Unfamiliar with the Santa Methica sign saga? I’m jealous. But I’m also not going to write up an explainer again. You can catchup here.
Poor John Alle.
The Santa Monica Promenade property owner and Santa Monica Coalition founder who has engaged in a one-sided feud with Santa Monica City Manager David White over the city’s homelessness policies is losing his favorite foil. White announced his resignation as City Manager last year for February 20, 2025. White will be returning to his hometown of Berkeley to be closer to family.
This will be a problem for Alle, who repeatedly attacked White for what he claimed was going rogue and supporting the county’s needle exchange program in local parks. Putting aside the issue of whether or not the exchange program is a good idea, there was never any proof that White did what Alle charged him with. In fact, when Phil Brock, a noted opponent of the program, was mayor; he praised White for his efforts to get the program removed.
A caricature of the outgoing city manager has been a staple of the “Santa Methica” sign series that hangs on the vacant storefront of Alle’s property on the Promenade over the years. The signs have featured white as both clown and villain and have exhorted the Council to fire White post-haste. The Santa Monica Coalition made firing White a central plank of their organization, much to the chagrin of politicians that sought to work with the group.
And yes, the Santa Monica Coalition was one of the biggest losers in the local elections last November. The progressive slate that swept to power holds opposite views on issues including approaches to reducing homelessness in the city, best practices on working with the county government, and whether or not Councilmember Jesse Zwick is “a dick” or not as signs at their last political rally stated.
But with Alle’s departure imminent, the sign series says goodbye with one last caricature, this time showing White in a sort of hamburglar mask. “Warning City of Berkeley, Con Man En-Route, February 20, 2025,” the sign begins. Google David White Fairfield HUD DOJ Settlement.”
I followed the googling instructions, and found a series of articles about a settlement reached between the federal government and the Town of Fairfield in 2016, when White was their City Manager. Nowhere in the articles was there anything that accused White of being a con man.
But with White’s departure, a city manager-shaped hole will appear in Alle’s heart and store fronts. Who will replace him as the target?
My bet is on Zwick, the cerebral council member who has been on their target list for two years. Others have placed their bets on Councilmember Caroline Torosis or L.A. County Director of Public Health Barbara Ferrer who both have made appearances on the signs. Mayor Lana Negrete has been a target of Santa Monica Coalition half-truths on social media and given her title and willingness to work with the Council majority she could be the next Santa Methica “poster child” as well.
