S A N TA M O N I C A
REFLECTING THE CONCERNS OF THE COMMUNITY smmirror.com
September 17 – September 23, 2021 Volume CVI, Issue 111
INSIDE LA COUNTY COMMITTEE REPORT REFLECTS A “DIRE” FINANCIAL FUTURE FOR STUDENTS OF SANTA MONICA IF CITY OF MALIBU’S PROPOSAL TO SPLIT THE DISTRICT IS APPROVED
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Is Cash Coming Back for the Big Blue Bus? Santa Monica City Council discusses possibility of restoring cash service for buses By DoLorES QUIntana
This week Santa Monica lawmakers discussed the possibility of restoring cash payments for Big Blue Bus rides. Since July 12, 2021, Santa Monica Big Blue Buses have ceased to accept cash payments because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In an attempt to minimize contact between drivers and passengers for safety, it may have made it more difficult for members of vulnerable groups to ride the city bus. People among the low-income, elderly, disabled, student and homeless individuals in the community have had issues because they lack access to MTA Tap cards or find it equally as hard to reload those cards even if they acquire them. While Big Blue Buses are supposed to give rides to anyone who needs them regardless of their ability to pay, some people report that this is not always the case.
On September 14, Santa Monica City Council discussed how to remedy this issue and make bus rides accessible to all community members with item 13B on the agenda. Councilmembers Phil Brock, Oscar de la Torre and high school student Olivia Landon co-authored this discussion item. The item requested that equity be restored to the Santa Monica bus system by directing the City Manager to reintroduce cash payments to Big Blue Bus lines or to make buying and reloading TAP cards more convenient and accessible by adding more locations where members of the public can acquire and recharge these cards locally at a low cost. Councilperson Phil Brock presented the item and gave the example of his elderly mother who has never had a credit card and always uses cash or checks. He stated that she is not proficient with smartphones and would be unable to ride as things stand today. Councilperson “The reason for this motion is simple. We need to make sure that the least among us always have access to public transportation,” Brock said. Councilmember Gleam Davis asked Brock about residents’ ability to buy TAP
A Big Blue Bus on Ocean Avenue near the Santa Monica Pier.
cards in different retail locations and Brock pointed out that calls were made to retail outlets on the Big Blue Bus website that claimed to sell TAP cards and the result was disappointing. Out of the 15 retail stores that were contacted, only one sold TAP cards
Photo: City of Santa Monica
and refills, one claims to have TAP cards but does not refill them, one only refills TAP cards in prohibitively large amounts of $20
Big Blue Bus, see page 9
Man Arrested After Armed Carjacking and Kidnapping Outside Santa Monica Restaurant Second suspect still sought in connection to September 10 incident By Sam Catanzaro
One man was arrested while a second suspect
remains at large following an armed carjacking and kidnapping outside a Santa Monica restaurant that led to a high-speed crash followed by a foot pursuit last week. According to the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD), on September 10 around 12:35 a.m., officers responded to an armed robbery at La Condesa restaurant, located at 1519 Wilshire Boulevard. Police learned a victim was carjacked by two suspects–one armed with a handgun– and driven around the block. When officers arrived on the scene, they
spotted the suspects fleeing in another vehicle at a high rate of speed. The suspect vehicle subsequently crashed at the intersection of 26th Street and Wilshire Boulevard, police say. SMPD coordinated a search with the assistance of officers from the Beverly Hills and Santa Monica College police departments, along with SMPD K9s and the Drone Team. SMPD Officers located one suspect, Steve Bryan Brown, a 21-year-old male from Anaheim, along with a loaded Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun. Brown was taken into custody
without incident and subsequently booked for robbery, carjacking and kidnapping. One suspect still remains at large in connection to this incident, described by the SMPD as a Black man around 25-30-years-old, standing 5’9”- 6’0”, and weighing 150-185 lbs. Anyone with additional information pertaining to this incident or the outstanding suspect is strongly encouraged to contact the Criminal Investigations Division at 310-458-8451 or the Santa Monica Department’s Watch Commander (24 hours) at 310-458-8427.
Photo: Santa Monica Police Department
Police search for two suspects following an armed carjacking outside a Santa Monica restaurant last week.