The Meeting Is Set for Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 5:30 p.m.
By Zach Armstrong
During Santa Monica City Council’s first meeting of the New Year, members are set to discuss agenda items related to addressing Black marginalization and a potential new roller-skating rink for downtown.
Councilmembers Davis, Torosis and Zwick put forward a request for the city to perform multiple actions related to its African American residents and their descendants. These include an annual apology reading to Santa Monica’s Black community during City Council’s first November meeting, installing the apology statement outside of City Hall and giving $10,000 to the Santa Monica High School Black Student Union to assist students with costs associated with college transition.
Council previously adopted the apology which acknowledged “a century of racial injustice and discrimination against the Black community that have resulted in systemically racist policies that continue to exclude and discriminate against African Americans.”
The statement cites several institutional racist acts within Santa Monica. During the 1920s, zoning ordinances and racist realtor practices excluded African Americans from building permits and integrating with White neighborhoods. Also referenced was the act of redlining amid the following decade. While Caucasians enjoyed 30-year mortgage loans as part of a Great Depression recovery effort, Black neighborhoods were identified as high risk and therefore barred from home improvement or business loans on property.
Also set for a hearing is a request by Councilmember Parra and Vice Mayor Negrete to support the City’s economy with more entertainment offerings. Specifically, the request asks the City Manager to assess opportunities DTSM Inc. for an entity that can operate a roller-skating rink in 2024 on city-owned property.
According to the agenda item, the rink would be akin to the popular Ice at Santa Monica. During the holiday season, DTSM puts together the more than 8,000 sq ft sheet of ice located at the corner of Arizona Ave. and 5th St. in downtown.
The meeting is set for Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 5:30 p.m. at 1685 Main St. It can be viewed live on its YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@Citytv16santamonica/streams.
