Civic Bites: Chew on This
In an era when civic conversation feels like a halcyon dream and most often dissolves into anonymous combative sniping on the internet, Erika Bell is working to bring it back to something more human: people gathering face-to-face, sharing food and drinks, and talking about the issues shaping our community.
Her initiative, Civic Bites, creates welcoming spaces where civic engagement feels approachable rather than intimidating.
“People are craving connection and accurate information,” Bell says. “But a lot of our modern ‘town square’ happens online now, and that can be full of misinformation and division.”
Civic Bites aims to recreate a version of that town square in real life. A civic gathering for the modern era.
At its core, Civic Bites is designed as an evening counterpart to traditional book clubs or community talks. The idea is to spark a fun atmosphere where we can be together and learn together. Not a stuffy lecture hall with a bombastic professor, nor the heady chaos of a partisan rally.
Instead, Bell imagines relaxed gatherings where people can learn about civic issues that affect all of our daily lives, but can feel overwhelming to parse on our own. “It’s intentionally informal,” she explains. “We want people to feel like they’re coming out for the evening the way they normally would—meeting friends, grabbing a drink—but also engaging with something meaningful.” Bell believes civic education becomes far more effective when it’s paired with social connection.
The initiative overlaps with other community activities but maintains a broader mission: bringing people together across backgrounds and perspectives to better understand the issues affecting their city. “It’s about creating a town square where people can learn, ask questions, and have conversations without it feeling heavy or intimidating.”
The venues themselves are also part of the vision. To support local businesses, Bell plans to host Civic Bites gatherings in cafés, restaurants, and bars throughout Santa Monica. By combining programming with hospitality, the community gains a place for meaningful conversation, while businesses gain an opportunity to attract a crowd. Bell sees it as a small but meaningful way to strengthen the broader local ecosystem.
“One of the early ideas was to intentionally partner with places around town,” she says. “It gives people a reason to stay out a little later, and it can help bring new customers into those spaces. It’s a chance to provide a little TLC to the places around town that help create community,” she says.
One of the biggest barriers to civic engagement, Bell believes, is the perception that politics is complicated, confrontational, or inaccessible. Civic Bites tries to counter that by framing civic topics in ways that highlight the social in the social fabric of our community.
“We’re not trying to drum up partisan energy,” Bell says. “The focus is on cutting through misinformation and helping people access accurate information, which feels especially urgent in an age when social media algorithms often amplify confusion or polarization.”
Events may include guest speakers, discussions, or film screenings—formats designed to spark conversation rather than deliver top-down instruction. “People want to understand what’s actually happening,” she says. “But the online space can make that difficult. Civic Bites is about creating a place where people can talk things through together.”
Hosted by Bahala’s Tea & Talks, Civic Bites’ premier event was a collaborative screening of the documentary Counted Out at the Colorado Center, followed by a community conversation about the film’s themes. Beyond academia, math literacy gives citizenry greater access to economic power as well as meaningful participation in our democracy. The film urges those of us who claim not to be “math people” to “count ourselves in.”
“The film came onto my radar because a mom in the district posted about it,” Bell says. “She was interested in bringing it to the community, which is the kind of grassroots energy Civic Bites plans to harness.
Erika also led a workshop at last Friday’s Coffee & Connections, where we were able to test drive Civic Bites: The Card Game. It’s a community-building game that uses conversation, storytelling, and thought-provoking prompts to spark dialogue and deepen connections among neighbors in Santa Monica. Much conversation and laughter ensued.
Ultimately, Civic Bites is less about any one event and more about a cultural shift: encouraging people to re-engage with civic life in ways that feel welcoming and human. “If we can create more opportunities for people to gather in person and talk about the issues affecting them,” Bell says, “we can exchange ideas, challenge misinformation, and learn together.” By creating a tent big enough that all who make up the community have a place to voice their concerns, strategize solutions, support local businesses, and connect with other humans, Santa Monicans can thrive.
It’s about rebuilding the modern town square—one gathering at a time.
Jessica Cole