> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # News you can lose - URL: https://www.smdp.com/news-you-can-lose/ - Published: 2007-12-05T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-25T01:20:53.000Z - Author: Kevin Herrera - Tags: Crime, Downtown, #archive-import *Ewell to present redesign of racks* (sub) City snatches up vandalized newspaper racks By Kevin Herrera Daily Press Staff Writer DOWNTOWN — Newspaper publishers and distributors held a meeting with City Manager Lamont Ewell on Monday to discuss ways in which City Hall can better prevent people from vandalizing or destroying newspaper racks after inspectors removed 140 of the 250 racks in the downtown area because some were deemed dirty or in disrepair. Local papers such as the Daily Press and the Mirror have been targeted, as have larger publications like the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. Free circulars have also seen their racks removed. The sweep by the Department of Environmental and Public Works Management began in September and city officials plan to target Wilshire Boulevard in the new year. The racks were targeted as part of an effort to beautify Santa Monica’s streets, Ewell said. City Hall has also cracked down on graffiti and illegal signage, and has increased tree trimming and sidewalk repair. “If you look at various corners and neighborhoods, some (newsracks) have been abandoned, some are used as trash receptacles with windows broken out of them, and some are being used for graffiti markings, so we met with our local newspapers and the major ones to talk about improving maintenance on them,” said Ewell, who contends he’s been stopped on the street by residents complaining about the condition of some newsracks. 3CE,“We certainly heard and understood some of the challenges that the owners are facing with the graffiti and we have asked the police department to meet with all of our newspapers to talk about how we can better assist in helping to reduce vandalism,” Ewell added. Under an ordinance passed in 1979, media companies, which pay a $35 permit fee for each rack, are required to maintain their own newsracks. City Hall is required to notify the company if a newsrack is in need of repair. The ordinance specifically states what the uniform racks should look like and where they should be placed on sidewalks. The newsracks are supposed to have woodgrain panels on all sides and the mounts painted gloss black. Publishers said they do their best to maintain the racks, but vandalism is inevitable. Replacing them can be fairly expensive — around $250 to $270 apiece — because of the requirement to have woodgrain panels, which are also harder to maintain and clean if vandalized. Some publishers said they would like City Hall to reconsider the ordinance and look at changing the design of the racks so that they can be more easily cleaned and repaired. They’ve also suggested doing away with the woodgrain and instead allowing them to be painted a uniform color, making it easier to clean if vandalized. “I’d like to be able to just paint over them, whether it be brown, green or whatever the city likes for us to repaint them,” said Tom Ponton with News to Go, a distributor of free newspapers and magazines such as the Mirror and the Argonaut. Ponton met with Ewell Monday along with Ross Furukawa, publisher of the Daily Press, and Michael Rosenthal, publisher of the Mirror. “Repainting is a lot less expensive than doing a complete refurbishment,” Ponton added. “A lot of times, it’s just graffiti or scratched glass. We can just repaint the back, the top, the side, wherever the problem is. You can’t do that with the woodgrain … It seems like every year they want us to spend millions of dollars to make sure the city looks beautiful again. “They must think we have deep pockets.” Furukawa said dealing with vandalism is part of the business, however, it seems as if the racks are being damaged more than usual. He and Ponton believe a change in the law is necessary, enabling media companies to repair racks quicker to ensure that readers can access the news. Furukawa said City Hall’s sweep took at least 10 racks out of the downtown area for a time, preventing readers from getting the Daily Press. “We want the same thing the city wants and that’s to present the best possible product professionally,” Furukawa said. “There has been a lot of vandalism of our boxes and, unfortunately, that continues. It is difficult to keep up with the vandalism because it happens on a daily basis.” Furukawa said the Daily Press does periodic checks of racks and repairs those that are damaged. He would like to see City Hall dedicate graffiti removal resources to racks, treating them just like a concrete wall, garage door or window that is vandalized around town. Some readers have complained about not being able to find their favorite publications because of the recent sweep, Ponton and Furukawa said. Ewell said he is planning to bring before the City Council a recommendation to change the ordinance covering newsracks, a change that would keep them the same shape and color, but perhaps have them be made out of a different material that is easier to clean and maintain. He said one idea is to have City Hall create “condominium” racks that will include up to four different publications in them to reduce clutter on street corners. City officials said they have given newsrack owners ample time — 90 days — to repair or replace racks in the downtown area, and, therefore, media companies should not complain about readers not being able to get their products. If racks are not repaired in the time given, they are removed, impounded at the City Yards and held free-of-charge for 60 days. Under the ordinance, media companies are required to repair or replace newsracks that are found to be damaged within five days of a notice being attached to a rack. “We are being business friendly,” Ewell said. “But we also have to be community friendly too.” “We want the same thing the city wants and that’s to present the best possible product professionally.” Ross Furukawa, publisher of the Santa Monica Daily Press. Jump head - Ewell to present redesign of racks next year Lucida Grande 40, 4 0 400 0¬ 1 0 40, Minion Black 40, 4 0 2314 0¬ 1 0 40, News Gothic 40, 4 0 3A3E 0¬ 1 0 *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 5, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/120507.pdf?ref=smdp.com)