Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 118
Open Letter to Sue Himmelrich and husband Michael Soloff: It was with dismay that I watched both your orchestrated attacks on councilman Phil Brock's alternate tax transfer measure at the July 12 City Council meeting (http://santamonica.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2). It was the definition of bad faith. Michael Soloff, in your labored straw man argument, you called Councilman Brock's measure a "poison pill." You used every cliche in the canon to push for endless construction that...
Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón claims L.A. County is safer 'in some areas' because of his policies despite rise in violent crime over past year Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón joined local station KTLA 5 Saturday morning to defend his record as he faces a potential recall. Gascón was asked by news anchors Lynette Romero and Mark Meester to respond to those criticizing him as a "soft-on-crime" DA as L.A. has seen an 8.6% rise in violent crime over the past year. Wh...
Los Angeles District Attorney Los Angeles DA George Gascon 'overstates his authority,' can't ignore California law, court rules A California appeals court of Thursday upheld an injunction that said Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon can't refuse to charge three-strike cases, which can significantly increase prison sentences. The court affirmed an earlier ruling that said the directive not to charge strikes against dependants violates state law and the rights of prosecutors in...
May 26, 2022 - Property owners surrounding the former downtown Santa Monica parking structure 3 noticed that the lights attached to the building were permanently shut off on Tuesday evening, May 10, by Southern California Edison. These lights illuminate the alley behind the parking structure for about 225 linear feet. . In addition, 8 city light poles from Arizona to Santa Monica Boulevard are out. On top of the lack of light at night, the construction site is left unlocked at night. In letter...
To save, preserve and expand the United States Postal Service requires making the post office a national priority. Plus, first firing Louis de Joy. Now that the dysfunctional board which governs the postal service has new directors firing Postmaster de Joy is - priority one !! Note to president Biden ...... please, before your next international trip, before you sign your next bill, before your next state dinner, before your next cabinet meeting ...... in other words, immediately please fire...
Thank God for life's little pleasures! The mailbox in front of Will Rogers station post office, at Euclid and Wilshire, is once again bolted in the cement where it belongs. So now you can once again mail a letter 24/7 in Santa Monica. There have been rumors, says our source, that the Will Rogers station would close and the installation of a new box, does seem to indicate that they will be leaving the only Post Office in 90403 or 90402 open for the time being. About 40,000 people reside in those...
Amid an affordable housing and homelessness crisis, why would the City want to suspend all meetings of the Housing Commission "until City Council considers its annual appointments in June 2022" (May 10, 2022 agenda item 13C)? And why are the Mayor and Councilmembers insisting that "once the Housing Commission resumes meeting following the appointments, it shall immediately hold elections for Chair and Vice Chair"? Those elections are already compulsory per Council Resolution 11337 (CCS) and Hous...
Courts & Rulings Court hears case over deputy who didn't read Miranda rights You have the right to remain silent. Everyone knows police aren't supposed to question suspects without reading them their Miranda rights. But what happens when law enforcement officers don't first read suspects their rights? The Supreme Court on Wednesday wrestled with whether a sheriff's deputy can be sued for money damages for violating the rights of a hospital employee who was accused of sexually assaulting a patien...
The City Council of Calabasas has published an open letter to Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, spurning his requiest to meet and discuss his "vision" of law enforcement. Citing a spiraling increase in crime in Calabasas and the continued presence on the street of an accused serial child predator, Councilmember James Bozajian, a past president of the Association of Deputy District Attorneys, posted the below letter to Gascon, outlining the reasons a meeting with Calabasas would...
April 12, 2022 - City officials at all levels are struggling to respond to the recent news reports ranking Santa Monica as one of the least safe cities in California. In an open letter, City Manager David White and Police Chief Ramon Batista - both relatively new hires - claimed they have heard residents' fears and dismay and are taking aggressive action to restore the city's safety. Meanwhile, Barry Snell, the Interim Chief Executive Officer of Downtown Santa Monica, Inc., wrote a letter to...
Courts & Rulings FBI wins narrow high court ruling on failed mosque sting operation The FBI can invoke privilege for state secrets to duck a lawsuit over a failed operation spying on Muslims after 9/11, the Supreme Court ruled in a unanimous decision Friday. Sheikh Yassir Fazaga, an imam with the Orange County Islamic Foundation, brought the suit with two other Muslim men over a decade ago, saying their rights were violated through the FBI counterterrorism investigation dubbed "Operation Flex"...
As you might expect, conspiracy theories are making the rounds on Russian social media. One theory that the real reason Russia invaded Ukraine has nothing to do with history, national pride, neo-Nazi's or internal Ukraine politics. It's about the CIA Biolabs, of course. The US Embassy to Ukraine denied these rumors 2 years ago. But some Russians nevertheless deflect blame for their invasion, on the US and the CIA. "I'm not sure what the whole truth is, but for one, there are 11 bio labs in...
June 5Th 2015, Amber S. Jackson, #X15530 / (CIW) Dear [name redacted], Hi. This letter is being written by me to apologize for all the harm that I've done to you. I need you to know that I'm sorry. I'm acutely aware of all the ways my actions in Sept. 2004 hurt you and our family and our surrounding community in San Diego. You don't owe me anything. You don't even have to read this. But I pray that you will read this and that doing so will help your journey of healing. In Sept. 2004 I heated...
Mayor Sheds Crocodile Tears While Ruining Santa Monica Permanently for Residents: Letter from Santa Monica Voter Boo-hoo-boo, Mayor Himmelrich. Cry me a river with your comments. If you and this City Council were doing your jobs for the people who voted for you, the citizens of Santa Monica would not be upset with your inadequate performance. You close off Parking Structure 3 so no one can park there, especially on Wednesdays during the Farmer's Market. People can't go to the Promenade from...
Courts & Rulings Calif. DAs win temporary restraining order preventing corrections dept. from awarding 66% 'good conduct credits' to second-strikers The California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation recently enacted so-called "emergency" regulations to allow for additional "good conduct credits" to be awarded to serious and violent felons, and not based upon these felons completing any rehabilitation programs, or in essence, proving their good conduct. California Globe Protester was to...
Courts & Rulings California high court greenlights suit by assault victim, despite prior settlement In a ruling being hailed as a major win for victims of sexual assault and harassment, the California Supreme Court held Thursday that a contract barring two people from bad-mouthing each other doesn't prevent a woman from suing an abuser in court. "I think it's a great day for California victims of harassment and abuse because the opinion appropriately recognizes that such victims are entitled to...
1/21/22: Staff for the City of Santa Monica released a report this month titled "Overview of Homeless Outreach and Hygiene Services" in response to requests from some city councilmembers for a comprehensive report on what is being done to address homelessness, how much it is costing, and what effect it has had. None of the requested information is addressed in full in the January 6 staff report. Measures to address homelessness increase a complex web of different types of outreach teams, some...
Courts & Rulings A court upheld the firing of 2 LAPD officers who ignored a robbery to play Pokémon Go An appeals court in California has upheld the firing of two former Los Angeles Police Department officers for playing Pokémon Go rather than responding to a nearby robbery. Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchell, who were fired after the 2017 incident, had argued that the city violated the law by using their police car's digital in-car video system recording as evidence and by denying them p...
Courts & Rulings Judge halts California earlier releases for repeat offenders A judge on Wednesday temporarily halted California's plans to speed the potential prison release dates for repeat offenders with serious and violent criminal histories under the state's "three strikes" law. California corrections officials had filed emergency regulations to boost good conduct credits for second-strike inmates serving time for nonviolent offenses who are housed at minimum-security prisons and camps. AP...
With Covid-19 case counts exploding in Los Angeles County and across the U.S., schools are mostly still planning to reopen. On Sunday night, the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District issued a "Superintendent’s Message" signed by Dr. Ben Drati. It reaffirms the school districts commitment to reopening Monday and Tuesday, even with Omicron. It does say the school is monitoring the situation and will regard a school closure "as a last resort and considered only after all available resources h...
Courts & Rulings The Supreme Court found a Sonoma County man's arrest illegal. A state appeals court upheld his conviction anyway Six months ago, a North Bay man who was pursued into his garage by police scored a rare defense victory in the U.S. Supreme Court, which limited officers' authority to enter a suspect's home without a warrant. That meant the entry into Arthur Lange's garage was illegal - but because the officer couldn't have known that in advance, Lange's drunken-driving conviction...
The following letter was sent to the entire city council, the city manager, and police chief. Chief Batista and City Manager White both replied with thanks to the author. A. SHORT TERM (IMMEDIATE) Objective: Stabilize safety 1) Update the current requirement of property and/or business owners having to renew the NO SITTING OR LYING IN THE ENTRANCE NOTICE from every 30 to 45 days, to INDEFINITELY. This would immediately create a uniform enforcement environment which would streamline compliance...
Courts & Rulings Federal judge rejects California's bid to postpone vaccination of prison staff With COVID-19 already having taken the lives of nearly 300 California inmates and prison staff, a federal judge has ordered all prison employees to be vaccinated by Jan. 12, and criticized Gov. Gavin Newsom and the prison guards' union for seeking to postpone his order. In the face of "undisputed scientific and medical evidence" that vaccines are both effective and essential in confined settings like...
Saving the United States Postal Service and stopping disingenuous forces from dismantling and privatizing it must be a national priority. We have witnessed the destruction of our post office and that must end, service levels must be restored and expanded, postage rates reduced; PO box rental prices slashed and new PO boxes added, local post offices re-opened, mail boxes that this postmaster general blatantly confiscated weeks before a national election must all be returned; and of course new...
Courts & Rulings Qualified immunity: Supreme Court sides with police, overturns denial of immunity in two cases The Supreme Court sided Monday with police in two cases in which plaintiffs claimed officers used excessive force, overturning separate lower court rulings that had allowed the officers to be sued for civil rights violations. In two unsigned opinions, the court stressed police are entitled to be shielded from liability unless it is "clear to a reasonable officer" that their actions...
