DOWNTOWN — There is finally some good news to come out of Heal the Bay’s 19th Annual Beach Report Card for the Santa Monica Pier. While the beach is still among the dirtiest in the state, making the top 10 “Beach Bummers” list and earning an F for water quality once again, the outlook is positive fo
Dear EarthTalk What is “nanotechnology?” I’ve heard that nanoparticles are already in consumer products, yet we haven’t really studied their potential health impacts.
<i>Editor’s note: This story is part of an ongoing series that tracks the city’s expenditures appearing on upcoming Santa Monica City Council consent agendas.
Dear EarthTalk: Has anyone been tracking whether climate change is causing more loss of human life as it gets more pronounced? — Gordon Gould, Compton, CA Researchers believe that global warming is already responsible for some 150,000 deaths each year around the world, and fear that the number may w
DOWNTOWN — There’s the cost of going green, and then there’s the cost of letting everyone know about it. One of the largest local developers of affordable housing, Community Corporation of Santa Monica owns approximately 80 properties in the city, a combination of apartment rehabilitation and newly
CITYWIDE — Using a leaf blower within the city limits has been off limits since 1991, but a daytime walk through most neighborhoods would seem to suggest otherwise, and some residents are steamed.
Dear EarthTalk I run a sorting machine at the post office, and am worried about all the paper dust swirling around the building. I asked both management and our union if this was a health or safety problem and both said no, but I’m not sure they really know.
CITY HALL — A 112-year-old cemetery where more than 60,000 Santa Monica residents have been laid to rest could soon be open to outsiders. City officials plan to change an old ordinance that limits interment at Woodlawn Cemetery to only current residents or former Santa Monicans who lived in the city
CITY HALL — The shrinking surf camp universe in Santa Monica is getting even smaller. More than a year after City Hall instituted a new permitting system to regulate surfing instruction, dramatically decreasing the presence of camps on the beach, the number of licensed companies is slated to go down
Dear EarthTalk What is the status of Hawaiian monk seals and how will the new national monument designation in the waters around the Hawaiian Islands affect them? Polly LaBarre New York, NY Easily exploited by hunters, whalers and fishermen in the 19th century, Hawaiian monk seals essentially never
OCEAN PARK BLVD — A newly planted pine tree will be the center of a ceremony today celebrating Earth Day and National Arbor Day. City officials and students and faculty from the Art Institutes of California at Los Angeles and Hollywood are attending this public event.
CITY HALL — A significant number of employees are no longer participating in a rideshare program that provides free transit passes to those who choose not to drive to work, according to figures released by City Hall.
