President: Clare Thomas
Meetings: First Tuesday of each month, 7 p.m.
Website: friendsofsunsetpark.org
Contact: FriendsofSP@yahoo.com
Friends of Sunset Park is one of seven neighborhood groups on the City of Santa Monica. It represents nearly 7,200 households on the city’s south side. Formed in 1989, the group says its mission is to “improve the quality of life in Sunset Park by striving to improve community safety and reduce crime, reduce cut-through traffic and parking intrusions, improve safety and reduce noise and air pollution at Santa Monica Airport, minimize the impacts of commercial development in our neighborhood, enhance public recreation facilities, and work with our local schools to support quality education for our children.”
Who it serves
While neighborhood groups advocate for the general population of Santa Monica, Friends of Sunset Park is primary focused is on the community with bordered by Ozone Avenue (south), Pico Boulevard (north), Lincoln Boulevard (west) and Centinela Avenue (east).
Leadership
The 2026 officers are: Clare Thomas (president), John Reynolds (vice-president), Zina Josephs (secretary), Aliceann Grusin (treasurer). Board of Directors: Robb Brown, Aliceann Grusin, Zina Josephs, Nikki Kolhoff, Cathy Larson, Jeanne Laurie, John Murdock, John Reynolds, Clare Thomas
Membership
The organization is all volunteer-run, but does welcome formal members. Memberships are available at multiple levels: minimum household dues ($10), regular household dues ($30) and sponsor ($50, $100). Meetings
Meetings
Meetings –– held the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. –– are free and accessible on Zoom to any Santa Monica resident who wants to participate. Local government representatives and law enforcement are frequent guests at meetings. Agenda items include items from local real estate development and traffic to public safety and overall quality-of-life.
Advocacy
Like many neighborhood groups, Friends of Sunset Park will often take a public position on issues impacting residents within the city. It will actively encourage members to reach out to local representative in support or opposition to proposed ordinances. The organization has only endured candidates for Santa Monica City Council twice in the past 25 years and notes that no funds received from members or the City were used for political messaging.
In 2025, Friends of Sunset Park was one of three neighborhood groups that chose not to apply for a $7000 yearly grant from the City of Santa Monica as it did not wish to agree to certain restrictions on its outreach and communications with residents.
SEE ALSO:
North of Montana Association (NOMA)
Northeast Neighbors
Mid City Neighbors
All Neighborhood Groups
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