Partner Douglas Mirell Quoted in Santa Monica Daily Press on Neighborhood Organization Funding Dispute

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Nolan Heimann LLP Partner Douglas Mirell was quoted in the Santa Monica Daily Press in a piece examining a dispute between the Santa Monica City Council and the city's seven official neighborhood organizations over the terms of their municipal grant funding.

The article, written by Devan Sipher, describes conditions the city attached to continued funding for the neighborhood groups — including restrictions on how the organizations may communicate with residents and what topics they may address. Mirell, a First Amendment attorney, weighed in on the legality of those conditions, stating that the restrictions on communication methods and subject matter amounted to free speech violations. He also noted the likelihood of Brown Act violations, given that the restrictions were not part of the Council's vote during its public meeting.

"It sounds to me like their policy is more community destruction than community building," Mirell said.