Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words

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  • Ocean Towers Has Been Falsely Portrayed, Reports One Homeowner

    Omar Spahi|Updated Aug 3, 2022
    1

    A posted article about Ocean towers contains a ton of false information, I'd love a chance to discuss with the author and set the record straight. The following is just some of the information that is false. 1."Prestige property at 201 Ocean Ave. has completed three years of litigation" The litigation is still on-going and the matter has not been adjudicated fully yet. https://www.smobserved.com/story/2018/06/24/news/judge-will-appoint-receiver-over-ocean-t...

  • Biggest Threat to US Environment is Population Growth from Immigration. When Will We Learn This?

    Glen Colton, Keybridge Communications|Updated Jul 17, 2019
    1

    Americans plant trees and host community events to promote conservation and sustainability. Those activities are important. But they don't address one of America's biggest environmental challenges -- rapid population growth. Since 1970, the U.S. population has increased from 205 million to 327 million people. It'll surge to 404 million by 2060. We'd have to develop millions of acres of open space to house and feed all these people. It's not too late to put America on a more...

  • City to Fund $669K in Improvements to Samoshel Tent after 25 Years of Neglect

    Olga Zurawska, Homeless Advocate|Updated Jun 24, 2019

    Thanks to community advocacy, City Council approved $669K in funding for improvements to Samoshel - an interim housing facility located on City property, leased and operated by OPCC dba The People Concern. The facility is a tent that has not been improved by the City or by The People Concern for a quarter of a century. During that time, vulnerable homeless individuals - many of them seniors, disabled or with serious health conditions - have been warehoused, sometimes for...

  • Advocates Slam Himmelrich, Cole, Maceri over Homeless Services in Santa Monica

    Olga Zurawska, and Michael Louis|Updated Jun 10, 2019

    We oppose the extension of funding for OPCC dba The People Concern, unless the City commissions an independent fiscal and performance audit. If the City extends the funding, we propose it should be conditional for the next two years, with specific goals and benchmarks for the provider to meet each quarter, and with citizens' oversight formed within the first six months. This proposal should be welcomed by a City that aspires to be fiscally responsible, and a progressive...

  • Confining Livestock in Factory Farms is Inefficient, Inhumane and Dangerous

    Christian Daidone, SamoHi Student|Updated May 24, 2019

    The reality of what goes on and why at factory farms where most get their animal-products is something that many aren't aware of, and something that deserves attention. The majority of animal-products in America are sourced from farms with confined livestock types also known as factory farms. Such farms are categorized on how many animal units for the area there are. In most cases, these farms sacrifice the welfare of animals and product quality for the number of animals and...

  • As Legislature Tries to Stuff More Housing Down the Throats of Cities, California Just Says No

    Alyssa Erdley, News With Attitude|Updated Apr 22, 2019

    The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to oppose a proposed bill in the California State Senate, SB 50, which would offer waivers and other encouragements to housing built close to urban railway stations. The bill would override local zoning and allow structures up to five stories tall in areas currently populated with single-family homes. It would also allow waivers for parking, with less than 0.5 parking spots required per unit. An apparently far-reaching law with...

  • State Legislature Continues Its Unwavering Commitment To Undermining Public Safety

    Michele Hanisee, LA Dep. Dist Attys|Updated Apr 11, 2019

    The most dangerous number in Sacramento these days? 1182. That's the designation of the latest assault on public safety. Assembly Bill 1182, introduced earlier this month by Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo, D-Los Angeles, would reduce the amount of time even dangerous offenders must spend on parole after being released from prison. If passed, it will march in lockstep alongside Proposition 47, Proposition 57, SB 1391 and AB 109 in the parade of criminal-coddling legislation...

  • $1.4 Million Gets 23 Homeless People Into Santa Monica Housing (That's $60,900 per individual)

    Alyssa Erdley, Observer Staff Writer|Updated Mar 27, 2019

    An Information Item sent from Santa Monica City Manager Rick Cole to the city council seeks to explain what achievements staff has made over the past year to address homelessness. In late November of 2017, the council allocated $1.4 million from general funds for one-time seed money for staff to implement strategies to address homelessness. Staff intends to discuss what they’ve done with the money at the March 26 council meeting. Much of that information is contained in the I...

  • French Fries at McDonalds in Orlando FLA Are Too Salty, And So Is My Email

    Stan Greene, Observer Staff Writer|Updated Mar 6, 2019

    You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CONTACT A REPORTER" group. This morning I had breakfast at the McDonalds at the following address: 12301 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL 32826 There was so much salt on the food, there is no doubt in my mind it was intentionally adulterated. I would like to file a formal criminal complaint and receive a police report. It is 7:37 AM Sunday March 3rd. -Adam M.D. Plse remove me asap - Daniel, New York Times...

  • Letters: Landlords will use City Council Re-districting Lawsuit to End Rent Control

    Letter to the Editor|Updated Jan 18, 2019

    In covering the districting issue, you may perhaps not understand why some of us long time SM renters fear this issue as an existential threat to our very lives. No exaggeration. We see districting as a scheme being used by landlords who have been trying to undermine rent control for 40 years. We fear that new, districted city council would include real estate interests intent on eliminating rent control. In my case, I am a very low-income, disabled senior citizen who has...

  • Like Being Hit By Lightning, Prop 47 Greatly Increased Property Crime in California

    Michele Hanisee, Assn Dep Dist Attys|Updated Jul 24, 2018

    Pop 47 ushered in an increase in property crime statewide because many theft offenses were made inconsequential misdemeanors that carried little likelihood of incarceration. Last month the Public Policy Institute of California conceded that Prop 47 was responsible for an increase in larceny rates statewide. That increase, they reported, was 9% higher than that of similar states. In 2017 there were only 34,800 arrests statewide for petty theft. That is the lowest number of...

  • Potential For Injury is High on Electric Scooters by Bird and Lime

    Catherine Lerer, Local Lawyer|Updated Jul 15, 2018

    Riders and pedestrians are suffering serious injuries. I know this because my husband and I are Santa Monica personal injury attorneys and we are getting calls DAILY by injury victims: • Riders injured when the brakes fail – This is the most common call we get • Pedestrians injured when they are hit by a rider or lunge to get out of the way and are injured The injuries being suffered include: head injuries and fractured ankles, tibias, fibulas, clavicles, wrists, ulnas. Anyon...

  • Will California "cure" the housing crisis by repealing both Costa-Hawkins and the Ellis Act? Nope.

    Susan Shelley|Updated Jul 11, 2018

    One of the more depressing tricks employed by people who favor more government control of everything is this: Put government controls on a business, which causes problems, and then use the problems as a justification for more government controls. It's like trying to reverse a case of alcohol poisoning with a jug of moonshine. Nowhere is the "here, drink this," cure more discouraging than in the housing market. Just recently, Assembly member Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica) and...

  • "Families belonging together: Freedom for Immigrants," at City Hall in downtown Los Angeles

    Nancy Kaufman, Observer Staff Writer|Updated Jul 3, 2018

    Sat, June 30th, the rally to end the mass detention of immigrants, "Families belonging together: Freedom for Immigrants," began at City Hall in downtown Los Angeles. Protesters then marched together to the Federal Building and the Downtown Los Angeles Metropolitan Detention Center. The event began at 11 am and ended approximately 4 hours later. Approximately 75,000 protesters attended the rally, making it the largest Families Belong Together demonstration in Los Angeles....

  • Sidewalk Scooters Endanger Residents, Action is Urgently Needed

    Deborah Dinsmore, SM Resident|Updated Jun 23, 2018
    1

    This week I was nearly mowed down by 2 guys on scooters zipping down the sidewalk on Lincoln toward a busy corner. I turned and saw them bearing right down on me showing no intention of stopping for me or my elderly companion who clearly had impaired gait and balance. The week before another scooter brushed past me, nearly hitting me. This caused him to veer into the bushes where he almost ran over a spooked cat. And today I was hit from behind by a cyclist on a narrow...

  • City Council Continues to Enable Abuses at OPCC Facilities Despite Mounting Evidence

    Olga Zurawska|Updated Jun 18, 2018
    1

    This Council is about to approve $1.6M in public funding for OPCC dba The People Concern, supposedly for the provision of homeless services. This is despite the City being on notice for at least two years of the provider's unlawful operations which include neglect, abuse and civil rights violations of clients, for example elder abuse and discrimination against individuals with disabilities. Further, OPCC is in violation of the grant agreement they have with the City, which...

  • "Money For Kids and Education, not for Billionaire's Profit Making!"

    Nancy Kaufman|Updated May 29, 2018

    United Teachers of Los Angeles have joined the teacher rebellion that’s been sweeping the country from West Virginia to California. More than 12,000 union and community members marched in the “Rally for Respect” demonstration this past Thursday. Teachers sent out their message to LAUSD and the new superintendent, Austin Beutner. They demand a fair contract and a sustainable school district for all. LAUSD educators have been working without a contract for one year At the “All i...

  • At OPCC, a Screaming Woman Keeps Other Guests Awake at Night

    Allie Smith|Updated Apr 30, 2018
    1

    Dear Editor: There are women living at (O.P.C.C.) Daybreak Shelter in Santa Monica who are so severely mental that they are a danger to themselves, and everyone at this facility. This person "Jeanine" screams and sobs, and curses all night long so that the other women cannot sleep. They become angry and combative after having to put up with her psychotic episodes. Other women staying there tell her to shut up and threaten to beat her up if she doesn't stop. The Staff chooses...

  • Homeless Count Justifies Misuse of Public Funds by OPCC

    Olga Zurawska|Updated Mar 9, 2018
    6

    The homeless count is a cause for celebration for homeless services providers because it gives them an idea of how much public funding they will be receiving to sustain themselves for another year. Every year the City counts its unhoused residents, and based on those numbers and other statistics disburses about $1.6M in taxpayer dollars to its main homeless services provider, OPCC. This is a great deal for OPCC because the public funding flows to them without any...

  • As Yet Another Tall Hotel Goes Up at 7th and Wilshire, Question Union Influence in Santa Monica

    Luka Laden, Center for Union Facts|Updated Mar 1, 2018
    1

    After a more than two-year hiatus, Los Angeles' Hotel Figueroa recently reopened its doors. Much has changed since the 1920s-era building last graced the streets of South Park-the commercial center of a county now flush with new hotels. In 2017, Los Angeles County welcomed 4,300 new hotel rooms, while hotel sales hit $1.7 billion-an increase of $344 million over 2016 sales. Today, there are more than 5,300 hotel rooms under construction in the county, whose residents can...

  • Only Those in Government Can Abuse Political Power or Give Special Favors

    Susan Shelley, Southern California News Group|Updated Feb 12, 2018

    If you take the politics out of it, all the current investigations in politics are about just one thing: Abuse of power. Forget whether crimes can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. It's not illegal to use a private server for government email. It's not illegal to talk to Russians. It's not illegal to dig for political dirt or to use that information to try to win an election. What should concern us most is the abuse of power for personal gain, followed by the abuse of...

  • Time for Congress to Stabilize the Individual Market for Health Insurance

    Janet Trautwein|Updated Feb 6, 2018

    Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray (D-WA) created a bipartisan bill last year to improve health insurance markets. The deal allocates funds for cost-sharing reductions, which reduce out-of-pocket costs for low-income beneficiaries. The senators' bill is a welcome step to stabilizing the individual markets. The Administration previously announced its intention to slash funds for CSRs. That action, though, would skyrocket premiums for low-income beneficiaries and...

  • Environmental Movements Russia Links Ignored in Trump-Russia Investigation

    Merrill Matthews, Institute for Policy|Updated Jan 24, 2018

    By Merrill Matthews Democrats and the media have been diligently digging into Russian involvement into U.S. elections for over a year. But when you dig a hole you sometimes run across things you wish had remained buried-like the dirt pointing to Russian ties to the U.S. environmental movement. Democrats hoped their digging would expose some kind of Russian connection to President Donald Trump. That hasn't happened. But as the investigations have progressed, there is a growing...

  • Early Release of Elderly Lifers, "Sanctuary State," Vote by Mail, and Outlawing AIDS

    Sarah Storkin, Observer Staff Writer|Updated Jan 6, 2018

    Massive increase in Gas & Car Tax: First SB-1: increases your gas taxes by .12 Cents and the car tax (Vehicle License Fee) by an average of $150. Then 9 sellout traitor Republicans voted to renew the Cap N Trade program-which should be called Cap n Tax Scheme-which will increase gas approx .73 cents per gallon according to the supposedly 'non-partisan' Legislative Analysts Office (LAO). Multiple laws to turn California into a Sanctuary for Illegal Alien Criminals: A) $30 milli...

  • City smoking ordinance is a joke with harmful effects to people and their environment.

    Bijan Khajebag, Resident|Updated Jan 1, 2018

    Although this matter has been a harmful problem for NON smoking the people in cities like Santa Monica, but the ignorance of the city governments agencies is shown to be yet another added problem when it coms to smoking ban ordinances. It all started when a new neighbor moved in two months ago in a new and remolded apartment but of course with a higher rent, an elderly man hip kind of upper-class attitude with a law degree from Barkly practicing labor law, among other, surely...

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