Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words

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  • BREAKING NEWS: Democrats Plan to Steal this Election Using Overseas Ballots, Elon Musk Retweets

    Stan Greene, Observer Staff Writer|Oct 1, 2024

    The Dems plan to steal the 2024 Presidential Election for Kamala Harris through the use of overseas ballots. This according to a X.com post from Joel Berry, Managing Editor of the Babylon Bee. Elon Musk retweeted the post. The post appears below: "Some fun facts about the Democrat plan to steal elections using "overseas" ballots: -Through the UOCAVA/overseas program, you can register to vote online without providing ID, SSN, or proof of citizenship/address. -You can register in any state, at...

  • Santa Monica Observer Endorses the Safety Slate for City Council: Phil Brock, Oscar de la Torre, John Putnam, and Dr. Vivian Roknian

    Observer Staff|Oct 10, 2024

    As Santa Monica faces rising concerns about crime and public safety, it's more important than ever for voters to understand which candidates genuinely prioritize safety and security for our community. This election, we strongly endorse the slate of Phil Brock, Oscar de la Torre, John Putnam, and Dr. Vivian Roknian for Santa Monica City Council. These candidates have consistently shown a commitment to tackling the city's safety challenges head-on, standing in stark contrast to their opponents...

  • Jared Kushner: "Anyone who has been calling for a ceasefire in the North is wrong. There is no going back for Israel."

    Jared Kushner, Former Special Advisor to Pres. Trump|Oct 7, 2024

    September 27th is the most important day in the Middle East since the Abraham Accords breakthrough. I have spent countless hours studying Hezbollah and there is not an expert on earth who thought that what Israel has done to decapitate and degrade them was possible. This is significant because Iran is now fully exposed. The reason why their nuclear facilities have not been destroyed, despite weak air defense systems, is because Hezbollah has been a loaded gun pointed at Israel. Iran spent the la...

  • Don't be fooled by SMRR: The Safer Santa Monica slate is the only Change Slate

    Arthur Jeon, Special to the Observer|Oct 1, 2024

    There seems to be a laughable attempt by SMRR to intentionally muddy the waters this election. In a case of moral confusion and cynicism, SMMR is trying to position themselves as the "change slate," because after 40 years of their establishment politics, affecting everything from overdevelopment to the destruction of the downtown, they are saying the Change Slate elected 4 years ago needs to be... um... changed by them! You see, anti-police SMRR, which appointed our city manager and almost the...

  • How the Homeless See Santa Monica

    Michael Meyer, from Nextdoor|Sep 23, 2024

    DEAR SANTA MONICA If housed residents knew what's it like to be homeless in Santa Monica, they'd be pissed off and lose any respect you might have for the everyone in control, and the police don't help homeless people, they lie, intimidate, criminalize and ignore them but voters already know it's only getting worse regardless of who they vote for Same old bs, nothing new to see here folks The city approved nonprofits like " step up" move the worst of them into luxury apartments, yet leave the vu...

  • Santa Monica Democratic Club, A Clueless Group Supporting a Clueless SMMR Slate

    Arthur Jeon, Special to the Observer|Sep 23, 2024
    3

    September 16, 2024 - Since I was called out personally, I'm finally writing in response to the letter Jon Katz, President of the Santa Monica Democratic Club, wrote in the SMDP on August 20th about my "Anybody But SMRR" letter. Jon titled his response "Playing Politics," which was appropriate, because it was full of half truths, outright lies, straw man arguments, and misrepresentations of my views-in short, a case study of playing politics from the president of an organization completely out of...

  • Gascon Keeps Top Staffer Who is Charged with 6 Felony Counts

    Michele Hanisee, Association of Deputy District Attorneys|Aug 26, 2024

    As Ryan Erlich highlighted in April, George Gascón's administration continues to reveal a troubling double standard regarding accountability. This double standard is particularly evident in the case of Diana Teran. Diana Teran, who was appointed by Gascón to serve as the "Ethics and Integrity Advisor" to the largest local prosecutorial office in the nation, is currently charged with six felonies. Despite a judge finding probable cause to support these charges, Teran remains on the public p...

  • Here's Why to Vote No on Proposition 33

    Joseph Ebin, Turnkey Holdings|Aug 26, 2024

    LEGISLATIVE ALERT: MULTI-FAMILY, SINGLE FAMILY AND CONDOMINIUM HOUSING There is one statewide proposition on the California November 2024 ballot that I am very concerned about. It is Proposition 33, which enables extremely restrictive rent controls on a state-wide basis. These Proposition 33 proposed rent controls, including homes, condominiums, as well as multifamily complexes, could turn California into a nightmare scenario like NYC after WWII or Santa Monica or West Hollywood for the period...

  • The Lie of "Boulevard Only" Development

    Arthur Jeon, Special to the Observer|Aug 19, 2024

    Dear Council, et al: I live on 9th street, a block from three boulevards-Wilshire, Santa Monica, and Lincoln. This means I'm literally surrounded by 8-story "stack and packs," while being told the fiction that this grotesque sop to developers "won't affect the neighborhoods of Santa Monica" and will help "solve homelessness." Ha! This is, like so much that we hear from SMRR, a lie flown in on the wings of money-in this case Hedge Funds (Cypress Equity, I'm looking at you). While we were sleeping...

  • Californians Must be Prepared for an Onslaught of Tax Increases this November

    Susan Shelley, Special to the Observer|Aug 19, 2024

    Your November ballot is going to be an orgy of tax increases that would make the Kama Sutra blush. In the main arena, we see that state lawmakers have unbuckled old restraints that have stopped local governments from taking on too much debt. The 1879 California constitution stated, "No county, city, town, township, Board of Education, or school district, shall incur any indebtedness or liability in any manner, or for any purpose ... without the assent of two thirds of the qualified electors...

  • RAND is Wrong about Homeless Encampment Cleanup: Venice Stakeholders Association

    Mark Ryavec, President Venice Stakeholders Association|Aug 19, 2024

    July 29, 2024 - An article in the Los Angeles Times this week highlighted a RAND Corporation study claiming that homeless encampment cleanups don't lead to a reduction in the number of homeless in an area. Mark Ryavec, President of the Venice Stakeholder's Association, took great exception to this conclusion, noting that such cleanups should be accompanied by "offers of shelter, enforcement of 24/7 no-camping zones and the installation of landscaping, fencing and physical barriers at strategic...

  • Dear Voter Regarding Santa Monica City Council Election: Anybody but the SMRR Slate

    Arthur Jeon, Special to the Observer|Aug 12, 2024

    Dear Santa Monica Voters, We are heading into the election season here in Santa Monica and our choices are becoming clear. If you ask any resident what their main concern is, they will respond that it's the crime, safety, and disorder perpetuated by the transient addicts and mentally ill who are using our city as either a toilet, or a pool to hunt victims. In the course of the past month we've seen stabbings, attempted rapes, attempted murders, and the horrific kidnapping of a toddler by a...

  • Santa Monica's Chief of Police Ramon Batista Has Failed To Protect Santa Monica

    Adnan Safadi|Aug 5, 2024

    August 1, 2024 - It's been almost three years since Santa Monica's Chief of Police Ramon Batista said he would provide Santa Monica with "unparalleled public safety." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ups05Sdpv3U&ab_channel=CityofSantaMonica But I get yelled at by drug addicts almost every day. I'll be walking down Montana Avenue – Ocean, 7th Street, Idaho, 2nd Street, Santa Monica, Wilshire, 4th Street, Main Street, The Promenade, The Beach Strand – and some crazy drug addict yells at me agg...

  • Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath Lies About Santa Monica After Ending Up On "Mount Drugsmore"

    Adnan Safadi, Special to the Observer|Aug 5, 2024

    July 26, 2024 - Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath is lying About Santa Monica. She recently said in an emailed statement: "County partners with Venice Family Clinic to provide harm reduction services for up to three hours each week in Santa Monica. Through harm reduction and other efforts, deaths among people experiencing homelessness held steady for the first time since 2015, as opposed to continual increases the County had historically seen." Horvath added that since the County...

  • Santa Monica City Council Considers Bitcoin and Hemmati Says No Way

    Houman David Hemmati MD PhD, Special to the Observer|Jul 14, 2024
    1

    Dear Mayor Brock and Members of the City Council, I am writing to you today as a concerned citizen of Santa Monica and a PhD scientist and MIT-trained chemical engineer. Last night's decision to establish a Bitcoin Office within our city deeply concerns me, and I feel compelled to share the significant risks and adverse impacts associated with this initiative. My primary concerns revolve around the financial instability of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, as well as the severe environmental...

  • Santa Monica's Mayor Phil Brock Was Attacked On The Promenade, Now He's Pretending Like Santa Monica Is Safe

    Adnan Safadi, Special to the Observer|Jul 9, 2024

    Lots of news outlets are now covering how unsafe Santa Monica is because of the Santa Monica Coalition's sign on the promenade. The Santa Monica Coalition's sign says "Santa Methica Is Not Safe. Our City Manager Supports the Needle & Meth Pipe Distribution Program In Our Parks and Public Spaces." Santa Monica's Mayor Phil Brock recently did a TV interview where he said that "Most of Santa Monica is always safe." Here's the interview: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtxlbIBUxJQ) There's a big...

  • Dangerous Madness: The New Face of Santa Monica

    Arthur Jeon, Special to the Observer|Jul 1, 2024

    June 25, 2024 Dear Council, Hate to hit you two days in a row, but this sociopath was arrested after attempting to rape a 17 year-old girl at the beach, strangling her until she lost consciousness and breaking her nose. He then attempted to rape and drown another woman, a homeless woman who is a hero that seems in real need of our services, who came to the girl's aid. Victim 3 was a 73 year-old tourist from Montreal who also intervened and was robbed of a necklace and dragged 40 feet in another...

  • Here's How to Find the Money to Hire More Police Officers in Santa Monica

    Arthur Jeon, Special to the Observer|Jul 1, 2024
    1

    Dear Council, The city is broke! We are told the council must choose between paving our alleys or hiring more police, as crime, addiction, disorder, and mental illness has become our new brand. (Just in the last couple weeks, tourists have been stabbed, robbed, or had their windshield shattered as they entered the city-welcome!). This immigrant, whose dream was to graduate from a pushcart to a store in SM, in six months has been robbed twice on the 3rd street promenade. Watch the heartbreaking...

  • Response to Santa Monica Mayor Brock and Vice-mayor Lana Negrete Accompanying Distribution of Drug Paraphernalia

    John Alle, Santa Monica Coalition|Jun 25, 2024
    1

    Mayor Brock left Reed Park after 45 min. I watched from my car, and did not enter Reed Park. Brock approached me as I was sitting in my car, said he was hungry, and going to lunch. Brock's comments about the Venice Family Clinic in Tongva Park are hearsay, because he was not there. While in Reed Park, Vice Mayor Negrete and a Venice Family Clinic worker were startled by an addict close behind them who began screaming a 4-letter word and waving his hands. They quickly moved on. While in Tongva...

  • Here's Why Santa Monica Police Stopped Posting Daily Public Arrest Records

    The Santa Monica Coalition|Jun 18, 2024

    SANTA MONICA now surpasses 97% of California communities of any size in the number of violent and property crimes. CRIME has increased in SANTA MONICA for the 3rd consecutive year according to SMPD. Issuance of Daily Public Arrest Records were just discontinued. Why? SANTA MONICA Police made over 5,000 (reported) calls to the 3 main PARKS visited by TOURISTS and RESIDENTS in 2023. SM Police are underfunded by the Mayor and City Council. There has been a 1 to 1 increase in criminal transient...

  • The Third Street Promenade: Is it a Fun, Safe Place for Families or Overrun by Crime and Human Degradation?

    Observer Staff and John Alle|Jun 10, 2024

    In response to Santa Monica Mayor Phil Brock uploading to Instagram a promotional video featuring the Third Street Promenade in rose-colored terms, John Alle wrote the following regrading what he and the Santa Monica Coalition he co-founded see as the ongoing and very real problems in the Santa Monica downtown area. His remarks have been edited for length. He also provided the photos, which were date and time stamped as we have recorded here. What you [Phil Brock] conveyed in your video does not...

  • DTSM Inc is a Corrupt Agency that is Contributing to the Ruination of Santa Monica's Downtown Area

    Alyssa Erdley|Jun 10, 2024
    3

    May 29, 2024 - Downtown Santa Monica Inc, the nonprofit, quasi-governmental agency that is responsible for the cleanliness, security, and prosperity of that area, is being accused of conflict of interest among some of its board members, poor money management, and general dereliction of duty and incompetence. The borders over which DTSM assumes control are Ocean Avenue on the west, Lincoln Blvd., on the east, Wilshire Blvd. on the north, and the SM 10 Freeway on the south. A majority of its...

  • MIT President Gives Mealy-Mouthed Excuse for Finally Closing Down Pro-Gaza, Antisemitic Encampment that Violated Every Institute Rule

    Alyssa Erdley, Alumnus MIT and Observer Staff|May 27, 2024

    May 10, 2024 - Today we received a press release from Sally Kornbluth, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, explaining why she had called police in early this morning to take down (finally) a provocative and disruptive pro-Gaza (pro-Hamas terror organization) encampment that had planted itself in the Kresge courtyard - a central point connecting the student dorms, the student center and cafeterias, and the classroom buildings. The encampment, she admits in her statement, was i...

  • A Call on City Leaders to Clean Up this Mess: Crime, Homelessness, Overpriced "Affordable" Housing and More

    Houman David Hemmati MD PhD, Special to the Observer|May 27, 2024

    Dear Mayor Brock, City Manager White, City Attorney Sloan, and Esteemed Members of the City Council, I write to you as a deeply concerned and thoroughly fed-up resident of Santa Monica. Our city, once a beacon of beauty and safety, has descended into a state of lawlessness, neglect, and mismanagement. This letter serves as a wake-up call and a declaration of intent to reclaim our community from the brink of disaster. It is inspired by a profound sense of duty and love for our home, much like...

  • While Crime and Homelessness Take Over the City, Elected Leaders Waste Time Discussing the Middle East

    Alyssa Erdley, News with Attitude|May 27, 2024
    3

    May 15, 2024 - Last night the Santa Monica City Council devoted slightly over three hours in a 9-⅓ hour meeting to the topic of the Gaza conflict in the Middle East. Freshman councilmember Jesse Zwick had brought forward a resolution calling for a "negotiated bilateral ceasefire" in the military actions Israel is conducting to root out the terrorist organization Hamas. Hamas broke the previous ceasefire on October 7, 2023, brutally raping, torturing, and murdering Israelis and other citizens, ki...

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