Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
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"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...
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...
May 18, 2021 A fire that is suspected arson that started Friday night was 32% contained as of 9 am Tuesday morning, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department incident report. Evacuation orders were lifted for Topanga residents but remain in place for residents of the north portion of the Palisades Highlands. A thousand residents had to be evacuated for the fire which has so far burned 1,158 acres. Better mapping decreased an earlier estimate of 1,325 acres. At a...
In a move that appears calculated to kill what little retail life is left in the Third Street Promenade and downtown, city officials are asking the California Coastal Commission to approve their proposal to tear down Parking Structure 3 in downtown Santa Monica. Officials wish to replace the 337-car structure with "affordable" housing for low-income tenants. Since 1968, the parking structure has served Santa Monica and the tourists who come here. Pre-pandemic, all of the...
Santa Monica Fire Chief Bill Walker announced on Tuesday he will be departing his post on June 4 to head up the City of Bedford Fire Department in Texas. A Southern California native, Walker has served as head of the Santa Monica Fire Department since 2016, guiding it through a period of transformation with new technology, four new fire engines, the new Fire Station 1, and Fire Station 7 at the beach, the city said in a press release. "Santa Monica could not have had a better...
The fire began Friday night at Michael Lane and Palisades Court. As the fire spread, people on social media wondered: Did some homeless guy (or gal) start the fire? Police are searching for an arson suspect believed to have started the fire. They have questioned two men, one of whom is on probation for setting fires. Authorities have a large perimeter set up, and were canvassing the area hoping to find him. Helicopters dropped non stop water on the hills near pacific...
The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC) is providing safe sheltering for animals evacuated as a result of the Palisades Fire. Mandatory evacuation orders are in place for the Topanga Canyon area. DACC is currently accepting animals at the below evacuation sites: Large animals: • Pierce College Equestrian Center 6201 Winnetka Avenue, Woodland Hills, CA 91351 Small animals: Agoura Animal Care Center 29525 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301 Follow u...
LOS ANGELES - L.A. Controller Ron Galperin today released an updated online COVID-19 Spending Tracker (https://lacontroller.org/data-stories-and-maps/covidspending/) for the City of Los Angeles showing money spent in response to the pandemic. Since March 2020, City departments reported spending a total of $984.8 million - on programs and supplies, homeless housing, staffing and overtime, emergency rental assistance, and testing and vaccination efforts. "Over the last year,...
The City Council met this week to review the OIR Group's independent, after-action report on the events connected to the civil unrest in Santa Monica May 31, 2020. The Group's 116-page analysis does not condemn the Santa Monica Police Department but it does contain 44 recommendations to improve the city and SMPD's emergency response. At its meeting Tuesday night, the Council directed SMPD to prepare within 60 days a response to the report, setting out a plan for...
Update 8:15 pm: Palisades brushfire doubled in size to 750 acres. It triggered the evacuation of some Topanga Canyon residents. Those live in east of Topanga Canyon Boulevard between Topanga community Center and Vue Ridge Road as well as those north of Entradero Rd. south of Oakwood Drive and east of Henry rich mountain way. The Palisades Fire is visible from Santa Monica as it burns through the Topanga State Park. Arson is suspected, though authorities have not issued an offi...
May 14, 2021 - On Thursday the Centers for Disease Control changed their guidelines regarding the wearing of masks for vaccinated people. As of yesterday, the nation's top disease authority announced that they believed it safe for people who are fully vaccinated to dispense with masks in all situations, indoors and outdoors, crowded or not. Los Angeles County's Department of Public Health is not ready to go along with these new guidelines, a situation that would allow...
