Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words

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  • Break-In at 19th Street and Washington at 1:30 am Disturbs Three Women

    Observer Staff|Updated Jun 13, 2019

    Three women who live at 19th Street and Washington told Santa Monica Police that a man was living in their laundry room, and eventually broke into their apartment early Thursday morning, 6/13/2019. "The man entered through out window in a small apartment," posted one of the women on nextdoor.com. "At about1:30am, my roommate saw him and started screaming and ran out - we think he left right after. There has been a man apparently sleeping In our laundry room for the past few...

  • Power Finally Restored at LAX: No Takeoffs Until 11 pm PST Wednesday Night

    Observer Staff|Updated Jun 6, 2019

    A power outage, or series of outages, caused the evacuation of terminals beginning on Wednesday at 6:20 pm. 310 Southwest flights were cancelled Wednesday night. Thursday morning at 6 a.m., the power failed again. Power crews were told to focus on Terminals 8 and 9. Several terminals saw their emergency backup systems triggered, which created a dim light for some passengers. Planes began to take off again at 11 pm on Wednesday night. But TSA cleared the Southwest terminal....

  • Underground fire causes Electrical Power Outage Across a Wide Area of Santa Monica Thursday

    Observer Staff|Updated Jun 3, 2019

    Electrical power was out across a wide area of Santa Monica Thursday afternoon beginning just after 2 PM. Power was restored to some areas just after 5 PM Pacific standard time. Ground zero for the power outage appeared to be an underground fire in an electrical vault. Edison crews were working in the alley on Arizona Avenue between Lincoln and Seventh Street. The Chase bank at seventh and Wilshire closed early as did the coffee bean and tea leaf on Ninth Street. The area of...

  • Pets or Wild Animals Could Transmit Typhus to People in Los Angeles County

    Observer Staff|Updated Jun 2, 2019

    A spokesman for the Los Angeles County Dept of Public Health, confirms two cases of typhus in Santa Monica in the last year. He said they have found typhus in Santa Monica in the past, on rats, feral cats and opossums. It has not recently found cases in people. There is a concern that they could be transmitted from the animals to people sleeping in the park, by way of fleas. Another concern is shelter workers, who could contract disorders from animals. The County does test rat...

  • Shore Hotel Retroactively Seeks Coastal Commission Approval to Open as a Hotel

    Observer Staff|Updated May 9, 2019

    Somehow, the Shore Hotel in Santa Monica opened two years ago with a Coastal Commission permit. Wednesday, the hotel, which bills itself as sustainable and environmentally sensitive, will appear before the Commission and seek the necessary permits. Shore Hotel's PR person, Melendy Britt, sent us the following: We are pleased to share a statement from Shore Hotel before tomorrow's hearing at the California Coastal Commission. "The owners of Santa Monica's first LEED...

  • Armenians Rally In Front of Turkish Consulate on Wilshire Blvd in Los Angeles

    Observer Staff|Updated May 1, 2019

    World War 1 and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire ended 101 years ago. Yet the event is fresh in the minds of 200,000 Los Angeles County Armenians, For the 5th year in a row, they shut down Wilshire Blvd, LA County's "Main Street," to mark a genocide they say cries out for more international recognition and compensation. Thousands of Armenians and others marched through Hollywood and the Mid-City area Wednesday to mark the 104th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, again...

  • Former Santa Monica Police Chief James Butts involved in Inglewood Car Crash

    Observer Staff|Updated Apr 30, 2019

    An LAPD motorcycle officer was thrown off his bike and into a fountain from a crash near USC. One of the vehicles that was involved appears to have been carrying the mayor of Inglewood. ABC News reports that their Newscopter was over the scene near an entrance to USC around 9 a.m. when first responders were seen treating a woman and her 4-year-old child, who was not hurt. The officer suffered substantial injuries but is in stable condition. "He was stationary in front of the...

  • SMPD Officer Drowns While on Vacation in Kauai, Santa Monica Police Dept. Says

    Observer Staff|Updated Apr 25, 2019

    4/25 update: Alert from SM City Hall: SM Alert - Northbound 7th St. from Wilshire Blvd. to Washington Ave. and west/eastbound California Blvd. from Lincoln Blvd. to 6th Ct. will be closed today from 11am – 5pm due to the memorial service for SMPD Officer Rashad Riley. Residents and businesses in the area should expect traffic detours, heavy Police presence and a 21-Gun Salute. Santa Monica Police Officer Rashad Riley died on Friday, April 12 while swimming in the waters off t...

  • My Brother Dimitri C. Kemitch is missing. Have You Seen Him?

    Observer Staff|Updated Apr 23, 2019
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    Hi Dear Editor, This is a recent picture of my brother, Dimitri C. Kemitch. His last known address was Orion St in Van Nuys. We last spoke on October 21,2018. We had a fight and he hung up on me. I called him back but he never returned my call. He is approximately 5'6" tall with a slender build. And, you can see his hair is gray. He speaks English only, as far as I know. Likes to read books and newspapers. Interests are astronomy and electronics. And, he is on FB but I don't...

  • SMFD Rescues Homeless Person Who Falls From Palisades Park at 1:30 am Tuesday

    Observer Staff|Updated Apr 23, 2019

    4/16/19: Santa Monica Fire Department says it rescued a homeless man who fell down the bluffs at 270 Palisades Beach Rd, and was trapped approximately 100 feet down the cliff. The SMFD had 4 engine companies and some 40 firemen involved in the rescue. Which was overkill, but it's not like the guys had anything else to do at 3 am on a Tuesday morning. The SMFD press release reads as follows: On Tuesday morning, April 16, 2019 at 2:46 a.m., Santa Monica Fire Department resources...

  • Suicidal Man Jumps From Santa Monica Parking Structure 5 in Third Such Suicide in 6 Months

    Observer Staff|Updated Apr 14, 2019
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    4/11: Once again, a downtown Santa Monica parking structure has become the site of a suicide. Bystanders reported a hazmat team hosing blood from the street in front of Parking Structure 5 on 4th Street, after the 12:30 am jump Thursday morning. Santa Monica Police confirmed the suicide that afternoon. They closed 4th Street from Broadway to Colorado for a death investigation. Santa Monica parking structures have recently become popular as suicide jumping off points. The...

  • Home Invasion Robbery Results in Charges Against 23 Year Old LA Resident

    Observer Staff|Updated Apr 9, 2019

    4/7/2019: Earlier today the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office filed charges on Brendan Bunnell, a 23-year old male, for a residential robbery. On April 2, 2019, at about 6:50AM SMPD responded to a residential burglary that had just occurred in the 1400 block of Grant St. The lone resident woke up to Bunnell in his house. Bunnell displayed a knife while demanding property and money. The resident was able to run out of the house and call the police without injury....

  • Pali Senior Conducts Parenting Classes at Cornerstone Church for Girl Scout Gold Award Project

    Observer Staff|Updated Mar 6, 2019

    My daughter Natalie Schoemann, who is a Senior at Palisades Charter High School, recently completed her Girl Scout Gold Award Project. She put together a reading program to support parenting classes at Cornerstone Church in West Los Angeles. Natalie suffers from dyslexia and reading and writing have been a struggle. As such, she felt it important to help children get a 'jump start' with reading. Generally, those who attend the parenting classes can't afford babysitting....

  • Local Girl Wins Title in Royal International Miss Pageant in Fullerton

    Observer Staff|Updated Mar 3, 2019

    2/17/19: On Sunday, Samantha Macklin competed in the Royal International Miss Pageant in Fullerton CA. She walked away with the title "Queen of RIM's Miss West Coast Jr. Teen." Samantha has been invited to attend Nationals, to be held in Orlando Florida this July. Samantha's platform for her reigning year is, "Paws for Pets" collecting money, towels and blankets for smaller Santa Monica shelters. Macklin is a 9th grader at Pacifica Christian High School and lives in Santa...

  • Fitdog Adoption Event Smooches 4 Pooches Results in Dog Adoptions and Fun

    Observer Staff|Updated Feb 15, 2019

    This past Saturday, 2/9, Fitdog hosted its fourth annual Smooches 4 Pooches event, benefitting Adopt & Shop and Operation Blankets of Love. Adopt & Shop brought dogs to be adopted, while Operation Blankets of Love was there collecting donations for shelter pets all over Southern California. Two dogs were adopted at the event, and donations for both organizations were collected. Those who donated to Operation Blankets of Love were entered into a raffle for a free dental...

  • Call for City's Social Services Commission to Resign over The People Concern scandal

    Observer Staff|Updated Feb 5, 2019

    At the Commission's 1/28/19 meeting multiple speakers expressed their frustration with the Commission's reluctance to act. Public comments by Olga Zurawska are below. The Santa Monica Social Services Commission has been hearing about the failures of the City's homeless services provider, OPCC dba The People Concern, for about fourteen months now. The Commission has heard multiple times about the warehousing of homeless clients, about the intimidation and civil rights violation...

  • The Gaslamp to 'take a chance' on The ABBA Show on March 16, Tribute Bands and the Original

    Observer Staff|Updated Feb 4, 2019

    LONG BEACH, CA (02/04/19) Marie-Claire Follett was a teenager in London looking for a singing job when she auditioned for a spot in an ABBA tribute band. She got the gig all right, and something else - a career. "I was just a singer looking for a job, and it's kind of become my life's work," Follett says. She isn't complaining. That's because she and her husband Andy Marshall, who's also her partner in the ensemble known as The ABBA Show, now have three casts of the show. Two...

  • Pedestrian Dragged 3 Blocks In Horrific Fatal Expo Line Accident Tuesday Morning

    Observer Staff|Updated Jan 17, 2019

    The 17th Street Expo line station was the scene of a fatal accident on Tuesday. Police have not yet identified the victim. It was unclear whether the pedestrian was chasing after the train, or just oblivious to it. The death was the latest in a string of mishaps involving Santa Monica train, but the first fatal accident since April 2017. Paramedics pronounced the victim dead at the scene about 8:30 a.m., said Ramon Montenegro of the Sheriff's Transit Services Bureau. The...

  • L.A. County Enhances Interim Housing Standards for Homeless People

    Observer Staff|Updated Dec 2, 2018

    The County of LA adopted an inspection program to ensure that housing facilities for the homeless are clean and responsive to needs of residents. The official COLA press release follows below. We asked Olga Zurawska, an advocate for the new legislation, whether higher standards will make it more difficult for cities to provide shelter to the homeless. She wrote back to us: First off, the standards are a moral necessity as homeless clients have been mistreated and abused by...

  • Meet Me Under the Fig Tree at Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows

    Observer Staff|Updated Dec 2, 2018

    2 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica, CA Date: Sunday, December 9 from 2pm - 5pm Website: https://www.fairmont.com/santa-monica/ Cost: Free Charity Partner/Donations: Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows is joining forces with Santa MoniCares to benefit Chrysalis, Police Activities League (PAL) and West Side Food Bank. Guests are asked to bring gently warn clothing or non-perishable food items to donate to Santa MoniCares who will distribute to the after mentioned organizations....

  • Alleged Gang Members Charged in LA Burglary Ring Targeting Celebrity Homes

    Observer Staff|Updated Nov 29, 2018

    A group of alleged gang members and associates has been charged in a multi-city burglary ring targeting celebrity homes and other properties, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced today. The criminal complaint lists 33 felony counts, including criminal street gang conspiracy; first-degree residential burglary; first-degree residential robbery; first-degree burglary, person present; home-invasion robbery; second-degree commercial burglary; and elder or...

  • Man Charged with Fatally Shooting Boss at Alhambra Newspaper

    Observer Staff|Updated Nov 26, 2018

    An employee at a Chinese-language newspaper in Alhambra has been charged with fatally shooting his boss, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced today. Zhong Qi Chen, 59, of El Monte faces one count of murder with allegations that he personally used a handgun and caused great bodily injury and death, according to the criminal complaint in case GA104674. Chen pleaded not guilty today and is scheduled to return on Dec. 18 in Department 5 of the Los Angeles...

  • LA County Sheriff's Dept Announces Repopulation of Malibu East of Las Virgenes Road

    Observer Staff|Updated Nov 19, 2018

    The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department announced Sunday evening that it would allow the repopulation of most areas impacted by the #WoolseyFire - effective Monday, November 19, 2018 at 9:00 A.M. Approximately 6,400 firefighters covering 617 fire engines, 91 dozers, 159 hand crews, 68 water tenders, 34 helicopters and numerous firefighting air tankers from throughout the state, along with numerous out-of-state resources, are still battling two large wildfires in...

  • Malibu Schools Closed Through Thanksgiving Weekend, Including Malibu High School, says SMMUSD

    Observer Staff|Updated Nov 18, 2018

    SMMUSD Schools in Malibu are closed to the end of Thanksgiving weekend due to the Fire. They will reopen on Monday, November 26th. Most of the City of Malibu is still under evacuation order, wrote District Superintendent Ben Drati on November 11th. "All four of our schools are still in the current evacuation area."http://www.smmusd.org/superintendent/DratiUpdate111418.pdf Malibu High School, Juan Cabrillo Elementary School, Point Dume Marine Science School and Webster...

  • San Quentin Investigating Two Apparent Suicides of Death Row Inmates

    Observer Staff|Updated Nov 10, 2018
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    SAN QUENTIN – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials are investigating the deaths of two condemned inmates that occurred over the weekend. On Friday night at about 11:15 p.m., staff found Andrew Urdiales, 54, unresponsive during a security check in the Adjustment Center. Correctional officers performed CPR. Urdiales was pronounced dead at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3. Urdiales was sentenced to death on Oct. 5, 2018, by an Orange County jury for t...

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