Politics
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City Council Okays Plan to Construct 9,000 More Units Under Santa Monica Housing Element
6.23.22: The Santa Monica City Council this week approved revisions to the city's 6th Cycle Housing Element Update which will be resubmitted to the California Department of Housing and Community...
Construction Crews Break Ground on New Pedestrian Bridge at Will Rogers State Beach.
6.23.22: The State of California has broken grounds on a new pedestrian bridge over PCH that connects Will Rogers State Beach with the George Wolfberg Park at Potrero Canyon. The State budgeted $11 mi...
Covid-19 Death Rate for Under-50 Population Negligible According to Los Angeles County Health Department
June 24, 2022 - The death rates from Covid-19 for the past month have been so low for those under 50 years old that the Los Angeles County Health Department is unable to show them on a bar chart....
Election Results of the California June 7 Primary For Santa Monica
June 10, 2022 - Results from the primary election that was held on June 7 are still preliminary as vote-by-mail ballots still have several days to reach their destination. But results are available...
Transfer Tax Signature Gatherers Promote Initiative Outside Santa Monica Markets
You may have seen paid solicitors gathering signatures for Santa Monica's half percent transfer tax on real estate. Mayor Sue Himmelrich has proposed the tax to fund homeless programs. Local property...
Mike Bonin's Los Angeles City Council Office Protected From the Homeless by Private Security
June 2, 2022 - The Westside Current broke the news yesterday that Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin of District 11 has hired a private security company to guard his government office in...
"Green" Santa Monica Wastes Reusable Furniture, Sends it to the Dump
May 18, 2022 - The city of Santa Monica prides itself on being environmentally sustainable. In fact, an entire division of the city is devoted to sustainability, where the government website states,...
Rent Control Board Commissioner Nicole Phillis Resigns Thursday Night
5.12.22: Rent Control Board Commissioner Nicole Phillis announced Thursday evening that she was resigning her position on the Rent Control board. Apparently Phillis is moving away from Santa Monica,...
Ben Allen Faces Only Write In Candidates In His June Campaign for Re-election to California State Senate
In an unexpected turn of events, California State Sen. Ben Allen is on the ballot unopposed in the June 7th Primary. However, he will probably have to run against one of two write in candidates in...
Santa Monica Councilmember Phil Brock Says it's Time to Dissolve DTSM Inc and Remove Safety Ambassadors to Get Real Safety and Security Downtown
May 2, 2022 - Santa Monica City Councilmember Phil Brock says he "got triggered" when he discovered that the dumpster rooms in downtown's public garages are left open at night for the homeless. They...
Putin Says he Invaded Ukraine Because US and the West were Threatening Russia and Refusing Security Guarantees
Russian president Vladimir Putin addressed a colorful and well choreographed parade, full of salutes and military Hurrahs on Monday morning in Moscow. Putin said that they had to invade after the...
350k Signatures Collected on Recall Gascon; CA AG to Investigate Big Oil for Plastic Pollution (Really); Chain Retailers Fight Back Against Shoplifting; Hertz Customers Falsely Arrested After Rentals
Special Note To Readers Oral argument in the appeal of ADDA v. Gascon and the companion case People v. Nazir will occur at 1:30 pm Monday, May 9th. The hearing can be viewed using the BlueJeans app...
Push Poll Tries to Convince Santa Monica Voters to Vote for New Transfer Tax
April 28, 2022 - A push poll interview company is calling Santa Monica voters to gauge their response to Sue Himmelrich's ballot proposal to establish an increase over the current tax on sales of...
Villaneuva Says Santa Monica's Political Leaders Instructed The SMPD to "Stand Down" The Night of the George Floyd Riots
Sheriff Alex Villaneuva spoke at the Santa Monica Bay Women's Club on April 21. He was asked to contrast whether the SMPD's response to the George Floyd riots of May 31, 2020 was adequate or not. He...
Video of Putin Gripping Table Feeds Speculation that he has Parkinson's Disorder
It was first reported in November 2020 that Russian President Vladimir Putin has Parkinson's disorder. The 68 year old has grown increasingly pale and seems strained during public appearances. In a...
Much of Russia's Air Force Appears to be Made of Styrofoam. Yes, that's right. Fake planes.
4.18.22: Potemkin Villages originated in Russia in the 19th Century. Today's Potemkin village consist of Russian air fields full of styrofoam planes. "Google's increased resolution over Russian...
Calabasas Spurns Los Angeles District Attorney Gascon's Request to Meet
The City Council of Calabasas has published an open letter to Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, spurning his requiest to meet and discuss his "vision" of law enforcement. Citing a sp...
200k Signatures Collected in Recall Gascon Campaign; LA County Assessor Accused of Giving Tax Breaks to Friends; Predator Ed Buck Files Motion to Overturn Jury Verdict; Dodgers' Bauer Sues for Defamation over Sex Crime Allegations and Other Stories: Monday Morning Memo
Courts & Rulings Sergeant can't use qualified immunity to stop lawsuit in Riverside fatal police shooting, court rules A California judge on Thursday denied an appeal for qualified immunity from...
Shades of Mein Kampf: Official Russian News Agency Calls For Ukraine to be Ethnically Cleansed and Erased
One of the more astonishing aspects of Russia's actions in Ukraine is that Russia has not been subtle or shy about proclaiming hatred for all things Ukraine. A recent piece equates Ukrainians with...
Russia threatens Wikipedia with 4 million ruble fine for inaccurate information about Russian invasion of Ukraine
The Russian censorship agency, Roskomnadzor, has decided to fine Wikipedia 4,000,000 rubles (about $44,000), for disseminating false information about the Russian "special operation" in Ukraine....
Poll Shows Los Angeles County DA George Gascon Could Lose a Recall Election if it Were Held Today
March 24, 2022 - A poll commissioned by the Los Angeles Police Protective League shows a plurality of voters would vote to recall controversial LA County District Attorney George Gascon. The same...
Susan Cola Appointed New Interim Santa Monica City Attorney
Santa Monica has hired a new Interim City Attorney while the long search for a permanent chief counsel continues. At its Tuesday night meeting, the City Council appointed Deputy City Attorney Susan...
Singer at Putin's Rally on March 19th Sang a Song Indicating Russia Will Turn to Moldova After Conquering Ukraine
Russia's expansion plans may have been revealed in a song. In a clip that is circulating widely on social media, a Russian singer seemed to indicate that Putin plans to incorporate Ukraine and...
Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti's Former Communications Director Naomi Seligman Scuttles His Nomination to Ambassador
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti was nominated as US Ambassador to India six months ago, but his appointment has been held up by the Jacobs Affair. Naomi Seligman is LA Mayor Eric Garcetti's former...
Russian Reaction to Woman Who Carried Anti-War Poster Onto Live Russian TV, Seen by Millions
You've no doubt seen the story of Marina Ovsyannikova, the gal who carried a Poster that said "No War, they are lying to you, don't believe propaganda" unto live Russian TV. The young production...