Santa Monica Mirror 3.24.23

REFLECTING THE CONCERNS OF THE COMMUNITY

INSIDE Negotiations for Independent

Malibu School District Progressing PAGE 4

Proposal for Improved Communication With Street Vendors Sparks Contentious Debate in City Council Meeting

Councilmembers divided over proposal calling for City Manager to engage in meaningful consultation with authorized vendors regarding sidewalk vending policies

By Sam Catanzaro

A proposal to improve communication with street vendors on and around the Santa Monica Pier sparked a contentious debate during a City Council meeting on Tuesday. The proposal, sponsored by Councilmembers Jesse Zwick, Caroline Torosis, and Oscar de la Torre, called for the City Manager to ensure staff engages in meaningful consultation with authorized vendors regarding sidewalk vending policies.

Under Santa Monica’s street vending ordinance, street vendors are required to obtain a permit from the City in order to operate and must comply with various regulations relating to hours of operation, equipment use, and waste management. The city has also designated specific vending zones for street vendors, in order to minimize conflicts with other businesses and pedestrians. The prohibited areas include any city-owned parking lots, beach parking lots, and parking structures, as well as the Palisades Beach Road and Pacific Coast Highway. Vending is also not allowed on the beach bike path, on the Pier, within 100 feet of the Pier or Pier Bridge, and within 25 feet of beach buildings, recreation centers, restrooms, and lifeguard towers. In addition, stationary vending is prohibited in the portion of Pal Park within 500 feet of the Pier Bridge entrance, on the beach pedestrian path, and on the beach itself.

During the meeting this week, while Zwick stressed that the proposal did not propose any changes to current vending rules, Councilmember Lana Negrete argued that it was unnecessary

since staff had already been working hard on the vending program. Negrete also accused the proposal of being condescending by calling for staff to engage with vendors in a culturally competent and linguistically appropriate manner.

“What is the point of this?” Negrete asked. “Is this, like, identity politics?”

Negrete also said that numerous vendors are violating the law, not paying fines, and using physical violence to threaten enforcement staff.

Councilmembers Christine Parra and Phil Brock also expressed offense at the proposal. However, de la Torre defended it, citing the $3.5 million spent annually to control the vending program and the need to create a culture where vendors become a part of that culture.

Zwick then took to defending his proposal, taking issue with his colleagues’ pushback on the item.

“There are a lot of side issues that need discussing, and I wouldn’t make assumptions about anybody’s motivation about bringing an item,” Zwick said. “I took multiple tours with many vendors. I talked to a lot of different

vendors who had different concerns.”

Mayor Gleam Davis grew frustrated with the heated discussion, calling for a vote at 12:56 a.m.

Ultimately, the Council directed staff to engage in ongoing dialogue with permitted sidewalk vending communities regarding vending cart compliance, enforcement practices, enhanced signage, expanded opportunities and zones for permissible vending, and methods of allocating designated spaces to vend.

The vote passed 5 to 2, with Parra and Brock dissenting.

Shuttered Santa Monica Loews Hotel to Rebrand and Reopen as a Regent Hotel

Hotel’s new operator announces plans for $4 million renovation, including rebranding and upgrading accessibility for guests with disabilities

By Dolores Quintana

IHG Hotels & Resorts will bring the iconic Regent Hotels and Resorts brand back to the United States with the reopening of the Regent Santa Monica Beach Hotel in late 2023. The hotel’s $4 million renovation will include updating 342 guest rooms and introducing a new concept restaurant in collaboration with a celebrity chef.

As reported in January, The Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel temporarily suspended operations after Loews decided not to renew

its lease on the hotel property and a thenunnamed company chose to close the hotel for renovations. A press release from Santa Monica Travel & Tourism (SMTT) stated that the hotel would re-open at a later date under the management of an unnamed new operator.

The hotel’s new owner and operator’s name is now known. IHG Hotels And Resorts will reopen the former Loews space and the hotel will be a re-emergence of the Regent Hotels and Resorts brand in the United States. The hotel will reopen in late 2023.

As a result of the renovations, 320 hotel workers have been laid off. However, according to union Unite HERE Local 11, the workers have been granted recall rights, free family health insurance, and pension contributions for the expected nine-month closure. The Loews Santa Monica Hotel opened in 1989 and was unionized in 2002 after a 2.5-year labor battle.

The new agreement is valued at over $4 million and was reached with the hotel’s new operator, IHG, and its owner, Strategic

Hotels. The agreement includes fully paid family health insurance, $ 3-an-hour pension contributions, and a severance package for workers nearing retirement. Workers will also receive “penalty pay” if the renovations take longer than nine months.

The renovation work will include updating 342 guest rooms, including the conversion of 20 existing guest rooms into hearing-impaired rooms and upgrading 12 guest rooms to be accessible for people with disabilities.

Julienne Smith, Chief Development Officer, Americas, IHG Hotels & Resorts, said in a press release, “More than five decades ago, Regent changed the face of luxury hospitality and set the new standard through innovation, extraordinary views, landmark destinations and exceptional service. We’re redefining what it means to be a luxury hotel by combining Regent’s renowned legacy with the expertise of IHG Hotels & Resorts. Regent Santa Monica Beach is the start of a bright future for the brand in the Americas, emphasizing our

strategic focus on luxury and lifestyle growth globally. We are also particularly thrilled to be partnering with Strategic Hotels & Resorts, a trusted owner of IHG-branded hotels for many years, on this endeavor.”

The hotel will “usher in a new era of extraordinary experiences to the California coastline. The resort will set a new standard

Regent Hotel, see page 7

Photo: Sam Catanzaro

The shuttered Santa Monica Loews Hotel.

Sites are located at 1217

Euclid Street, 1211-1217 14th Street and 1146 16th Street

By Dolores Quintana

During the Santa Monica City Council meeting on Tuesday, March 14, the issue was raised and a plan was set in motion to use three Santa Monica city parking lots as sites for future affordable housing as part of the city’s housing element plan.

A resolution to this effect was brought to the chamber with the intention of the Council adopting it so the project can move forward. The sites are located at 1217 Euclid Street, 1211-1217 14th Street and 1146 16th Street.

The three properties are close to UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center and Council member Phil Brock brought up the point that many of the patients at the medical center may have conditions or disabilities that create a need for convenient parking that would be available for the center, especially near the west side of 14th and Wilshire and on the east

City Council Puts Plan for Use of Parking Lots for Affordable Housing in Motion santa monica venice century city westwood pacific palisades brentwood

side of the parcel. He stated that there is a row of businesses, specifically a business called Acology Shop, where customers might have issues getting to the business easily if parking is not available close to the business. Acology Shop is a muscle training company that helps people with back injuries and other disabilities. Brock asked if the developer could be asked to include parking for these businesses.

Isla Scott of the Housing and Human Services Division noted that having sufficient parking for these reasons is an important part of this proposed Request For Proposals (RFP) and future development. She said that the city will be asking respondents to show conceptually what their approach would be to replacing parking as part of their proposal.

Mayor Gleam Davis asked if it was true that the discussion of whether or not parking would be part of the development of these sites was not part of the action that the city council was presently taking and verify that the action was only to declare the parcels exempt surplus land which Scott affirmed and stated that the actions had to be in line with the entirety of the housing element plan.

The council then held a voice vote and the motion passed unanimously.

City’s Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project reducing reliance on imported water and sets a model for future projects

Santa Monica has been using a pioneering water recycling facility since November to capture rain and store it underground for future use. As Southern California has been experiencing seemingly constant rainfall, the city has been capturing stormwater, urban runoff, and municipal wastewater and purifying it for potable reuse. This first-of-itskind facility is located beneath a parking lot and features a 1.5-million-gallon stormwater harvesting tank and a one-million-gallon-perday advanced water treatment facility. The recycled water can be used for irrigation, toilet flushing in buildings that have dual plumbing, and to recharge groundwater aquifers.

uniquely view more homes at dppre.com

The project, called the Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project (SWIP), was funded with $75 million from the California Clean Water State Revolving Fund, $8.77 million in bonds from a voter-approved Proposition 1 stormwater grant, and $7.5 million from Measure W, which Los Angeles County voters approved in 2018. The measure taxes property owners 2.5 cents per square foot of impermeable surface area and uses the funds to increase water supplies from local sources.

Before this winter, rain that fell on Santa Monica was diverted to the Santa Monica Bay through a storm drain. However, a separate project completed five years ago captures

stormwater in a 1.6-million-gallon tank under the Santa Monica Pier parking lot and recycles it through the SWIP. The system is the first in California to treat stormwater and inject it directly into the groundwater basin to recharge local supplies.

As California faces a drought and public outcry about the wastage of stormwater, the SWIP received the National Water Reuse Association’s transformational innovation award and was visited by California Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Yana Garcia as a model for future projects.

Santa Monica’s sustainable water project has been in development for more than a decade, following a 2011 City Council directive to look into the feasibility of providing all of the city’s water supplies locally. Santa Monica currently derives almost 60-70 percent of its water from local groundwater naturally recharged from rain that falls into the Santa Monica mountains. It supplements the rest with imported water from Northern California and the Colorado River.

To achieve 85 to 90 percent water selfsufficiency before the end of this year, the City has been constructing various projects, including upgrading its Arcadia water treatment plant with a new technology called flow reversal reverse osmosis. This will enable the city to recover an additional 10 percent of purified water, making it the first municipality in the country to use this technology.

The SWIP system, in addition to capturing stormwater, also treats raw wastewater to exceed drinking water standards and is capable of providing as much as 1,600 acre-feet of purified water per year, or about 10 percent of the total water supply.

Three Arrested for Identity Theft, Possession of Stolen Property, and Grand Theft in Santa Monica

Suspects found with over 20 stolen cellphones, credit cards, and identification

Three individuals were arrested in Santa Monica for identity theft, possession of stolen property, and grand theft. The suspects were found with over 20 cellphones, stolen credit cards, and identification. The victims were all patrons of two Main Street bars and the thefts occured the evening of St. Patrick’s Day.

Three individuals were arrested in the early morning hours of March 18, 2023, on suspicion of identity theft, possession of stolen property, and grand theft. Michael Leonardo

Pico-Quintero (DOB: 8/10/1991), Tatiana Yuli

Arango-Chaves (DOB: 6/13/1995), and Sindy Milena Peralta-Porras (DOB: 5/31/1994) were found in possession of more than twenty cellphones in a Faraday bag, several stolen credit cards, and a black Louis Vuitton purse containing a stolen identification card.

The suspects were apprehended after victims

tracked their missing phones to the location where the suspects were found. The phones were reported missing from The Victorian located at 2640 Main Street and Jameson’s Pub located at 2702 Main Street.

If you believe you may have been a victim of these theft suspects, the Santa Monica Police Department encourages you to file a stolen property report by calling their non-emergency line at 310-458-8491. Additionally, if you have any information about the suspects or the incident, you can contact the SMPD Watch Commander at (310)458-2249 (24 hours) or Detective Jauregui at (310)458-8451 / Martin. Jauregui@santamonica.gov.

VOLLEYBALL CAMP BEACH

Week: $330

Day Rate: $80

Camp Dates: June 12 - Aug 18, 2023 Time: 9:00am-12:00pm

Location: Will Rodgers State Beach in Pacific Palisades

Registration Opens: April 1

Registration Link: https://sunshinevolleyball.sportngin.com/ register/form/541609047

Registration Site: SunshineVolleyballClub.com

Photo: SMPD

Left to right: Michael Leonardo Pico-Quintero, Yuli Arango-Chaves, Sindy Milena Peralta-Porras.

Negotiations for Independent Malibu School District Progressing

City of Malibu and Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Complete draft of key deliverables

By Sam Catanzaro

Negotiations between Santa Monica and Malibu to create an independent Malibu school district are progressing, according to city officials this week.

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and the City of Malibu have completed a draft of one of three important documents necessary in the plan to create two distinct school districts – Malibu Unified and Santa Monica Unified.

At the March 13 Malibu City Council meeting, Deputy City Attorney Christine Wood gave updates on the progress made since November. According to her statement, they have drafted a tentative revenue-sharing agreement, outlined an operational agreement detailing what assistance Malibu will need from Santa Monica’s school district, and anticipate beginning work soon on a joint powers agreement creating a third-party public agency to manage the transition.

Wood added that while progress is being

Santa Monica Warns Residents of Crypto Ponzi Scheme

City says 30 + households in Santa Monica have reported being victimized by CryptoFX, LLC

made, it is not happening as quickly as desired. The framework for negotiations was agreed upon in November and aims to submit the proposal to Los Angeles County by May for review by the California Board of Education before appearing on ballots in March 2024. The most optimistic timeline for completion of both respective school districts would be July 1, 2024, though it is expected to take longer than that.

Officials will meet at a mediation session next month on March 21. This week both councils within the cities met in closed sessions to discuss district matters, with Santa Monica voting 4-3 to join their school district in appealing against Los Angeles County Committee decisions. In addition, their recent vote opposed a petition requiring school trustees be elected by district instead of at large according to their current Charter system; guaranteeing elected board members ties with either Santa Monica or Malibu.

Over 30 households in Santa Monica have reported being victimized by a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme allegedly operated by CryptoFX, LLC., a business that is currently under federal enforcement action in Texas.

According to a press release from earlier this month, the City has received information that representatives of CryptoFX are continuing to solicit funds from local residents, primarily through the WhatsApp chat service.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a complaint in September of 2022, alleging that CryptoFX engaged in a multimillion securities fraud that targeted Latino investors in several states, including California. The defendants reportedly held paid classes to educate and empower the Latino community to build wealth through crypto asset trading, but the classes were used as a guise to solicit money from participants.

The SEC complaint further alleged that the defendants lied about investment returns and guaranteed that investors would not bear any losses, while investment money was not used for crypto trading as promised. Instead, it was used to pay fake returns to investors and diverted for the defendants’ personal use. The court has since issued a temporary restraining order against the defendants and appointed a receiver to help recover and manage money

and assets for the benefit of defrauded investors.

The City of Santa Monica urges residents who are looking to invest in crypto-related ventures to exercise extreme caution and conduct thorough research. If approached by representatives of CryptoFX or its affiliates, residents are advised to contact the appropriate agencies for assistance.

Resources available to affected residents include the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI), Haven Neighborhood Services, and an upcoming fraud prevention outreach event organized by the Santa Monica Police Department in collaboration with Familias Latinas Unidas. You can file a complaint with the DFPI by clicking here.

Haven staff can help victims file claims with the court-appointed Receiver in the CryptoFX SEC case. For more information contact Diana Arciniega at diana.arciniega@havenservices. org or (213) 375-4663.

SMa.r.t. Column: I Told You So

SMa.r.t.

On January17,2015 SMa.r.t. posted a prophetic article in the Daily Press written by Ron Goldman FAIA advocating maintaining a low rise (3-4 stories) development standard along the major boulevards. He also included a sketch showing the negative alternative of 6-7 story buildings. Naturally there was outrage and push back from the establishment. The mayor said “I saw it and was greatly dismayed by the hyperbolically inaccurate visual representation of what is possible under Santa Monica zoning.  You and the other architects must know better than that, and I was disappointed you would sign your names to that piece.  I can only hope that perhaps you didn’t see the accompanying images in advance.”

Flash forward 8 eight years and sure enough the major boulevards are now up zoned in our most recent Housing Element to the 60’ to 70’ (5-6 stories) range with, and when given density bonuses for affordable housing, can balloon up to 82’-103’ (7-9 stories). So now you can see for yourself “the accompanying images in advance” in the reprinted article below. Fortunately the council has asked the state not to up zone just the Neighborhood Commercial zones( Pico, Main, Montana, and Ocean Park). Other major boulevards will still be up zoned. We will see if the State will honor that request to avoid the grim future Ron predicted. Needless to say, the same discussion that was relevant 8 years ago, is still surprisingly relevant today.

Our Boulevards- dark tunnels or sunlit paths to the sea? (SMDP 1/17/15)

Cities are entered and organized around their major boulevards. The 9 boulevard entrances to our City are San Vicente, Wilshire, Santa Monica, Broadway, Colorado, Olympic, Pico, Ocean Park and Lincoln. Along our boulevards are over 900 buildings. 87% of these structures (783 total) are currently 1 & 2 story buildings- a potential “gold mine” if properly developed. If 1/3 of these buildings were to remain as is, or be developed through adaptive reuse with tax incentives, the remaining 525 buildings could be redeveloped as 3 or 4 story buildings. If so, these

SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME

Case No. 23SMCP00093 Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles 1725 Main St. | Santa Monica, CA 90401

Petition of: Carolina Bezerra Eisenman, by and through Carolina Bezerra Eisenman for change of name.

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME

To all interested persons Carolina Bezerra Eisenman

Petitioner: filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a Carolina Bezerra Eisenman to Carolina Eisenman

The court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING:

Date: 07/02/21 | Time: 8:30AM | Dept: K A copy of this ORDER to SHOW CAUSE shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: SANTA MONICA MIRROR | Dated: March 2, 20223 Judge Lawrence Cho Published: 03/03/2023, 03/10/23, 03/17/2023, and 03/24/2023

new projects could provide 15 million sq.ft. of additional leasable area while still leaving 30% open space. Is our City’s appetite for growth so great that this would not satisfy our needs for the near future? The following sketches provide markedly different visions for the future of the Boulevards and our City. Will Santa Monica become an extension of Los Angeles or will it retain its small beach town character?

Fig. 1. Wilshire Blvd. at the Santa Monica boundary (primarily 1 to 2 stories)

The current alternative approach allows doubling building heights to 6 or 7 stories, concentrating development into fewer structures and creating a cityscape more akin to West Los Angles than Santa Monica. Shadows will cover the E-W Boulevards for a large part of the day and these structures would be adjacent to neighboring homes resulting in significant negative impact on their livability. The new California codes regulate shading of adjacent properties and need to be enforced.

Fig. 2. Allowable increase in height (6 to 7 stories).

Re-developing to 3 or 4 stories could more than double current square footage, a substantial increase without impacting the City’s lowscale skyline. Another advantage is the City’s density could be spread over larger areas and time frames, minimizing the impact of density and vehicles in any single location. This would allow the City to grow at moderate pace and impact residents less while maintaining the City’s small town allure.

Fig. 3. Alternative increase in height and stepped facades (3 to 4 stories)

The other advantage is that it would preserve some of our historic building stock providing continuity with the past and preserving the unique character of our City for the future. And our Zoning code needs to encourage adaptive reuse of existing 1 & 2 story buildings –especially on narrow lots that don’t permit 3 & 4 story redevelopment. The retention of 1 and 2 story buildings might also provide additional workforce housing.

If not, we won’t know what we’re losing until it’s gone. The LUCE has a clearly stated goal of “Overall Height Reduction.” A simple 30-4050 ft. code would provide clarity for developers as well as protect residents with an iron- clad cap on building heights. We need to close the

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NUMBER: 2023047903 ORIGINAL FILING This statement was filed with the County Clerk of LOS ANGELES ON 03/03/2023. The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as 1. First Wave Health Advocates. The full name of registrant(s) is/are:

Development Agreement (D.A. ) loophole that allows developers to exceed height limits through the provision of “Community Benefits”. These D.A.’s are one of the biggest causes of community distrust. The trade-off of community benefits for increased density, height, traffic and parking along with increasing land values resulting in higher rents and loss of local business is not an exchange that serves our community. Instead, the City should simply increase permit fees and use these funds to widen existing sidewalks, improve landscaping and enhance the function and beauty of our most important asset – our boulevards.

By Ron Goldman, S.M.a.r.t Santa Monica Architects for

Responsible Tomorrow

Thane Roberts, Architect, Robert H. Taylor AIA, Architect, Dan Jansenson, Architect & Building and Fire-Life Safety Commission, Samuel Tolkin Architect & Planning Commissioner, Mario Fonda-Bonardi AIA & Planning Commissioner,, Michael Jolly, AIRCRE.

For previous articles see www. santamonicaarch.wordpress.com/writing

a

Regent

Hotel, from page 1

for modern upper luxury in the Americas hospitality industry, bringing a fresh perspective to beachfront splendor and effortlessly bold experiences to become an iconic destination.”

This hotel is known for its proximity to the historic Santa Monica Pier and Downtown Santa Monica area with its beachside location and beautiful ocean views. The new version promises inspiring visits through serenity and a touch of decadence with a stunning pool deck with multiple pools, a destination spa and a wellness center. An exciting addition is that the hotel’s restaurant will be a new concept created in concert with a celebrity chef and a “high-end artisanal marketplace”

This transformation will be part of a partnership with Strategic Hotels & Resorts Group, “a trusted owner of IHG-branded hotels”.

André Zotoff, Chief Executive Officer, Strategic Hotels & Resorts, added as part of the press release, “As the needs and expectations of the modern luxury guest continue to evolve, we recognized an opportunity to reinvent our Santa Monica beachfront property to truly become one of the most prestigious, entertaining and beautiful hotels anywhere in the world. Strategic Hotels & Resorts has been a part of the vibrant Santa Monica community for more than 25 years and we look forward to collaborating with the teams at IHG Hotels & Resorts to build upon the Regent brand’s history of legendary properties and constant innovation to make this flagship Americas resort a must-visit destination for locals and visitors alike.”

IHG and Strategic Hotels & Resorts consider the new Regent Santa Monica Beach to be the flagship of the brand in the Americas which will add to the history of the Regent Hotels like the former Regent Beverly Wilshire and the chain’s current locations like Carlton Cannes, A Regent Hotel, Regent Shanghai, Regent Phu Quoc, Regent Chongqing, and upcoming Regent Hong Kong.

printed

Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow

YOU BELONG AT SMC

Classes start March 6 On-campus and online smc.edu/spring