Editor:
Kevin McKeown’s letter in the SMDP (11/5/25) about Mayor Negrete exemplifies the toxic polarization tearing apart our community and our country.
Whether one aligns with her on any particular policy question or not, Mayor Negrete brings energy, dedication and fresh perspectives to City Hall. She works hard for Santa Monica residents and deserves to have her ideas engaged seriously and respectfully, even those we may not agree with or that have room for improvement. The same should be said for all of our public servants and their proposals. When we choose mockery over substantive debate, we don’t just diminish an individual who has stepped up to serve—we discourage the kind of diverse voices and passionate advocates our city needs.
As a mother, a Santa Monica resident, and someone who cares deeply about our city’s and our country’s future, I’m alarmed by the increasingly personal nature of our political discourse. The letter is filled with ad hominem attacks—describing Mayor Negrete’s conduct as a “hissy fit” and “petulant resentment,” suggesting she’s “whining” and “just not up to the job.” This kind of personal attack actively undermines our ability to address the real challenges facing Santa Monica.
Further troubling is the declaration that a 2,000-vote margin constitutes a “mandate.” Not even one candidate from the winning slate got votes from a majority of people who voted in the election. And nearly 18,000 Santa Monica residents voted for candidates on the other slate. To dismiss their voices and suggest the other side can be ignored and demeaned echoes the dangerous rhetoric we see at the national level, where our president uses narrow victories to dismiss all dissent and treat political opponents as enemies rather than fellow citizens.
This is exactly how polarization deepens: when we treat electoral victories as justifications to silence or attack those who disagree, rather than as opportunities to govern for all residents. A healthy democracy requires us to respect the nearly half of our community who voted differently, not to mock their representatives and demand they be “sent packing.”
We face real challenges in Santa Monica. We can disagree vehemently about solutions. But we must focus on policy, not personality. Our community deserves better than this kind of discourse, and our city’s and country’s future depends on doing better.
Heather Thomason
Santa Monica