Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
Sorted by date Results 3018 - 3042 of 3379
It was emotional night at the SMMUSD school board meeting Thursday, as three departing school board members said goodbye and shared memories of their tenure on the board. The exiting members, Nimish Patel, Ralph Mechur and Ben Allen were presented with plaques for their service. In attendance were Craig Foster and Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein, who will be assuming responsibility of Mechur and Patel's seats. Allen's seat will be filled via an appointment process that will take...
In light of a statewide drought and environmental concerns, the SMMUSD Board of Education discussed the progress of district-wide water conservation measures and outlined ideas for the future. Despite admittedly flawed data, members of the district’s Business Service staff explained the serious improvements and overhauls that have been taking place at district schools as a result of Measure BB funding. These include everything from small changes in irrigation, to large-scale innovative technology like “Green Roofs”. Stuar...
Last week, attorneys filed a lawsuit against SXSW festival organizers on behalf of Lizzy, the widow Steven Craenmehr who was killed at SXSW last March by accused errant and drunk driver Rashad Owens. Owens was fleeing police when he allegedly killed Craenmehr, Jamie West, Sandy Thuy Le and DeAndre Tatum, all of whom died from being hit by Owens’ car. Twenty other people sustained injuries from the accident. The evidence against Owens is strong, but proceedings against the manare proceeding slowly, as often happens in the c...
The Santa Monica city council on Tuesday takes up a resolution against drilling for oil in Santa Monica Bay. The council has no authority over any current drilling proposals, so the vote is largely symbolic. But it will signal the position of civic leaders on a controversial drilling plan in nearby Hermosa Beach. In March, Hermosa Beach residents will consider whether to roll back a long-standing ban on oil drilling. A company called E & B Natural Resources is seeking permission to put up a rig on shore and sink 34 wells...
New Concierge Lounge at SM Place On December 23 at 10:00 am, Santa Monica Place held a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially inaugurate the new Concierge Lounge. In celebration of the grand opening, the public was invited to visit the Concierge Lounge during mall hours for refreshments. “The Concierge Lounge is fashioned for our guests to create a memorable experience,” said Shoshana Puccia, senior marketing manager, Santa Monica Place. “Because we have a heavy tourist attraction, we want to ensure their experience at our c...
About 50-60 people attended a rally to honor the victims of what organizer Amanda Gordon called "Police abuse. Our goal was to bring awareness of the issue to our community, whichwant to keep the dialogue about race and equality going with numerous other nonviolent protests and events in our community," said Gorman, a SamoHi student. Fellow student organizer Zolee Griggs told the crowd: "We stand here today not for ourselves, but to honor the lost lives of far too many...
Elaine Polachek Named Santa Monica's Interim City Manager Elaine Polachek, Santa Monica's current Assistant City Manager has been named Interim City Manager as Rod Gould's retirement at the end of January nears. Mayor Kevin McKeown announced the unanimous selection of Polachek at the Council Meeting on December 16th. "With great confidence, our Council chose Elaine Polachek because of her long history with our city, her record of successful communication and collaboration with...
The City of Santa Monica is kicking off the final phase of improvements at Reed Park, which will focus on the 1-acre lawn in the northeast section of the park. The redesign will seek to better connect the lawn with the rest of this active park. Public input is needed to ensure that the design will meet community needs. Located along Wilshire Blvd between 7th Street and Lincoln Blvd, Reed Park is home to the historic Miles Memorial Playhouse, tennis courts, basketball courts, playgrounds, a senior lunch program, and offices...
Sony Pictures Entertainment handed a victory to its tormentors Wednesday, announcing it would pull a movie that has angered North Korea, amid reports that U.S. intelligence has connected the Thanksgiving hack on the studio to the isolated Communist state. In a statement, Sony said it decided not to release “The Interview” on Christmas Day as planned, “in light of the decision by the majority of our exhibitors not to show the film.” Five of the top theater chains in North America already announced earlier Wednesday that th...
Police chased a man suspected of stealing a car Wednesday evening from North Hollywood through Santa Monica to Malibu and all points between. The man drove erratically and was alone in the BMW that was reported stolen. The pursuit began around 6:45 p.m. at Whitsett Avenue and Valleyheart Drive. The driver often went as fast as 70 mph on surface streets. He blew red lights and went at “extremely high speeds” while he made a series of wide turns. The stolen car suspect zigzagged dangerously close to several cars and drove on a...
At the December 9 City of Santa Monica Council meeting all newly elected officials took the oath of office from City Clerk Sarah P. Gorman. Returning councilmembers Kevin McKeown and Pam O'Connor were sworn in for the fifth and sixth times respectively. Newly elected councilmember Sue Himmelrich took the oath of office. Kevin McKeown was unanimously elected mayor and Tony Vazquez will be mayor pro tempore....
by David Ganezer Observer Publisher Santa Monica is an egalitarian City, and everyone gets their chance to be Mayor. In a move that surprised no one, since it was arranged for in advance; Councilman Kevin McKeown was elected Mayor of Santa Monica by the other six City council members. He will be mayor for a one-year term, and then Councilman Tony Vazquez will succeed him in 2016. Vazquez was elected Mayor Pro Tempore. In 2016, Ted Winterer will be Mayor Pro Tempore (Latin...
With a major storm moving toward the Southland, the weather service is warning of wild weather including heavy wind and rain, thunderstorms, and low snow levels. residents near the Colby Fire burn area in Glendora were bracing again today for possible mudslides and flooding. The storm is expected to arrive in the Los Angeles area late Thursday and continue through Friday. National Weather Service forecasters said the storm could dump 1 to 2 inches of rain on coastal and...
Santa Monica, CA, December 12th, 2014: Local high school students, disappointed by the recent lack of justice for the victims of police brutality Tamir Rice, Mike Brown, and Eric Garner, turned their disappointment into motivation by organizing a large, youth-based protest in their Santa Monica community. The movement began when the students decided on impulse to walk out of their school and circle the block to join a national walk out on December 5th. Inspired by the act...
Dumpster Diving Called Lifestyle Crime When Ismail Aguirre removed old computers from a recycling bin, he never imagined that it might be a crime. An ever vigilant SMPD officer charged Aguirre with removing property from a city owned bin. Santa Monica City Attorney Jennifer Grigsby moved to dismiss the case, in Dept. 147 of the LAX Los Angeles Superior courthouse. Judge Deborah Brazil admonished Aguirre, “that it is illegal and you will be arrested if you remove materials from a city owned bin in the city of Santa M...
Torrance Mayor Pat Furey is seeking to oust his Santa Monica counterpart as the regional representative on the Metropolitan Transit Authority board, a role Pam O’Connor has held since 2001. O’Connor, a bus rider and professional planner who is a transportation policy wonk and “strong advocate for public transit,” has never been challenged during her tenure. But her most recent four-year term has expired and the mayors of the 19 South Bay and Westside cities that make up a subcommittee that recommends its representative to the...
In November 2011, the Santa Monica City Council unanimously - and enthusiastically - adopted the Bike Action Plan (BAP), an ambitious 300-page document that seeks to transform the bayside city into one of the most bike-friendly cities in the country. The BAP, the culmination of years of work by City Planning staff, local bike advocates, and residents, contains in its pages a 20 year vision to bring Santa Monica to the forefront of active transportation. While the BAP contains...
In recognition of its innovative leadership in the area of climate and energy policy, Santa Monica has received the 2014 Cool Planet Award. A collaborative effort of Southern California Edison and The Climate Registry, the Cool Planet Awards recognize cities, universities and businesses for demonstrating exemplary leadership in energy and carbon management. "Cool Planet Award winners are taking meaningful action every day as they strive to make their organizations more energy...
Public health officials in Los Angeles and Orange counties are asking surfers and swimmers to stay out of the ocean because of the bacteria, debris and trash that washed into the water from this week's storms. The advisory remains in effect until 7 a.m. Sunday for all Los Angeles County beaches, but it may be extended depending on the rainfall. In Orange County, health officials advised beach-goers to stay out of the water for three days after the latest storm. As a rule,...
Months after turning up looking sickly and suffering from mange, Griffith Park's resident mountain lion and unofficial mascot of sorts is looking much healthier. In new photos released by park officials Thursday, the mountain lion also known as P-22 or Puma-22 appears healthy, strong, and happily feeding on the carcass of a mule deer in the park. A remote camera set up on a fresh deer kill in Griffith Park captured more than 1,500 photos of P-22. (Credit: Santa Monica...
Google Buys 12 Acres in Playa Vista Google has purchased a dozen acres of vacant land in Playa Vista for $120 million to expand its presence in Los Angeles. The parcel is zoned for nearly 900,000 square feet of commercial space that could house offices or studios, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday. The plot is adjacent to the historic hangar where aviator Howard Hughes built his famous Spruce Gooseairplane. Google also is expected to lease the hangar, which has housed soundstages for movie and television andUCLA...
The FBI along with Sony Pictures Entertainment is investigating the source of a cyber attack that took down Sony’s computer network in Culver City last week. Sources close to the investigation believe that hackers working on behalf of North Korea launched the attack because Sony Pictures plans to release “The Interview,” a comedy about two journalists who are recruited by the CIA to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The North Korean dictatorship has denounced the film as “undisguised sponsoring of terrori...
Following several postponements, jury selection in the Ryan Bright murder trial will begin December 4 at 10:00am at the Airport Courthouse E. Attorneys expect the trial to last 2-3 weeks. Ryan Bright is charged with one count of murder with premeditation and deliberation (Penal Code section 187(a)) with a knife enhancement. This is considered first degree murder. The victim’s name is Jensen Gray, 27. Bright and Gray were both from Laguna Beach and attended Laguna Beach High School together. At the time of the incident, w...
In a city known for being very bike friendly, there seems to be plenty of support in Santa Monica for a city-wide bike share program that is designed for residents to take short bike rides or to bridge the gaps in the transit system. West Hollywood resident Israel Garabino usually rides his bike from his home to his job in Santa Monica, and so for him a bike share program in the city makes perfect sense. "The weather's perfect for it. The people are ready, in terms of drivers...
Join Santa Monica’s Police Chief, Fire Chief, and the Chamber of Commerce in a rewarding and vital community event. Over 200 volunteers will be assigned to teams that will cover every street, alley and park to enumerate homeless individuals. This annual count not only informs our homeless strategy but is a great way to be a part of the solution to address homelessness. Security will be provided and all volunteers will receive training! To learn more about the City’s Homeless Count and efforts to address homelessness in San...
