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MONDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2013
Volume 13 Issue 27
Santa Monica Daily Press
‘HOBBIT’ DRAWS THEM IN SEE PAGE 3
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THE LEARNING THE ROPES ISSUE
Council to consider $35M bond for fire station BY DAVID MARK SIMPSON Daily Press Staff Writer
CITY HALL Redevelopment agency cash or not, City Hall wants a new fire station and upgrades for an old one. City Council will consider approving a
plan to pursue a $35 million bond to build a fire station next to the Main Library and to seismic retrofit Fire Station 3. The dissolution of Santa Monica’s Redevelopment Agency left the public safety upgrades without a funding source. City officials will present council with an alterna-
tive plan at Tuesday’s meeting. The new fire station would replace Fire Station 1, which was built 55 years ago and has “surpassed its useful life as an essential services building” city officials said. A 2007 study showed that the building might not withstand an earthquake — that the workers
could be injured, trapped, or killed. The new station could fit up to seven apparatus bays and 50 underground parking spots. It would be able to hold up to nine fire trucks and 20 firefighters, an upgrade from SEE COUNCIL PAGE 8
California effort pitches health care to students THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LOS ANGELES The image projected before the classroom at California State University, Los Angeles showed a pair of gleeful sky divers plunging through the air. “You’re young and you’re healthy.... Why do you need health insurance?” a caption asked. The answer to that question — posed in a presentation by a state-funded medical insurance educator working on California campuses — is vital to efforts to overhaul the nation’s health care system, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday. Supporters and detractors of the Affordable Care Act are fixating on so-called “young invincibles,” generally healthy adults in their 20s and 30s who don’t rack up large medical bills. Only by collecting premiums from more infrequent users of medical services can insurance plans expect to offset higher costs of treating newly insured older and sicker patients. With critics producing ads urging them not to sign up, it’s unclear whether the prized group will respond to the outreach efforts. In California, about 22 percent of those who enrolled in coverage over the first two months were under 35 years old. National figures have not been released. In addition to the sky-diving duo, recent SEE HEALTHCARE PAGE 9
PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS HERE! Yes, in this very spot! Call for details (310) 458-7737
FEEL THE CHURN
Brandon Wise brandonw@smdp.com Jimmy Fusil (bottom center), of Pop Soda, leads locals in a butter churning 1980s-style fitness class during Butter Aerobics on the Santa Monica Pier on Saturday morning. The event gave participants a fun way of working out and making their own holiday butter.
Campers help Amazon keep up with holiday rush BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky.
Twinkling lights, ornament-strewn trees and bustling campgrounds. Those are signs of the Christmas season in this Kentucky town, where the
Amazon.com distribution center recruits an armada of RV owners as seasonal workers to help fill holiday orders. They’re dubbed the “CamperForce” by the world’s largest online retailer. Hundreds of campers are assigned packing, sorting and collection duties at Amazon warehouses in
Gary Limjap (310) 586-0339 In today’s real estate climate ...
Experience counts! garylimjap@gmail.com www.garylimjap.com
Kentucky, Kansas and Nevada — roles meant to keep orders flowing during the yuletide rush. Swarms of workers take up temporary residence in campgrounds. For many, it’s SEE AMAZON PAGE 9
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