We know that t he COVID pandemic brought with it new challenges, particularly for small businesses and workers in Santa Monica, and exacerbated existing problems with our housing and homelessness crisis. We do know that all indi cators tell us that the pandemic has expanded the inequality gap with Black, Brown and anyone with a limited income most impacted by loss of housing, learning, income, and life. We all are asking, what will the next two years look like? And if anyone tells you they have the answer – good luck to them because the predictions of so-called “experts ” is all over the board. I feel this very same way today and it’s my job, with your help, to see this as an opportunity to make Santa Monica even better than it was in 2014. When running for Council in 2014 I shared that every day when I walk out my door, I think “just another day in paradise”. While things may never be the same, we are here in 2021 on, what seems like, the brink of better times, and I am asking you to lean into this challenge with m e … to create a more equitable, a more responsive, and a more transparent Santa Monica. Put one foot in front of the other, keep my eyes firmly trained on the path to recovery, and pay it forward. H aving struggled with my own mortality in 2004 w hen I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma and then relapsed in 2006, I knew my approach was simpl e. Call the county crisis line at (800) 854-7771 or you can call my cell phone and I mean this at 31. If you are in anguish and need a lifeline, please reach for it. I want everyone watching to know that life remains worth living. My sweet and ebullient 21-year-old nephew, Charlie took his life after losing hope despite what I saw as the limitless possibilities before him. My almost 90-year-old father died after living a full life.
I know I am not alone and I know others are grieving immensely right now. I personally lost two members of my own family. We now need to carry these lessons with us as we welcome what we hope will be a new period of recovery.įor my own family, this year has been, at best, the darkest time and at worst, the most deadly time of our lives. We can see our interconnectedness as a community and the important contributions of all of its members.
In short, this past year has been a test of our strength and willingness to survive. On top of the pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, the reexamination of systemic racism that followed, and the ease with which criminal elements were able to t a k e advantage of May 31 protests to loot and damage our Downtown, all exposed deep flaws in our City and our Nation for which we both apologize and resolve to address. We need to recognize this struggle and how it has impacted us and left an imprint on our community - f rom small business owners – restaurants and retailers – who struggled to stay afloat, to front line workers who have risked their lives to keep services running, to those who lost jobs and businesses, to renters who simply couldn’t pay the rent or had to deplete savings to do so, to homeowners facing foreclosure, to many left to seek out basic necessities like food and shelter, and, most tragically to those who have lost loved ones or suffered directly from contracting COVID 19. This is why I sought this job and am honored to serve as the Mayor of Santa Monica for the next two years.Īll of us in Santa Monica and throughout the state and country and the world, have struggled and suffered over the past year, although some of us have suffered more than others. And as I look a cross my screen, it both brings home the fact that our reality has changed, and how much I hope that we can once again achieve some modicum of normalcy again in the near future.įor those of you who don’t know me you should know there is nothing I love more than a challenge. I t’s a privilege to be together with all of yo u even in this digital format. For Interim City Manager Lane Dilg's remarks, click here. Santa Monica Mayor Sue Himelrich spoke about the challenges Santa Monica faced over the last year and working toward a joint effort of community recovery at the 2021 State of the City, below are her remarks from the event.