Santa Monica Dispatch

During the discussion of airport safety at last week’s City Council meeting, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesman , Kirk Shaffer, said,
“In the real world…the world of regulating a nationwide system of airports, of which Santa Monica Airport is an important part, we get the best safety outcome we can consistent with the airport serving its purpose in that system.”

In other words, “in the real world,” efficient airport system operation trumps safety. While we find Shaffer’s views thoroughly Orwellian, his candor is refreshing. Here and mow, bureaucrats at all levels routinely rank their own imperatives over the needs and wishes of the people they allegedly serve, but they seldom admit it.
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On the question of airport safety, our local bureaucrats naturally stand with City Council members and residents, in seeing “the real world” as the airport’s location in the midst of a densely populated neighborhood.

But, most of the time, on most issues, City Hall’s “real world” has very little to do with the actual town residents Inhabit. For instance, City Hall has traffic plans, while the town has traffic jams.

Caltrans will close one lane in each direction on portions of Pacific Coast Highway, tonight, Tuesday, September 4, through Friday September 7, from 8 p.m. to 4:30 a.m., each night.

Scheduled to be closed are one lane from McClure Tunnel to Topanga Canyon Boulevard and one lane from Temescal Canyon Road to Topanga Canyon Boulevard

The closure is needed to continue installation of the Adaptive Traffic Signal Control System.

Detours will be posted. Drivers should expect delays during construction hours.

The contractor of the $7.4 million signal project is Manuel Brothers Construction. Caltrans expects the work to be completed in October,

And, of course, closures are subject to change.

George Wolfberg, chair of the Santa Monica Canyon Civic Association,
reports that “On Thursday, September 6, at 8:00 p.m., at the Palisades Recreation Center, LAPD Senior Lead Officer Michael Moore and Sgt. David Podesta will demonstrate the use of the heat-seeking (‘Forward Looking Infra-Red’ or ‘FLIR’) device, which, by detecting temperature differentials, can ‘see’ people in the dark or campfires in the daytime, find shell casings, and spot recently driven cars.

“The FLIR device can be used to find suspects hiding in heavy vegetation and to scan backyards for intruders. At its last meeting, the Pacific Palisades Community Council unanimously passed a motion supporting the efforts of the Marquez Knolls Property Owners Association to ‘raise the $12,000 needed to buy the device for use by LAPD for the exclusive deployment in the area represented by the Pacific Palisades Community Council.’”

The meeting is open to the public and Santa Monica residents are welcome.
The LAPD officers will demonstrate what they can do and see with this new technology and will answer questions.

Several weeks ago, Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Nicholson announced a number of improvements that would be made at the Veterans
Administration complex in West L.A. Among them was the designation of buildings 205, 208 and 209 as sites of homeless veterans’ programs.

“Our goal,” he said, “is to help these veterans return to their communities as solid citizens, gainfully employed, living independently with restored dignity.”

Santa Monica City Councilman Bobby Shriver spearheaded a three-year campaign to re-open the long-shuttered buildings to house homeless vets.

By AvaTramer

Beaches
Clear and sunny
Highs: 70-75; Lows: 60-62

Inland
Clear and sunny
Highs: 89-93; Lows: 59-63

Deserts
Clear and sunny
Highs: 101-106; Lows: 75-81

And Santa Monica…
Clear, warm, and sunny, what else is there to say?
In fair Santa Monica, it’s the same every day.

Yesterday, like many thousands of parents in Santa Monica and Malibu, I was busy at my children’s schools, helping them settle in for their new year, and making sure I had done my job to ensure that all the details were in place to ensure a smooth start for all.

As I walked through the schools, reconnecting with old friends and watching my sons navigate between nervousness and excitement, I was once again, overwhelmed by what has now become an annual revelation – that of gratitude and respect for the army of PTA volunteers who contribute not only to opening day at our schools, but to every day. PTAs contribution cannot be underestimated and makes the difference between adequacy and excellence for our schools, our parents and students, our teachers and staff, and indeed for our communities. From the extraordinary leadership generated by our PTA Unit Presidents, to the support and guidance coming from Executive Board members and committee chairs both at PTA Council and at units, to the thousands of PTA volunteers who perform innumerable tasks to help provide resources and assistance for our parents, teachers, and administration – our Santa Monica Malibu Council of PTAs, each and every one of us joined together this opening day to provide World Class Support to our World Class Schools.

August 28, 2007


RE: City Council Agenda Item: 7-A (Emergency Interim Ordinance re Development Agreements for Projects Exceeding 7500 square feet/15 housing units in LMSD/M1)

Dear City Council,

The Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City (SMCLC) cannot support the staff's recommendation as to the establishment of a "Development Agreement process for changes in land use on parcels that exceed 32,000 square feet in the LMSD and 15,000 square feet in the M1 districts."

We believe it goes in exactly the wrong direction, at the wrong time, that it is at odds with the LUCE process and that you should not support it for these reasons:

The rise and fall of American places is as much a staple of American literature and film as the rise and fall of heroes.

Just as mindless greed, a uniquely American affliction, brings heroes to their knees, it leeches the integrity out of places, reducing them to mere
merchandise.

As Americans rolled west across this vast and gorgeous continent in the 19th century and took whatever they could turn into money, John Muir, a Scot, warned that this land was as fragile as it was vast and gorgeous, and irreplaceable, The plunderers were unmoved, but Muir managed to save Yosemite Valley from them, and went on to found The Sierra Club, the first organized defender of wilderness.

Since then the environmental movement has grown exponentially in size, scope and influence. But we have always found it curious, and unfortunate, that there has never been an equivalent urban environmental movement – especially since the plunderers moved into the cities when they had worn out the wilderness.

Bt Ava Tramer

Beaches
Clear and comfortable
Highs: 64-75; Lows: 55-60

Inland
Gradually cooling
Highs: 81-92; Lows: 56-61

Deserts
Sunny and cooler
Highs: 96-105; Lows: 68-77

And Santa Monica…
It looks like summer may finally be drawing to a close. Cooler Air is back from summer camp, and was spotted hitting all the back-to-school sales earlier this week (he found a great pair of sneakers at JCPenney for only $12.99!). Cloud Cover was spotted at Staples purchasing a day planner and some highlighters, and Rain Shower was spotted at Costco stocking up on water bottles, granola bars, and small bags of assorted potato chips. Indeed, looking ahead at the coming week, we can see that Cooler Air will be starting school again soon: expect steadily cooling temperatures to descend into the low sixties. However, Cloud Cover and Rain Shower are not ready to get back to work just yet. We can expect them to get down to business in a couple of weeks or so, but until then, they will most likely be seen partying hardily, enjoying their last few moments of summer to the fullest.

The following item appeared on the Consent Calendar at Tuesday’s Council meeting.

“1-J: Community Outreach Consulting Services for Charnock Well Fields Restoration Project – recommendation to authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a three year professional services agreement with Harris & Company, in the amount of $250,000, for community outreach and public information services required during the planning, pre-design, environmental documentation and final design phases of the Project.”

Council member Herb Katz said he thought $250,000 was too much to pay for “community outreach and public information services.”

Responding to Katz, Craig Perkins, Director of the Environmental Programs and Public Works Department, pointed out that it was only $75,000 a year, adding that it would cost more to do it in-house.

If a simple task like this cannot be performed by a member of Perkins staff for a fraction of $250,000, then something is terribly wrong in City Hall.

The Council approved the item without any further ado.

Theplanning and community development department held a workshop on March 15, 2005 for the City Council and Planning Commission.

A staff report described the subject Of the workshop as “Presentation and Discussion of Possible Goals for the Circulation Element [in the General Plan] and Alternatives for Measuring Traffic Impacts and Goal Attainment.”

It went on to say, “…As part of the update to the Circulation Element, the City will be establishing performance goals and revising the methodology used to measure the impact development has on the City’s circulation network…”

Based on the rising tide of traffic, residents found said methodology hopelessly inadequate years before work began on the Circulation Element, and asked the City to adopt a more comprehensive methodology, but the City ignored them. Today, two years after this 2005 workshop, the City is still using the same inadequate measures.

According to LAObserved (www.LAObserved.com), NBC4 News has reported that the three-judge panel of the state's Second District Court of Appeal sided with local groups and the city of Santa Monica and ordered that construction activity stop on phase two at the huge Playa Vista development, citing a flawed environmental impact report. The court ruled that the city of Los Angeles erred in 2004 in approving the second phase of construction. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge William F. Highberger ruled in favor of Playa Vista last year, but the appeals court overturned that ruling.

The City staff and City Council have devoted more time and attention on the Civic Center than to any other project in Santa Monica.

It’s the largest, costliest and most ambitious project the City has ever undertaken and, from the beginning, City officials clearly saw it as Santa Monica’s centerpiece.

Bur they didn’t initiate it, the RAND Corporation did --- for purely pragmatic reasons.

Project RABD (Research and Development) was founded in Santa Monica in 1948 at the behest of U.S. Air Force General Hap Arnold “to prepare for World War III.” Its principal client had always been the Defense Department and its various agencies. When the Cold War ended in 1989, RAND, anticipating a sudden decline in its income, decided to ensure its solvency by building what would be the largest commercial development in the city’s history on its acreage across Main Street from City Hall.

People had been thinking about the Civic Center and what it should be for decades, but no one had ever envisioned it as the site of an immense commercial complex complete rising like a wall between City Hall and the ocean.

At its September 11 meeting, the City Council spent a lot of money, gave a collective thumbs up to the Santa Monica Place makeover, approved a number of measures, made a few appointments and responded to pleas of some residents for parking salvation.

On a spending spree, the Council approved a pre-construction design-build agreement with T.L.D. Construction, Inc. for $270,500 for the Pier Central Restroom Project, authorized amendments to Memorandums of Understanding with the Supervisory Team Associates, Municipal Employees Associations, United Transportation Union Local 1185, Santa Monica Firefighters IAFF Local 1109 and the Administrative Team Associates and okayed a Memorandum of Understanding setting the terms and conditions of medical insurance coverage for all employees except sworn Police.

It also approved contract amendments with Midwest Environmental Control, Inc. for $438,900 and Encorp Environmental Management & Services for $64,900 for asbestos abatement at the Annenberg Community Beach Club and a contract amendment in the amount not to exceed $75,000 for additional services related to Solid Waste Request for Proposals; and an agreement in an amount not to exceed $250,000 with Harris 7 Community for community outreach services related to the Charnock Well fields restoration project.

In a sweeping published opinion, a state appeals court ordered a halt to the eviction of tenants at Lincoln Place Apartments in Venice by owner AIMCO Venezia, LLC. yesterday.

In December, 2005, 86 Lincoln Place residents, including 21 children, were locked out of their homes in what was allegedly the largest eviction lockout in a single day in Los Angeles history.

Eviction cases against remaining senior and disabled tenants were pending, awaiting yesterday’s court decision.

A three-judge panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeals ruled that the evictions were unlawful and violated the terms of conditions imposed pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in connection with a redevelopment project the City of Los Angeles approved in November, 2002.

By Ava Tramer

Beaches
RAIN?!?!?!?! And then sunny and clear
Highs: 67-71; Lows: 55-58

Inland
Clear and hot
Highs: 73-90; Lows: 50-58

Deserts
Clear and gradually hotter
Highs: 81-100; Lows: 57-74

And Santa Monica…
Something unique is about to happen in our fair city. It’s positively rare for us to have an occurrence like this. It will be fresh, it will be different, and it would be totally unexpected if I didn’t happen to be warning you about it right now. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, our very own Santa Monica is expecting rain showers late Friday! And I am not talking about a measly ten or twenty percent chance of rain. I am talking about an entirely likely and utterly whopping sixty percent chance of rain! I know you don’t own rain gear. You live in Santa Monica, after all. So act fast: get out there and buy rain boots, umbrellas, and ponchos! Granted, you won’t need your new rain gear for long, as the rain will most likely be gone by Saturday and won’t come again until January, but at least you can impress your colleagues and friends by being prepared. Once the rain has departed and the sun returns for good, you might forget that Santa Monica had this little surprise. But when your yard looks extra lush and happy, we’ll have this unexpected visitor to thank.

Oh, and as for all the other days of the week besides our one rainy Friday: clear, warm, sunny, blah blah blah.

Space is still available on the Landmarks bus tour, September 30th, 2 to 5 p.m. that will feature many of Santa Monica’s historic treasures, as well as some unusual sites.

Highlights of the tour include the Strick House, the only work in the U.S. of famed Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, the controversial Teriton Apartments on San Vicente Boulevard and the town’s historic landmark trees.

Tour goers will also see historic hotels, buildings and houses in downtown and the Civic Center, Ocean Park and the Third Street Historic District, under the guidance of Santa Monica Conservancy President Marcello Vavala.

Santa Monica Conservancy members’ tickets are $30. For online reservations, visit our website: www.smconservancy.org, or mail your check by September 24 to Santa Monica Conservancy, PO Box 653, SM 90406. Please provide your contact information for reservation confirmation.

The tour departs from the DMV parking lot, Colorado and Cloverfield. Plan to arrive 15 minutes early for check-in. Questions? (310) 496-3146.

According to a story in SurfSanta Monica, “The Big Blue Bus will break ground next week on a new eco-friendly maintenance facility that will service a growing fleet and features solar panels, reclaimed water and recycled materials.

“The 66,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility…will feature 5,000 square feet of offices…20 new repair bays, including two chassis wash bays, The new maintenance facility will feature locker rooms, a training room, library, parts storage and other specialized areas. The upgrades will utilize the most advanced and sustainable building systems, construction materials and landscaping available today…

“Some of the new “green” technologies that will be used in the project include: Photovoltaic panels that collect power from the sun and supply energy to the buildings. Construction materials made of recycled content such as concrete, steel, insulation, and gypsum board to reduce landfill waste. A reclaimed water irrigation system for landscaping and water efficient landscaping plants and materials. Storm water management and site infiltration to ensure water entering the bay will be clean. Carpeting and other interior building materials containing recycled content.
Light colored concrete in the bus yard to cool the air temperature and reduce the ‘heat island’ effect. Light colored single-ply roofing called ‘Cool roof’ to reflect solar energy away from the buildings and prevent heat buildup in the facilities. Construction waste management to reduce the amount of material going into landfills. Dual glazed, low-e glazing for interior office spaces to keep the buildings cool in summer and warm in winter. No VOC off-gassing materials, to help keep the interior air fresh and free of toxins.

“The three-year construction project is expected to begin in February 2008, with completion expected in early 2010.”

Some City Hall documents are designed to explicitly trumpet its accomplishments – real and imagined, while implicitly chastising the rest of us for not doing more. The third annual “Sustainable City Report Card,” which was released last week, is such a document. Herewith, our First Annual Report Card on the Sustainable City Report Card.

Resource Conservation

According to the City Report Card, “Solid waste generation exceeds the Sustainable City Plan ceiling and continues to increase. Diversion dropped to 62% of generation, down from a high at 67%, thus reversing a nearly ten-year record of improvement. Water use increased 3% and remains higher than our aggressive target levels. However, water and energy conservation has kept at bay expected increases in resource usage associated with Santa Monica’s strong economy and growth in construction activity. Energy conservation measures have been successful and energy use in the city remains stable. The city government continues to purchase 100% renewable power for municipal operations…

“The grade for this area has dropped due to the increases in waste generation and water use and the drop in waste diversion rates. “

The City gives itself an A- for effort (down from last year’s A, and a C grade, down from last year’s C+.

As long as the City’s aggressive economic development policies are in direct conflict with its “aggressive” conservation policies, it should give Itself an F for effort.

Barbara Abercrombie’s latest book, “Courage & Craft: Writing Your Life Into Story” has just been published by New World Library.

By our count, it’s the Santa Monica resident’s tenth book. She teaches
creative writing in the Writing Program/UCLA Extension, and at
the Wellness Community.

Abercrombie will celebrate the publication of her latest book
on Friday, October 12th at Dutton’s Brentwood Books. Things will get
underway at 7 p.m.

As everybody knows by now, a great many residents are opposed to City Hall’s plan to remove about 50 healthy ficus and palm trees from Second and Fourth Streets in downtown Santa Monica as part of an $8.2 million downtown “beautification” plan.

Some of the opponents recently staged a protest, posting “Save This Tree” placards on the targeted trees, and they have vowed to chain themselves to the trees on the appointed day to prevent their removal.

In the beginning, it was said that merchants on those streets wanted the trees removed as they prevented people driving by from seeing their signs and window displays and/or they were angry at the City for lavishing time and money on the Third Street Promenade while ignoring the adjacent streets. But the merchants denied the claims. Vigorously.

The City then alleged that the ficus trees are too dense and dark (i.e., too healthy) and cast solid shadows, rather than “dappled shade.” It also claimed that if changed its plans, it would lose the big MTA grant, thus making the MTA sound as dopey as the City.

A Santa Monica woman was sexually assaulted and robbed in her house on Thursday night.

The woman told Santa Monica police officers that when she arrived home at 10 p.m. her house had been ransacked and she was confronted by a man armed with a knife who tied her up and sexually assaulted her.

At 2:10 a.m. Friday morning, the man took the woman’s ATM card and left in her car, a tan 2003 Mercedes Benz SL 500 convertible with California license plate number 5JLM188.

After the man left, the woman untied herself, went to a neighbor’s house and called the police.

SMPD patrol officers arrived at the victim’s home in the 1100 block of Princeton Avenue at 2:20 a.m.

The victim was taken to a local hospital where she is reported to be in stable condition.

The suspect is described as a male, Hispanic, 5’5”, medium build and wearing a blue shirt with writing on the front, blue pants and black shoes.

An extensive Police Department Investigation got underway early this morning and is ongoing. The Department urges residents to remain vigilant, lock all doors and windows, set burglar alarms, and report any suspicious activity to the police.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Department at (310) 458-8427 (24 hours) or Detectives at (310) 458-8451 (M – F, 8 AM – 5 PM). Persons wishing to remain anonymous may call the WeTip hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (72463).

According to a story in the Santa Monica Daily Press, the second annual Convention and Visitors Bureau beach summit was held Tuesday, as part of a continuing effort to create “a new identity for Santa Monica that can be marketed to tourists around the world and to those right here at home…
[as well as} a brand for Santa Monica that conveys a powerful message to consumers, enticing them to come back time and time again. ..

“The current brand promise is as follows: ‘Santa Monica ... the best way to discover L.A.; an unforgettable beach city experience filled with eye-catching people, cutting-edge culture and bold innovations. It is the essence of the California Lifestyle.’”

The Daily Press also reported that Duane Knapp, president of BrandStrategy Inc., a CVB consultant and one of the creators of the brand promise, which was introduced at the first annual CVB beach summit last year, “has been monitoring the branding process, and (he) said Santa Monica is making progress and is continuing to show interest in enhancing itself. He said it is important to remember that the process is continuous and must evolve along with the city.

“’You must involve the stakeholders on a regular basis,’ Knapp said.’ You have to constantly replace, renew and enhance ... This is a lifelong process.’”

And, not incidentally, a great gig for Mr., BrandStrategy, Inc.

As longtime “stakeholders,” we protest. All of it.

14 hours after a Santa Monica woman was robbed and sexually assaulted in her home in the 1100 block of Princeton Avenue, a suspect was in custody.

The suspect left the victim’s house in her Mercedes convertible shortly after 2 a.m. yesterday morning. At 4 p.m. that afternoon, patrol officers from the Santa Monica Police Department with the assistance Oxnard Police Department officers arrested the suspect.

He was apprehended in the victim’s car in the 3500 block of La Costa Avenue in Oxnard.

Evidence linking him to the crime was recovered from the vehicle and from his Oxnard residence.

The suspect is a 17 year-old Hispanic juvenile. He was taken to the Santa Monica jail, He will be charged with burglary, armed robbery, kidnapping, rape and grand theft auto.

This is an ongoing investigation and anyone with additional information is encouraged to call the Santa Monica Police Department at (310) 458-8427 (24 hours) or call Detectives at (310) 458-8451 (M – F, 8 AM – 5 PM). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call the WeTip hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463).

See previous story for more details.

At Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, the Council and City staff did not discuss any of the major issues facing Santa Monica.

The General Plan revision, the rising traffic congestion, the proposed Civic Center Village project, the removal of over 50 healthy trees from downtown streets and the continuing plight of long-time renters who make too much money to qualify for affordable housing and not enough money to buy a house or condominium were not on the agenda.

Setting the tone for the evening, the Council began the meeting in closed session, but rook no reportable action.