With all the headlines about childless cat ladies and bloodless coups, it’s possible to forget that the Presidential campaign isn’t the only election taking place this fall. In Santa Monica, there are races for school board, college board, rent control board, and 10 residents are running for four open seats on the City Council. Only two of those Council candidates are incumbents, because Councilmember Gleam Davis announced in May she wasn’t running, and last week Councilmember Christine Parra joined her, which is a loss for Santa Monica.
I don’t agree with Councilmember Parra on many issues, and I especially didn’t agree with her choice to ignore my interview request when I began writing this column in April. However, on a divided Council, she has frequently offered a moderate and open-minded perspective. There have been some kneejerk votes in support of her faction, but mostly she has supported the residents of Santa Monica, speaking out passionately on their behalf, and making it clear, in ways large and small, that she identifies primarily as a member of the community. At a Council meeting in May, she teared up while speaking of her mother’s cancer diagnosis, as much a neighbor sharing her misfortune as a Councilmember providing a public service announcement (for lung cancer awareness).
Santa Monica often seems like a tale of two cities: There’s the urban blight that comes with being part of Los Angeles County, and there’s also a Mayberry-like, small-town atmosphere, embodied by Councilmember Parra’s heartfelt disclosure. It should be noted that Councilmember Lana Negrete also shed tears at the same Council meeting, while commemorating the municipal beneficence of Chico Fernandez, her father and Santa Monica stalwart.
At such moments, it’s hard to remember we’re part of a large metropolis with urgent economic and societal tribulations. Likewise, Mayor Phil Brock’s three-minute history lessons at each Council meeting transport us to a simpler time in our city’s past (though not a pristinely just and equitable one) and also remind us of the potential for a kinder and gentler body politic.
So I’m disappointed that Councilmember Parra chose to immediately give her “wholehearted” endorsement to all four “Change Slate” candidates, even though only two currently exist. She seems to be suggesting that if a tuna sandwich were nominated by the “Change Slate,” it would have her full support.
It’s that kind of hyper partisanship that has been the greatest stain on the current Council. The fact that the two dueling factions don’t even necessarily represent competing political parties just makes it all the more preposterous. I have no problem with progressive, conservative or moderate views being challenged. But too often that’s been done with disrespect or disinformation, which is just as unacceptable from local politicians as it is from national ones. I might even argue that it’s more so.
I’m hoping voters hold candidates accountable when they stray from honesty and courtesy. And I’m hoping voters choose candidates based on their individual merits rather than a list of shared biases or grievances. The politics of victimhood have no place in a balmy town with ocean breezes where even the most aggrieved of us have reason to feel fortunate.
I’m also hoping that Councilmembers Parra and Davis receive the gratitude they deserve for the contribution they’ve made to this city. These are people with careers and families who sacrificed innumerable hours and much sleep to the task of improving Santa Monica. Each of us is entitled to our own opinion about their success, but the enormity and the sincerity of their effort cannot be denied. If you see them on the Promenade or at the grocery store, it wouldn’t hurt to say thank you. Even if you didn’t vote for them. Maybe especially if you didn’t vote for them. Politicians aren’t the only ones with the power to make the world a more civil and gracious place. In this season of suffrage, let’s each do our part.
Devan Sipher
