Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
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Prince Rogers Nelson is gone but will be forever remembered by his music. We are always struck hard when an icon suddenly departs from this life. Regardless of how and why Prince left us so suddenly, his fans mourn. Musicians leave a print on the earth. Elvis fans remember the moment and the very place they were when they first heard his death announced. Many of us will never forget the chilling news of John Lennon's assassination. Only recently we mourned the death of David...
Sacramento – A measure, SB 1342, authored by Senator Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia) that would protect workers by paving the way for a statewide mechanism at the local level to fight wage theft, was approved today by the Senate Judiciary Committee on a bipartisan 6 to 0 vote. The bill now goes to the Senate Floor for consideration. "As counties and cities in California move to raise the minimum wage, we must ensure that our low-wage workers, who already face so many challenges, r...
Update: Alix Hobbs, the President of Heal the Bay, called me to say that Thuy Tran's death, while tragic, was not connected to Heal the Bay, as she was not participating in their beach clean up event. For this reason, they have no more information on the circumstances of this tragedy. She said that Heal the Bay has procedures in place to train volunteers about beach safety. Nevertheless, she said, it's impossible to watch everyone at every moment, or to prevent people from...
If statistics are any guide, the war against chronic disease is going particularly poorly for men. For 9 of the 10 deadliest diseases, American men die at higher rates than women. Over 300,000 men will drop dead this year from heart disease alone. Male patients urgently need better treatments. That's why proposed changes to Medicare's prescription drug benefit are so worrying. Below, Men's Health Network vice president Ana Fadich warns that, rather than save billions of dollar...
Some twenty years agone I had read this remarkable book by Karl Marx, merely Volume one of the author's four volumes created over two decades of work in exile, though he made a home of England. They were intended for three printed books. It ended up as six printed books ! Marx himself published only the first book, then had a mild stroke, and was unable to finish the rest. But such an outpouring of heart, intellect, wit, and analysis made Volume one a world classic some years...
For the last seven years, the City of Santa Monica has struggled to come up with a downtown plan. The problem is, the City's residents are in open revolt against a City Staff they see as rubber-stamping numbers huge projects for years. 25 workshops have been held. Numerous discussions and formal hearings have been held. Yet the city's residents are lukewarm at best, to greatly raising the amount of traffic and people in downtown. Truly, what is wrong with these citizens? From...
VERNON, Calif. (April 4, 2016) – To the Consumer Federation of America: The National Food Policy Conference, which convenes on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., describes itself as "a key national gathering for those interested in agriculture, food and nutrition policy." But this year, "those interested" is looking like an exclusive club. Your organization, the Consumer Federation of America, invited Nina Teicholz, author of The Big Fat Surprise and an enthusiastic champion of m...
William J. Baer Assistant Attorney General U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20530-0001 RE: Airline Coordination on Airfare Policy Dear Assistant Attorney General Baer: I write to you on behalf of corporate, university and government organizations that purchase large volumes of commercial airline services. We have a concern that American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines may have recently coordinated on a compl...
War of the Letters: Airport Group Calls for City Attorney to Resign From: Jonathan Stein Subject: City Attorney Marsha Moutrie resignation and Atlantic Aviation Lease Renewal for which she vehemently argues All, It has been an open secret at City Hall for several months that City Attorney Marsha Moutrie is being forced into resignation, in part because she epitomizes the preference for special interests shown by our City Council, and in part for her utter contempt for...
Community leaders will join forces at a meeting of the Santa Monica City Council on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2015 as the Council votes to approve the budget. Youth, parents and community advocates are demonstrating before the Council meeting to support $190,000 funding to the Pico Youth & Family Center (PYFC), Santa Monica's only culturally relevant youth program led by people of color. The demonstration will begin Tuesday, June 23rd, 2015 at 3:30pm at the Pico Youth & Family Center (PYFC) - 715 Pico Blvd. Santa Monica, Ca....
To The Santa Monica Observer: The Santa Monica City Council is scheduled to meet on Tuesday to discuss issues related to the Big Blue Bus. The proposed massive shifting of long-existing bus routes to "service" the Expo Line is on the agenda, and no doubt the continuing controversy over the Bus Stop "Improvement" Project being rammed through by the Big Blue Bus will be discussed as well. No doubt the latter is well known to you and all other media in Santa Monica, with the BBB...
Dear Editor, Pardon me if I don’t cue my violin and sing the praises of the so-called ‘community’ group ‘Santa Monica Forward’ as it launches its altruistic crusade to create a ‘progressive, sustainable, diverse and inclusive’ future for our city. Oh, how valiant they are, these supporters of developers, to take on such a noble cause and save the less fortunate among us by supporting thousands of new Tier 3 housing units and all the ground floor retail goodness those projects would surely bring to the benefit of us all. Wh...
City Hall will be closed tight as a drum on Christmas, New Years, and especially MLK Day. However, the City's trash collectors continued to work on Veteran's Day. So did those denizens of the Cushman, the city's tireless ticket givers. I know, because I saw them both working last Tuesday, November 11, 2014. Rumor has it they get paid triple time to collect the trash on holidays. Separately, this reporter can assure to you with absolute certainty that if you get more than five...
Editor: Publisher David Ganezer’s column in the November 3 – 9, 2024, edition was unique (I think). I am not a regular reader of the Observer so don’t know if his column is published often and this is his usual style. However, I was puzzled by his extensive quoting of the post-election SMCLC email. Does it mean he agrees with their message? Does he think they are attempting to look successful as a political party in the face of the disappointing election results? He inserted paragraphs about the airport measures and Phil...
How to Lose Control of “Our Land” The Yes on Measure LC Committee loudly complain that, if voters closed the airport under the terms of Measure D, nothing in that measure directly addresses the development process that would follow. This is true and it was done by intention - not by omission. Unlike Measure LC, Measure D does not attempt to skirt existing land use regulations in Santa Monica. As City Attorney Marsha Moultrie has noted on numerous occasions, the City already has in place robust processes and regulations tha...
I'm thrilled to be running for the State Senate in such an incredible district, which includes Santa Monica and other iconic neighborhoods like West Hollywood, Venice and the Beach Cities, a district that I've called home for seven years. I've spent my career as an advocate for the public interest, always with the mission of making people's lives better and giving a voice to those who aren't always heard. Now I'm running for public office – not a role I saw myself in when I f...
On November 4th, voters will head to the polls and face critical choices that impact both the future of our State and our community here in Santa Monica. Local voters will determine who will fill the shoes of long-time political titans L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and U.S. Congressman Henry Waxman, and who will take over the scandal-ridden positions of L.A. County Assessor and Sheriff. A major water bond proposal is also on the ballot, as well as one to improve the...
Publisher's note: Ben Allen and Sandra Fluke are running a hotly contested campaign for the 26th state Senate district, which covers much of West L.A., Santa Monica, and the South Bay. Sandra Fluke is a consumer rights attorney, and Ben Allen lectures at UCLA, as well as practicing law and serving on the Santa Monica School board. We asked each candidate to explain why they should succeed State Senator Ted Lieu and represent the Westside as one of California's 36 State...
It’s that time of year again: your mailboxes are filling up with mail from candidates, causes and slates! After careful consideration, here are the Observer’s endorsements, in the order they appear in your ballot: Governor: Jerry Brown. Jerry is irascible, smart, cranky, and wily. He has shown that he has the experience, wisdom, but also the independence to lead. He has deserved your vote for reelection. Lieutenant Governor: Gavin Newsom. This is a sleeper of a race. Gavin is smart and innovative and deserves to be ree...
Dear Editor, In the Oct. 6-12 issue of the Observer there was a first page article in reference to Mayor Pam O’Connor and alleged campaign law violations. In Ms. O’Connor’s reply she states that she is a single working woman and she does not have $90,000.00 to contribute to her campaign and she also refers to other public service work in which she is involved. And she indicates that there may have been $4,000.00 worth of mistakes and over 10 years that is only $400.00 per year. First of all, no one put a gun to her head...
By now everyone knows about the drought, although some people seem to be in denial about the problem it presents. The governor has asked for a 20% reduction in use, and our City has followed suit and asked residents to reduce water use by 20%. In the meantime, new developments–some of them especially water-intensive– continue to make their way through the approval process. Even as residents try to reduce their consumption, the city’s overall consumption is well on its way to new heights. Santa Monica gets most of its water...
September 25, 2014 Dear Supporter of SMCLC, In a significant victory for residents’ First Amendment rights and a rebuke to Mayor Pam O’Connor and City Manager Rod Gould, a federal judge in Los Angeles just ruled that Elizabeth’s case against the City and Gould may proceed toward trial. http://smdp.com/riel-case-city-gould-moves/142040 Elizabeth was summarily dismissed from a city position after Mayor O’Connor intervened, improperly -- and in violation of Santa Monica and state law -- to pressure Mr. Gould to fire her. Ms...
As California enters deeper into drought and global warming, grass lawns and playing fields, with their high watering demand, are becoming the next obvious victim. In Santa Monica’s case, the grass playing fields have already been disappearing for the last 20 years. Because of our relative shortage of playing fields, the grass fields simply could not take the destruction caused by the hundreds of cleats everyday, so schools and parks have slowly shifted over to plastic playing fields. In Santa Monica, the plastic playing f...
Dear Editor, Anyone who follows the airport issue knows that while City staff does a great job actually running the airport, the City Council-appointed Airport commission is trying to strangle the airport out of existence with hostile leasing policies and other attempted restrictions. That’s why Measure D provides that no new restrictions can be imposed on the airport without a vote of the people. Most voters in Santa Monica support the airport. Measure D will make sure that the airport can’t be closed by “other means...
In the wake of the unfortunate shark incident in Manhattan Beach, where a hooked white shark bit a swimmer, the city of Manhattan Beach deliberated last night about potential management actions to minimize harmful interactions among anglers, wildlife and ocean users. The City Council had already enacted a temporary 60-day pier fishing prohibition beginning July 7, and decided last night to continue the discussion about best management practices to its next meeting. Dozens of p...
