1 David Yakobson
From: Gina Debaca <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 12:02 PM
To: Council Mailbox
Cc: councilmtgitems
Subject: Boards Commissions
EXTERNAL
Good Afternoon Council Members
Please Remember the Importance of the Neighborhood Boards and the Committees.
The Housing Commission is crucial as well as the other committees.
Please when reviewing any Boards & Committees that ONLY Santa Monica Residents be allowed to serve on any Board or committee.
Our current Commissions & Neighborhood Boards are the voices of Your Constituents.
Thank You,
Gina DeBaca
310-266-2810
Item 16-G
July 8, 2025
Item 16-G
July 8, 2025
1 David Yakobson
From: Dannie Charney <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 10:51 AM
To: Lana Negrete; Ellis Raskin; Barry Snell; Caroline Torosis; Natalya Zernitskaya; Jesse Zwick; Council Mailbox; councilmtgitems; Douglas Sloan; Elaine Polachek; Santa Monica City Manager's Office; Dan Hall
Subject: July 8 CC Mtg. ITEM 16G/ OPPOSE -
EXTERNAL
G. Request of Councilmembers Hall, Zwick, and Mayor Pro Tempore Torosis that the City Council direct the City Clerk, as part of her quinquennial boards and commissions review, to return with a study session by September 30, 2025 that examines possibilities to reorganize, consolidate, and deprecate where necessary to streamline processes for residents and businesses and reduce duplicative workstreams and additional costs to the taxpayer.
You should resent the few dollars given to the commissions or neighborhood groups. You want to control all groups, all voices, and it is very obvious . The only thing more obvious is how much you support Scott Wiener and YIMBY. I don't se one ounce of caring from any of you with affordable housing - only a lot of talk. Your actions speak otherwise.
Danielle Charney
Item 16-G
July 8, 2025
Item 16-G
July 8, 2025
1 David Yakobson
From: Nikki Kolhoff <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 8, 2025 11:58 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Caroline Torosis; Lana Negrete; Jesse Zwick; Dan Hall; Ellis Raskin; Natalya Zernitskaya; Barry Snell
Subject: 7/8/2025 City Council Items 16 E and G Silencing of Neighborhood Organizations, Boards and Commissions - OPPOSE
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Completed
EXTERNAL
Dear Mayor Negrete and City Council –
In the backdrop of the death of democracy, it is absolutely shameful that you would prioritize silencing neighborhood organizations, board and commissions. In the City of Santa Monica, these are the few places that residents have to impact our government and seek accountability from our elected officials.
But you know that, and that is why you are doing this. It wasn’t enough that you, the developers really, won this last election. No, you are taking the additional Trumpian step of silencing your critics.
Let’s be honest. You are mad that some groups endorsed other candidates and you are now punishing all the groups. Again, very Trumpian rule by fear and retaliation.
This isn’t about the money. The neighborhoods get all of $49,000 of a $750 million budget. And we already have to apply for the grant, submit receipts and get approval from staff. The fact that you don’t know this, or are pretending not to know this, shows how political this item is.
The neighborhood organization structure is older than some of you have been alive. Most of you never even set foot in one of our meetings before you were elected simply because you didn’t have to. You landed here with all of your developer endorsements and the money that comes with it so you didn’t actually have to engage with the residents to win.
You have no idea what the Neighborhood Organizations really do and you have no respect for all of the volunteer work we do. Both Caroline Torosis and Ellis Raskin were guests at Neighborhood Organization meetings last week, using us as a platform, but neither of them made any mention of the press release and 16 Item they would be issuing two days later.
Here are just a few things we do, all as VOLUNTEERS.
We hold monthly meetings that include the police officers in charge of our beat, where we learn what to keep an eye out for and the police learn from us as well. We have speakers that include other city staff so our residents can learn about different programs and provide feedback to staff.
We have a weekly newsletter and website that keep residents informed of the myriad meetings and issues coming up, which is nearly impossible for a normal human to follow based on city communications.
Item 16-G
July 8, 2025
Item 16-G
July 8, 2025
2 We review your agendas, which feel like a constant assault on the residents, and inform our members what you are doing and how they can provide comments. We attend these meetings that go on way too long, often discussing issues and projects the residents didn’t as you to take on, and summarize what happened to our residents. We participate in local community-building events.
We donate to local causes.
And yes we do, from time to time, make endorsements on issues so important to our residents that we need to speak out. All in compliance with the law and IRS rules.
Your priorities are not always ours. And that is ok, because this is a democracy. But you don’t get to silence us. You have already engaged in your own DOGE mission of squashing public input by limiting speaking time and eliminating the donation of speaking time in the name of “efficiency”. How much time and money are you going to waste auditing $49,000 that you already have receipts for? You have also usurped the public process by ruling via 16 Item, the equivalent of skipping the legislative process and ruling by executive order. You direct staff to work with developers – not the residents - to build giant projects that impact us. You have created chaos and more work for volunteers. As a result, the Neighborhood Organizations are needed now more than ever.
You clearly don’t want to hear from us, and you don’t want anyone else to hear us either. You are being petty and vindictive and Trumpian. Both our city and this country are in crisis and you profess to be progressives. What world are you living in, and how out of touch can you be, to prioritize squashing speech and dissent, and punishing those who disagree with you? Regards,
Nikki Kolhoff
Member of the Board of Friends of Sunset Park
Santa Monica Resident since 1997
Item 16-G
July 8, 2025
Item 16-G
July 8, 2025