Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 431
April 17, 2024 - Differing views were expressed by speakers at a hastily convened rally opposing the free needle distribution program at Reed Park yesterday, but everyone agreed on one thing: needles do not belong in public parks. Approximately 70 people attended the rally Tuesday morning, including Channel 7 News and several other public and private news outlets. The small attendance belies the true opposition to the county program. 22,000 signatures have been collected opposing the distributio...
April 17, 2024 - Since at least yesterday, the Frontier Communications website and phone payment system have been down. It is not possible to log in to pay bills nor to make payments at the self-service-only toll-free number. Technical Support has a recording that says, "We are experiencing a technical issue with our Internet support system platforms and are unable to take calls or chat. We are working quickly to resolve the issue and apologize for inconvenience. We hope to be up and running...
April 5, 2024 - As 54 downtown businesses are in the process of legally withdrawing from the private non-profit organization, Downtown Santa Monica Inc, charges have been leveled that the city-controlled operation wastes the money they collect from assessments on business and property owners. Downtown Santa Monica Inc is not a Business Improvement District, in which the businesses themselves run and decide on improvements, additional security, and other matters. Instead, DTSM is controlled by...
A pedestrian was killed early in the morning of April 1 in an apparent automobile accident at Ocean Avenue and Colorado Avenue. Police were called at approximately 5:30 am and sealed off the area for their investigation. The driver of the vehicle remained on-scene and cooperated with the police. The pedestrian victim was declared dead at the scene. The identity of this individual has not been provided by authorities. By 11:20 am, police had concluded their investigation and reopened the area to...
March 28, 2024 - When a married couple of muckraking journalist filmmakers were visiting their home country of Ireland this fall, they were shocked at how quickly the public's attention turned from the horror of the October 7 attack on Israel to the plight of the Gazans losing electricity. "We just noticed that everyone wanted to move quickly away from Oct. 7 and start talking about Gaza and ceasefires," Phelim McAleer told the Daily Mail in an interview. "And we know there would be no Oct. 8...
March 21, 2024 - The Amcha Initiative, a nonprofit organization that combats antisemitism at institutes of higher education, warns Jewish students that the public University of California campuses "are not safe" for them. Amcha Initiative is not a pro-Israel advocacy group and does not take a position on anything that does not rise to the level of antisemitism as defined by IHRA and U.S. government criteria. A recent report by Amcha Initiative has discovered a whopping 1100 percent increase in...
March 1, 2024 - Big Blue Bus, the bus line that operates in Santa Monica, announced they will be deploying "safety officers" on high-traffic routes and selected bus stops. The "friendly, contracted officers" will be unarmed. Despite the lack of weapons, Big Blue Bus claims the officers will be able to "educate" riders about the bus company's code of conduct and "ensure adherence." The company says the introduction of the safety officers is one of several initiatives to help riders feel...
February 1, 2024 - Can you imagine Santa Monica without drug addicts exposing themselves while you're waiting for a bus? Where vagrants are not allowed to take up residence in your garage? Where those who commit retail theft actually get charged and go to jail? Jonathan Hatami can imagine that. A veteran of the United States Armed Forces and a Los Angeles County prosecutor for the past seventeen years, Hatami is running for District Attorney, the job George Gascon has abdicated since taking the...
February 13, 2024 - A late January survey conducted by the California Elections and Policy Poll of USC shows Jon Hatami polling second among a field of numerous candidates for county district attorney. Only the incumbent, George Gascon, is polling better. Gascon is polling at 15% of the likely electorate. He would have needed more than 50% votes in order to win the primary outright. It is unlikely Gascon will win even the general election, however, since the same poll shows that over half of...
December 20, 2023 - Austin Muhs, a professional astrologer, musician, and filmmaker living in Santa Monica, has an unexpected sideline: rescuing injured and sick wildlife. He came by the side gig via working civilian rescue during natural disasters. "My teams were in hurricanes Harvey, Florence, and Maria," Muhs says. They became expert at pulling both human beings and animals out of bad situations. During the Paradise Fire disaster, Muhs says his group, 999 Rescue Team, rescued 500-600...
December 19, 2023 - In an email, John Alle of the Santa Monica Coalition, supplied comments from Santa Monica residents regarding the proposed ten percent increase in the salary of City Manager David White, and they are not in favor. The Santa Monica Coalition is a group of residents, property owners, and businesses that advocate restoration of safety, cleanliness, and prosperity to the city. The proposal to be considered at tonight's city council meeting is to raise White's salary from $ $365,9...
December 13, 2023 - Yesterday the Los Angeles County District Attorney announced charges against a serial vandal who has defaced numerous properties with iron crosses, swastikas and the letters "SS." Klinton Allister Dion, 32, has been charged with two counts of vandalism of religious property, a hate crime; and 10 counts of hate crime – displaying a Nazi symbol/etc., on public and private property. It is further alleged that the offense is a hate crime within the meaning of Penal Code S...
December 13, 2023 - Charges have been brought against a man accused of attacking an elderly Jewish couple on their way to synagogue in Beverly Hills. Jarris Jay Silagi, 44, of Los Angeles was charged yesterday by the Los Angeles County District Attorney with one count of attempted second-degree robbery; one count of elder or dependent adult abuse, infliction of injury; one count of assault with a deadly weapon; and two counts of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury....
December 15, 2023 - In an email yesterday, Rabbi Chaim Teleshevsky said that the Chabad organization's menorah outside the Whole Foods Market at 15th Street and Montana Avenue had been vandalized and that the police were treating it as a hate crime. "But our job is to spread light.So we are going to unite to light it again tonight brighter than ever!" He then invited all to come join in a menorah lighting for the eighth and final time at 8:00 pm to "declare Am Yisrael Chai." The latter three...
December 5, 2023 - REI announced last week that it is closing its location in downtown Santa Monica. The store replaced the previous tenant, Toys 'R Us, in 2006 at the two-story location at Santa Monica Boulevard and 4th Street. The Santa Monica REI location will close on February 29 of next year. Statements from the company about the reason for the store closure vaguely refer to "the positive impact of the store, our market presence, and external factors" as reasons for the departure. "The over...
December 15, 2023 - Dr. Sion Roy, the President of the Board of Trustees of Santa Monica College, announced in a Tweet that the institution was "among a number of schools being investigated by the US department of education for discrimination on campus." He claimed, "In our case this relates to SMC's Inter-Club Council's (ICC) action against Students Supporting Israel (SSI) in October." On October 19, the ICC, a student-run governing body, denied SSI, a pro-Israel group, the ability to register...
November 29, 2023 - A lawsuit against the University of Berkeley was filed on Tuesday by two Jewish organizations that alleges the college has failed to take action against and thus encouraged a culture of antisemitism in which violence is permitted against Jews. The 36-page lawsuit claims the university has allowed policies that violate the First Amendment's right to freedom of Religion, the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause, and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Although the campus...
November 24, 2023 - An apparently mentally ill or drug-influenced man was arrested by Santa Monica Police after climbing atop the pedestrian bridge over the Pacific Coast Highway on Friday, November 10 and hurling a metal pole onto the street below. No cars were hit or people injured. The man, Carlos Hernandez-Martinez, 29, is homeless and was charged with a felony the Los Angeles County District Attorney. The crime is "throwing an object at a vehicle with intent to cause great bodily injury."...
November 19, 2023 - The Lange Foundation Annual Sale, taking place at 2512 Santa Monica Boulevard through January 14, is a great place to get a bargain on a vintage gown, full set of china, or some amazing costume jewelry. The two levels of retail space are tastefully filled with all sorts of interesting items donated to help the Lange Foundation animal rescue, care, and placement. A leaded crystal vase sits on a coffee table adjacent to an as-if-new sofa. Lamps, a globe, and all sorts of...
November 15, 2023 - The President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sally Kornbluth, released a public statement to the community, including parents of students and alumni, that attempted - and pathetically failed - to address recent events on campus that have made national headlines and TV and Internet news reports. In her cover email letter, she claimed she was going to include a written update that "clears up some false rumors and answers some common questions about what...
November 14, 2023 - Tepid response by the administration at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has encouraged an escalating level of protests by supporters of Hamas who call openly for the destruction of the Jewish state of Israel and accuse Israelis and Jews of genocide. Hamas is the ruling party in Gaza and labeled a terrorist organization by the United States. Shortly after the October 7 brutal and deadly invasion of Israel by Hamas, MIT President Sally Kornbluth admitted awareness of...
November 16, 2023 - It took over a week, but the Santa Monica Police are now telling us about their arrest of a carjacking and kidnapping situation that occurred in Santa Monica on November 7. As it turns out, it was the six carjacked victims who subdued the suspect, Adrian Jose Dugas, 24 and homeless and then called the police at 10:30 pm to come pick up their tormentor. According to the victims, Dugas approached them as they were returning to their vehicle in Parking Structure 8 (Santa Monica...
November 17, 2023 - The Santa Monica City Council voted unanimously this week to strengthen the City's Vision Zero safety commitment. This will include the following practical steps: - An engineering analysis regarding upgrading all present intersections to all-way stops - Upgrading non-signaled intersections to all-way stop-controlled intersections - Upgrading the portal for residents to report a dangerous intersection - Adopting signs at two-way stop-controlled intersections that warn about...
November 10, 2023 - A homeless man who is also a parolee at large and out-of-compliance sex offender has been arrested by the Santa Monica Police Department after getting caught by private security officers trying to gain entry to a home in the 200 block of 24th Street. At 3:27 am, SMPD responded to a call from two off-duty outside agency law enforcement officers who were providing security services for the homeowner. They had observed a prowler in the backyard trying to get into the house. The...
Santa Monica's City Council thinks the city is just fine. One councilmember called the homeless residents and neighbors, their wants and desires equivalent to those of people who pay rent and pay taxes. The 'freedom' of some, most of whom suffer from drug addiction and mental illness, to live in filth, disease and to commit crimes with impunity, is valued over the ability of the rest of society to live healthy lives in law and order. Watch the videos shot and distributed by the Santa Monica...
