This document provides a summary of upcoming local events in Santa Monica for January 9th and 10th, 2009. It includes details about a boys basketball game, a lecture on Mars exploration at Santa Monica College, a zydeco music performance at Harvelle's, a rock music showcase featuring mothers at Talking Stick, and other community and cultural events. It also advertisements a 50% off sale starting at two clothing stores in Santa Monica on January 9th.
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Santa Monica Daily Press Jan 9 08
1. INSIDE SCOOP COMMENTARY HOROSCOPE
ENTERTAINMENT
OFFERING A FINE BOUNTY PAGE 3 MAMA KNOWS HOW TO ROLL PAGE 4 IN THE STARS PAGE 11
FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2009
Visit us online at smdp.com Volume 7 Issue 360
Santa Monica Daily Press
IS IT YELLOW OR MIMOSA?
Since 2001: A news odyssey
SEE PAGE 10 THE PONDERING CHANGES ISSUE
Services set SMMUSD
officials to
for Monday
ask council
BY DAILY PRESS STAFF
for money
CITY HALL A public memorial service will be
held on Monday, Jan. 12 at St. Monica
Catholic Church for Councilman and for-
mer Mayor Herb Katz, who died Wednesday
after a long battle with cancer. He was 78.
BY MELODY HANATANI
Following the memorial, a graveside bur-
ial service will be held at Woodlawn Daily Press Staff Writer
Cemetery in the Pico Neighborhood.
CITY HALL More than 18 months after the City
The family has requested that in lieu of
flowers donations be made in his memory to Council decided to withhold half a million
either the John Wayne Cancer Institute at dollars from the district over troubles in its
2200 Santa Monica Blvd., or the USC/Norris special education program, school officials
Comprehensive Cancer Center in Los plan to return Tuesday to request the release of
Angeles. Any flowers sent in addition should the money.
be at the church prior to 9:30 a.m. on the day Interim Superintendent Tim Cuneo sent a
of the service, city officials said. letter earlier this week to Mayor Ken Genser
The Santa Monica fire and police depart- outlining the steps the Santa Monica-Malibu
ments color guards will be present. Unified School District has taken since the
To accommodate the funeral and proces- council voted in June 2007 to keep approxi-
sion, parking will be restricted from 8 a.m. to mately $530,000 in school aid, stipulating the
noon in the 1000-1100 block of Seventh money would remain put until a series of con-
Street, 1000-1100 block of Lincoln Boulevard, ditions are met, including imposing a morato-
600-800 block of California, 1400 block of rium on confidentiality agreements in special
Michigan, and on 14th Street from Olympic education contracts.
to Pico boulevards. Guests arriving at St. The money is part of approximately $7 mil-
Monica’s will be directed where to park via lion in city funding that the district receives
signs and by police department personnel. annually through its joint-use agreement in
From St. Monica, the processional route which the SMMUSD allows public use of
will head west on California to Seventh Street, school facilities in exchange for added revenue.
south on Seventh to Wilshire, west on Wilshire The half-million dollars represents the increase
to Ocean, south on Ocean to Colorado, east on that the district was set to receive when City
Colorado to Main, south on Main to Olympic Hall and the SMMUSD renegotiated the terms
Drive, east on Olympic to 11th, (passing by of the contract in 2007.
both City Hall and the Public Safety Building) The figure that could be released has
south on 11th to Michigan, east on Michigan increased since that fateful council meeting in
to 14th, south on 14th to the cemetery ‘07 to $804,470, which includes half of the
SHE HAS GAME
entrance. Upon arrival, guests will be directed amount — approximately $274,000 — that is
to parking by police department personnel. budgeted for the district in the current fiscal
Morgan Genser news@smdp.com
For more information, contact City Hall year.
Santa Monica College forward Chantel Diaz (right) gets off a shot against a tough Los
at (310) 458-8301. Cuneo said he feels it is the right time to
Angeles Valley College defense during the Corsair's 63-55 home victory Wednesday. With
the win, SMC is now 1-0 during Western State Conference Southern Division play.
SEE DISTRICT PAGE 5
news@smdp.com
Study claims SoCal water polluters not cited
BY KEVIN HERRERA for the last eight years by failing to create nearly 900 instances in which samples Water Quality Control Board only imposed
precise enforcement standards to hold pol- proved harmful to aquatic species, the effects penalties in about 1 percent of those cases.
Editor in Chief
luters accountable. being stunted growth, impaired develop- Water board chairwoman Fran Diamond
DOWNTOWN Environmental watchdog Heal In a report released Thursday, Heal the ment, reduced reproduction or increased says it’s hard to act because the state doesn’t
the Bay claims state regulators have let toxic Bay looked at discharge from 42 industrial mortality.
SEE POLLUTION PAGE 8
pollutants foul Los Angeles County waters and sewage treatment plants and found The report says the Los Angeles Regional
Gary Limjap Five generations
BACK or
of family jewelers
UNFILED TAXES?
(310) 586-0339
ALL FORMS • ALL TYPES • ALL STATES
In today’s real estate climate ...
Experience counts! SAMUEL B. MOSES, CPA
(310) 395-9922
Monday-Saturday
10am-6pm
331 Wilshire Blvd. Santa Monica
garylimjap@earthlink.net 100 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1800Santa Monica 90401
2 Hours Free Parking (Behind Store) 310.451.1349 • www.readersjewelers.com
2. Calendar A newspaper with issues
2 FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2009
Hoop it up
Santa Monica High School Gym
601 Pico Blvd., 7:30 p.m.
Catch the Samohi boys basketball team take on Palos Verdes Peninsula in
varsity action.
Gazing at stars
Santa Monica College
1900 Pico Blvd., 7 p.m.
quot;Mars Exploration Update,quot; on two Fridays, Jan. 9 and 23, will look at how
our overall picture of Mars has evolved with incredible speed, due to the
flood of information coming to Earth from three landing missions and three
orbiters. We will also preview upcoming missions for the Red Planet. Tickets
are $5 each or $9 for the quot;double bill,quot; with discounts for children and sen-
ior citizens. For information, call (310) 434-4223 or (310) 434-3000.
Time for zydeco
Harvelle’s
1432 Fourth St., 9:30 p.m.
THE Gino Matteo brings his zydeco, funk, roots and soul sound to this local main-
stay. Cover is $10.
These moms rock
Talking Stick
1411 Lincoln Blvd. #C, Venice, 7 p.m.
This musical showcase features a bevy of moms that can really rock. Rockin’
Moms features The Conlons, Jan Roper, Stacy Robin, Eileen Carey and Arlene
Kole. This free show is open to all ages. For more information, call (310) 450-
6052.
Saturday, Jan. 10, 2009
SANTA MONICA
SALE
Lively literature
Fairview Branch Library
2101 Ocean Park Blvd., 11 a.m. — 12:30 p.m.
Join a lively discussion of “The Call of the Wild” by Jack London, the classic
adventure tale set in the frigid Yukon. Call (310) 450-0443 for more informa-
tion.
Balance & posture
Santa Monica YMCA
1332 Sixth St., 11 a.m. — 12:15 p.m.
Attend a workshop that involves a unique exploration of movement, focusing
on the feeling of how parts of your body relate to each other as well as to
your environment. Live with more power, grace, and vitality than you imag-
STARTS FRIDAY JANUARY 9TH ined possible, all while using less effort. Admission and parking are free, pic-
ture ID is required. Call (310) 393-2721 ext. 129 for reservations and informa-
tion.
50% OFF
The longer, the better
11301 Wilshire Blvd., West L.A., 11 a.m. — 3 p.m.
Calling men of all ages! Cultivate and preserve your life through Tantrika
practices at this event. Extend your life through effective use of your body
and mind to preserve youth and stamina. Yes, young men, that means you
too. Visit longevity-for-men.resolve.at or e-mail
tantrapsychologyevents@gmail.com for more information.
‘Works for Everyone’
TAG Gallery
2903 Santa Monica Blvd., 5 p.m. — 8 p.m.
TAG Gallery will be kicking off 2009 with a group show. The show will cele-
brate the diversity and talent of over 40 artists. E-mail theartistgaller@veri-
zon.net for more information.
For more information on any of the events listed, log on to smdp.com and click the “Events” tab for the given day’s calendar.
420 & 500 BROADWAY SANTA MONICA
MON-SAT 10-7 SUN 12-6
3. Inside Scoop
Visit us online at smdp.com 3
FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2009
Business offers
rewards to
locate buyers
and sellers
BY MELODY HANATANI
Daily Press Staff Writer
DOWNTOWN Bounty hunting goes beyond
finding fugitives these days.
Finding an authentic Mexican restaurant
in town or locating a buyer for a set of vin-
tage folding chairs could be accomplished by
simply posting a reward.
That’s the message Santa Monica resident
Camille Landau is spreading through her
new online business, ReferQuest.com, where
clients can save on the time spent searching
for buyers and sellers by offering incentives
to have someone else do the work.
The site, which launched in November of
last year, allows customers to post notices on
what they are specifically seeking, whether it
be a set of drums or a buyer for a house, pro-
viding a reward to the first person who can
MOVING TIME successfully accomplish the task. The busi-
ness earns a 20 percent commission — based
Fabian Lewkowicz FabianLewkowicz.com
on the price of the reward — for completed
Pacific Park’s maintenance crew takes down Robert Wyland's environmental mural, ‘Years of the Ocean,' on Wednesday. Wyland (born in
referrals.
1956 in Detroit) is an artist best known for painting large, outdoor murals of whales and other oceanic life.
The idea for the business came to the 40-
year-old mother of two sons in September
2006 when she was days from giving birth to
Ex-eBay executive Former movie studio head Tanen dies at 77 her first child and was juggling numerous
different tasks at once, including finding a
seeks to reclaim buyer for a convertible, a nanny and office
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS he was involved in “American Graffiti,” a space for a start-up business.
name in cyberspace low-budget movie by then-unknown “I had naturally e-mailed friends and
SANTA MONICA Ned Tanen, a former director George Lucas. asked them to e-mail their friends,” she said.
Universal Pictures and Paramount chair- He was president of Universal from “I wished I could offer a reward to help this
BY JULIET WILLIAMS man who green-lighted a string of hits, 1976 to 1982, a tenure marked by Oscar- go faster.”
including “Top Gun” and “E.T.: The winning successes such as “Coal Miner’s A total of 125 referral requests have been
Associated Press Writer
Extra-Terrestrial,” has died. He was 77. Daughter,” “E.T.” and “On Golden Pond.” posted on the Web site since its launch, but
SACRAMENTO She’s regarded as an Internet Tanen died Monday at his Santa He quit at the height of his success, only four have been successfully closed. The
pioneer, credited with helping turn a Web Monica home, his friend Alisa Covington telling the Wall Street Journal he was tired completed tasks include a request to find a
site used for trading Beanie Babies into a said. of playing the “Hollywood game” and Twister rug and suggestions for a Sri Lankan
multibillion-dollar company with 15,000 “He taught me about integrity, that it wanted to concentrate on the creative side restaurant in Los Angeles.
employees. was never about the flavor of the month, of movies. Tanen went independent. He The rewards range in price from $5 — the
But Meg Whitman, the former chief exec- that it was always about the talent,” for- was producer or executive producer for minimum — to $100,000 to find a buyer for
utive of eBay, has been unable to control her mer Paramount Motion Picture Group three movies that portrayed the angst of two properties in Hawaii. The rewards aver-
own name online. What began as an irritant head Sherry Lansing said. “And he had a white youth in the 1980s: “Sixteen age around $40, Landau said.
has evolved into a distracting legal spat as she wicked sense of humor.” Candles” and “The Breakfast Club” by Linda Harris, a professor at the University
explores a run for California governor. Tanen’s entertainment career began director John Hughes and Joel of Hawaii and Brigham Young University
A Santa Monica man has registered at with MCA in 1954. He became a talent Schumacher’s “St. Elmo’s Fire.” Hawaii, posted the $100,000 reward on the
least five Internet domains with Whitman’s agent, packaged television shows and then The young actors in those movies site about three weeks ago to broaden the
name, prompting her to sue him in federal founded MCA’s Uni Records, which included Rob Lowe and Emilio Estevez. market for a buyer for the ocean-front home
court in an attempt to get them back before helped launch stars such as Neil Diamond, “He launched so many people’s and 38 acres of land. Harris, who is selling
her anticipated 2010 campaign. Elton John and Olivia Newton-John. careers,” Schumacher said. “He believed the properties because she is retiring, has
In the 1970s he moved to MCA’s in you, and he would put his money
SEE DOMAIN NAMES PAGE 7 SEE REWARD PAGE 7
movie division, Universal Pictures, where where his mouth was.”
Since 1967
Quality & Value Always!
Open 6am - 2:30pm Mon. - Fri.
6am - 4pm Sat. - Sun.
quot;Wishing You
310-399-7892
Perfect Happiness
2732 Main St.
2 n
Santa Monica
a
in the New Year!quot;
5. Local
Visit us online at smdp.com 5
FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2009
Superintendent’s letter to
mayor met with criticism
FROM DISTRICT PAGE 1 Hamilton, who has a child in special educa-
tion, recommended to the superintendent that
request the money, citing that all of the he may want to ask the council for continued
requirements imposed by the council, includ- oversight, adding there is opportunity to
ing conducting an independent review of the include that in the contract renegotiations
special education program, have been fulfilled. with City Hall this year for the joint-use agree-
“I think we’ve met them and have gone ment.
above and beyond what they had asked for,” He added that some parents were also con-
Cuneo said. cerned that while the letter lists a number of
The upcoming presentation has been met actions, there are still ongoing problems with
with some doubts from parents who believe it the culture and that change hasn’t yet fully
may be too early to ask for the money, arguing happened.
that while some changes have been made to Hamilton said he believes the money
improve the special education program, one of should be released.
the biggest issues — feelings of discomfort and “I would hope that the City Council con-
fear during contract negotiations over the stu- tinues to be closely connected to what is going
dent’s individualized education plan — has on in the district and that they consider that as
not been resolved. the district enters into negotiation on the
Cuneo, who took over as the interim head remainder of the money,” Hamilton said.
of the district during the summer, stressed that The superintendent’s letter lists steps taken
there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. including moving supervision of the program
“There are some community members that to Chief Academic Officer Sally Chou, the
feel like their interests haven’t been met,” he publication of the parent handbook, and the
said. “We will continue to improve in this dis- formation of a parent network in which each
trict and this process will never stop as far as school will have at least one person to provide
I’m concerned.” support and resources to the special education
The issue of releasing the money has not community.
been discussed in depth since former Cuneo said that he didn’t include one
Superintendent Dianne Talarico appeared important aspect of the district’s efforts to
before the council in April of last year, ulti- change the program — staff development —
mately asking that the half million remain but plans to address it at the meeting.
in the possession of City Hall because she He said that staff development — which is
Are You Ready?
felt there was still work to be done. During crucial to changing the climate and culture of
that same meeting several members of the the program — is taking place.
community testified that they were coerced “It is going to take a while to make that hap-
into signing a confidentiality agreement pen,” he said.
after the board in 2007 imposed a moratori- School Board President Ralph Mechur said
Hypnotherapy can help you turn
um on clauses that remained in effect unless he understands the concerns of parents and
they were specifically requested by the par- the district has been working hard to under-
on the no-smoking sign for good
ent. stand the issues and address them in a produc-
Genser said the council will need to evalu- tive fashion.
(310) 235-2883 www.hypnotherapylosangeles.com
ate the request against the conditions that were “The district is committed to seeing this John McGrail, C.Ht.
imposed more than a year and a half ago. through,” he said. Hypnotherapists are not licensed by the state of California as healing arts practitioners; for your benefit and protection, work on some issues may require a written referral
from a licensed physician or mental health professional.
“That should be the basis of the decision,” The council meeting in 2007 set into
he said. motion a number of actions, including the hir-
The interim superintendent on Tuesday ing of Lou Barber & Associates, who conduct-
GERMAN CAR SERVICE
attended a meeting of the Santa Monica- ed the independent review of the program.
Malibu Council of PTAs Special Education The release of the report last spring spoke of
Specialist in Repair of Porsche VW Audi BMW
Committee, asking for its support. The letter some positive aspects of the program, but did
was met with a mixed reaction. confirm that there was a number of problems
Best alternative to high dealer prices
The committee ultimately decided not to that needed to be addressed. I
take a vote on the letter. “It highlighted a long frustrating problem Complete service and repair
I
“There’s fear I believe in the special educa- at the district with respect to the way special I 6 month or 6000 mile guarantee
tion community that without some measure education was handled and with the way spe-
I Locally owned and operated since 1965
of oversight, which is what all of this is predi- cial education families were treated,” Genser
cated on, the release of the funds doesn’t guar- said in reference to the council’s action. “It’s
antee that further changes that are needed will very clear that out of this the district has heard
2202 OLYMPIC BLVD., SANTA MONICA (310) 829-2563
happen,” said Craig Hamilton, a member of loudly and clearly the community as a whole,
the committee.“It becomes one of those things including the City Council, that this was inap-
where at what level of faith do you take the propriate and needed to be corrected.”
RECYCLE NOW!
word of the superintendent and district to fol-
low through on those things.” melodyh@smdp.com
WE PAY THE
BEST RATES!
What’s next?
Every year, Santa Monica sees a fair share of
big stories. Last year’s top issues included
changes in the school district, trees (of course)
and the battle over the airport.
Aluminum Plastic Glass Bi-Metal Newspaper
So this week’s Q-Line question asks:
CardboardWhite/Color/Computer Paper Copper & Brass
What issues taking shape around town do you
think will grab headlines in 2009?
Santa Monica Recycling Center
CLOVERFIELD
MICHIGAN
Call (310) 285-8106 before Friday at 5 p.m. and
24TH
X
we’ll print your answers in the weekend edition
2411 Delaware Avenue in Santa Monica
of the Daily Press. Please limit responses to a
DELAWARE AVE.
minute or less.
(310) 453-9677 10 WEST
6. Local A newspaper with issues
6 FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2009
CRIME WATCH
BY DAILY PRESS STAFF
Vice busts prostitute, pimp
Crime Watch is a weekly series culled from reports provided by the Santa Monica Police
Department. These are arrests only. All parties are innocent until proven guilty in a
court of law.
SATURDAY, JAN. 3, AT 8:15 P.M.,
Vice officers conducting a prostitution sting placed a woman under arrest for allegedly
offering to have sex with an undercover officer for $100. While questioning the woman,
officers noticed a man walking around the hotel property. Officers made contact with the
man and later determined he brought the woman to the hotel. The woman was booked
for prostitution, while the man was booked for assisting in prostitution. The woman was
identified as Sheila Lynn Trautman, 22, from Chula Vista. Her bail was set at $2,000. The
man was identified as Raymond Sixto Tojos, 21, from Lemon Grove. His bail was set at
$500.
MONDAY, DEC. 29, AT 6:30 P.M.,
Officers responded to the 1400 block of Third Street Promenade — Guess — regarding a
report of a theft in progress. When officers arrived, they made contact with store secu-
rity who said they saw a woman place a bottle of cologne and two pairs of pants in her
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
purse and a plastic bag and exited the store, failing to pay for the items. Once outside the
store, security confronted the woman and placed her under citizen’s arrest. Officers
NOTICE INVITING REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
accepted the arrest and later booked the suspect for petty theft. She was identified as
Juana Camero Valle, 36, of Los Angeles. Her bail was set at $1,000.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of Santa Monica invites sealed Request for
Proposals (RFP) for:
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 31, AT 1:40 P.M.,
RFP: Dark Fiber Expansion Program Officers working a DUI checkpoint in the 2600 block of Main Street stopped a vehicle
that had the odor of marijuana emitting from the inside. Officers conducted a field sobri-
ety test on the driver and determined he was under the influence of a controlled sub-
The City of Santa Monica is seeking qualified companies to submit detailed
3
stance. He was placed under arrest. The passenger was searched and officers found him
proposals regarding the expansion of the City’s fiber optic network. Through leasing
dark fiber, the City wishes to enable local businesses to obtain additional to be in possession of marijuana. He was arrested for possession. Both suspects were
connectivity options. The City’s objective may involve a distribution of bandwidth cited and released. The driver was identified as Taylor Andrew Clinton, 18, from Riverside.
obtained and transported via the dark fiber lease to our local businesses. This RFP The passenger was identified as Kyle Everette Sweet, 18, from Moreno Valley.
is solely requesting proposals which provide dark fiber leasing. No requests for
services known as “lit” services, bandwidth services, and related services are THURSDAY, JAN. 1, AT 5:05 P.M.,
encompassed in this RFP. A copy of the RFP can be downloaded at Officers responded to the 1500 block of 10th Street — Allied Waterproofing Systems —
www.smgov.net/finance. regarding a report of embezzlement. When officers arrived, they made contact with the
business owner who said his office manager was writing checks to herself and purchas-
Please submit five (5) signed copies of your entire proposal and one (1) electronic
3
ing personal items with the company credit card. The owner said he recently discovered
copy in Microsoft Word format or Adobe PDF format to the City of Santa Monica’s
the embezzlement started in March 2008 and that the estimated loss was $138,000.
Information Systems Department, Attn: Mr. Gary Carter, at 1685 Main Street, Room
Officers went to the office manager’s home in Los Angeles and placed her under arrest
110, Santa Monica, CA 90401 by 5:00 PM on January 23, 2009.
for embezzlement and forgery. She was identified as Maricela Ponce, 29, of Los Angeles.
Her bail was set at $20,000.
For further information, please contact Mr. Carter at (310) 434-2612 or
gary.carter@smgov.net.
FRIDAY, JAN. 2, AT 2:20 P.M.,
An officer at the corner of 10th and Grant streets encountered a woman and during their
conversation she said she was in possession of two crack pipes and a small quantity of
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING crack cocaine. The officer also discovered the woman had two outstanding warrants. She
BEFORE THE SANTA MONICA PLANNING COMMISSION was booked for possession of a controlled substance, paraphernalia and for the warrants.
She was identified as Chevonne Victoria Reed, 41, from Santa Monica. No bail was set.
SUBJECT: Public hearings will be held by the Planning Commission on the following:
FRIDAY, JAN. 2, AT 1:30 P.M.,
The Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing to discuss general policy mat- An officer on patrol in the 1600 block of Lincoln Boulevard made contact with a suspect
ters and issues pertaining to the City’s ongoing effort to prepare new Land Use and to see if he was drinking alcohol in public. While talking with the suspect, the officer con-
Circulation Elements of the City’s General Plan. This will include input, discussion, and ducted a computer check and learned the suspect was a parolee at large and a sex
possible action on policies, process, materials, timeline, participation strategies and
offender who had not registered with the police department in four months. He was
related issues pertaining to the Land Use and Circulation Elements of the General Plans.
arrested and later booked for violation of parole and failing to register. He was identified
Regular policy discussion meetings are scheduled on the first Wednesday of each month.
as Roderick Allen Daniels, 57, a transient. No bail was set.
Discussion topics are set in advance of the meeting are available at City Hall and online
at www.santa-monica.org.
SUNDAY, JAN. 4, AT 2:07 A.M.,
Officers responded to the 200 block of Bicknell Avenue regarding a report of a suspi-
cious person loitering at an apartment complex. When officers arrived, they made con-
When: Wednesday, January 7, 2009 at 7:00 pm
tact with the reporting party who said the suspect followed him into the secured apart-
ment complex. The suspect appeared to not know anyone in the complex and refused to
Where: Council Chambers, City Hall
leave, police said. Officers placed the suspect under arrest for wandering on private
1685 Main Street, Santa Monica, California
property. He was identified as William Roland Deal, 47, a transient. His bail was set at
$5,000.
HOW TO COMMENT
The City of Santa Monica encourages public comment. You may comment at the
MONDAY, DEC. 29, AT 9:40 P.M.,
Planning Commission public hearing, or by writing a letter or e-mail. Information
Officers responded to the 1400 block of Ocean Avenue at the Ocean View Hotel after
received prior to the hearing will be given to the Planning Commission at the meeting.
receiving a report of a burglary in progress. When officers arrived, they made contact
with the alleged victim who said he returned to his hotel room with his family to find an
MORE INFORMATION
unknown man inside of his room. The suspect was in possession of the victim’s backpack.
If you want additional information about this project or wish to review the project,
please contact Sarah Lejeune, AICP, Principal Planner or Bruce Leach, Special Projects The victim detained the suspect until police arrived. He was later booked for burglary
Administrator (310) 458-8341. The Zoning Ordinance is available at the Planning and violation of parole. The suspect was identified as Akeem Maurice Jones, 26, a tran-
Counter during business hours or available on the City’s web site at www.santa- sient. No bail was set.
monica.org. The meeting facility is wheelchair accessible. If you have any disability-
related accommodation request, please contact (310) 458-8341, or TYY Number: Editor in Chief KEVIN HERRERA compiled these reports. news@smdp.com
(310) 458-8696 at least five (5) business days prior to the meeting. Santa Monica “Big
Blue” Bus Lines #1, #2, #3, and #8 serve City Hall. Pursuant to California Government
DO YOU HAVE COMMUNITY NEWS?
Code Section 65009(b), if this matter is subsequently challenged in Court, the chal-
lenge may be limited to only those issues raised at the Public Hearing described in this
Submit news releases to editor@smdp.com or by fax at (310) 576-9913
notice, or in written correspondence delivered to the City of Santa Monica at, or prior
to, the Public Hearing.
Visit us online at smdp.com
7. Local
Visit us online at smdp.com 7
FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2009
Woman offers $100,000
to find buyer for house
FROM REWARD PAGE 3 and children.
She is also looking for buyers for her cus-
also hired realtors. tom-made dog sweaters and asking for extra
“Asking for bounty hunters who are on yarn to use on blankets that she is crocheting
contingency, which means they don’t get for premature babies and battered women.
the reward until they deliver a buyer, allows Pyne-Hapke has received a number of
the network to grow geometrically,” Harris responses to her requests, but none have
said. “We find the bounty hunter not only panned out.
themselves are using their network, but “For the custom dog sweaters, I’ve had 11
also asking other people to use their net- responses, but not everyone who is referred
work.” is quiet reachable,” she said.
About two people have responded to Landau said she thinks the site will be
Harris’ request. successful because people in current times
Nancy Pyne-Hapke, who lives in Valley are looking for financial shortcuts.
Glen, which is located in the San Fernando “It’s freeing up their transactions because
Valley, recently posted four rewards, asking time is money,” she said.
for a co-writer and illustrator for a book she
is putting together on brain development melodyh@smdp.com
Whitman lost arbitration
before property association
FROM DOMAIN NAMES PAGE 3 that helps companies and people protect
their name online.
Tom Hall beat Whitman’s legal and polit- Hall, 50, said he might have given the
ical experts to the Web sites megwhitman- domains to Whitman for free if she had
forgovernor.com, whitmanforgovernor.com, asked.
whitman2010.com, meg2010.com and meg- Henry Gomez, a spokesman for
whitman2010.com. He registered them in Whitman, said her attorneys initially con-
January and March 2008, after news stories tacted Hall “to try to work something out,”
reported her as a potential candidate for the but he never responded to e-mail or tele-
Republican nomination. phone messages.
More recently, Hall registered seven “Mr. Hall does not return our calls, so we
Whitman-related campaign committee have not had an opportunity to talk to him,”
names with the California Secretary of Gomez said. “We don’t understand what Mr.
State’s office. Hall’s approach is. But if he is open to a dis-
Attorneys for Whitman lost an arbitra- cussion, we’d be happy to talk to him.”
tion hearing before the World Intellectual Whitman, 52, made a fortune as head of
Property Association, which ruled in eBay from 1998 until early last year, when
December that Whitman’s name is not she left the company to test her affinity for
famous enough to prove she has her own politics, first as finance chairwoman for Mitt
unique brand. Romney and then as a national co-chair of
Whitman sued Hall in U.S. District Court John McCain’s presidential campaign.
in San Jose on Dec. 31, alleging he is violat- Her lawsuit claims Hall is a professional
ing federal anti-cybersquatting laws. She also cybersquatter who has registered dozens of
claims his actions violate the California domain names related to famous people or
Political Cyberfraud Abatement Act, which institutions. He’s even registered at least
is intended to protect would-be political three in case Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s
candidates from similar tactics. wife, Maria Shriver, a Democrat, decides to
Hall, a Democrat who described himself run for governor in 2010.
as a paid political writer and media consult- Hall acknowledged he owns more than
ant, said he registered the domain names for 1,000 domain names but said he mostly reg-
less than $10 apiece. isters them for fun, as a sort of Internet col-
“All along, I had no idea what I was going lector. He said he makes very little money
to do with these,” he said. “I just thought it from them and cannot afford to hire an
was kind of funny.” attorney.
He said Whitman never called him to ask Hall also registered the names of seven
for the Web sites or even offer him money. committees with the California Secretary of
Instead, he said her Washington, D.C.-based State’s office, allowing him to legally run a
attorneys wrote him a letter calling him a political campaign and accept donations. He
cybersquatter and threatening to sue him for hopes his campaign — either an opposition
as much as $100,000 if he didn’t turn them campaign or a parody, he hasn’t decided —
over. will prevent Whitman’s attorneys from
He noted that he bought the domain harassing him.
names after news articles in which Whitman “I hope she fails miserably in her race for
speculated about her own political future. governor, and if this is how she treats people
“You would think she’d be smart enough — hiring law firms outside of the state of
to buy the domain before she tells everyone California and then running for governor —
she’s thinking about running for governor,” it’s insane,” Hall said.
he said. The body that oversees California’s cam-
Instead, the former Silicon Valley CEO is paign finance regulations, the Fair Political
likely spending anywhere from $50,000 to Practices Commission, is concerned about
$200,000 in her legal quest to gain control of Hall’s committee registrations. Executive
the Whitman Web sites, said Frederick Director Roman Porter said the committee
Felman, chief marketing officer of is investigating whether he violated any
MarkMonitor, a San Francisco-based firm campaign finance laws.