There are good people in Santa Monica. A lot of them live in the area known as “Wilmont,” north of Wilshire Blvd. and south of Montana Avenue. I am one of them. Most importantly, we are neighbors and we care deeply about our city and our neighborhood.

There are bad government policies in Santa Monica. A lot of them. And it’s been going on at an unstoppable pace for 15 years. Change came to our national leadership four years ago. Change has yet to reach us at the local level.

Those good people are our neighbors, and they are fighting to get us that change. They fight under the radar, giving their time and effort without acknowledgment and certainly without recognition. And they do it week after week, month after month, year after year. Why? Because they want to do something, to make a difference. They want to be counted.

So they get involved in our neighborhood organizations. Ours is the Wilshire/Montana Neighborhood Coalition. They are individuals and as diverse as they come. They meet regularly in venues open to the public. They pool the information they dug and scratched for out of city paperwork about vital issues, and they debate the actions needed: to stop over-development; to stop closure of the U.S. Post Office on 5th Street; to stop throwing residents out of their homes in the Village Trailer Park, and on and on. This work is difficult and the obstacles are extremely frustrating.

In our WMNC there are volunteers who do that work and deserve recognition. Some have given their time since the 90s and continue today. A few of those standouts are Kevin McKeown, who chaired the group years ago and is now a city Council member, and Jeanne Dodson who chaired the group for five years and continues to keep pace and fight. They didn’t have to do it then, and they don’t have to do it now. But they do.

For the past couple of years there have been new people leading WMNC. They too have given a lot of their time and effort and deserve recognition. They include Valerie Griffin, Albin Gielicz, Diane Krakower, Rosemary Sostarich, Betty Mueller, Freida Dubin, Larry Isaacs, Benjamin Steers, Marcia Carter and others. I have attended meetings and listened, and I’ve seen the fruits of their diligence to spotlight current issues that would adversely impact us all. They don’t have to do it. But they do. They’re good people. They’re my neighbors. And I thank them.

What troubles me and many of us now is this: Why is there such a disconnect between working together to continue defending our neighbors from bad city government and from deciding who will lead that charge? We’re neighbors. Good people. We want the same thing.

Before we can be truly effective when we look into the tsunami of bad actions by our city, we need to look in the mirror and be comfortable with what we see. In everything, we always need to see our own reflection, fix what needs to be fixed, then move forward together.

On June 9, there was an annual meeting of WMNC. Ten days earlier, neighbors who saw what the city was doing decided that “enough was enough.” And so they submitted nominating petitions to run for office within WMNC. At that point, the loudest sound heard from everyone could have been “Great! We’re now a larger group and there are more to help share the load. Let’s get to work.” That could’ve been the rallying cry from everyone – from everyone — from those already involved and from those who want to be involved. That can still happen.

A lot has been said between neighbors, a lot of which was simply venting frustration. And we need to acknowledge it as such. Hearts and minds change and heal, and often result in former opponents sharing laughs over summer BBQ’d burgers. And they come together and work for shared goals. That can still happen.

There are good people in Santa Monica. They do good work. I’ve recognized a few of them here. I thank them. They’re my neighbors. And I’m glad they are.

Ed

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