that the redundant lampposts both on the
sidewalks as well as on the center island of the boulevard contain microphones
for eavesdropping. I realize how paranoid that sounds. is just such
a project where it imposed its will on its residents. There was nothing
wrong with Rosemead Blvd. Nothing. In fact, it was better.
The highway, Highway 19, was wide open. Now you've got extra concrete
jutting up and jutting out into traffic that forces traffic to a crawl.
And what for? There are no shops north of Las Tunas and the majority of
shops south of Las Tunas are in the K-Mart strip mall. And nothing except
the train bridge between Broadway and Mission.
But my
question is to the city of Temple City.
The civic
pitch on the statue says that it's an attempt to honor or touch the past while
holding on firmly to the future. Cities are always rife with profoundly
empty paradoxes. Perhaps because those currently running the city don't
know how long the ride, perhaps the political ride or the ride of insolvency
will last. With some in government being left behind, others firmly
footed on the ride into the future, while still others left running to catch
up. How's that for an interpretation? Oh, but it is a civic effort,
Mr. Walgenbach. How could you assign such insidious or duplicitous
intentions to what is truly a wonderful civic endeavor?
DID THE
ROSEMEAD PROJECT IMPROVE TRAFFIC? WAS IT INTENDED TO?
Apparently
not. In fact, improving traffic flow was not even a consideration.
The organizers and financiers claim that safety was improved, but how does one
verify that? One claim was that stretches of Rosemead Blvd. had no
sidewalks and that mothers with strollers (I love how government planners like
to use mothers with babies as the most vulnerable victims in our society) were
forced to walk on dirt! Oh, the humanity! Can you imagine! A
mother walking on dirt! Has that been done before in human history?
The claim is that mothers pushing their strollers through the dirt were somehow
injured, apparently so many accidents that the city had to do something about
it. Is the $20 million-dollar art project their answer to the risks
mothers faced as they pushed their strollers through the dirt? I guess
so.
I contend
that the Rosemead Blvd. Project was intended to from the beginning to destroy
the flow of traffic on Rosemead Blvd. from Huntington Drive south to the train
bridge just north of Lower Azusa Road. Traffic is so slow that it is not
even worth taking to get to the 210 Foothill Freeway. Perhaps the $17
million-dollar project improved functionality for bicyclists.
Yeah, bikers. Not the Hells Angels, but cyclists. You've seen
them. In packs.
Their pack is called
a peloton,
and they ride like that to draft and save energy. But I thought that they
ride to get exercise, and one must expend energy during exercise,
correct? Correct. But these guys/gals ride long distances, so
riding in a peloton saves energy over a long distance. The cyclist lobby
must be quite strong that they can command and mandate a city to construct bike
lanes that serve a tiny minority of residents and only serve to eliminate street
parking. Sounds to me like another revenue-generating scheme for the city
or cities involved in the Rosemead Boulevard Construction project. Yet
the city and news reporters highlight only virtues associated with the
construction. Complaints by motorists, businesses, residents is almost
blacked out. I hope it's not a case of the city losing prized space, like
street parking, at the cost of gaining some nice-looking statutes,
camelia-themed monuments, or concrete lanes for the occasional cyclist. Rosemead
Boulevard is not the Tour de France. It's hard to tell what kind of an
image Temple City is building for itself. Just recently we were clued in
that Bitcoin founder, Natashi Nakamoto, was spotted in Temple City.
Apparently, he lives there. Why the uproar? Why did the press
converge on this quiet town? To spotlight it. This is not the town
that your grandfather grew up in. Not anymore it's not.
Brenda Gazaar of The Pasadena Star-News explains
that the only improved function on the boulevard is sidewalks and accessible
ramps, pointing out that "sidewalks and accessible ramps [are] the biggest
practical and aesthetic change proposed by the project." Again, at
what cost? No one seems to count the cost of any of these projects.
Was there a budget, a limit on costs set by the city? Did anyone in the
city, say, "Okay, we're going to limit this project to $50
million?" Why did they decide on $17 million? I'd like to
know.
WHO'S
FUNDING THE ROSEMEAD BLVD. PROJECT? How many of the following
agencies are federal agencies?
OKAY, SO WE KNOW WHO'S
FUNDING IT. BUT WHO'S PAYING FOR IT?
Homeowners ultimately,
though that's never stated. Gazaar explains that "The project
is being funded by 14 different sources so far. Only about $386,000 of the
estimated $16.75 million needed for the project would be city funds-- and that
amount was offered by CalTrans when it relinquished control of the highway to
the city, she said."
Why would CalTrans
relinquish control of the highway? Does the city of Temple City have its
own street maintenance crews? And who are those 14 different
sources? Is the federal government any one of those sources? Does
the federal government fund any part of it through backdoor budgets, thereby
exercising a percentage of control over the tiny old-fashioned Temple City?
And those consumers
in the city. But it's more than that.
with his left. Of
course with the left, who loves to do things always on other people's
money. Artist is Daniel Stern, the actor from Home Alone.
Here is a video where his
statues get installed. And
here is Mr. Stern explaining the process of sculpting. Here, Daniel Stern writes about the
project. Sounds like his studio is in Camarillo, Ca. Interesting.
The blurb from the magazine
article, linked here, reads:
"Mr. Temple City is taking a “leap of faith in order to be part of this forward-thinking community. You feel that he is taking a chance worth taking, and that he is definitely going to land safely on his feet,” says Stern. On the other hands, Ms. Temple City represents, “The core value of neighbor helping neighbor, of welcoming new immigrants from many cultures, and of always reaching out to lend a helping hand.” To tie it all together, Stern explains, “Temple City is a city on the move—always has been, always will be. So jump onboard and together we can ride this train boldly into the future.”
His inspiration? The
Pacific Electric “Red Car,” Which ran down Las Tunas Drive from 1924 to 1941.
It has become a deplorable
pattern of cities trying to rewrite its city's history by honoring a very
selective, very politically-correct past. I don't know how many cities
are honoring Indians and Mexican ranchers. We monuments to the Indians at
the San Gabriel Mission. We see the city of Duarte build and put a bronze
statue across from the civic center of Andres de Duarte on horseback as though
white people added nothing and no value to the culture and history of a
community. From where I come from they were the backbone of a
neighborhood. They were not politicians. Politicians honor other
politicos, leaving real people out of its history. So Mr. lives with Ms.
and have become the pillars of the city. Okay. Imagine that, Temple
City in its efforts to honor the past with funny-looking statues summarizes its
values in modern alternative lifestyles. Okay. But why don't they
just say that? They can't. It's not politically correct. It's
marketing with political code. It's an invitation to alternative
lifestyles. Come one, come all. It is a symbolic Statue of Liberty
with its' ". . . give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses."
The city has thankfully always been quiet and desired by those who
prefer a quiet community as opposed to Los Angeles or Pasadena. But now it is riding the wave following the recent appearance and exposure
of Natashi Nakamoto of Bitcoin.
Small town America it is no
longer. My grandfather retired in Temple City. Had other relatives
and friends grow up in Temple City. Gone is the Shrimp
Boat. Gone is the old miniature golf and arcade on Las Tunas. Gone
is El Gordo. Gone is the Ivanhoe. These were the establishments
that lived and breathed not on the government teat, but on the hard-work,
know-how, savings, and capital of business folks. Where is their
tribute? On that, the city is quiet.
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