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Counting on a recount
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NORWALK Los Angeles County Assessor Rick Auerbach on Thursday announced that his staff is in the early stages of reviewing approximately 310,000 single family homes and condos for a potential decline in value.
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Getting snubbed?
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DOWNTOWN Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s decision not to re-appoint brother-in-law Bobby Shriver, a Santa Monica City Councilman, and actor-director Clint Eastwood to the State Parks Commission has raised questions on whether their opposition to the rejected Foothill South toll road in south Orange County was a factor.
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SM Travelodge moves forward
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CITY HALL A proposal to construct a new Travelodge motel on Ocean Avenue, stimulating an area considered dull by some business owners, received a nod from planning officials on Wednesday, pushing the project forward after staying stagnant for some time.
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Second homicide in a week strikes city
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MONTANA AVENUE A middle-aged Santa Monica man was found killed in his condominium on Wednesday night, the second homicide in less than one week shaking residents’ sense of safety in this relatively peaceful community.
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Art meets the color green at Big Blue Bus
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DOWNTOWN There’s a new approach to promoting the virtues of sustainability, one that doesn’t include staged demonstrations or city ordinances, but rather the stroke of a paint brush.
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A winner is recognized
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LAGUNA BEACH As World War II came to an end Glenn Bassett found himself not in Guam working on a naval destroyer, but back in his quiet hometown of Santa Monica, where he decided to get his life back on track and attend college.
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Staying safe in the city
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CITYWIDE It happens without warning, a woman rummaging through a bag for her set of keys, absentmindedly trying to open a door when an unknown hand from behind covers her mouth and forces her into the house.
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Good call
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KEN EDWARDS CENTER Tucked away in a gray cubicle, Roslyn Datz, a volunteer with WISE & Health Aging, went through a list of telephone numbers of fellow seniors living halfway across the country, picked up a phone and began making calls warning these strangers about not falling victim to a scam.
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Putting all your fruits, veggies in one basket
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ARIZONA AVENUE While a lot of attention has been paid to produce companies buying up large quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables at the popular Wednesday Farmers’ Market — causing local chefs to fume and fret over losing out on limited ingredients for their menus — there’s a program out there that is trying to make sure locals get what they need to prepare their family’s meals.
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Venice Beach to get more police
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VENICE BEACH The second largest tourist destination in Southern California will soon be getting extra police officers as part of a public safety measure announced by the Los Angeles Police Department after a homicide off the boardwalk last week involving a homeless man.
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Cops withholding autopsy results
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DOWNTOWN The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office has finished an autopsy on an aspiring model and actress from Arizona whose body was discovered in her Santa Monica apartment Sunday, but will not release the cause of death because police have put a “security hold” on the results.
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Video could incriminate pair of murder suspects
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DOWNTOWN, L.A. Frustration and distraught were written all over Olga Rutterschmidt’s face, the guise of a tired old woman clearly annoyed at her current circumstances — arrested and having a hard time finding a lawyer.
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AAA forced to pay refunds
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SUNSET PARK More than 120,000 policyholders with the Automobile Club of Southern California will receive a refund check after a Santa Monica-based consumer watchdog settled a lawsuit alleging the motor club had illegally tacked auto insurance surcharges on its clients.
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Local oilman sues Hermosa
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HERMOSA BEACH A dispute over oil drilling in Hermosa Beach has festered for 25 years, with a Santa Monica oilman pressing ahead in a $500 million breach of contract lawsuit against a small city that has a $26 million annual budget, it was reported last week.
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Golay murder trial to begin
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DOWNTOWN, LA The murder trial for a pair of silver-haired septuagenarians accused of killing two homeless men in an insurance scam will finally commence today, nearly two years after they were arrested.
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Drought forces MWD to raise water rates
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CITYWIDE Santa Monicans will most likely have to pay more for their water in 2009 after the Metropolitan Water District board voted last week to increase the rate it charges customers, partly because of the recent drought in Southern California.
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On the hunt for a killer
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EASTSIDE A 21-year-old woman was found dead inside her apartment on Centinela Avenue just south of Broadway, the apparent victim of an assault, authorities said on Monday.
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City considers changes for taxi cabs
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CITYWIDE City Hall is currently exploring ways to regulate the large number of cabs operating in Santa Monica, signaling a possible shift from the long-standing practice of licensing to franchising.
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Singer is a late blues bloomer
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WEST L.A. The sound of plastic compact disc jewel cases clanking into each other filled the air as a pair of hands frantically rifled through a row of albums.
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Union wants staffing cuts to be equal
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SMMUSD HDQTRS The public school’s teachers union is calling on administrators to equally distribute possible staffing cuts — a result of declining enrollment — across the board and to keep losses as far away from the classroom as possible.
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Getting beat down
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CIVIC CENTER Santa Monica police are investigating the alleged assault and battery of a paparazzo by Nicole Kidman’s bodyguard — a incident that can be viewed on a number of Web sites catering to fans of pop culture.
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Big Blue Bus reports big gains in ridership
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CITYWIDE In a region known for being dependent on automobiles, it appears that public transportation is becoming more popular than ever.
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Do you know what your kids are up to?
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PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY I’m sure most parents haven’t thought of filling their 10-year-old’s Christmas stocking with condoms, but that might not be such a bad idea considering kids these days are being forced to deal with the topic of sex at an earlier age than their parents did — and even their older siblings.
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Experts say schools flawed
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SANTA MONICA A panel of education experts says California’s public schools are fundamentally flawed and need deep changes to properly serve the state’s 6.3 million students.
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Critic of City Hall passes
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DOWNTOWN Longtime political watchdog Joe Natoli, who became a vocal fixture at City Council meetings as he challenged elected officials to be more accountable to their constituents, died earlier this week of a massive stroke at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center. He was 55 years old.
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Structures facing changes
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DOWNTOWN, SM Local workers and shoppers that currently take advantage of the three hours of free parking at two city-owned parking garages might soon have to pull out their wallets.
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Schools get major cash
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SMMUSD HDQTRS The public middle schools in Santa Monica and Malibu received much needed attention on Thursday when the Board of Education decided to spend $42 million toward facilities and infrastructure improvements at the secondary institutions.
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Ordinance facing challenge?
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CITYWIDE A state grocers association that just won a legal battle challenging a Los Angeles law protecting grocery workers after a change in store ownership could target Santa Monica’s ordinance next.
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Street proposal hits a roadblock
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PICO NEIGHBORHOOD Two heavily traveled corridors long considered to be one of the more aesthetically displeasing streets in the city are about to get a makeover.
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Officials reject latest treesavers overture
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CITY HALL City officials rejected a settlement offer made this week by the Santa Monica Treesavers, who proposed dropping a lawsuit in exchange for preserving 54 ficus trees slated for removal.
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In case of emergency
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CIVIC CENTER If disaster strikes and you’re at work, who will you turn to and where will you go? If you’re a CEO of a Fortune 500 company or a small mom-and-pop, do you have a plan to not only protect your employees, but your bottom line as well?
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The shoe fits again
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OCEAN PARK A beloved shoe repair shop, once believed destined to become a Santa Monica memory after being evicted from its spot at the foot of the Nu Wilshire Theater, has found a new home.
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City has to pay its lawyers
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CITY HALL The City Council has settled its fee dispute with lawyers who represented City Hall in the MTBE water contamination lawsuit, agreeing to pay them $55 million for their services.
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Chiefs ask for personnel
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CITY HALL Santa Monica public safety officials are seeking to grow their staffs during the next few years to better respond to a population whose needs have grown in the past few decades, all while the number of personnel has remained relatively stagnant.
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City Council gives FAA a little time
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CITY HALL City officials decided to delay a decision Tuesday that would have banned the fastest jets from operating out of Santa Monica Airport, citing the need for more time to review a new offer that was submitted by the Federal Aviation Administration just days before.
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Fast food comes McHome
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DOWNTOWN A giant inflatable Ronald McDonald stands proudly at the corner of Second Street and Colorado Avenue, greeting passing motorists and pedestrians with his trademark lipstick-full grin and yellow-gloved wave.
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Keeping kids off the streets
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CITYWIDE It’s three o’clock in the afternoon, do most Santa Monica parents know where their kids are?
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Positive impact
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PICO BLVD Anthanette Gibson has no problem calling herself a drunk. That’s what she was just seven months ago before finding sobriety with the help of her case manager at the CLARE Foundation and Judge Bobbi Tillmon of Santa Monica’s Homeless Community Court.
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Homeless may get some new digs by the beach
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CITY HALL Life near the beach is about to become more comfortable for Santa Monica’s homeless population.
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Samohi makes history
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DOWNTOWN — Ten minutes into overtime, Samohi senior defender Nico De La Rosa stepped behind the out-of-bounds line near the left corner flag, ready to launch the soccer ball high over his head and into the six yard box.
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Kids teaching kids about the environment
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OCEAN PARK A group of wide-eyed 8-year-olds stare intently at the lecturer standing before them, some on the edge of their seats, others with their mouths slightly open in a state of awe.
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With ban in sight, FAA makes offer
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CITY HALL — The City Council could have more than originally anticipated on its plate tonight when it considers banning the fastest jets at Santa Monica Airport, a decision that might be postponed after the Federal Aviation Administration made a proposal late last week to install buffers on the runway.
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Creating an incentive
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DOWNTOWN Prize Capital, LLC this week announced the planning phase for a $10 million “Biofuels Prize” in coordination with the Santa Monica-based X PRIZE Foundation to spur the creation of a new technology that is energy and cost-efficient, sustainable, versatile, easy to scale and decentralized.
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Author explores love of Los Angeles
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DOWNTOWN There are two simultaneous trajectories to the life of Santa Monica resident and author Anna Sklar, one geographical arch that jumps across cities within Los Angeles, and another personal love for the demands of reporting that bridged jobs.
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Keeping it green
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MID-CITY When it comes to sustainability and environmentally-friendly practices, a tenet shared by its members/customers, the Co-Opportunity grocery store leads by example
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State title on the line
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DOWNTOWN The Santa Monica boys’ soccer team is on the verge of making history yet again just a week after celebrating the program’s first ever undefeated championship season, taking home the California Interscholastic Federation, Southern Section Division IV championship.
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Filmmaker forced into the fray
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DOWNTOWN Some stories were just meant to be told.
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A ruff job but some dog has to do it
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CIVIC CENTER I think I’ve finally met a police officer I like.
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SM nonprofits come together
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DOWNTOWN Santa Monica non-profit organizations are having a field weekend with Saturday and Sunday back-to-back festivals celebrating and promoting local stewardship.
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Taking different routes to school
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CITYWIDE When it came time to choose the right elementary school for her free-spirited daughter, the choice was clear for Rachel Bank.
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Lawsuits back in bloom
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DOWNTOWN, L.A. — The Santa Monica Treesavers’ quest to curb City Hall’s plans to uproot 54 ficus trees was resuscitated on Friday when the state Court of Appeal extended a temporary restraining order halting their removal.
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The Lobster goes green
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SM PIER In the world of seafood, there’s Maine lobster, spiny lobster, and now, green lobster.
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SM’s Pacific Park goes on the block
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SM PIER The owners of Pacific Park on Thursday announced plans to sell the two-acre amusement park and its iconic Ferris Wheel for an undisclosed price.
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It’s all in a name
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MADISON CAMPUS Philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad on Thursday announced a $10 million donation to create an endowment for programming and arts education at the new performing arts center at Santa Monica College’s Madison Campus.
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A stairway worth climbing comes to the Civic
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DOWNTOWN The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District will present the 58th Annual Stairway of the Stars event at the Civic auditorium this week.
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The new face of school bullying
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SAMOHI First it was stealing lunch money and calling out playground foes for an afternoon brawl in front of the swings. Now schoolyard bullying has turned to the Web, antagonizing classmates at the click of a mouse.
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Newspaper thefts leave racks empty
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CITYWIDE The newspaper bandits have struck free weeklies and dailies in Santa Monica once again.
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High gas prices impact local market
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DOWNTOWN With gas prices peaking at $4 a gallon and a looming recession at hand, Southern California farmers are becoming increasingly concerned about their livelihood.
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Paying the bills
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LOS ANGELES Victims of the rash of fires that plagued Malibu late last year are getting a bit of a boost from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in the form of utility bill relief.
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Buying in bulk
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CITY HALL Santa Monica and the largest cities and counties in California have pledged to purchase only 100 percent post-consumer recycled copy paper as part of a collaboration to accelerate local, regional, national and international efforts to achieve sustainability.
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Home buying from the skies
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HIGH IN THE SKY Kevin Potter touched down on Los Angeles on Monday seeking a new place to call home, thoughts in mind of moving from his hometown of Johannesburg to communities like Santa Monica and Palos Verdes.
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In the eyes of the beholder
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NOMA There’s a new kid on the block that has been the source of endless discussions at the neighborhood drugstore, multiple conversations starting with the likes of “have you seen that house?”
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Cities put on notice
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CITY HALL Santa Monica, along with 19 other cities and the county of Los Angeles, received violation notices on Tuesday from regional water officials threatening them with tens of thousands of dollars in daily fines for repeatedly polluting Santa Monica Bay.
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Getting acquainted
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Finding something to do on a Saturday night just got a whole lot easier thanks to a new cultural portal on City Hall’s award-winning Web site.
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School district has a new Web site
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SMMUSD HDQTRS The public school district’s Web site is looking up to 21st century standards these days.
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Forcing Malibu, county to clean up their act
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