Week of March 28, 2024
Sam Bankman-Fried has just been sentenced to 25 years in prison for defrauding investors and customers. He ran FTX, a brokerage which also sponsored it's own proprietary crypto currency. The 27 year old was convicted of fraud for using depositor funds to back the currency. Alameda Research, ran by his girlfriend Caroline Ellison, developed the crypto currency. SBF was convicted on seven counts. Prosecutors had asked 50 years. His defense attorneys suggested 5 or 6. SBF's lawyers announced that...
Specialty cake and pastry store Sweet Lady Jane is alive and doing well on Montana Avenue. The stores are now owned by a couple, Matthew and Julie, explained the counter gal we spoke to. Previously they had been owned by a couple in their 70's, who decided to close the chain abruptly ten weeks ago. "We're doing really well," she said. "It's very busy here at the Montana Avenue location. We are making a lot of sales." She added that they are using the same recipes to make pastries as before the...
March 21, 2024 - The Amcha Initiative, a nonprofit organization that combats antisemitism at institutes of higher education, warns Jewish students that the public University of California campuses "are not safe" for them. Amcha Initiative is not a pro-Israel advocacy group and does not take a position on anything that does not rise to the level of antisemitism as defined by IHRA and U.S. government criteria. A recent report by Amcha Initiative has discovered a whopping 1100 percent increase in...
The #SaveLACougars campaign is preparing to celebrate an exciting and major construction milestone on the monumental effort to complete the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing in Los Angeles County. To date, more than 6,100 tons of concrete have been poured and over 426 tons of bar reinforcing steel have been placed to create the walls of the structure on either side of the freeway and the columns in the median on the 101 freeway. Next month, Caltrans construction crews are planning to begin the...
Average gasoline prices in Los Angeles have risen 6.5 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $4.99/g today, according to GasBuddy's survey of 2,135 stations in Los Angeles. Prices in Los Angeles are 24.9 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand 17.0 cents per gallon higher than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has risen 2.0 cents in the last week and stands at $4.02 per gallon. According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Los Angeles was priced at...
Courts, Rulings & Lawsuits Supreme Court allows politicians to block constituents from personal accounts The Supreme Court ruled in favor of local government officials in a First Amendment fight on Friday, finding that politicians can block members of the public from their social media pages without violating the First Amendment. In a unanimous opinion, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Trump appointee, set guidelines for when public officials' accounts could be viewed as state action....
March 27, 2024 Ocean Water Use Warning for Los Angeles County Beaches The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health cautions residents who are planning to visit the below Los Angeles County beaches to avoid swimming, surfing, and playing in ocean waters: BEACH AREA WARNINGS: Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica 100 yards up and down the coast from the pier. Santa Monica Canyon Creek at Will Rogers State Beach. Near Will Rogers Tower 18 100 yards up and down the coast from the creek. Marie...
Ask Rusty – When Should We Claim Social Security? Dear Rusty: I am almost 63 and my husband will be 61 soon, and we are looking to see when our best time would be to start our Social Security benefits. We would like to know if one of us qualifies for benefits from a previous marriage from 1984 to 1995. And we are wondering if I can start drawing at age 65, in two years, or if it is better that I wait until 67 because my spouse is 2 years younger than me. Also, if I were to continue working...
March 26, 2024- - Today, Rescue California announced that the official recall petition to remove Gavin Newsom from office has been approved by the Secretary of State. 75,000 petitions have been requested by angry residents in almost every county. "Exactly one month ago we started the process of recalling Gavin Newsom because he has abandoned the state to advance his Presidential ambitions, leaving behind a $73 Billion budget deficit that is climbing and a public safety, immigration and...
Dear Council, Walking last night with my wife to a spontaneous dinner at Tocaya on Wilshire, we counted 14 addicts and/or mentally ill people in the 4 blocks from 9th street to 5th street. They were trudging to our alleys and carports, or already holed up in empty storefronts, or heading to Reed Park, or hanging out in the parking lot of the 7/11, or getting ready to bed down wherever. They were high, unstable, and neither of us felt safe. Some were doing drugs, one was buying drugs. My wife...
Dear City Attorney Sloan, Are all emails sent by constituent residents and business owners to you and/or individual Councilmembers, and our City Manager, received unscreened by a 3rd party or City Staff Member? Are the email addresses listed next to our Santa Monica Mayor and Santa Monica City Council Members, and City Manager, correct, and are their email addresses received and read first by each of them? It is my understanding that over 18,000 letters sent over the last 6 months to individual...
Emaginario: A Dynamic Evening of Live Jazz, Blues, & Flamenco Ethan Margolis aka Emaginario, is a creative and worldly guitarist and vocalist, whose deep connections with flamenco, jazz, aspects of pop, blues and even punk coalesce into a unique musical voice Buy tix now for Emaginario: Featuring World-traversed and genre-fluid guitarist/vocalist Ethan Margolis aka Emaginario (Chano Domínguez, Herb Alpert) returns to Los Angeles after a four-year absence, with his quintet, which performs a...
March 28, 2024 - When a married couple of muckraking journalist filmmakers were visiting their home country of Ireland this fall, they were shocked at how quickly the public's attention turned from the horror of the October 7 attack on Israel to the plight of the Gazans losing electricity. "We just noticed that everyone wanted to move quickly away from Oct. 7 and start talking about Gaza and ceasefires," Phelim McAleer told the Daily Mail in an interview. "And we know there would be no Oct. 8...
SACRAMENTO – As Women's History Month enters its fourth week, the Listas Campaign is proud to launch the participation of the First Partner of California Jennifer Siebel Newsom. Recognizing the vital role California women play as leaders and changemakers in their own families and communities, the Listas Campaign has been empowering women with emergency resiliency knowledge this past month and will continue to do so into April. "As moms, we shoulder so much of the invisible- yet vital- work of...
It's National Animal Poison Prevention Month and the County of Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC) is dedicated to raising awareness about the risks of pet poisoning and providing essential tips to keep our beloved pets safe. Pet owners are encouraged to take proactive measures to prevent accidental poisoning incidents such as: Know the Risks: Be aware of common household items and substances that are toxic to pets: Foods: Chocolate, grapes (including raisins), onions,...
Santa Monica's City Council thinks the city is just fine. One councilmember called the homeless residents our neighbors, their wants and desires equivalent to those of people who pay rent and pay taxes. The 'freedom' of some, most of whom suffer from drug addiction and mental illness, to live in filth, disease and to commit crimes with impunity, is valued over the ability of the rest of society to live healthy lives in law and order. Watch the videos shot and distributed by the Santa Monica...