Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words

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  • Oroville Spillway Collapse Threatened; Evacuation of Area Ordered

    Observer Staff|Feb 14, 2017
    2

    Update: The evacuation order was lifted on February 14, 2017 at 2 pm PST, for communities below Oroville dam. The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has ordered the immediate evacuation of the lower levels of Oroville, CA and the areas downstream. Lake Oroville went from 8-% full to over 100% full in just one week. The danger is not to the earthen dam itself, but to the emergency spillway which has been operated in full activation mode, for the first time in 48 years. The excitedly...

  • Laurel Canyon Blvd Reopens to Traffic After Mudslide

    Observer Staff|Feb 14, 2017

    The Los Angeles Department of transportation announced the full reopening of Laurel Canyon Blvd on Saturday, February 11. Laurel Canyon opened at 1:30pm and will remain open thereafter. Laurel Canyon road closed on Jan. 11 after part of the foundation and patio of a home in the 8100 block of West Gould Avenue gave way, causing a mudslide. "City agencies have worked around the clock to provide safeguards to hillside neighborhoods due to unprecedented rainstorms. This has been a priority for the...

  • Battlestar Galactica's Captain Apollo/Tom Zarek Dies at 71 in Santa Clarita

    Observer Staff|Feb 12, 2017

    Richard Hatch died Tuesday. The Santa Monica born actor, writer, and producer best known for his role as Captain Apollo in the original Battlestar Galactica television series, and also as Tom Zarek in the 2003 remake of Battlestar Galactica. Richard Hatch, star of the original "Battlestar Galactica" and the Syfy remake, died on Tuesday after a battle with pancreatic cancer, his manger confirmed to Variety. Hatch died around 1:30 p.m. at his home in Santa Clarita, Calif., with his son Paul by...

  • LASD Calls Shooting of Vasquez at 3300 Pico "Suicide by Cop" of a suspect wanted for murder.

    Observer Staff|Feb 12, 2017

    Gerardo Vasquez stabbed his roommate in Simi Valley on Saturday, then led Police on a chase to Santa Monica. He got out of the car and waved a knife at officers, apparently hoping they would grant his death wish. They did. Sheriff's investigators identified the dead man as Gerardo Vasquez, "male Hispanic, 52 years-old." Simi Valley Police wanted him for trying to kill his roommate on February 3, 2017. He fled the scene after the stabbing and was considered "armed and dangerous." Sheriff's said t...

  • Rapper "The Game" Pleads to Assaulting Off-Duty Officer During Basketball Game

    Observer Staff|Feb 12, 2017

    Rapper "The Game" pleaded no contest today to assaulting an off-duty police officer during a basketball game at a high school in Hollywood, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced. Jayceon Terrell Taylor, 37, entered a no contest plea to one misdemeanor count each of criminal threats and battery. Taylor also pleaded no contest to one felony count of grand theft. Deputy District Attorney Deann Rivard said the rapper was immediately sentenced to three years of formal...

  • Sheriff's Deputies Remove Man With Arab Headdress From Expo Line Train, After He Threatened To Blow It Up

    Observer Staff|Feb 12, 2017

    Los Angeles County Sheriffs Deputies removed a man who was wearing a Kafiyeh from the Westbound Metro Exposition Line train early Sunday afternoon in Santa Monica At least one passenger heard a rumor that the man claimed to have a bomb. The Sheriff's Department would not confirm or deny this account. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department provides security throughout the MTA train system, because it moves through jurisdictions. The keffiyeh is a traditional Middle Eastern headdress fashione...

  • California Drought Ends, But Controlling Santa Monica Refuses to End Restrictions

    Observer Staff, AP|Feb 10, 2017
    1

    Sierra Nevada snow drifts are at a drought-busting 173 percent of average, with the most snow recorded since 1995, California water managers said Thursday. State water managers poked rods into drifts as high as tree branches to measure the snowpack. They found far more snow than at the height of California's more than five-year drought, when the measurement was done in almost-bare mountain meadows. "The winter storms across California are a welcome relief from five years of record low rainfall...

  • Santa Monica High School Lockdown Lifted, Police Searching for Criminal at Lincoln/Pico

    Observer Staff|Feb 10, 2017

    An SMMUSD robocall informed parents Monday afternoon, that Santa Monica High School was on Lockdown as the Santa Monica Police Department searches for a Robbery suspect. The lockdown began at 1 pm and lasted for about an hour. At 152 PM, the Lockdown was lifted, and SamoHi apparently resumed with a modified schedule: "Lunch will go until 2:05 pm; period 5, 2:10-2:40 pm, period 6, 2:49-3:16 pm," said the School Principal in an email to parents. Most SamoHi students finish the school day at 2:10...

  • Mysterious Disease Outbreak Closes John Adams Middle School in Santa Monica

    Observer Staff|Feb 5, 2017

    Update: Thursday night, 2/3: JAMS is closed Friday 2/3, due to Norovirus outbreak. From the District: On recommendation of the LA Department of Public Health, we are closing John Adams Middle School in Santa Monica, tomorrow, Friday, Feb. 3, 2017. An email / voice message from Principal Steve Richardson went to to parents and staff this evening, telling them JAMS would be closed. "We have had 80 students and 10 teachers become ill with what is believed to be the same thing, as of today" said...

  • City Manager Rick Cole: What More Did You Want Us to Do, to Close Santa Monica Airport?

    Observer Staff|Feb 5, 2017

    Editor's Note: This is a mass e mail thread circulating among airport opponents and Rick Cole. In most cases, e mail address have been redacted. Since public figures like the City Manager Rick Cole are commenting, we feel it has significant public interest. With respect, Marty, the City of Santa Monica was pursuing two Federal lawsuits, two State eviction actions and was the subject of five Part 16 FAA proceedings including a Notice of Investigation and a Cease and Desist Order. Is that your...

  • Spineless Animal Page on Wikipedia Includes Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan

    Observer Staff|Feb 3, 2017

    House Speaker Paul Ryan did not stand up to President Donald Trump on his recent ban of immigrants from 7 majority Moslem countries. As an apparent consequence, he was listed on Wikipedia's Invertebrate page, as one of the world's spineless animals. The page has Ryan listed below Horseshoe Crabs, but above "jellyfish, echinoderms, sponges and other worms." https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Invertebrate&oldid=762135165 Wikipedia has always been characterized by it's openness to...

  • City Approves $141,000,000 City Hall Annex,

    Observer Staff|Feb 3, 2017

    On Tuesday, the Santa Monica City Council unanimously approved a 50,000-square-foot project that will cost $141 million, including finance costs. The excuse given for the extremely high cost ($2820/square foot) is that the building will be "sustainable" and be a candidate to win Green awards. $100 to $200 a foot are common figures for construction estimators. According to Constance Farrell, City Public Information Officer, the building will pay for itself in 30 years and "dramatically save...

  • Santa Monica Experiences Increase in Crime Since the Expo Line Opened in May, 2016

    Observer Staff|Feb 1, 2017

    The statistics are undeniable. Since the Expo Line returned to Santa Monica, crime has increased. The SMPD appears to have shifted from denial that crime has increased, to adding more officers in congested areas near train stations. 2016 saw a 5.5 percent increase in crime in Santa Monica. This is also the year the train began operation, bringing riders from as far as downtown Los Angeles all the way to 4th Street and Colorado, near Santa Monica Place. The area including the train station, the...

  • Beach Boys' Mike Love says Coach Kampmann Inspired "Be True to Your School."

    Observer Staff|Jan 28, 2017

    Update: Coach Kampmann's Memorial is set for Feb. 4, 2017 at 11 am at University High School's Stivelman Theater. Mike Love, lead singer of the Beach Boys, ran for Coach Richard Kampmann at Dorsey High School in the late 1950's. He wrote to The Observer, recalling Coach K: What a great soul - our Coach Kampmann! I am 100% certain that his influence on me has been a big part of why the band did 172 performances in 2015 and 160 in 2016 and we are on track to do much the same in 2017. "Coach...

  • Vidiots Video Rental Throws in the Towel on Santa Monica

    Observer Staff|Jan 28, 2017

    ​After three decades of operation in Santa Monica, the iconic Vidiots video store is moving on February 15 from its location at 302 Pico Boulevard, blocks from the beach. Spokesmen for the store say they are looking for a new location in Los Angeles and hope to reopen in 2018. ​The non-profit video store nearly closed in January 2015. But after its founders, Patty Polinger and Cathy Tauber, publicized the closing, Megan Ellison of Annapurna Pictures stepped in to save the business. Annapurna pic...

  • DA Won't File Charges Against LAPD Officers in Ezell Ford Shooting

    Observer Staff|Jan 28, 2017

    The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced today that criminal charges will not be filed against two Los Angeles police officers who shot and killed a man during a struggle over a gun belonging to one of the officers. The 28-page report concluded that Officers Sharlton Wampler and Antonio Villegas, who were working on a gang enforcement detail, acted lawfully in self-defense and in defense of others when they shot Ezell Ford, 25, on Aug. 11, 2014. The document is attached. The...

  • Topanga Canyon Blvd Closed Through Mountains Until Thursday

    Observer Staff|Jan 24, 2017

    A huge boulder fell on Topanga Canyon Boulevard during the rain Sunday night, not far from the town of Topanga. There were also mudslides and debris. As a result, California department of transportation has closed Topanga Canyon Boulevard until Thursday. A boulder twice the size of an SUV, rolled down a wet hillside and came to rest in the southbound lane. There was also a mudslide that blocked part of the northbound lane causing Caltrans to shut down Topanga Canyon Road, a main artery...

  • Santa Monica to Conduct Annual Homeless Count; 250 Volunteered

    Observer Staff|Jan 24, 2017

    The City of Santa Monica will conduct its annual street-by-street enumeration of homeless individuals on the night of January 25, 2017,This annual count helps assess the City's efforts in addressing homelessness, and will be held in conjunction with other counts throughout the region taking place next week. The count starts at St. Monica Catholic Community - Grand Pavilion - 725 California Avenue, Santa Monica. Mayor Ted Winterer and City Council, City Manager Rick Cole, Assemblymember Richard...

  • California Incline Shut Down Again on Sunday From Second Mudflow, Reopened Monday.

    Observer Staff|Jan 24, 2017

    Update 9:19 am PST Monday: "Clean up operations are complete. The California Incline has reopened," says the City Traffic Dept. by e mail. Update, 4:34 pm PST Sunday: An e mail from the City of Santa Monica says: California Incline Closure due to weather conditions. Mud and Debris on roadway California Incline was shutdown "until further notice" due to mud and debris from the bluffs falling on the Incline. This in a notice from the City of Santa Monica's traffic Dept. Why the City of Santa...

  • In a Populist Inaugural Speech, President Donald Trump Promises to Put "America First."

    Observer Staff|Jan 22, 2017

    "Chief Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, fellow Americans and people of the world, thank you. We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and restore its promise for all of our people. Together, we will determine the course of America and the world for many, many years to come. We will face challenges. We will confront hardships. But we will get the job done. Every four years we gather on these...

  • Young Woman Claims She's Getting an Abortion, for Trump

    Observer Staff|Jan 22, 2017
    2

    A young woman named Helen Marona posted on Facebook that she intends to abort her fetus because Donald Trump was inaugurated today. Social media was rife with people responding to her sentiment, which added that she didn't want inauguration day to be the day she found out she was pregnant. Marona wrote: "Today my doctor told me I was pregnant. At first I was happy, but then I realised what it means. I don't really want to do it but I'm considering making an appointment to get an abortion...

  • Tiffany Trump Set to Enroll at Harvard Law School in September

    Observer Staff|Jan 20, 2017

    Tiffany Trump, the 23-year-old daughter of President-elect Donald Trump, toured Harvard Law School on Tuesday. A number of students at the country's largest, oldest and most prestigious law school reportedly recognized her. Our source in the admissions office did confirm she had been accepted into the Class of 2020, but refused to say more. When asked whether the stunning blond had decided to attend Harvard, she clucked her tongue, said "Why do you think she's visiting here today?" and hung up...

  • Ivanka Trump Moves to DC to Take a Quasi First Lady Role, Says CS Monitor

    Observer Staff|Jan 20, 2017

    Donald Trump is not the only member of the Trump organization who starts a new job on Friday. Ivanka Trump has stepped down from her post at the Trump Organization, the Christian Science Monitor reports, because she will have a quasi-First Lady role in her father's administration. She and her family have moved to DC's Kalorama district, the same neighborhood that hosts the Obamas and Jeff Bezos. Ivanka will fulfill traditional duties of presidential wives, while First Lady Melania Trump...

  • SMC Buys Out the YWCA on 14th Street in Santa Monica; $5M for One Acre

    Observer Staff|Jan 20, 2017
    1

    Below is the press release from SMC, which is buying out YWCA's land grant on 14th Street. Only 4% of SMC students graduated from Santa Monica High School. Historically, "community colleges" were a place for local high school graduates to spend 2 years before they transferred to 4 year institutions. SMC's 33,000 enrollees are mostly foreign students obtaining a certificate in English proficiency. The Santa Monica College Board of Trustees announced an agreement with the YWCA Santa Monica /...

  • Purple Line Between Wilshire/La Cienega and Century City Gets Funded

    Observer Staff|Jan 17, 2017

    Metro will receive nearly $1.6 billion in Federal grants and loans to build the Purple Line Extension to Beverly Hills and Century City. The U.S. Department of Transportation is committing nearly $1.6 billion in new funding to the project. Most of it is grant money and $307 million in loans. "This section, which any Los Angeleno can tell you, is one of the most congested areas of Los Angeles, will be better prepared to handle more people and operate more efficiently," said U.S. Transportation...

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