City Buries Issue Prematurely
Several weeks before the recent election, members of the Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City appeared before the City Council to inquire about the whereabouts of an estimated $45 million in “traffic impact fees” that were ordered by the City Council, but apparently never collected. The Coalition wanted to know what happened, why a significant City ordinance was never implemented and the fees never collected and invested in a traffic mitigation program that might... Read More
Whither the Fires
By Ava Tramer Beaches Clear and hot Highs: 73-79; Lows: 53-57 Inland Warm and sunny Highs: 64-71; Lows: 38-39 Deserts Hot and sunny Highs: 85-89; Lows: 59-61 And Santa Monica… Warm weather is great, Sunshine is nice, But please, Weather Gods, Give us some ice. Something cooler would be mighty fine, Because the way things are now, You’re crossing the line. Yes, we like clear skies, And warm pretty days, But when you make fire, You show your cruel ways. Go back to your... Read More
Let the Games Begin
Since 1980, Santa Monica has had four City managers, several planning directors, numerous staff changes and additions, along with a seemingly endless parade of uber-bureaucrats, i.e., consultants and “experts,” The City bureaucracy has long since outgrown City Hall. And us. Since 1980, nine million square feet of new commercial development has muddled our once-coherent townscape. Our streets suffer from an advanced case of gridlock. Our daily transient population... Read More
Question of the Week
Ann Coulter, the Republicans’ leading nitwit, and Sarah Palin, the party’s leading nitwit-in-waiting, have never been seen together. What if they’re the same person? SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Question of the Week", url: "http://www.santamonicadispatch.com/2008/11/question-of-the-week/" }); Read More
Chidlaw Exhibit Opens Sunday
“Everything Must Go — Paintings of Our Time,” an exhibition of new paintings by Patricia Chidlaw, opens Sunday, November 16 at Terrence Rogers Fine Art , with a reception for the artist, from 2 to 5 p.m. Chidlaw documents contemporary American scenes with an eye for the iconic and the ironic. As has been said, “she paints remarkable paintings of unremarkable places.” In the tradition of Edward Hopper, she focuses on the places we pass by every day, but don’t... Read More
Free Flu Shots Offered to People at Risk
The Santa Monica chapter of the American Red Cross will host a Los Angeles County Public Health free flu shot clinic for people in specified categories again this year. The shots will be offered from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, Thursday, November 20, at the Santa Monica Red Cross chapter, 1450 11th Street (near Broadway) in Santa Monica. Pregnant women , health care workers, nursing home or chronic-care facility residents, people over 50, people with a chronic condition such as asthma,... Read More
SM Fourth Grader Wants to Sing for Obama
A Santa Monica fourth grader hopes to perform at the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States Eloise Rollins-Fife, 9, a student at Santa Monica Alternative School House (S.M.A.S.H.), is a member of the West Los Angeles Children’s Choir, a small, multi-cultural, group of young singers, who range in age from six to 15. Last year, the choir sang on a Barack Obama campaign commercial that director Ron Lieberman made for MoveOn.org. Now the group... Read More
Jay Fiondella Dies
Everybody goes to Chez Jay’s. It isn’t the only bar in Santa Monica, and it may not be the best bar, but it’s the bar, and has been for 50 years. Everybody has turned up there sooner or later – surfers and carpenters and movie stars. and Henry Kissinger and his date Jill St. John. Once. They don’t go for the décor — shabby exterior, plain interior. or the food, which is quite good, but rarely inspired. They don’t even go for the drinks, which are fine. ... Read More
The Necessity of Anger
Parents of children with special needs have spent years trying to get the School District to simply do what it’s obliged to do: educate their children. It’s been an excruciating ordeal — frustrating, brutal at times, and it continues, but the parents persist because their children’s futures are at stake. At a recent parent –staff session, a parent got angry, and was immediately chided by a staff member. “Anger is not appropriate.” In fact, when one’s... Read More
Airport Neighbors Oppose FAA Plan
November 8, 2008 To: City Council, City of Santa Monica From: Board of Directors and Airport Committee, Friends of Sunset Park Re: City Council 11/11/08 agenda item 3-A – Report on the Status of Dispute with the FAA and the Alternative of Enhancing Airport Runway Safety through the Use of EMAS Technology; Request for Guidance on Mediation in Conjunction with November 11, 2008 Airport Study Session Dear Mayor Katz and Honorable Council members, Regarding the upcoming Part 16... Read More
