S A N TA M O N I C A
REFLECTING THE CONCERNS OF THE COMMUNITY smmirror.com
April 1 – April 7, 2022 Volume CXXXIV, Issue 138
INSIDE
INTERVIEW WITH REVEREND ERIC C. SHAFER, SOON-TO-RETIRE MT. OLIVE LUTHERAN CHURCH PASTOR
PAGE 4
Santa Monica Catholic Church Burglarized Pastor calls for forgiveness By DoloreS Quintana St. Monica Catholic Church was burglarized on last week by criminals who stole $100,000 in video and sound equipment from the Church after services ended. In a sermon on Sunday after the burglary, Monsignor Lloyd Torgerson called for forgiveness towards the offenders and that the congregation show love towards them by using the example of the parable of The Prodigal Son. The parable speaks of a father who shows compassion towards his son who has lost his way and welcomes him back into the family after the son dishonored his father’s wishes. The most relevant part of the parable to the congregation is that of the good son who stays with the family and asks why the other son was forgiven when he did wrong. It is a reminder that they are not being penalized for doing the right thing, but that forgiveness is what God would want them to show to even those who have wronged them. The thieves also stole candle boxes and money that was still in the donation boxes. They attempted to force open the antique tabernacle of the church that holds the
consecrated host for church services but were thwarted in that attempt. Torgerson, who has been the leader of the church for 35 years said “The fact that we were violated in this situation is hard for me, and I know it’s hard for you. We have a challenge today. Somehow, some way we have to be able to forgive the people who did what they did to us Thursday night.” According to Torgerson, the thieves hid in the church on Thursday afternoon, waiting until church members and staff had left the building for the evening. CBS Los Angeles obtained security footage that showed a suspect, a Black male who wore white shoes and face mask and black pants and t-shirt, checking the interior of the Church for valuables including looking behind the altar where the Church’s video equipment was kept. Around 9:30 p.m. the suspect and accomplices started to remove items from the church and there are still photographs of the suspect walking through the Church with a flashlight. Officials at the Church are of the opinion that three men were involved in the burglary. During the sermon on Sunday, Torgerson gave more details about the burglary. Apparently, the burglars fled when a church employee returned to clean the church on Friday morning. Torgerson said that the employee “turned the light on and when he did, they ran out of the front door of the
Credit: Facebook (@StMonica90403)
The tabernacle that burglars attempted to open at St. Monica church in Santa Monica.
church.” Torgerson added that “We have a challenge today. Somehow, some way we have to be able to forgive the people who did what they did to us Thursday night. The drive and desperation of those who would violate a place of worship for material gain is confounding but not surprising. We must pray and forgive those who trespass against us and continue to work to serve the needs of others to bring contentedness and peace for all humankind.” The sermon was live streamed courtesy of equipment that parishioners provided to the Church. Torgerson’s email to church members on
Friday sent a similar message and detailed the items that were stolen and in it he wrote, “Much of our camera and audio equipment was stolen, along with our candle boxes. All of that can be replaced, so we must be thankful that no one was in harm’s way. They attempted to breach the tabernacle and it was damaged, but it held strong and protected the Blessed Sacrament. What an inspiring demonstration of the power of the Eucharist!” To date, the Santa Monica Police Department has not issued a statement about the burglary.
Santa Monica Granted $2 Million in Federal Funds for Parking Structure Affordable Housing Project Funds part of federal spending bill By DoloreS Quintana
The City of Santa Monica has been granted $2 million dollars in federal funding for the affordable housing project that has been proposed on the site of Parking Structure Three in downtown Santa Monica. The federal spending bill that was signed on March 15 granted a total of $5.85 million to a group of five projects in Congressman Ted Lieu’s district includes the $2 million for the project that will replace Project Structure Three. All five proposals are being built specifically to house the homeless and are part of a $1.5 trillion bill approved by President Joe Biden. Congressman Lieu said in response to the signing of the bill, as quoted by The Santa Monica Lookout, “This funding will go directly toward building housing and providing support for those experiencing homelessness in our district. I will continue to fight for our district in Congress to ensure we
receive the federal funding we need to tackle this persistent challenge.” The demolition of Parking Structure Three had just begun as the approval of the funds was announced. The efforts to save the parking structure from demolition by local business owners was dealt a final blow on March 2 when their case appeal was not accepted by the Court of Appeals. City officials believe that the demolition will be completed in the fall of this year. Developer EAH, Incorporated was selected by the City Council in January and negotiations have been ongoing since then to develop the plans to build the new structure. The City Council said that EAH, Inc. was chosen based “on the team’s depth of experience in the areas of permanent supportive housing, larger developments, supportive services, and property management.” and EAH’s proposal stated that “all residents would be supported with services to ensure housing retention and good-neighbor actions.” Santa Monica City officials were very happy with the grant of funding and said, “The allocation toward Santa Monica’s project
to produce affordable housing to alleviate the region’s homelessness crisis represents the single largest share of these funds. This welcome receipt of federal funds comes as demolition work on Parking Structure 3 begins this week.” The other projects that are part of this package include $1.5 million for City of LA’s Crisis and Incident Response through Community-Led Engagement (CIRCLE), a pilot program that will deal with “nonemergency calls to 911 involving a person experiencing a mental health crisis and/or homelessness.”, according to a statement from Congressman Lieu’s office, $1 million for the City of Torrance’s Homelessness Response Project, $749,650 for renovation of Arnold Avenue at West Los Angeles VA Medical Center Campus and $600,000 for UCLA’s Mobile Healthcare Program. Congressman Lieu said in a statement upon the signing of the bill, “The homelessness crisis in America is a national disgrace. We must do more to support individuals and families experiencing homelessness. I’m pleased that the local homelessness projects I
Credit: Sam Catanzaro
advocated for have been included in the FY 2022 government spending package.” Mayor of Santa Monica, Sue Himmelrich, had only praise for Congressman Lieu and said, “We continue to have the great fortune of working with Rep. Lieu who has steadfastly advocated for much-needed local funds to support priority projects like the conversion of Parking Structure 3 to affordable housing. “We were thrilled to be included in the appropriations process and with the signing of the bill by President Biden, we are grateful for this welcome federal support.”