Ken Genser was an irreplaceable warrior. His community leadership was nurtured initially in the fight to preserve his Ocean Park neighborhood and transformed by the rent control battles into a passion for our entire community. Once moved into action by love for the Santa Monica community, he was indefatigable and relentless.

Ken was exceptionally intelligent, analytic, intense, and passionate, simultaneously cherubic and curmudgeonly. During his early days on the City Council, he and I would have regular late night telephone conversations that would last for hours. We would talk past midnight about city issues and strategies for achieving common objectives. Notably stubborn, Ken was nevertheless ready to change his position when the case was made.

He was one of a kind. Utterly irreplaceable. I will miss him personally and we will all miss his leadership.

I first met Ken in 1984 when I was appointed to the Planning Commission and sat next to him for the next two years. It was during this time, as we were working on a new Land Use Plan and evaluating specific projects that I came to respect Ken's work ethic. We didn't agree philosophically on several issues, but I learned very quickly that Ken did his homework, carefully thought through his positions and attempted to reach decisions that were, in his mind, consistent with the best interests of Santa Monica residents. His approach to public service never changed over the next 25 years -- I rarely found him to be doctrinaire or reflexively ideological. Had he served out his full term as Mayor, Ken would have exercised significant influence on the new LUCE (Land Use and Circulation Element); instead, his passing leaves a major vacuum in formulating land-use policy that will not be easily filled.

Ken maintained a remarkably positive public life spirit, from his Mercedes convertible to encouraging use of the Annenberg Beach facility as a place to simply have fun. He also played an important role in improving relations between the business community and City Hall over the last few years, something I greatly appreciated during my tenure as Chamber Chair. He will be missed.

The line between friend and colleague is blurred in Santa Monica. That is why the passing of our friend and colleague, Ken Genser, will be felt by all of us on many levels.

Much of what Ken left behind can be experienced in Santa Monica today. But it’s the overall shape of Ken’s life that will leave a lasting impression on so many of us in the community – allies and adversaries alike. Around here, the personal is truly the political. Ken’s life parallels the evolution of our city in the past thirty years. We watched the transformation of a scrappy, acerbic, and brilliant young man into a mature, loving and effective leader. We saw Ken’s fervor ripen into wisdom. We grew and changed alongside him. And because we have survived him, we are able to witness, with great sadness, how a life well spent is celebrated.

We enjoy continuity in this community. People come here to live with each other, not beside each other. We sustain relationships through thick and thin. That’s the culture of our city. That’s why we feel so diminished when one of our own leaves us. We’ll miss Ken at “all the old familiar places” – on the dais, in the corridors of City Hall, at community meetings, at the SMRR convention, the pier, the deli, ribbon cuttings. We’ll miss catching a glimpse of him at the wheel of his famous drop-top Saab. This man who we’ve grown to love and respect leaves a huge void, but despite his absence, we, and the future citizens of Santa Monica, will know what to do. Because Ken has left behind instructions: fight for those things that are human and humane. The rest of it will follow.

I met Ken just after he started his first term on the Council. We were working on the original Civic Center Specific Plan then. Ken always did his homework. Whether he agreed or disagreed with you, he was respectful and knowledgeable of the facts of the issue. He was guided by his principles but he took into account the practicalities of each situation. He was open to discussing things, and even when he started out skeptical, he gave you a shot at convincing him to take another look. I disagreed with him on some things and agreed with him on others, but he was always fair and thoughtful about the issues, kind and respectful in his interactions with people, and guided by the long-term interests of Santa Monica.

I had known Ken for 20 of the 25 years I was with the City. I always admired his keen intellect and ability to quickly grasp complex public policy issues facing the City. Ken always had a point of view to which he doggedly adhered; only on occasion was I able to change his mind. Despite his serious demeanor, Ken had a great sense of humor and always enjoyed a good gossip. He played a critical role in shaping the City's land use and environmental policies. I will always miss his principled stance on many issues of public policy

As a Deputy City Attorney in the ‘80’s, I spent many a Planning Commission meeting sitting next to Ken on the dais into the wee hours of the night, as he guided, informed, prodded, and pushed for his positions, both as a Commissioner and later as the City Council Liaison. Looking back on those years, I was so fortunate to have sat up there with Ken, who treated me as a worthy colleague (instead of a mere staff attorney there merely to do his bidding). He always engaged me in discussions and even arguments about the merits of particular projects or policy matters, respecting my legal opinion but ultimately more interested in engaging about the substantive policy issues.

Ken cared so deeply about our city – and he was so tenacious and stubborn – that he would often call me to follow up on conversations where we had seen things differently, to continue to try and convince me of his position. He seemed to relish the arguments – they were always had in good humor and ultimately in pursuit of honing his position. Though many of us experienced Ken’s nitpickiness about every gory detail of virtually every project and policy he considered, no one would ever deny the profound scrutiny, deep intellect and total dedication that Ken brought to every City issue in which he participated.

On a very personal note, there is something else I will always treasure about Ken. When I told him that I was dating (and ultimately marrying) my husband, Chris Harding, who Ken saw at the time as one of his most fierce adversaries with respect to City issues, he genuinely congratulated me and wished me well. I will never forget running into Ken at the Pier several years later, when our daughter was very young and Chris and Ken were barely on speaking terms. Without any fanfare, Ken very sweetly took Jennie with him for a ride on the ferris wheel when neither of us wanted to do it. I’m also pleased to say that though it took many years, Ken and Chris had moved far beyond their early differences in the last several years. The relationship they had developed more recently is a reminder of Ken’s commitment to our community, to his ability to work cooperatively with others on issues and positions that many of us share, and to develop trust where it didn’t previously exist. Those are qualities to which we should all aspire.

I do remember Ken through thick and thin through all the years I was a Santa Monica resident while he was on City Council. He and Council member Richard Bloom interviewed me for a Planning Commission position, where I was later appointed and served in 2000. Ken had been a confidant ever since and I still admire his sometimes very tough stance on certain positions.. He was always serious but fair and I always admired that. I am deeply saddened to see him go. Although I have long since moved from Santa Monica, I always have fond memories of the City and I will never forget Ken.