By Lookout Staff

April 19, 2011 -- Bruria Finkel is no stranger to Downtown. It was Finkel, a well-known local artist, who pushed to include public art on the Promenade before the walk street was launched in 1989, giving birth to the popular dinosaur topiaries.

More recently, Finkel was a member of the task force that overhauled the Downtown business district to encompass a wider area and bankroll the Ambassador and Enhanced Maintenance programs.

Now, she’s rolling up her sleeves to tackle policy issues as the newest member of the Board of Downtown Santa Monica, Inc.

“Downtown is like the heart of the city, the living room of our community,” Finkel said. “I think the Downtown is going through an expansion of what we have on the Promenade, which is wonderful. I’m really pleased to be working with a lot of people who are doers.”

Finkel is joining the Board during a crucial time in Downtown’s history. The agency that runs the area recently changed its name from Bayside District Corporation to Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. and is embarking on a campaign to launch its refined identity and brand.

A longtime member of the steering committee of Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights (SMRR), Finkel has been a key policymaker in Santa Monica for the past three decades, helping to found the Arts Commission in 1982 and serving for seven years on the Rent Control Board.

Finke, who ran for City Council in 1994,l is also a member of the Santa Monica Conservancy and a leading force in the local arts scene.