Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words

Articles from the January 25, 2023 edition


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  • Two Men Who Knew Each Other Picked Downtown Santa Monica to Have a Gun Battle. Victim Tried to Run Down Perpetrator

    Stan Greene, Observer Staff Writer|Jan 25, 2023

    Tuesday's gun battle that disrupted downtown Santa Monica, turns out, was just a dispute between friends. Manuel Jaramillo, 52, fired several rounds at Emilio Reyes, 43. One struck Reyes in the arm. He reacted by ramming his SUV into the van driven by Jaramillo. Below is the press release from Lt. Rudy Flores, SMPD PIO: On January 24, 2023, at approximately 3:42 PM, Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) Officers were flagged down by several people, who heard gunshots near 6th and Broadway....

  • U.S. Government Using Private Company to Confirm ID, Then You Start Getting Advertisements and Offers

    Rusty Gleer, Association of Mature American Citizens|Jan 25, 2023

    Ask Rusty – About Difficulty with Social Security's Sign-in Process Dear Rusty: Last month I tried to contact Social Security who never picked up a phone on their end. The same with the IRS. When I finally got through, they said I had to join ID.me before they could help me. That took me over a week, and many applications and rejects, to get through. The last step was holding up my Social Security card and my driver's license on a Zoom call to an ID.me representative. I found this very p...

  • Earthquake with Preliminary Magnitude 4.2 Wakes Up Los Angeles County At 2 am on Jan. 25, 2023

    David Ganezer, Observer Staff Writer|Jan 25, 2023

    An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.2 on the Richter scale, jolted Santa Monica and other westside LA communities awake at 2 am on Wednesday morning. There were no immediate results of damage or injury. It was the biggest earthquake in 30 years in Santa Monica, California. The jolt was followed by an aftershock at 2:03 am, about 3 minutes later, which measured 3.5. The quake was centered in the Pacific Ocean about 10 miles south of Malibu, the earthquake registered 4.2 on the Richter...

  • No One Will Sell Because of Measure GS 5% Tax on Property Sales Above $8M. So Why Not Let the Courts Reverse it.

    Houman David Hemmati MD PhD, Santa Monica Resident|Jan 25, 2023

    Dear Esteemed members of the Santa Monica City Council & Honorable City Manager, I am aware that tonight, you will be discussing how the City, which represents taxpaying citizens of Santa Monica, will respond to at least one legal challenge to the recently-passed but highly flawed Measure GS. I kindly ask you to read my entire email, as long as it is, because it is based on fact, apolitical, and intended to help both your reputations and our beloved city. Note that while I am a homeowner in...

  • Amazon to End Popular Amazon Smile Charitable Donation Program in February

    Alyssa Erdley, Observer Staff|Jan 25, 2023

    January 19, 2023 - Amazon announced in an email yesterday that they are ceasing the Amazon Smile program that donates 0.5% of the purchase price of qualifying products to a charity of the consumer's choice. The program required customers to choose a qualifying charity and then sign in with their regular Amazon password on the Smile.Amazon.com site. The shopping experience was identical to Amazon.com. Amazon will officially end the program on February 20, 2023. Over a million 501(c)...

  • Social Security's Earnings Limit: What Kind of Income Counts Toward it?

    Rusty Gleer, Association of Mature American Citizens|Jan 25, 2023

    Ask Rusty – What Counts for Social Security's Earnings Limit? Dear Rusty: I retired on February 1st of this year (2022). I collect a pension from my employer plus a union pension, as well as Social Security, all of which started in February 2022. I am married and I'm 65 years old. I only worked 4 weeks in 2022 before retiring, but my income ended up being far more than expected. I got 5 weeks' vacation pay and a retroactive check from an overdue labor contract. I also got hazard pay and a s...