Nancy Coleman, a longtime Santa Monica resident and prominent civic activist who helped shape local housing policy and government accountability measures, will be moving from one end of Route 66 to the other but not before receiving accolades from civic leaders last week.
Coleman was formally honored by the City Council Tuesday as she prepares to move to Chicago to be closer to family.
Mayor Lana Negrete presented Coleman with a commendation recognizing her extraordinary contributions and enduring legacy of advocacy, courage and public service during more than a decade of influential community work since returning to her hometown in 2011.
"As Nancy prepares to relocate to Chicago to be near her beloved children and grandchildren, the City of Santa Monica expresses a profound gratitude for her decades of public service, civic engagement and unwavering love for her hometown," Negrete said, drawing emotional reactions from the audience.
Community members came out to say that Coleman's departure represents a significant loss for local civic engagement
"The loss of Nancy Coleman to Santa Monica, and to those of us who have really relied on her vast depth and breadth of intelligence and knowledge is tremendous," said Stacy Dalgesh during public comments to the City Council.
Coleman's most visible role was leading the North of Montana Neighborhood Association (NOMA) for eight years as chair, where she now serves as vice chair. Under her leadership, NOMA successfully advocated for stricter limits on "mansionization" – the practice of tearing down modest homes to build larger houses in historic neighborhoods.
In 2016, Coleman urged the Planning Commission to implement tighter rules on home rebuilds, warning that "more and more housing is coming down" in the North of Montana area. She pressed for specific limits including stricter height caps and lot coverage rules, asking the fundamental question: "How much square footage is appropriate for what size lot?"
Her advocacy proved effective. In early 2018, the Santa Monica City Council enacted an interim zoning ordinance to curb mansionization, temporarily capping building height and bulk in single-family residential zones while permanent rules were developed. City officials credited Coleman's work through NOMA as a driving force behind these measures.
The mayor's commendation noted that "in her role with NOMA, Nancy has been a fearless advocate for residents' rights, fighting to preserve historic character, support affordable housing and prevent unchecked development, all while upholding Santa Monica's progressive values of equity, diversity and inclusion."
Coleman also championed government transparency and accountability. She was instrumental in advocating for the formation of the City of Santa Monica audit committee and in 2015 joined fellow activists in filing a civil lawsuit against former City Manager Rod Gould, alleging he violated the city's voter-approved ethics law. The case resulted in a settlement where Gould resigned from a consulting position with a former city contractor and paid $20,000 toward legal fees.
In 2018, Coleman served as principal officer of the campaign for Measure TL, which successfully imposed term limits on the Santa Monica City Council.
Coleman's civic service extended beyond neighborhood advocacy. She served on Santa Monica's Social Services Commission through the early 2020s, helping shape the city's strategies on homelessness and other social issues during the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the county level, Coleman served two terms on the Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury, including as foreperson of the 2018-2019 jury, investigating local government operations to ensure accountability.
During the pandemic, Coleman was selected as an inaugural member of the We Are Santa Monica Fund Advisory Board, where she served as grants subcommittee chair, helping channel donations to emergency assistance and community support programs.
Elizabeth Van Denburgh, chair of the Wilmont neighborhood association, called Coleman both a mentor and friend who provided crucial guidance on navigating city politics.
"Your enthusiasm, knowledge, intellect, perseverance, pointed questions and instinctive compassion for the residents of Santa Monica have impressed me from day one," she said.
Coleman grew up in Santa Monica, attending local schools before spending 40 years in Washington, D.C., working in public policy and nonprofit leadership, including chairing the Social Security Administration's first Federal Advisory Committee on representative payees.
"Nancy, who obviously has been here since she was a girl, was able to help those of us who were newer to know what the history was of the city, and that's a tremendous loss too," Dalgesh said.
Coleman acknowledged the praise with a brief “thank you” at the meeting before using her remaining time to again advocate for residents and specifically call for more action on fire safety following this year’s Palisades fire.
“In fact, we all care about the city. We all care about the city as a whole, not just a piece of the city. And if you look at the city as a whole, you have to also look to what residents have to say. So I challenge you all to think about that,” she said.