December 21, 2024 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Hometown Hero: Ted Winterer:

2010 will be the first time Ted, his wife, the designer Beck Taylor, their children, Eleanor and Steele, and their dogs will join the marchers. For the previous three years Ted was a parade producer and, on the day of the parade itself, a wrangler. Producing the parade came naturally to Ted as he had been working in production in the movie business for directors like David Ward (“The Sting”) and Mike Figgis (“Leaving Las Vegas”).

“Ted Winterer is a visionary for the work he did to bring the 4th of July parade to Santa Monica’s Main Street. The parade is a slice of the American Pie,” said Deputy Police Chief Phil Sanchez.

Ted, remembering the first parade, said, “We worked against a backdrop of not knowing if anyone would show up and worrying about what could go wrong. The first year was the most difficult because everything was new to us and we did everything we could to do everything right, but we were worried that we’d forget something essential. Then the whole thing worked and it was a great rush.”

Ted’s first venture into local politics was after he became a father. He and his family lived in the historic Sunshine Court bungalows on 3rd Street. He decided he had to do something about the speeding cars on the street. Ted got in touch with OPCO Ocean Park Community Organization to ask for help and, suddenly he was the chair of the traffic committee of OPCO.

Ted became known in the neighborhood and was asked to join the newly formed Ocean Park Association, OPA. By 2006 he was OPA’s president and worked on citywide issues of traffic and congestion, bicycle safety, and environmental protection of the beach.

When Beck was asked if she would apply for an open position on the Recreation and Parks Commission, she suggested that her husband Ted apply. Ted was interested, motivated by being a father, having always been interested in sports. He having played soccer and softball at school and now having playing soccer with the 30 and over league at Paul Revere.

“Being on the Recreation and Parks Commission was congruent with all my interests. I applied and was appointed. I was getting great experience in City government and all the public issues of the City.”

Ken Genser then encouraged Ted to seek an appointment to the Planning Commission. He took Ken’s advice and was appointed to the Planning Commission. Ted characterizes the Planning Commission as “a lot of work and a steep learning curve. We have thought provoking but collegial disagreements, and I’ve had fun and feel I’ve contributed to the City. “On the Commission I’ve been an advocate, in the LUCE and in individual projects, of making bicycling safer, easier and more fun.” It is a continuation of the work Ted did at OPA starting the Sunday bike valet at the Main Street Farmer’s Market. He supports bringing the B-Line bike system to Santa Monica and he has made sure that the LUCE supports bicycle ridership.

Strongly against putting the recently introduced increases to height limits in the LUCE, Ted said, “It was an 11th hour vote, by the Planning Commission, to increase heights. The fact that it had not been vetted in the public process was very troubling to me. As a City we have been through years of public workshops and meetings where we had committed to support the widespread community sentiment to preserve the scale and character of Santa Monica.”

Ted grew up in that most urban environment, New York City. “While I was raised in an urban environment, I was also raised in the outdoors, camping and backpacking with my family. Santa Monica has all the virtues of an urban lifestyle and still preserves an intimate connection to nature. I make a point of seeing the ocean every day. Living in Santa Monica means that I can get to Mt. Baldy to ski in less than two hours, if I leave at 6:30 in the morning, and still be home it time to have dinner with my family at a great restaurant.”

If you’re looking for Ted Winterer, you can find him, early almost every morning at the beach in Ocean Park. He loves the “historic vibe, the quality of the light, and the feel of the ocean in the breeze.” Ted thinks Ocean Park is a ‘hip’ neighborhood but says about himself, “It’s not that I’m hip, but I do like living in a hip community.”

Ted is a dedicated husband and father, dedicated community servant, and advocate for Santa Monica: the 4th of July parade is an event that epitomizes his values. Talking about the parade he said, “It’s a unifying event. It brings people together to celebrate their shared patriotism in a homespun, volunteer way. You see your friends and neighbors cheering and waving you cheer and wave back and you know you really are part of a small town. I cherish that feeling.”

To do your own waving and cheering, come to the parade! For more information click HERE

in Opinion
<>Related Posts

SM.a.r.t. Column: Preserving Santa Monica

December 15, 2024

December 15, 2024

Since Giving Tuesday I’m sure you have been bombarded with appeals from countless organizations, local, national, or even international that...

SM.a.r.t Column: Climbing The Vertical Learning Curve

December 8, 2024

December 8, 2024

The city is facing a financial crisis, the roots of which stretch back decades but have been made worse by...

SM.a.r.t Column: It’s Time To Inspect Balconies

November 24, 2024

November 24, 2024

About nine years ago, a fifth-floor balcony in a Berkeley apartment building collapsed, tragically killing several students gathered on it...

S.M.a.r.t Column: Your City is Broke

November 18, 2024

November 18, 2024

On December 10, the new City council will be seated fresh from their dominant win in the recent elections. There...

SM.a.r.t Column: Moving Ahead to the Future

November 10, 2024

November 10, 2024

As we write this, the election results are still trickling in. We’ll leave the deep analysis to others, but the...

Opinion: Fact Check: Why Vote Yes on Measure QS

November 1, 2024

November 1, 2024

Despite living in a famously progressive region, Santa Monicans are not immune from the same political misinformation and disinformation that...

SM.a.r.t Column: Lack of Oversight and No Accountability

October 31, 2024

October 31, 2024

S.M.a.r.t. periodically invites guest columnists to write opinion articles on topics of particular interests to our readers. Below is an...

SM.a.r.t Column: “Help! I’ve Fallen, and I …!!”, Cries Santa Monica!

October 25, 2024

October 25, 2024

Maybe fallen, but slipping for sure from being a desirable beachfront community that served all equally, the local residents who...

SM.a.r.t. Column: Vote

October 13, 2024

October 13, 2024

In a polarized country or City every vote counts. Regardless of which side of any issue or candidate you support,...

SM.a.r.t Column: Fact-Checking Election-Season Windbaggery

October 6, 2024

October 6, 2024

Claim: The state is requiring Santa Monica to build 9,000 apartments.Answer: Partially true, partially false. Santa Monica has a pretty...

SM.a.r.t. Column: Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Can Help Save Lives and Revitalize Santa Monica’s Economy

September 29, 2024

September 29, 2024

We wholeheartedly endorse the candidates below for Santa Monica City Council. Their leading campaign platform is for increased safety in...

SM.a.r.t Column: Crime in Santa Monica: A Growing Concern and the Need for Prioritizing Public Safety

September 22, 2024

September 22, 2024

By Michael Jolly Over the past six months, Santa Monica has experienced a concerning rise in crime, sparking heated discussions...

SM.a.r.t Column: Ten New Commandments

September 15, 2024

September 15, 2024

Starting last week,  the elementary school students of Louisiana will all face mandatory postings of the biblical Ten Commandments in...

SM.a.r.t Column: Santa Monica’s Next City Council

September 8, 2024

September 8, 2024

In the next general election, this November 5th, Santa Monica residents will be asked to vote their choices among an...

SM.a.r.t Column: Part II: The Affordability Crisis: Unmasking California’s RHNA Process and Its Role in Gentrification

September 2, 2024

September 2, 2024

Affordability: An Income and Available Asset Gap Issue, Not a Supply Issue (Last week’s article revealed how state mandates became...