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An escape chute has been installed at the south end of the Santa Monica Pier. The chute can be used in emergency situations when large numbers of the public need to be evacuated quickly, like during a speech by a City Council member.
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Famima, a Japanese convenience store chain, has opened its first Santa Monica location on the Third Street Promenade. It was described by one customer as...”sort of like an upgraded 7-Eleven.” Homeless panhandlers have adjusted and are asking patrons for any loose stocks and bonds.
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A three-story office building has been approved for the old McDonald’s restaurant site on the northeast corner of Colorado Boulevard and 2nd Street. The approval process with the City of Santa Monica took over 10 years, or as they say in the Planning Department, the project was streamlined.
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100,000 gallons of sewage escaped into the Santa Monica Bay as a result of problems at a pumping station in Los Angeles County. Electrical problems caused the station to shut down and sewage to back up, an emergency backup electrical system that was supposed to turn on in the event of a power outage failed to activate, an alarm system didn’t work, and a separate system designed to measure the depth and pressure inside the pumping station also didn’t work. Otherwise, the system functioned normally.
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Community discussions are underway as to how to make the Downtown Santa Monica commercial district more attractive and upscale. It seems the present mix of merchants is not good enough for all the low and moderate-income people living here that need rent control protection.
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Schools Superintendent John Deasy is leaving to assume a similar post in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Prince George’s County has 199 schools compared with Santa Monica/Malibu’s 19. Deasy said he would have many things to do in his new position, the first of which is to determine who the heck Prince George was.
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His new position pays $250,000 per year compared with $150,000 annually here. However, Deasy said he is leaving for the challenge not the money. Spending an additional $100,000 per year is a universally coveted challenge.
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He praised Santa Monica’s political leaders with whom he said he enjoyed working. Of course, it is common practice for departing civil servants to lie through their teeth.
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The City is asking the public not to feed squirrels. Feedings have acted as a magnet drawing an overpopulation of the rodents. Alternatively, squirrels should be directed to the city’s homeless feeding program.
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In a related move, a new ordinance has been introduced prohibiting standing on the rear two paws with the intent of begging for nuts.
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The Santa Monica-Malibu Board of Education is moving forward in an effort to install artificial turf to replace the natural grass fields at John Adams Middle School. The announcement was made by a district spokesman, who in keeping with the change, showed up in a polyester suit and wore a wig.
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The head of Los Angeles’ Homeless Authority had told the agency that he is planning to quit. Perhaps working with the workless, aka homeless, makes a person stop to think, “these people who don’t work may be on to something.”During a Meet & Greet at the Best Western Hotel, Bob Holbrook announced that he would seek reelection to the City Council for a fifth term. After four terms on the council, it is unclear who there was new for him to meet.
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The Meet & Greet was originally scheduled to be held at Shutters, but was changed to the Best Western in keeping with Holbrook’s common man appeal.
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He might have considered reaching out to homeless voters by holding the event in front of a 7-11.
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The Santa Monica Daily Press recently ran a front page article on the junk food that the City Council members like to consume, complete with a picture of the food tray. Now we know what journalists mean by a slow news day.
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The Santa Monica Daily Press recently ran a front page article on the junk food that the City Council members like to consume, complete with a picture of the food tray. Now we know what journalists mean by a slow news day.
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Vice President Cheney’s hunting incident had important foreign policy implications. If Cheney would shoot a friend, what will he do to an enemy?
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Cheney’s political action committee is looking for a new name. It seems big donors consider it a little risky to be one of the “Friends of Cheney.”
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