Flanked by a broad coalition of supporters, former LWV of Santa Monica President Natalya Zernitskaya officially kicked off her campaign for Santa Monica City Council last week, unveiling her plan to move the city forward and return it to its “people first” principles.
“I moved to Santa Monica 10 years ago to be part of a community that puts people first. Sadly, in the past few years, we seem to have lost our way. I’m running because I believe that serving as a councilmember is the best way for me to give back to this community that has given me so much. As a refugee from the former Soviet Union, as a renter, and as someone who not only knows the importance of safety nets but also what it feels like to fear losing them, I could not forgive myself if I did not step up to serve our community now.”
While Zernitskaya’s top priorities are housing and homelessness, public safety, economic recovery, and a more sustainable city, her unique skill set — from over a decade of community advocacy and her career as a financial analyst to her substantial civil discourse leadership and history as a coalition builder — will help guide the city away from the petty infighting and sluggish economic recovery that has thwarted progress in the city for the past few years.
Zernitskaya is uniquely qualified and prepared to refocus council priorities to finally help address the city’s biggest challenges. She is a Pico neighborhood renter who serves on the Virginia Avenue Park Advisory Board, was one of two residents appointed to the City’s Audit Subcommittee and is a Council appointee to the City’s Transient Tax Advisory Committee. She also serves on the Executive Committee of the Santa Monica Democratic Club, Advisory Board of Climate Action Santa Monica, on the Board of the International Women’s Resource Center and on the Board of the Human Relations Council of the Santa Monica Bay Area. In 2023, Natalya was selected by Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur to be his Appointed Delegate to the California Democratic Party and currently serves on the Party’s Rules Committee.
For more information and a list of endorsements, visit natalyaforcitycouncil.com
Submitted by Natalya Zernitskaya
