Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words

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  • 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...

  • Mudslide Closes Laurel Canyon Boulevard from Hollywood to Mulholland Drive

    Observer Staff|Jan 17, 2017

    Adrian Copeland noticed a crack in his balcony on W. Colt Ave. above Laurel Canyon. He rents the home with his wife. The Copelands ran out of the house Wednesday afternoon after hearing a noise, then they saw the crack widen, and a chunk of concrete from the balcony slide down the hill. Their home and the 2 neighboring homes have been red tagged and are unavailable for the residents to enter. The Los Angeles Department of Public Works needs to reassess the hillside. As a consequence, Laurel...

  • Sequioa Tree With Tunnel Through It Is Victim of California's Latest Storm

    Observer Staff|Jan 14, 2017

    The iconic Pioneer Cabin Tree, also known as "The Tunnel Tree", fell during a rainstorm on January 7, 2017. Since it was first hollowed out in imitation of Yosemite's Wawona Tunnel Tree, thousands of tourists and vehicles have passed through the sequoia, known as the Pioneer Cabin Tree. The Wawona tree was killed by the process and later fell during a storm in the 1960s, but the Pioneer Cabin Tree clung on, showing signs of life well into the 21st century. "The pioneer cabin tree was chosen...

  • Bobcat 332 Dies of Mange Brought on by Rat Poison, in Santa Monica Mountains

    Observer Staff|Jan 14, 2017

    "We are sad to report that another wild cat has died in the Simi Valley area," said Zachary Behrens of the National Park Service, in a press release to the Santa Monica Observer Newspaper. "Bobcat 332 was an approximately 3-year-old male that we've been following in the Simi Hills since 2015. He had severe mange, a skin disease caused by mites. Since we often see mange accompanied by rat poison in animals' systems, B-332's blood tests will be sent to a lab for analysis," he wrote The death...

  • Car Runs Red Light, Collides With Expo Line Train Late Sunday Morning

    Observer Staff|Jan 14, 2017
    2

    Some people just can't wait for the train to pass. 7th Street was closed to traffic at Colorado Blvd late Sunday morning, as a result of a train v. car collision. A Westbound Expo line train passing 7th Street on Colorado in Santa Monica collided with the rear end of a passenger car, according to an MTA employee who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the press. "The car ran a red light," he said. "We don't know if anyone was injured in the car or not, because...

  • Martin Rubin Says "My Efforts to Organize Anti Airport Protest Have Been Hijacked."

    Observer Staff|Jan 14, 2017
    2

    Update: This e mail just in "Regarding the planned February 4th protest: As director of Concerned Residents Against Airport Pollution, please understand that Jonathan Stein is attempting to hijack my efforts to organize this event, and in doing so has only complicated and made it more difficult for me to focus as we move forward. I have been in the process of planning this event since mid-December.Only the date has been finalized. The format of the event is in process. I have already reached...

  • Nat'l Weather Service Issues Flood, Debris Warning for Southern California

    Observer Staff|Jan 14, 2017

    Noon Sunday 1/08/2016: Flash flooding and mud and debris flows possible for recent burn areas of southwestern California this evening through Monday morning. Locally, rain is expected to start around 4 am Monday morning, and has caused flooding damage and chaos in the Northern part of the State. The National Weather Service in Los Angeles/Oxnard has issued a Flash Flood Watch for the recent burn areas in Los Angeles County, including the sand, fish, and other recent burn areas from late tonight...

  • SMMUSD Embargoes Pizza Slices, Chicken Sandwiches and Burritos

    Observer Staff|Jan 11, 2017

    As of the beginning of 2017, junk snacks are history at Santa Monica schools. SMMUSD will also ban Pizza slices, Chicken Sandwiches and Burritos, unless they are part of a lunch with several items. The new standards are intended to comply with updated health standards published by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), says SMMUSD. USDA has issued new standards focus on snack foods and beverages sold to children during the school day at school "snack bars." "The new "Smart Snacks...

  • Pokemon Ice Cream Truck Lures Creatures Inside With Promise of Charging Station

    Observer Staff|Jan 11, 2017

    Apparently, Pokemon Go characters have more to worry about than just Poke balls. A Pokemon Go ice cream truck cruising the streets of SoCal lures the little guys with promises of ice cream (and a charging station, say some on social media). Pokémon Go is a free-to-play, location-based augmented reality game developed by Niantic for iOS and Android devices. The game was the result of a collaboration between Niantic and Nintendo, by way of The Pokémon Company, and was initially released in s...

  • Text of Meryl Streep's Speech at the Golden Globes; Trump's Response

    Observer Staff|Jan 11, 2017

    Meryl Streep gave an intensely political speech tonight at the Golden Globe awards, where she received the Cecile B. Demille lifetime achievement award. Donald Trump dismissed her speech, noting that she introduced Hillary Clinton at the DNC. Trump denied mocking a disabled reporter; he noted that he had reversed what he had initially written about 9/11. "Meryl Streep, one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood, doesn't know me but attacked last night at the Golden Globes. She is...

  • Ultimate Easter Egg Hunt: Shipwreck Results in German Beach Strewn With Plastic Easter Eggs

    Observer Staff|Jan 11, 2017

    1/06/2017: It was a dark and stormy night. The Captain of the Maersk Alabama did not see the reef near Langeoog Island, before he was upon it. The good ship and crew was a bone to be chewed, when the witch of the North Sea came calling. So they dumped a container over the side, and the result was a beach strewn with plastic, multi-colored Easter eggs. Authorities say the plastic eggs containing instructions in the Cyrillic alphabet, were dumped from a container that was lost by a cargo ship en...

  • Sugar Daddies and Serial Killers Make Odd Bedfellows

    Observer Staff|Jan 11, 2017

    (Los Angeles, CA / January 12, 2016) -- Blanc/Biehn Productions (BBP), the powerhouse indie film studio founded by actors/filmmakers Michael Biehn and Jennifer Blanc-Biehn, announces that principal shooting for Killer Weekend has begun in Los Angeles. Jamielyn Lippman (When the Bough Breaks) will direct the thriller, with an original screenplay by Travis Romero, who wrote the story with Lony Ruhmann; Romero and Ruhmann have also collaborated on behalf of BBP in the 2013 release Treachery and...

  • China Problem: Amazon Third Party Sellers Cannot Be Trusted to Deliver Goods

    Observer Staff|Jan 9, 2017

    Amazon has a "China Problem" and it is leaving many disappointed US children this holiday season, claims one writer. Amazon says they had their best Christmas sales season ever, and that sales are up 20%. However, Wade Shepard writes that Amazon has become inundated with unreliable, even fraudulent third party sellers, based mostly in China, who fail to deliver. Shepard, the author of Ghost Cities of China, claims to have parsed through numerous complaints on Amazon, and found the following...

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