As feared, the whitewashing of the mural in the basement of Santa Ana’s Santora Building, on which we reported a month ago, was a prelude to something even worse. Word comes down today from Alicia Rojas that “the new Santora Arts owner Jack Jakosky has sent out EVICTION notices to resident artists in the SANTORA. Its the end of an era.”
She adds: “Where is the City Council on this? What now? No artists in the village.” Among the hashtags in her post: “#Gentrification.”
She later commented: “He said in an email ‘I want to get rid of the disgusting behaviour of the basement'”
The artist community of the Santora Building — “resident artists” being the term they use for ones who have been in the building for over a decade — is up in arms. Some comments over the past hour:
“Wow. Very sad. Curious what he plans to do with that building. Does he not pay attention to what kind of movement is growing in this city. Amazing lack of heart and observation.”
“His plans are a different kind of art and scene…can you say bourgeoisie art?”
“Lets complaint to the city and take back the building set up a meting Artist made the Santoras what it is today all that work and many years of stragled can’t be in vane…”
“Studio Del Sotano, The Green Door Gallery are out…the others have one more year left on their lease…”
“Almost 20 years ago the Santiras Building was a hole for drugs and home less, the selling if the building is just a pretext to finish getting rid if the Artist, we made what the Santoras is today lets take it back, I’m ready to fight to the end…”
Is this just a matter of a landlord being mean, capricious, foolish? No. It’s a matter of whether a city — or all cities, for that matter — wants to nurture an artistic community or not.
Check out that last comment: two decades ago, the Santora building was reportedly a nightmare. Today — and for at least a decade now — it’s the anchor of a bustling “Artists’ Village” with shops and restaurants and tourism. That didn’t just happen. It was the “sweat equity” that artists put in to turn it around that helped made it a desirable place for investment, that attracted a positive culture. But “sweat equity” isn’t necessarily real equity — and having done the city and community a service that they didn’t have to do, that was undertaken only with the expectation of continued community support, Santa Ana’s artist’s are now being shown the door.
It’s not just wrong — it’s foolish. It’s exactly the wrong lesson for a city and community to teach its creative class: “yes, go improve things as much as you can — and when you’ve been successful, we’re taking it over, and you’re out on your collective ass.”
I know that there are legal niceties and considerations that may have made that inevitable — although if the city government had really cared to avoid it I suspect that they could have done more — but from the artist’s perspective, the lesson is clear. To quote from Evita: it’s “Another Suitcase in Another Hall.”
If you don’t treat the creative class well in response to their efforts, they stop making those efforts. And then where would Santa Ana have been? And what does Jack Jakowsky do if his investment, once he’s cut the heart out of the community that built it, fails? What then — and who do they expect to come fix it next time?
Perhaps the answer is “no one.” And that’s just stupid social policy — because what has been built up and taken away may not so easily be built up again.
UPDATE: More comments coming in:
“The plans are to clear the whole down town, it starter many years ago but no body did nothing we can make the difference today lets let them know that we are aware of it, we change the whole downtown with our Art they used us for almost 20 years is pay back time. We Artist deserve a Building and the Heart of The Artist Village is ours lets take it back…”
“Truly sorry Ally. This just isn’t right, it is your community, love, hard work, and part of your life. I know I am naive about the politics of Santa Ana, but don’t give up…if there is something that can be done. You did so much for the artist community, know that. If there is a will there is a way…and you can always try at least.”
No property rights?
In regards to Cook’s question.
Property Rights, Who cares?
This is not about landlord – tenant legal disputes.
It is about decency and respect, sustainable culture and smart business approaches.
It is about hard work, dedication and loyalty Vs. opportunistic parasitism.
And no Greg, as much as I agree with the majority of your article, it is not primarily about capitalistic greed. There is no evidence what so ever to believe that the owner has succeeded at generating more profit since his arrival or that he will in the years to come with whatever mysterious culture displacing gentrification plans that they might have.
Property Rights, Who cares? …….”double eye ”
Give me your car the next time you visit Down Town Santa Ana. It would be the decent and respectful thing to do.
I so look forward to reading this slower. Off to work again.
“It’s a matter of whether a city — or all cities, for that matter — wants to nurture an artistic community or not.”
Yeah, well there are no small number of folks who feel that when the city helped establish the Artist’s Village in the first place, it was nothing but an attempt at gentrification. And when the city expresses interest in nurturing the arts (they DID recently establish an Arts Commission, no?), the same cries go out. The city is damned if it does and damned if it doesn’t.
The whole situation at The Santora strikes me as a landlord out of control. If he’s not doing anything illegal (which is different than ill-advised, or insensitive), what’s the city supposed to do?
Where is that self hating Jew racist pig Theo Hirsch on this?
Partying with Claudia Alvarez and Stanley:
“Boy, Claudia we know you don’t really hate jews like us, but BOY were you right about these Chase guys”.
Who you calling a “Jew racist pig,” old man?
(Learn to punctuate — ok?)
“self hating Jew” racist pig .. better?
I thought that would get your attention. Now if you would kindly address my query of you in the Jessie Petrilla article all would be dandy.
I did answer you. Now learn to hyphenate.
No, you didn’t respond to this:
“Do you know for a fact that he actually served time in jail – other than his original booking? The cited article says that he was sentenced – it doesn’t say that he served time under that sentence. You don’t know that he served any time under sentence.”
Skally likes to go after dead folk singers who are capable of admitting mistakes, but he likes to gloss over live wannabe politicians who have plead guilty to 2 felonies and now want to run for statewide office and can’t admit they made a mistake.
Damn … you’re not saying that Skallywag has … DOUBLE STANDARDS???
Samantha Barks is a very good vocalist – I don’t think very highly of the musical arrangement in this tune – sounds like 70’s elevator music.
Voice of OC next?? Maybe they can move into ONE BROADWAY?
Why no conversation on the Murder?
Did you get Ryan’s EMAIL too?
No idea what you’re talking about, at all.
Don’t look at me.
Whoosh! Right over my head.
I don’t know what’s going on with the City Council in Santa Ana. What’s your sense of things?
Greg, Nameless wants to know why you did not write about the murder in front of the Crosby Restaurant in Downtown Santa Ana. He/she suspects that there is a property owner/politician/ police dept. cover up or silent propaganda campaign going on. what do you say? think?
Volunteer time for blogging is finite. I haven’t had much to add to the coverage you’ve seen elsewhere. But many people — you and him included — would be welcome to prepare a story and see it published, if the lack of coverage by our non-“newspaper of record” offends.
If there’s a cover-up, it’s an especially ineffective one, wouldn’t you say?
As they say in Eastern Brea and Southwest Irvine:
“Kung Hei Fat Choy”
Harking back to my youth in the Sunset district in San Francisco. We knew all about the red envelopes, and FIREWORKS.
Such innocence lost. Fucking shame.
Yes Greg, ineffective cover up. But still a curious story.