Week of November 21, 2024
Week of November 21, 2024
1) These meetings started when the LA County Civil Grand Jury judged Santa Monica one of the most financially mismanaged cities in LA County. Today it's worse. 2) The original auditing firm Moss Adams should be replaced. They are still conducting "virtual" audits, and waiting 9 months to a year for answers from City Staff and City-funded non-profits. 3) We need a DIFFERENT firm with NO long term ties to the City, Council, or Staff. Staff should NOT be interviewing the candidates. THIS committee...
AMCHA Initiative is proud to announce the launch of our national campaign to combat faculty antisemitism, beginning with efforts to stop Faculty for Justice in Palestine (FJP), a network of 170 faculty chapters established after Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The primary mission of FJP members is to exploit their academic positions and departmental resources to actively promote the academic boycott of Israel (academic BDS) by engaging in actions to rid their campuses of Zionism...
November 18, 2024 - The fleet of 82 buses used to transport prison inmates sank to a low of 36 buses by 2023. The buses, specially retrofitted for the safe transport of inmates, take prisoners to and from more than 90 different state and county facilities, including 35 state prisons or hospitals throughout California, 25 County courts, 18 Sheriff's stations, six Department custody facilities, and local scheduled medical appointments. 62 of those buses are supposed to operate in the Los Angeles...
A fire at the Sherwin Williams paint store on Olympic Blvd near Sawtelle in West Los Angeles drew 3 fire companies on Sunday morning, 11/17. Firemen put out the blaze in a little more than an hour. The building was damaged and the smoke was visible throughout West LA. The cause of the fire is under investigation. A recent survey says that homeless activity leads to over 50% of the fires in urban LA County. It is unknown whether the paint store fire was related to a suspiscious fire at an...
SANTA MONICA, CA - A 36-year-old security guard confessed to fatally stabbing a homeless man in Downtown Santa Monica last September, according to the Santa Monica Police Department. Officers responded to an alley near 6th Street and California Avenue, just south of Reed Park, on September 6 after receiving a report of a person lying on the ground. Upon arrival, they found a man in his 30s, later identified as Quincy Nunes, dead from a stab wound to his upper chest, police said. Following an...
November 20, 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: Pico-Kenter storm drain at Santa Monica Beach. Santa Monica South Tower 20 100 yards up and down the coast from the storm drain. Big Rock Beach in Malibu 100 yards up and down the coast from the public access...
Ask Rusty - When Should My Wife Claim Social Security Benefits? Dear Rusty: I turned 64 in July and my wife turned 62 in August. My wife has not worked for approximately 15 years but does qualify for Social Security on her prior work record. My wife is having some physical issues and would like to not return to work. Since she is eligible to collect Social Security, that would be an option to provide additional income, so she doesn't have to work. My question is how would it affect her future...
New research appears to have found the proverbial "free lunch" economists have long been searching for. States that grant nurse practitioners "full practice authority" -- that authorize them to provide care independently, without the supervision of a physician or other provider -- reduce total healthcare costs for people with diabetes by 20% in urban areas and drive down rural usage of advanced medical services by people with diabetes by about 10%. And there doesn't appear to be a trade-off....
November 13, 2024 - Well, you win some and you lose some! Congratulations to new council members Raskin, Snell, Zernitskaya, and Hall for your victory. And to Santa Monica United and the Safer Santa Monica Slate-you put up a great campaign, gaining a lot of ground, and I see you as a strengthening movement that focuses on resident priorities. But the political campaign, which was bruising at times, is over. It's now time to clear the air, pull together as a city, draw the right conclusions, and...
As the holiday season approaches, Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. (DTSM, Inc.) brings the holiday spirit to the downtown district with a series of community events. From the much-anticipated return of Ice at Santa Monica presented by Disney+ and themed skate nights to the delightful Holiday Thursdays and the tree lighting celebration, there's something for everyone to enjoy this season in the heart of Santa Monica. On Thursday, November 21, the community will gather for the Official City of Santa...
The Santa Monica Police Department has arrested a man in connection with the fatal stabbing of his mother early Saturday, Nov. 16. According to SMPD, officers responded to a report of an aggravated assault at an apartment in the 1100 block of 12th Street around 5:30 a.m. Upon arrival, a man informed them that his brother had stabbed their mother multiple times. "Officers located two male adults (brothers) and escorted them out of the apartment," said SMPD in a statement. "Inside, they found an...
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...
November 14, 2024 - A hearing in the case against the man alleged to have beaten unconscious a prominent Santa Monica businessman was continued yesterday due to the inmate being a "miss-out" on the bus transporting defendants to court for their hearings. A "miss-out" is when a defendant is not on the bus that is supposed to take them to court. This could be because they forgot to show up for the bus, they refused to leave, or because there was insufficient room on the bus for all the inmates...
