About Us
When I use the term '“we” to refer to The Santa Monica Beauty Project, in reality, as of now, March 1, 2023 , it’s just me. Using “we” makes it seem bigger and more important.
About a decade ago, I took my then-toddler sons to Clover Park daily, and I was struck by the amount of litter in the play area. I called the city of Santa Monica to see if they could send someone out a couple of times a week to clean up. After two or three weeks and several calls to the city, I decided to do it myself.
I bought a 32-inch EZ-Grabber (stainless steel, ‘cause that’s how I roll) and fashioned a trash bag holder from a wire coat hanger. I started picking up litter at the playground every day. After a while, some of the moms started to call me “Trash Dad,” which, to this day, I hope referred to me picking up litter.
I began picking up trash on our way to and from the playground each day. Then I started walking down Ocean Park Blvd. from the OP Cafe to 17th St. every Friday, picking up litter. Then I started going to the beach every weekend and picking up trash from Perry’s at the end of Ocean Park Blvd. up to the pier. When walking, I almost never left the house without my trash-picking tools. Then, I…we’ll, you get the idea.
I believe I’m a couple of thousand Hefty Strong 13-Gallon Tall Kitchen Trash Bags into this. One day I thought “Why are all of those lazy bastards in Santa Monica lying around watching Three’s Company reruns while I’m picking up used underwear and hypodermic needles every day?”
That led to this, the birth of The Santa Monica Beauty Project.
Jimmy Patton
Jimmy Patton
I moved to Los Angeles from St. Louis, the U.S. city with the highest murder per-capita rate in 2021 and #1 in three of the past five years, in 1984. My parents offered me $1 for every mile farther I moved away from them. This was $900 more than New York, so here I am.
Many people in my life told me I would never amount to anything. My parents, my brothers and sisters, childhood friends, neighbors, aunts, uncles, cousins, the nuns at the Catholic school I attended as a child, my high school teachers, kids in my high school, my high school bare-knuckle-boxing coach, our postman, the list goes on and on.
I vowed one day that I would pick up enough trash to make all of them eat their words. If you run into any of them, will you please tell them about what I’m doing here? You have my blessing to exaggerate or puff up any of the things I’ve done without my prior permission.
Jimmy Patton