Left D. Capon/Daily Mess A 34-year beach bum leads a family from Cincinnati, Ohio, along the bike strand just south of the pier. Under a new program launched by the Chamber of Commerce and the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, longtime transients are now getting paid $11.50 an hour — City Hall’s living wage threshold — to serve as ambassadors of the city. Officials figured they could tap into the wanderers’ knowledge of the city, and show tourists those ‘out of the way’ places known only to veteran locals.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 1, 2006. Read the original PDF.