SR 12-19-2023 1A
City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: December 19, 2023
Agenda Item: 1.A
1 of 1
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Denise Anderson Warren, City Clerk, Records and Election Services
Department
Subject: Written Comments
Prepared By: Maria Dacanay, Administrative Analyst
Approved
Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Written Comments
1.A
Packet Pg. 14
1
Xavier Mota
From:Joel Garcia <joel@meztliprojects.org>
Sent:Tuesday, December 19, 2023 1:05 PM
To:Council Mailbox; councilmtgitems
Subject:Support Letter for Bob Ramirez (Arts Commission)
Attachments:Bob Ramirez Support Letter 2024.pdf
EXTERNAL
Dear Councilmembers,
I submit this letter in support of Bob Ramirez's application for arts commissioner. As president of the Gabrielino Tongva
Springs Foundation, Bob has helped revitalize Kuruvungna which in turn has created space for the reawakening of
cultural art forms. For example, Kuruvungna hosted the first Tongva Basketry Workshop; for the first time in 150 years,
the Tongva community has revived the art of harvesting plant material and weaving baskets.
Bob has also helped expand and deepen partnerships with important partners such as UCLA, Descanso Gardens and the
Theodore Payne Foundation among others. These partnerships continue to increase the cultural importance and
visibility of not only Kuruvungna but also the arts and cultural practices connected to the site and Santa Monica.
In April, students and professors from UCLA performed a survey of artifacts uncovered during construction operations
on the grounds of Uni High. Over several months, the team created a database of over 1,200 items, which will help us
understand the history of Kuruvungna.
With Bob's leadership, the collaboration with the UCLA Botanical Garden resulted in new plant identification tags; that
include the common name, the scientific name, the family, and the Tongva name when possible. Over a hundred native
species were identified, including 24 non‐native heritage trees from around the world.
As part of the Meztli projects team working on the City Hall Mural Reframe project I have seen the lack of representation
of First Peoples in bodies such as the Arts Commission and this is an area where their inclusion can do many things to
spark both healing opportunities, build bridges between the City of Santa Monica and the First Peoples community and
secondly uplift the arts and culture of Indigenous folks on par with all other communities.
The City of Santa Monica is in a unique position to do something many cities have not done yet. The inclusion of First
Peoples in decision‐making bodies like the Arts Commission is an important step towards healing past, present and
ongoing harms.
Sincerely,
Joel Garcia
Director
323.637.4375
joel@meztliprojects.org
ITEM 1.
December 19, 2023
ITEM 1.
December 19, 2023
1.A.a
Packet Pg. 15 Attachment: Written Comments (6191 : Written Comments)
December 14, 2023
Santa Monica City Council
1685 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Re: Arts Commission
Dear Councilmembers,
I submit this letter in support of Bob Ramirez's application for arts commissioner. As president of the Gabrielino Tongva
Springs Foundation, Bob has helped revitalize Kuruvungna which in turn has created space for the reawakening of cultural
art forms. For example, Kuruvungna hosted the first Tongva Basketry Workshop; for the first time in 150 years, the Tongva
community has revived the art of harvesting plant material and weaving baskets.
Bob has also helped expand and deepen partnerships with important partners such as UCLA, Descanso Gardens and the
Theodore Payne Foundation among others. These partnerships continue to increase the cultural importance and visibility of
not only Kuruvungna but also the arts and cultural practices connected to the site and Santa Monica.
In April, students and professors from UCLA performed a survey of artifacts uncovered during construction operations on
the grounds of Uni High. Over several months, the team created a database of over 1,200 items, which will help us
understand the history of Kuruvungna.
With Bob's leadership, the collaboration with the UCLA Botanical Garden resulted in new plant identification tags; that
include the common name, the scientific name, the family, and the Tongva name when possible. Over a hundred native
species were identified, including 24 non-native heritage trees from around the world.
As part of the Meztli projects team working on the City Hall Mural Reframe project I have seen the lack of representation of
First Peoples in bodies such as the Arts Commission and this is an area where their inclusion can do many things to spark
both healing opportunities, build bridges between the City of Santa Monica and the First Peoples community and secondly
uplift the arts and culture of Indigenous folks on par with all other communities.
The City of Santa Monica is in a unique position to do something many cities have not done yet. The inclusion of First
Peoples in decision-making bodies like the Arts Commission is an important step towards healing past, present and ongoing
harms.
Sincerely,
Joel Garcia
Director
323.637.4375
joel@meztliprojects.org
Meztli Projects: 6615 Easton Street, Los Angeles, CA 90022 | 323-637-4375 | meztliprojects.org
meztli projects
ITEM 1.
December 19, 2023
ITEM 1.
December 19, 2023
1.A.a
Packet Pg. 16 Attachment: Written Comments (6191 : Written Comments)