“…I can’t even pronounce her last name because I haven’t seen her long enough to know who she really is. I don’t even know where she comes from.”
Sound familiar? Like the words of Donald Trump talking about Kamala Harris?
You’d be wrong though. This sentiment was uttered by Santa Monica City Councilmember Oscar de la Torre. The words were said in a public neighborhood meeting, slurring the background of Council candidate Natalya Zernitskaya, an American citizen and Jewish refugee from Belarus.
There are plenty of Americans with complicated last names because we’re largely (although not only) a nation of immigrants from across the globe. The question is, do we need a City Councilmember who only respects SOME of us, and not ALL of us? Does Oscar de la Torre know, or care, who we really are?
Postscript: Natalya Zernitskaya has lived in Santa Monica for over a decade and previously served as President of the Santa Monica League of Women Voters, a respected local institution.
Vivian Rothstein, 40 year resident of Santa Monica
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