Linda Armstrong (December 27, 1938 – April 11, 2026)
Linda Armstrong, longtime SMRR volunteer and advocate for housing rights and the dignity of women, passed away at the age of 87. She lived a remarkable life defined not by ease or comfort, but by perseverance, resilience, and a commitment to helping others.
Linda overcame many challenges in her personal life. The difficulties she faced fostered a profound empathy for others experiencing hardship. Rather than allowing those struggles to diminish her spirit, she transformed them into a lifelong mission to advocate for people facing housing insecurity and for the rights, dignity, and protection of vulnerable women throughout her community. She understood from personal experience the importance of safe shelter, affordable housing, and a community that cares for its most vulnerable members.
In 1997, determined to draw attention to the urgent need for emergency shelter during rainy weather, she and a friend chained themselves to a pole behind a defunct hotel in Santa Monica in a peaceful act of protest. The demonstration reflected her belief that homelessness was not an individual failure but a community responsibility that demanded action.
She devoted time to supporting living wage campaigns in Santa Monica and volunteering with organizations that served survivors of domestic violence, to help others have access to the assistance and resources that had made a difference in her own life.
Before settling in Santa Monica, Linda lived in many places across the country, including Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she spent time working as a taxi driver. She eventually found stability in Santa Monica through the city’s rent control protections and affordable housing programs which she continued to support through her activism.
For decades, she was a devoted volunteer and activist with Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights (SMRR). Election season often found her knocking on doors throughout the city, speaking with neighbors about rent control issues, or making fundraising calls to support the organization’s work. Her efforts helped sustain advocacy for renter protections and for local candidates who supported rent control and affordable housing.
Santa Monica politics became one of her great passions. From the 1990s onward, she was a familiar presence at public meetings, community events, and election campaigns. She ran for Santa Monica City Council at least five times. Her platform consistently reflected her deepest convictions: housing for homeless women, rapid and reliable emergency response for women in crisis, and a living wage for working people.
Those who knew her well also knew her as a lifelong learner. She was an avid reader of science and mathematics textbooks and magazines, always eager to discuss the latest discoveries. She followed developments in longevity research, medical science, and space exploration with enthusiasm. Her fascination with what humanity might achieve in the future never faded.
She was also a poet who spent her life putting thoughts, observations, hopes, and frustrations into verse. Writing was an outlet for her creativity and her belief that every voice deserved to be heard.
Friends will remember her tenacity, intellectual curiosity, love of chocolate and Diet Coke, and, above all, her deep compassion and determined spirit. They will remember countless conversations about politics, science, housing, and the future. Above all, they will remember someone who devoted her life to standing up for people who too often went unheard.
Though she never sought recognition, Linda enriched the lives of many, advanced the causes she believed in, and helped strengthen her community through decades of dedicated service. She believed that everyone deserved a home, dignity, safety, and opportunity. She was loved by her friends and community, and she will be deeply missed.