Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
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Throughout Santa Monica, about 1,488 residents currently live in subsidized housing known as Section 8, a federal program administered by the Santa Monica Housing Authority (SMHA). These are the extremely low income Santa Monicans – families, seniors, and individuals living with disabilities. One would think that a city which represents itself as a liberal stronghold fully invested in affordable housing would have concern for its most vulnerable residents and their rights. B...
The Black Lives Matter organization (not to be confused with the idea that black lives matter) recently removed a page from their website that outlined the beliefs of the group. The page, titled "What We Believe," set forth a number of Marxist and radical LGBTQ tenets that could hardly be deemed relevant to their generally perceived goal of combating racism and uplifting the black community. "We are self-reflexive and do the work required to dismantle cisgender privilege and u...
The California State Legislature passed AB 331 in September, a bill requiring a semester of ethnic studies for high school graduation. A model curriculum, hundreds of pages long, is available for public comment and will be approved in March of next year if the governor signs the bill into law. 80 groups, spearheaded by the Amcha Initiative, an organization opposing anti-Semitism on campuses, signed a letter urging the governor to veto the bill. While the authors of AB 331,...
The Santa Monica City Council on Tuesday will be presented with suggestions from The Black Agenda for ways to spend the $200,000 already earmarked in June for efforts to support racial justice. The Black Agenda is comprised of a group of the city's Black community leaders (capital letters are theirs) whose steering committee includes Barry Snell, a former SMMUSD Board member and current Santa Monica College Board Trustee. Also on the steering committee are Dr. Karen Gunn, a...
8/27/20: On Monday, the City of Santa Monica issued its 22nd Local Emergency Supplement, that is, yet another order restricting citizens' rights. This time, the city threatens to fine property owners for holding any gathering of over 20 people and to shut off their utilities. In addition, the violators could be charged with a misdemeanor. Fines would be $500 for a first violation, $750 for a second and $1,000 for a third violation committed within one year. Gatherings of any...
Dear Editor: In a front page article about the SMMUSD's attempts to develop a social justice component for its curricula, writer Corva Corax disputes the motives behind and possible efficacy of this effort. https://www.smobserved.com/story/2020/08/30/news/smmusd-in-dangerous-waters-with-social-justice-journey-lacks-any-critical-thinking-about-race-and-school-achievement/4868.html The curriculum would closely follow 20 social justice standards developed by the well-respected...
Power outages due to lack of supply affected nearly half a million customers in California last weekend. The shortage of available power was at least in part due to the state's commitment to clean power, closing fuel-generating plants and investing in unreliable solar and wind power. Almost a year ago, the California Independent System Operator, the nonprofit agency charged with maintaining the power grid, had warned there would be shortages this summer. Nothing was done...
New York City tried to make voting easier, and the result was chaos. City elections officials were overwhelmed with a flood of vote-by-mail ballots, more than 400,000, or ten times the usual number in a primary. Many ballot envelopes came in without the required postmarks. That problem may have been caused by processing errors at the post office. The envelopes provided to voters to return their ballots were postage-paid, which may have led to incorrect handling and missing pos...
A woman was shot and killed and four others sustained wounds after an unknown number of gunmen fired multiple rounds at a house party in the exclusive Beverly Crest neighborhood. The shooting occurred Tuesday around 1:15 am after the party had already attracted the attention of the neighbors, LAPD, and local news agencies for its flagrant violation of county health orders. An estimated 200 people filled the 3-story rented mansion, none of them wearing masks. Party-goers were...
On Wednesday, the City of Los Angeles and Santa Monica issued further emergency orders in apparent reaction to the infamous house party held Monday night in Beverly Crest for an NFL football player. The party was filmed from news helicopters and showed hundreds of people disporting in the 3-story luxury mansion, none of them wearing masks. Ignoring the salient but apparently irrelevant fact that a woman was killed by gunfire at the party, local officials took action to stem...
In June, the Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City (SMCLC) served the City with legal objections to proceeding with plans to privatize public land at 4th and Arizona for a massive commercial project until it had complied with a state law known as the Surplus Land Act. Under the Act, before negotiating and disposing of public land for commercial uses, the City must notify interested parties to see if the 25-acre parcel could be used as open space or for affordable housing....
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Superintendent Ben Drati sent an email to parents, students, and the public that is chilling in both its content and its wording regarding the district's new "anti-racism" enterprise. Could Drati possibly be unaware that the term "anti-racism" now goes far beyond the idea not to treat someone as inferior because they belong to a different race? Today, "anti-racism" is defined as rejecting your "whiteness" (if you are white). It...
TO THE EDITOR: Hello, as a resident of Santa Monica for over 40 years, I find it is my civic duty to contact you in support of the Santa Monica Police Dept. Also, my latest friendly interaction and concern with a police officer encouraging me to support him and fellow officers is the reason why I'm writing. I always keep my word and hope this helps and is not just dismissed and overlooked. If this can be circulated in your publication, that would be great. It's about time we...
In reading through the nine proposed laws sitting in our state legislature now, each of which would do its part to kill single-family housing and densify neighborhoods, the rationale for this concerted, ruthless effort to drastically change the very structure of our landscape and society is difficult to grasp. But we're game to try. The laws proposed are SB 902, SB 1120, SB 995, SB 1085, AB 725, AB 1279, AB 2345, AB 3040, and AB 3107. First of all, let's dispose of the idea th...
Predictably, renewed lockdown orders in California are leading to new riots, usually involving associated "peaceful" protestors. A melee broke out in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night, with protestors and police engaging in a physical brawl. On Sunday, a crowd blocked Wilshire boulevard in Westwood. These protests were stated as solidarity with the unrest in Portland, where rioters have repeatedly attacked the federal courthouse. God forbid Los Angeles not do their part...
In a preview of good times to come should voters fail in November to revoke SB 10, California's No-Cash Bail law, a Huntington Park man stole over a dozen cars in twelve separate incidents - after being released from jail on his own recognizance each time. Emergency orders reducing bail to zero were instituted in Los Angeles County during the last week of March, while all non-essential businesses were ordered closed. A week later, the entire state followed suit. Concern was...
I am a Santa Monica resident who lives near the Brentwood Urgent Care center, which is on 26th Street just north of Wilshire (1156 26th). In recent weeks, Brentwood Urgent Care has started offering COVID-19 testing. Testing is important, but a large number of people waiting for their tests, some of whom are surely COVID positive, congregate outside the Center, blocking the sidewalk. Even if they lined up neatly, the sidewalk is less than 6 feet wide in that location, which...
In time for the Independence Day weekend, a time when citizens of this great nation celebrate the freedom of our constitutional republican form of government, local and state officials issued a renewed and strengthened set of restrictions based on a "spike" in coronavirus cases. Beaches in Los Angeles and other counties are closed for the Fourth of July weekend - a huge weekend for visiting the shore. Bars and indoor seating at restaurants, both recently reopened, have been...
A white woman suggests we 'interrupt' our perceptions on just about everything in order to combat systemic racism; a black man suggests the opposite the black community accept its true free agency in order for the individuals who comprise it to determine their own fates. Both are accomplished and respected professors. You decide who makes more sense. A well-groomed, intellectual-appearing racial relations facilitator in her early forties, Robin DiAngelo is currently enjoying...
Aside from budget problems and services cuts, one of the most important issues bothering Santa Monica citizens is the unfolding of events on Sunday, May 31, the intelligence the day before and statements by senior staff and Council members after. This past Tuesday, Sue Himmelrich introduced Item 13C, intended to bring about an independent investigation of the May 31 related matters. She stated that her rushed language was unfortunate and all the Councilmembers present (Ted...
That black lives matter is not a controversial opinion. In 2020 United States of America, well over 99 percent of the population agrees with this idea. Yet since March 25 and the death of African-American George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer, this slogan has been chanted, chalked on the sidewalk, spray-painted on buildings, and parroted by cowed corporations and obedient politicians as if nobody already agrees with it. There is no controversy here. Only a handfu...
This commentary/critique/observation should not be construed, rendered, or inferred to minimize, trivialize, diminish or make light of the seriousness, gravity, and solemnity of the Coronavirus/Novel Coronavirus/Covid-19. Please Stop, Refrain, and Put an End to Using, Adopting, or Availing Yourself of the word "UNPRECEDENTED." My favorite book of all time is The Princess Bride by William Goldman. Mr. Goldman died in November 2018, and for those of you who didn't know him, he...
Close to 60,000 signatures have been gathered as of this writing asking for the recall of Santa Monica Police Chief Cynthia Renaud. Most residents of the city are furious about the wide-scale looting that occurred during and after the "mostly peaceful" protest that paraded from Montana Avenue and down Ocean Avenue early in the afternoon. The City of Santa Monica has received 350 damage reports with 150 retail businesses claiming significant damage from the unrest on Sunday,...
Parents of school-aged children may be surprised to learn that their local school district is considering adopting a policy allowing medical marijuana on campus. Effective January 1, 2020, Senate Bill 223 (a.k.a. Jojo's Act), allows California school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education, to adopt a policy allowing a parent or guardian to dispense prescribed forms of cannabis to their student on school grounds. The law does not permit students to possess...
Earlier this year back in a time when we were able to touch each other, then-City Attorney (now city manager) Lane Dilg put a halt to The Plaza at Santa Monica, a mixed-use development proposed for a City-owned property at the corner of Arizona Avenue and Fourth Street that will positively transform the Downtown. Dilg said in February that the project, favored by people wanting to see a city progress for the better and opposed by those who reject change, possibly violated a...
