Rose
Kaufman Blooms in Santa Monica
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By Anita Varghese
Staff Writer
August 23 -- An ordinary
late afternoon in late summer on a
quiet street north of Montana Avenue
was the setting Sunday for the City
of Santa Monica to bestow an extraordinary
honor for an extraordinary woman.
Rose Kaufman, a 47-year resident
of Santa Monica, was honored by the
City and the League of Women Voters
of Santa Monica (LWVSM) for her more
than 55 years of volunteer service
to the nonpartisan political organization.
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“It couldn’t
be a more beautiful day to honor
a beautiful woman,” said
Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom,
as he declared August 19 “Rose
Kaufman Day in Santa Monica”
and presented Kaufman with a
City proclamation.
“Your years of dedication
and stalwart support of your
community are unmatched in Santa
Monica,” Bloom told Kaufman.
“You are a treasure for
us.”
Bloom capped his accolades
to Kaufman with a song -- actor/comedian
Groucho Marx’s “Show
Me a Rose.”
Rose Kaufman
receives a City of Santa Monica
proclamation from Mayor Richard
Bloom |
Yes, Bloom did indeed carry a fine
tune in front of nearly 40 guests
and Kaufman’s dearest friends.
In addition to League activities,
Kaufman served on a number of City
of Santa Monica boards and commissions,
including the Citizens Task Force
on Development (1981), the Commission
on Older Americans (1985, 1988 and
1992, Emeritus member in 1996 and
1998) and the Fourth Street Housing
Committee (1997).
Kaufman spoke before the Santa Monica
City Council more than two dozen times
in support of various issues, such
as crime prevention programs, enhanced
healthcare benefits for Medicare recipients,
at-large Council seats, senior housing,
traffic safety, parking structure
projects and the Santa Monica Public
Library.
Most famously, she is oftentimes
the lone voice advocating for the
distribution of free taxi vouchers
to seniors during City budget season.
Her more than 90 years of age have
not at all lessened or slowed her
efforts.
She did not hesitate to use her speech
time Sunday to put some pressure on
Bloom to address the taxi voucher
issue.
Kaufman: “Richard Bloom, don’t
hide. You know something, our new
city manager (Lamont Ewell) said he
would work on it. And I don’t
think he ever did. Now that I am so
duly honored, I am going to say to
him ‘taxi coupons for seniors.’
This is a rich community and we can
do it. Before I die Richard.”
Bloom: “I’ll check on
it. We’ve got plenty of time.”
Kaufman: “Well, I’m not
so sure.”
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| (From
left) Amy Bishop Dunbar, president
of the League of Women Voters
of Santa Monica, and her daughters,
Saundra Jay and Katie Dunbar,
present Rose with a League of
Women Voters of California proclamation. |
Born in Philadelphia to Lithuanian
immigrants, Kaufman was named Rachel
Leah Rootkin after her maternal grandmother
and the Biblical two wives of Jacob.
As one of six children – there
were five girls and one boy –
Kaufman’s sisters teased her
for having a boy’s name when
Rachel was shortened to Ray, so her
parents changed her name to Rose Lillian.
She skipped a few semesters and graduated
from high school at the age of 16.
In 1942, she married Philip Kaufman,
whose mother also emigrated from Lithuania.
Rose Kaufman’s interest in
the League of Women Voters began in
the suburbs of Philadelphia, but she
could not find the time for meetings
and activities with three small children
-- Judith, Louise and Ira -- at home.
In 1950, the Kaufman family moved
to Toledo, Ohio because of Philip
Kaufman’s job. In Ohio, Kaufman
found the time for the league and
was quickly elected to a board of
director’s seat.
“I joined the League of Women
Voters in Toledo for three dollars
a year,” Kaufman said, in addition
to mentioning she is always shocked
at the Santa Monica League’s
rising membership fees. “It
was either December 1950 or January
1951, but it seems like only yesterday.”
The Kaufman family moved again, in
1960, this time to Santa Monica, where
Kaufman’s league commitments
evolved.
She has served twice as an LWVSM
president (1964-1965 and 1982-1983)
and in between held numerous positions
as an officer, director or committee
member.
Her special interests include voter
service activities. She has presented
ballot measures and coordinated the
speakers bureau, as well as assisted
LWVSM president Amy Bishop Dunbar
as a consultant, historian and conscience
of the local League.
Philip Kaufman passed away in 2003.
In addition to her three children,
Kaufman has two grandchildren, Michaela
and David. She currently chairs the
Santa Monica Emeritus College Executive
Committee.
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Kaufman was first
attracted to the League after
being insulted at a Toledo school
district’s parent-teacher
association (PTA) board meeting.
“I had a culture shock,”
Kaufman said. “Toledo
may as well have been a foreign
country. I came home from that
first board meeting in a huff.”
One of her neighbors, whom
Kaufman barely knew because
she had just moved to Toledo,
later called to demean her as
“an outspoken person”
and warned Kaufman not to say
anything at PTA meetings or
her children “will feel
the effect of it.”
Peggy Fonkalsrud,
an events coordinator for the
League of Women Voters of Santa
Monica, joins Rose as she accepts
flowers and well wishes from
friends. |
“I thought how horrible,”
Kaufman said. “What do I do
about this? Who is objective? Who
can I talk to? I got on the phone
and I called the League of Women Voters.”
For this one phone call, League members
in Santa Monica and throughout California
are grateful to Kaufman.
“I look out, as a woman with
young children, at the inspiration
that Rose, other members of the League,
community members, the City Council
and other leaders of other organizations
provide,” said Bishop Dunbar.
“I recognize there is so much
in our community that motivates their
future,” she said, of her two
daughters, Katie Dunbar, age eight,
and Saundra Jay Dunbar, age 13.
Bishop Dunbar presented Kaufman with
a proclamation from the League of
Women Voters of California.
“This is the first time the
state League office has ever done
anything like this,” said Joanne
Leavitt, an LWVSM advisory board member
and state League legislative consultant,
of Kaufman receiving a proclamation.
Leavitt presented Kaufman with a
50-year pin.
Kaufman also received a joint resolution
from State Assembly member Julia Brownley,
of Santa Monica’s 41st District,
and State Senator Sheila Kuehl of
Santa Monica’s 23rd District.
“As I look out amongst the
crowd, there are so many people here,
Rose, who give so much of themselves
to this community and to the State
of California,” said Cheri Orgel,
Brownley’s field representative.
“I am struck with what a testament
it is to you to be singled out as
a star among stars.”
Kaufman graciously accepted all of
the well wishes.
“So here I am,” Kaufman
said, smiling ear to ear. “I
think you are all honoring me just
because I survived, but I appreciate
it. I am really very touched. To say
I am overwhelmed is an understatement.
I am super-whelmed. All I can say
is that League people are special
people.”
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