As one of the pivotal residents’ groups in Santa Monica, Mid City Neighbors is holding its Annual Meeting this weekend and it’s shaping up to cover all things crime, safety and Zoning Ordinance Update (ZOU) related, with a bit of fun thrown into the mix.
Scheduled to take place tomorrow, Saturday April 11, from 11 am until 2 pm at The Edye at Broad Stage, the Neighbors’ Annual Meeting is open to the public and has a jam-packed agenda, kicking off with a keynote address and Q&A session from Santa Monica’s Chief of Police, Jacqueline Seabrooks.
The meeting is a great opportunity for residents to meet key leaders in the community and to contribute to the future of Santa Monica, organizers said.
“We represent all residents in our city-designated area. Home owners, renters, families, elderly, young and newer members,” explained Stacy Dalgleish – Santa Monica Mid City Neighbors Vice President and Communications Officer.
Seabrooks’ session will be followed by Mid City’s Neighborhood Resource Officer, Rick Verbeck, who will talk about crime prevention, knock-knock burglaries (60 seconds in and out), and catalytic converter thefts.
Mid City Neighbors is known to be at the forefront of local issues in Santa Monica with the Annual Meeting an important fixture in setting the discussion agenda for the months to come.
“What was important to residents a year ago is probably different today,” Dalgleish explained.
While the annual meeting is mandated by the Neighbors’ bylaws, key to the event is also the membership voting on any additions or changes to the organization, and or bylaws, she added.
“It’s a time to get serious work done but also to have fun together,” Dalgleish said. “So much serious, fractious work is going on in Santa Monica that we sometimes forget we’re all in this together.”
Prizes are on offer for the first 20 people to arrive with a raffle, food, drinks, and freebies up for grabs.
“Bike, bus, or bring the Bentley – we’re open-minded at Mid City,” organizers joked.
On the more serious side of the event, potential ramifications of changes to the ZOU will be presented by SMa.r.t (Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Future).
It’s important to take part in the discussion of what’s being debated in Santa Monica at the moment, Dalgleish said.
“Let the Board know what’s important. Issues change and some change quickly,” she added. “Some issues are old standards like traffic others including the ramifications of the ZOU are hot right now.”
Community group Residocracy will present a report to those attending and upcoming City Council meetings will also be discussed.
Everyone is welcome to attend Saturday’s event. For more information head to midcityneighbors.org.
