This is in response to a letter to the editor published Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009 from A. Borden (“Agenda behind smoking ban”) accusing me of dressing a landlord plot to evict tenants in a public health gown.
For too long our country has been in a horribly divisive state. It was worse during the Vietnam era, which was second only to the Civil War. That period was so divisive they fought a war! On a divisive scale of 1 through 10, I’d say we’re currently around 8.
CITY HALL — While residents and city officials for months have pushed for the relocation of a proposed Exposition Light Rail maintenance yard away from homes, it’s looking more likely that the facility will remain as planned in the Pico Neighborhood.
By the time I was 10, I had seen enough “60 Minutes” segments on the dangers of tobacco — and the lengths that R.J. Reynolds and Philip Morris would go to in order to hide that danger from the general public — to take a principled stand against cigarettes.
CITYWIDE — If Rent Control Board member Robert Kronovet has his way tenants who smoke will no longer be able to do so in the comfort of their own homes.
SUNSET PARK — There could be fewer delays and less pollution emitting from Santa Monica Airport and Los Angeles International Airport as the FAA prepares to roll out new departure rules aimed at cutting down idling on runways.
SM AIRPORT — People who live and work near the Santa Monica Airport are being exposed to unusually high levels of air pollution, a significant health concern that has been largely associated with major commercial airports such as LAX, according to a new study by UCLA researchers.
CITY HALL — There were more than 400 homeless people who found permanent supportive housing and nearly 500 who landed and maintained stable jobs last year, getting off the streets of Santa Monica and taking the first steps toward achieving self sufficiency.
DOWNTOWN — There are many days warm or cool when the windows to Mike Horelick’s Santa Monica apartment remain shut, keeping out ocean breezes, the fragrance of a neighbor’s dinner and cigarette smoke.
CITY HALL — A popular series of neighborhood-centric budget meetings with City Manager Lamont Ewell will return for a fourth round on Monday when issues of parking, traffic and development are sure to make their way into discussions yet again.
What are friends for? “To blow the whistle on you when you’re insane,” according to the playwright. Can you build an entire play around this premise? You can if you’re John Patrick Shanley, whose popular plays and films have won him a Tony, an Oscar and a Pulitzer Prize.
CITY HALL — A controversial proposal to build a light rail maintenance yard near homes is raising new concerns about whether an environmental impact review will be performed to address recent plan changes to add a paint and body shop to the facility.
