Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
Sorted by date Results 1395 - 1419 of 3375
A pilot program calling for the closure of portions of Main Street during summer weekends has received the green light from the Santa Monica City Council despite complaints from residents that it is a "hare-brained scheme" that will negatively impact their neighborhoods. At its Tuesday night's meeting, the Council directed staff to move forward with the program to "open a 1½ block-long portion of Main Street (between Hill Street and Kinney Street) to pedestrians with ex...
A group of parents, residents, and alumni are opposing the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board's decision to demolish the historic History building, circa 1930s, and use bond money to build an over-priced "21st century" replacement. The district is under pressure to spend the bond money they apparently needlessly foisted on the city's taxpayers, or it will look like they hadn't really needed it. Financial penalties might also ensue. Also, if it turns out they...
At first the city simply wouldn't help the pickleball players set up their courts. Then they pushed them out of the courts they'd been setting up on their own. And now they won't let them even do that. Pickleball was invented in the 1960s as a backyard sport, using solid paddles and a light plastic wiffle ball. It uses one quarter of a standard tennis court. After setting up the nets, 16 players can use one tennis court to play pickleball. But this sport, with adherents in...
While the number of Covid-19 cases in Los Angeles County have continued to remain the lowest since the start of the pandemic, with a test positivity rate today of 0.4%, officials are clearly hesitant to relax the restrictions they have placed on the public in the name of public health. However, with obvious reluctance, new guidelines were publicized today the county's Department of Public Health to align with updated requirements of California's Divison of Occupational Safety...
The Justice Department has reached an agreement with a California landlord to resolve a Fair Housing Act lawsuit alleging that he sexually harassed female tenants for two decades, including offering "to reduce their rental payments in exchange for sex." Under the consent order – entered by the U.S. District Court on Thursday – Larry Nelson of San Diego must pay at least $230,000 to $205,000 in damages to 13 tenants harmed by his harassment and a $25,000 civil penalty to the...
The following are two letters to the editor regarding the city's proposal to close Main Street, a major north-south artery, on the weekends: WILL A MISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN LEAD TO A MAIN STREET CLOSURE ON WEEKENDS? Dear Editor: Main Street Merchants have been lobbying City Council for over a year to Close Main Street to all traffic on weekends. They wrote a letter to city council last December 21st, claiming: "This pilot program has widespread approval from businesses and Ocea...
Are you interested in serving on the Santa Monica City Council without having to hassle with a long and costly campaign? Now is the best time for you. At the June 2 special meeting, the City Council declared Councilmember Kevin McKeown's seat vacant as of June 11 due to his retirement and also decided to appoint someone to his post. The Council members urged all interested residents to complete an online application at smgov.net/councilappoint between June 3 and 22....
May 31, 2021 - A 3.0 earthquake gently rocked Santa Monica early in the morning of Memorial Day. The epicenter was located 11 kilometers south of Santa Monica, directly south of Pepperdine University and in the middle of Santa Monica Bay. The depth was 10.1 kilometers, according to the United States Geological Survey. The exact location of the epicenter was 33.931N 118.697W. The earthquake was the fourth of a series of small, early Memorial Day earthquakes in California...
"Covid this, Covid that... It wouldn't kill you to refill the bird feeder Karen," gripes the chubby squirrel in a meme from last year. But seriously, urban wildlife depends on humans in ways we're often unaware of. Sometimes it's good to cater to these animals (example: planting milkweed along Monarch butterfly migration routes.) Other times, it's a little iffy, or there is room for debate (for instance, it's technically illegal to have a bird feeder in California since it's...
The City Council held two study sessions this week to review the proposed 2021-23 Biennial Budget which "positions Santa Monica to safely and responsibly emerge from the COVID-19 emergency orders and cultivate a revitalized local economy that reflects and services our diverse community." The budget – totaling $705.5 million in 2021-22 and $597.7 million in 2022-23 – includes expanded services to address homelessness, provide clean and safe public spaces and "facilitate an equ...
A drug-trafficking investigation, conducted by Culver City police along with detectives from other agencies, has netted 2,500 pounds of Methamphetamine and about 200 kilos of cocaine valued at $60 million, local authorities announced this week. "This drug seizure is believed to be one of the largest in Los Angeles County history," the Culver City Police Department said in a statement. The drug bust was conducted earlier this month by the by the multi-agency task force, CCPD...
Courts & Rulings Supreme Court won't extend warrantless searches to people's homes Police can't enter someone's home without a warrant except in an emergency, the Supreme Court ruled Monday, refusing to extend search authority that the justices have applied to motor vehicles. In a 5-4 ruling in 1973, the court had allowed prosecutors to use evidence police found in the warrantless search of a car they had towed after a drunken-driving crash. San Francisco Chronicle State Supre...
Department of Animal Care and Control is partnering with Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn's office to hold a virtual Town Hall on how you can help stray cats and kittens in your neighborhood. RSVP at the link below to get an email from me with information about how to join our Microsoft Teams call. https://hahn.lacounty.gov/cat-townhall...
At tonight's Santa Monica City Council meeting, longtime City Council member Kevin McKeown announced that he would retire as of June 11, 2021. He cited his advancing age. "I know I don't look it, but I'm well into my 70's" he said. He noted that it had been an honor and a privilege to serve the community. He has been a member of the 7 member Council for 25 years. The other Council members expressed shock and surprise at McKeown's announcement, which came as the meeting was...
A law that would require a semester of "Ethnic Studies" to graduate high school in California is headed for its third reading in the California State Assembly. An earlier version of today's AB101, then titled AB 331, was vetoed by Governor Newsom in the fall of 2020. In a statement regarding the veto, Newsom said, "the initial draft of the model curriculum was insufficiently balanced and inclusive." The Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC) underlying the present version of...
Wolfgang Knabe has been appointed as Interim Santa Monica Fire Chief, city officials announced Friday. He will start his temporary post June 10. Knabe, a 40-year fire service veteran, will succeed current Fire Chief Bill Walker who announced last week he was stepping down on June 4 to head up the City of Bedford Fire Department in Texas. Knabe retired as Fullerton/Brea's Fire Chief in 2018 and, in July of 2020, came out of retirement to lead the Manhattan Beach Fire...
UPDATE: From the Los Angeles Fire Department blog: CONTAINED: Firefighters have hand lines around the perimeter as helicopters continue to conduct water drops to assist with the efforts. The burn area is approximately 2 acres on a steep hillside. No structures threatened and no injuries reported. Crews will remain on scene for approximately two more hours conducting mop up operations and traffic on PCH will remain affected. No further details. May 24, 2021 - A brush fire is...
Venice residents are tired of seeing the once famous, though eclectic, boardwalk turned into one large homeless encampment. And they're talking to the media this week. For example, the UK Daily Mail writes: "On Sunday Crocodile Dundee star Paul Hogan, 81, warned the homeless away. 'This is my house, not yours,' he wrote on a note he posted on the gate of his $3.5 million Venice Beach home. Hogan complained that he is homesick and desperate to return to his native Australia but...
This weekend at all the County-run vaccination sites, the Department of Health Services vaccination sites, and the L.A. City vaccination sites, everyone 18 years and older coming to get their first vaccine will have a chance to enter the Los Angeles Lakers 2021-22 Season Ticket Vaccination Sweepstakes to win a pair (2) of season tickets for next season. For additional information, visit: http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/vaccine/sweepstakes.htm. With...
May 20, 2021 - The Los Angeles Fire Department announced last night that the Palisades brush fire that began on Friday, May 14, is at 66% containment. "Firefighters have turned the corner on this fire," reads a tweet from Wednesday night. Nevertheless, "We won't let our guard down just yet," the fire department said. "Small heat signatures still remain near the fire line." No structures were damaged and 1 injury has so far occurred in the fire which as burned 1,158 acres of...
5/17: A fight between a homeless couple over a stroller, ended in gunfire and criminal charges for one woman. Just after noon, Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) Officers responded to a shooting in the alley of the 2400 block of Ocean Park Blvd. Witnesses told them that the victim was in the alleyway pushing a stroller filled with personal property, when a vehicle drove past him. That vehicle suddenly reversed and hit the victim's stroller causing all the items to fall out...
May 19, 2021 The Los Angeles County Fire Department lifted evacuation orders for residents of Pacific Palisades at 1:00 pm Tuesday afternoon. Earlier that day, they lifted evacuation orders for residents of Topanga Canyon as an air assault on the brush fire appeared to gain them control over it. On Sunday, a suspect was arrested in connection with the fire that burned over the weekend and through Tuesday. His identity was withheld until Tuesday. Ramon Santos Rodriguez, 48, a...
Culver City police arrested on Saturday a man who allegedly stole at gunpoint a 10-month-old French bulldog in Fox Hills earlier this week. "The French bulldog was located (unharmed) and returned to its rightful owner," Culver City Police Department said in a press release. The dog snatcher reportedly responded to an advertisement listing the dog for sale. On Wednesday, May 12, the bulldog's owner agreed to meet the man on the 6000 block of Canterbury Drive around 7 p.m. to ma...
Santa Monica has resolved another tenant-landlord dispute and banked $15,000. The City reached a settlement with Marshall Reddick Real Estate and Balthazar Investment Group – landlords of a five-unit apartment building at 820 Bay Street – "to resolve allegations of tenant harassment and wrongful eviction," Santa Monica officials announced on Monday. Under the settlement agreement, the landlords will provide the tenants with more than $7,500 in rental credits, pay Santa Mon...
Santa Monica this week selected Lyft, Spin and Veo to participate in its second Shared Mobility Pilot Program, slated to begin on July 1. The 21-month pilot program, approved by City Council in March, will feature 2000 electric bikes and scooters. It was designed to promote the health and wellbeing of Santa Monica residents and will include new technologies that can improve public safety and different device types to meet the needs of users, said city officials. Francie...
