Who Are the People in Our Neighborhood?

It’s hard to believe Mar Vista Patch is celebrating its one-month anniversary. I’ve spent a great deal of time in the last four weeks getting to know the neighborhood and meeting many of the extraordinary people who work so hard to make Mar Vista the wonderful place it is.

I’m also incredibly grateful to those of you who have spent time chatting with me either at The Mar Vista Farmers’ Market or The Venice Grind, and helping me understand the great work being done here.  I’m also delighted that so many members of this community have actively supported Mar Vista Patch, and even contributed to the site.

As part of Mar Vista Patch’s four-week anniversary, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank many of you. The more I meet people in this neighborhood, the more I’m bowled over by either the work they are doing or the incredible stories they have. Here are just a few of the people whom I have had the privilege of meeting, collaborating with and learning from:

Sherri Akers: The Green Committee member extraordinaire. The inroads Sherri has made in keeping Mar Vista on the cutting edge of all things green, is nothing short of revolutionary. I can’t wait for the Garden Showcase Tour next month. I also have to thank Sherri for introducing me to Christopher McKinnon (we’re still working on a face-to-face meeting); Jeanne Kuntz, who writes our Mar Vista Verde green column for the site, and a slew of other green folks.

Sarah Auerswald aka Mar Vista Mom. She’s the Energizer Bunny of Mar Vista. I don’t know how she juggles it all; maintaining her fantastic blog about all things Mar Vista; contributing to Mar Vista Patch and Culver City Patch, and rallying the neighborhood on a regular basis. Kudos to her and her cohorts at Moms LA for organizing a superb meeting with Janice Hahn at Venice Grind.

Susan Black-Feinstein: Another incredibly active Mar Vista Resident who finally stepped down after years of serving on the Mar Vista Neighborhood Association board, she opened my eyes to a whole new segment of Mar Vista’s population. More on this coming soon…

James Brennan: James IS “Open Mar Vista” – in case you didn’t know. What an incredible community network he and John Ayers have pulled together and thank you to James for sitting down with me and talking to me about this extraordinary effort.

Doris Gilbert: I am completely and utterly humbled by meeting this wonderful Mar Vista resident who will join the March to Congress this week as part of American Diabetes Association. Instead of singing her praises here,

Stephen Johnson:  Stephen is Windward School's communications director, although he wears many hats. He’s also a teacher extraordinaire, bringing innovative, challenging programs to the school that truly nurture Windward’s students. We’ll be writing about some of his incredible efforts so you’ll just have to wait and see what they are.

Carole Kealoha: Mar Vista senior librarian who opened up her library and her heart to me. Sharing the story of the harrowing situation her husband and son found herself in (), took an enormous amount of courage, especially in front of a reporter.

Demetrios Mavrichomalis and all the staff at : Great people, great Chai latte (I don’t drink coffee). Excellent cupcakes! My second office.

Kathy Owens: Kathy is a walking encyclopedia of all things Mar Vista. She’s one of the most enthusiastic people in this community and knows so much about the history of this area. Kathy will call, email or meet you in person any time, anywhere. Just look for the woman in turquoise.

Diana Rodgers: Mar Vista Farmers’ Market manager extraordinaire. Where would any of us be without the best farmers market in Los Angeles?

Martin Rubin: Marty spend two hours with me clearly explaining the ongoing fight against stemming the air pollution at Santa Monica Airport. The founder of Concerned Residents Against Airport Pollution (CRAAP – you’ve got to love the name), has dedicated years to fighting for the health and wellbeing of all those who live in the airport’s flight path.

Steve Smith: Steve is the incredible, motivational coach at Windward School. His girls’ basketball team just won the CIF finals last week and the way he nurtures these kids is awe-inspiring. I have zero hand-eye coordination and sports at school were a nightmare for me. Kids fought over whose team I’d be on. ‘You take her!’ ‘No, we don’t want her, you take her!’ I would have killed to have had a sports teacher like Steve when I was a kid.

Alex Thompson: Our ‘About Town’ columnist who has been a major force in seeing the passage of the LA Bike Plan come to fruition. As someone mentioned to me, in years to come we’ll look back on this incredible achievement and realize what a visionary Alex was. I expect to see him as one of the big political movers and shakers in Los Angeles in the not too distant future.

Brooke Wirtschafter: Super mom extraordinaire. Writer of our Mom’s The Word column, mother to two of the “Ghouls” Walgrove Elementary School Band kids, and one of the most involved, committed mothers in Mar Vista.

There are so many more people I’ve met and still more I’ve yet to meet. Thank you for being so welcoming of Mar Vista Patch and please don’t hesitate to reach out to me (and my Mar Vista Patch puppy - Bronte) with thoughts, ideas, or anything you’d like to see on the site.