S A N TA M O N I C A
INSIDE CITY REQUESTS FEDERAL BAILOUT
REFLECTING THE CONCERNS OF THE COMMUNITY
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October 09 – October 15, 2020 Volume XLXVII, Issue 62
Poll Shows Lack of Support for SM City Council Incumbents but Majority of Voters Undecided Anti-union watchdog group Eyes on Local 11 releases poll results ahead election By SaM CataNZaro
A poll suggesting lack of support for members of Santa Monica City Council ahead of the election has challengers saying the results reflect resident dissatisfaction while incumbents attack the survey’s credibility. The survey–conducted by Roosevelt Opinion Research on behalf of anti-union watchdog group Eyes on Local 11–polled 305 telephone respondents about the upcoming Santa Monica City Council election. When asked who they were going to vote for, 53 percent of respondents said they were undecided, 35 percent said “someone new”, 9 percent said incumbents while 2 percent did not answer. “The poll, while not a significant unbiased sampling, still clearly shows that our residents are unhappy with the state of the city and want to hold the incumbents responsible,” said Arts Commissioner Phil Brock, a member of the slate Santa Monica Residents United for Change. Other members of the slate running are School Board member Oscar de la Torre, Planning Commissioner Mario Fonda-Bonardi and Pico Neighborhood resident Christine Parra.’ Councilmember Ted Winterer running for his third term, however, pointed out both the anti-union political agenda of Eyes on Local 11 and also that more than half of likely voters are undecided.
Photo: Sam Catanzaro
Campaign signs for the slate Santa Monica Residents United for Change.
“Given the political agenda of those behind the survey, this was likely a push poll with prior questions designed to steer respondents towards a desired outcome. That said, it appears a majority of those polled remain undecided,” Winterer said. The survey also asked respondents if they believe the current City Council has “done a good job”. 54 percent said no, 18 percent
said yes with 27 percent undecided. “This survey substantially agrees with what we have been hearing from our slate’s political outreach. When over 50 percent say the Council hasn’t done a good job, you know its time for a change,” Fonda-Bonardi said, while noting that “with over 50 percent still undecided, the election will turn on who does a better job turning out their vote.”
Running for her third full term Councilmember Gleam Davis, like Winterer, attacked the poll’s credibility saying it does not accurately reflect the electorate. “I don’t think a biased poll conducted by an anti-worker, anti-union group has much credibility or reflects the true feelings of Santa Monica voters. This is just part of the
Poll, see page 8
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October 09 – October 15, 2020
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William James Radford arrested for array of offenses By Kerry Slater
Santa Monica police recently recovered a Glock handgun, nearly $300,000 in cash and fentanyl, among other paraphernalia, in a recent arrest. According to the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD), on October 1, the Department’s Special Investigations Unit served a search warrant in Los Angeles related to a narcotics sales investigation that originated in Santa Monica. During the execution of the search warrant, detectives seized fentanyl, heroin, prescription pills, approximately $296,000 in US currency, a stolen Glock handgun, a shotgun, ammunition, numerous United States
Photo: SMPD
Passports, various identification cards and driver’s licenses belonging to other persons, according to the SMPD Due to the evidence recovered and information gathered, detectives arrested the primary person of the investigation. The suspect is identified as William James Radford from Los Angeles. Radford has been booked for 11351 – H&S Possession of Narcotics for Sales; 11370.1 H&S -Possession of a Narcotics with a Loaded Firearm; 29800(A)(1) PC – Convicted Felon in Possession of a Firearm; and 496 PC – Receiving Stolen Property. Detectives will be presenting the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration, police say. Anyone with information related to narcotic activity in the City of Santa Monica is encouraged to call the anonymous Narcotics Tip Line at (310) 458-2292; or the Santa Monica Police Department at (310) 458-8491.
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October 09 – October 15, 2020
A Dozen Santa Monica Playgrounds Set to Reopen 12 parks across the city set to reopen Friday By SaM CataNZaro
A dozen Santa Monica playgrounds are set to reopen this week. According to the City of Santa Monica, the following playgrounds will reopen on Friday, October 9: • Airport Park Playground • Clover Park Playgrounds • Douglas Park Playground • Gandara Park Playground • Joslyn Park Playground • Marine Park Playground • Memorial Park Playground • North Beach Playground (slide closed) • Reed Park Playground • South Beach Universally Accessible Playground • Tongva Park Playground • Virginia Avenue Park Playground “The City’s Public Works teams have been hard at work evaluating equipment, replacing materials, pressure washing the grounds, and installing signage with guidance for a safe experience for visitors,” the City said of the reopenings. Last week, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced that playgrounds were cleared for safe reopening but left the decision up to local cities.
Photos: Sam Catanzaro
An empty and closed Reed Park Playground.
According to the City of Santa Monica, Annenberg Community Beach House, Euclid Park, Ishihara Park Playground, Ocean Park Beach and Ozone Park playgrounds will not be reopening on Friday, as they do not have nearby restrooms or need additional maintenance. In addition, Muscle Beach and park outdoor exercise equipment remain closed with
reopening slated soon. Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) will reopen playgrounds at Roosevelt, Franklin, and McKinley elementary schools this weekend through the Playground Partnership. Playgrounds at Edison, Grant, Roosevelt, and Los Amigos will be reopened by SMMUSD through the end of next week. The hours are 3 to 6 p.m. at these SMMUSD playgrounds.
Under playground rules, patrons must wash or sanitize hands before and after using the playground. Face masks over the mouth and nose are required for everyone two years of age or older. In addition, no eating or drinking will be permitted in playgrounds to ensure face masks are worn at all times, according to the City.
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Santa Monica Calling for Federal Funds for Pandemic Relief Santa Monica joins cities across the country in supporting COVID-19 relief package By SaM CataNZaro
Santa Monica officials–managing an economy hit hard by COVID-19– are calling for the passage of a $2.2 trillion federal pandemic bill to bring relief to cities. Following the introduction of new COVID-19 legislation in the House of Representatives, which allocates $179 billion out of $2.2 trillion for direct fiscal assistance to local governments leading the pandemic response on the ground, the U.S. Conference of Mayors–joined by cities across the nation including Santa Monica–called for the passage of this legislation. “City budgets are still being hammered by this pandemic, with disappearing revenue forcing layoffs, furloughs and harmful cuts to critical city services. We cannot have a strong economy without strong cities, and this legislation would allow cities large and
small to reverse this damage and drive our recovery,” said U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran. In May, facing a $224 million budget deficit, Santa Monica City Council voted to layoff over 400 employees and implement sweeping service reductions. It should be noted that with $448 million in unfunded pension liability and flattening revenues, Santa Monica was already projected to be $72 million in the red by 2030. California’s 2020/2021 budget allocated $500 million of federal CARES Act funding to cities. $225 million went to 13 cities with a population greater than 300,000 that did not receive a direct allocation from the federal CARES Act. Another $275 million was allocated to cities with populations less than 300,000 residents like Santa Monica. The 13 larger cities, however, were allocated significantly more funding per resident than the smaller cities, the Conference of Mayors point out. Six of those 13 cities with populations over 300,000 received funding in the amount of $174 per resident. The other seven cities with populations over 300,000 received funding in the amount of $85 per resident. However, the remaining cities with populations less than 300,000, which are where 72 percent of Californians reside, received funding in the amount of only $12.28 per resident, according
to the Conference of Mayors. “Cities like Santa Monica are the level of government where funding becomes services, and we welcome renewed hope that federal funding may at last be released to help repair holes in city budgets due to the coronavirus pandemic economic collapse. Santa Monica has already had to cut its work force by almost a quarter, and residents are feeling the pinch of accustomed and needed services we can no longer provide, while capital projects for urban infrastructure are likewise put on hold. Any new HEROES Act coming out of Washington needs to prioritize quick grants to
local governments, where the money can most quickly and effectively improve the lives of all Americans,” said Santa Monica Mayor Kevin McKeown. According to the City, an allocation of a portion of this funding to the City of Santa Monica would support Santa Monica’s pandemic response, including the food pantry at Virginia Avenue Park and the City’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program, while also bolstering community services by replacing some lost revenues caused by the economic crisis precipitated by the pandemic.
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October 09 – October 15, 2020
OPINION
More Visitors Needed to Stem COVID in Nursing Homes TOM ELIAS Mirror Columnist
More than six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, no one has done much to stop the near-constant toll the coronavirus has taken among those most vulnerable to it: people living in nursing homes. It’s well known by now that almost threefourths of all fatalities from this virus come in the 65-and-up age group, and virtually everyone involved in trying to bring the plague to heel calls continuously for protecting those most prone to infection. That includes California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the newest addition to President Trump’s coronavirus task force, Scott Atlas – a scholar at Stanford University’s conservative Hoover Institution think tank, a physician not trained as an epidemics expert. But none of these folks faces up to the obvious: To stem Covid-caused deaths, they will have to do something about the toll in nursing homes. For of the many fatalities among senior citizens, about two-thirds – or almost half the total deaths – have been residents of the nation’s almost 15,000 nursing homes, just under 2,000 of them in California. That’s because this virus is particularly pernicious when attacking those who are already compromised – and who lives in nursing homes if not previously compromised in some way? It’s been clear from the pandemic’s beginning last spring that nursing homes – often not prepared for external disasters like wildfires and earthquakes – also were not and still are not generally equipped to stem the virus.
This is because of conditions inside the homes, like frequently leaving disabled patients abed for days at a time, not testing staffers very often for viral exposure and not always establishing social distance within the homes. It’s also because both state and federal governments have failed consistently in responding to appeals from nursing home groups for more supplies of quality personal protection equipment for their workers. But the most vital keys to stemming the viral tide among those most vulnerable are two items, one very specific to nursing homes, one very general. First, nursing homes must be allowed, even compelled, to allow more visitors. At the start of the pandemic, nursing homes nationwide stopped allowing any visitors. Not even state inspectors could get in for fear they might bring in contagion. But staff continued to come and go and still does, often working at more than one job because wages in the homes can be very low. Without visitors, no one can know what really goes on in the homes. Friends and relatives who make contact with residents through ground-floor windows and Facetime or Zoom conversations can barely get an inkling. Nursing home managements love complying with no-visitor rules, as that means no one can monitor their practices. This makes allowing visitors the most direct way to improve things in the homes. There have been moves in that direction. In California, visitors can enter now, to see one per resident at a time, if a home has had no COVID-19 cases for several weeks and if they dress up in mask, gown and gloves to make sure of sanitation on all sides. But homes with no virus cases for weeks at a time are scarce, so this rule still needs more easing. For visitors have long been the prime control on nursing home practices.
Photo: Getty Images
“Nursing homes must have three things if the pace of deaths there is to subside: More equipment, better conditions outside the homes and, most important, more visitors so that relatives and others can know what’s going on inside and act on it where needed,” writes Tom Elias in his latest column.
They see when patients are dehydrated, not bathed regularly, suffer from bedsores or are not properly distanced from each other. The second need to cut the death toll in long-term care homes is much more general: a great reduction in cases within the outside community. For as isolated as the residents have become, often causing them enormous mental and emotional distress, staffers in the homes are just the opposite. Besides often working multiple jobs, they frequently live in crowded quarters among people of all ages and health practices and they bring those exposures into the homes daily. When community-wide caseloads rise, that means viral incidence and deaths in nursing homes
do, too. Nursing homes must have three things if the pace of deaths there is to subside: More equipment, better conditions outside the homes and, most important, more visitors so that relatives and others can know what’s going on inside and act on it where needed. Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com. His book, “The Burzynski Breakthrough, The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Government’s Campaign to Squelch It” is now available in a soft cover fourth edition. For more Elias columns, visit www.californiafocus.net.
Range of Sectors Reopen in LA County Nail salons, playgrounds, indoor shopping malls and cardrooms reopen By Staff Writer
Nail salons and indoor shopping malls are among the sectors in Los Angeles County reopened Wednesday. As of October 1, nail salons resumed indoor services at 25 percent capacity, though the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) noted that “outdoor services should continue as much as possible.” On October 5, cardrooms reopened for outdoor operations only. Food and beverages may not be served at the tables,
according to County rules, and face coverings are required. On October 7, indoor shopping malls will be allowed to reopen with occupancy limited to 25 percent capacity. All food courts and all common areas remain closed. In addition, outside playgrounds can reopen at the discretion of cities and L.A. County Parks and Recreation. Face coverings and physical distancing are required and outside playgrounds. “All operators of businesses that are allowed to reopen are required to implement all Public Health protocols before reopening to ensure compliance and avoid citations, fines and possible closure. It is important that businesses protect employees, customers and residents from COVID-19 as much as possible by following Public Health protocols and directives,” said Public Health.
October 09 – October 15, 2020
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Veterinary Skin & Ear: Specialized Care to Serve Pets With Skin or Ear Diseases New specialty pet clinic opens at 11335 Santa Monica Boulevard in West Los Angeles By toi Creel
67 percent of U.S. households, or about 85 million families, own a pet, according to the 2019-2020 National Pet Owners Survey conducted by the American Pet Products Association (APPA). While pet care always comes with challenges, it can be extremely frustrating and anxiety-provoking if your pet has severe allergies or recurrent skin and ear issues. A new veterinary dermatology clinic, opening in West LA, wants to help to ease those worries. “Since the age of five I wanted to be a veterinarian, but I wanted to do my version of it,” said Dr. Austin Richman, owner of the new Veterinary Skin & Ear clinic. Dr. Richman was inspired to pursue advanced specialty training after his own experience with his Shar-pei, Sandy. “My own dog, Sandy, had horrible skin and ear problems throughout her life. I went to a veterinary dermatologist right before starting
veterinary school and they really helped me turn her around. My own personal experience led me down this path and has allowed me a deeper connection with my clients as I educate them on managing their own dog’s issues,” Richman said. Unlike most traditional veterinarians who go to veterinary school for four years, a veterinary dermatologist is a veterinarian who completes an additional four years of advanced clinical training and studying all of the details of any diseases that pertain to an animal’s ears, skin, hair and nails. There are only 300 practicing board-certified dermatologists in the country and Dr. Richman is one of them. “I spent years in a very busy dermatology practice working and studying a lot and I saw many cases over that time to add experience to my years of study. I have worked with some of the best dermatology specialists around the world and taken multiple certifying exams. I worked hard to be board certified. All I do is veterinary skin and ear diseases. I love it. I diagnose, manage, treat and really try to help people and their pets using my knowledge and experience,” Richman said. “I’ve put in the time to know I am giving each patient my best.” One of the most common issues pets will go to Veterinary Skin & Ear for, will be allergies. Dr. Richman says pets with allergies have
immune systems that react hyperactively to allergens like trees, grasses, weeds, dust mites or flea bites. Normal pets can get bitten by a flea and have no reaction or a mild issue. For a pet that has an allergy to fleas, they can get rashes, experience severe itching, or even severe skin reactions. In addition, the clinic also specializes in ear disease, this is a particular area of expertise for Dr. Richman. Proper control of ear disease is very important; a practice which Dr. Richman says can prevent amputation of the ear. “At Veterinary Skin & Ear we have latest specialized videoscope with HDMI cameras to go inside of the ear and clean impactions, infections or remove polyps or growths to help a pet get past their ear issue and in some cases save an ear from complete surgical removal,” Richman said. On top of their expertise and equipment, what makes the clinic different is a personal approach. They spend more personal time with clients getting to know the details of the individual pet and developing a custom health treatment plan specific to each pet and owner. “If a pet has something a little bit harder to treat or a rarer specific condition, a lot of the times they’ll [clients+pets] be bouncing around to different primary veterinarians. [With us] we’ll talk and do a detailed ear and skin exam, then come up with a plan based on
Photo: Courtesy
Dr. Austin Richman, owner of the new Veterinary Skin & Ear clinic in West LA.
the issue or most likely issue. We make the people’s lives less stressful because they’re not worrying about their pet and their animal’s life is more comfortable.” The Veterinary Skin & Ear clinic will open in early Fall 2020 For more information visit their website at veterinaryskinandear.com.
The City of Santa Monica City Employees proudly endorse and ask for your vote for
Ana Maria Jara
Terry O'Day
Gleam Davis
Kristin McCowan
Ted Winterer
COUNCILMEMBER 35 year Pico Neighborhood renter
MAYOR PRO TEMPORE 22 Year Pico Neighborhood resident
COUNCILMEMBER 34 year Santa Monica resident
COUNCILMEMBER Third generation Santa Monican
COUNCILMEMBER 28 year Santa Monica resident
committed to:
committed to:
committed to:
committed to:
committed to:
The City's Cradle to Career initiative
Preserving and creating affordable housing
Public Safety
Protecting the City’s partnership with Santa Monica schools – funding playgrounds and classrooms
Promoting a safer and more sustainable Santa Monica that is pedestrian, bike and micro mobility-friendly
Making Santa Monica a better place for young families - regardless of socio-economic status.
Steering our city through a recovery from the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 virus.
Expanding educational opportunities
Providing an independent voice and home grown perspective to council
Addressing our most important challenge: further reducing homelessness, down 8% last year.
Protecting vulnerable youth
Converting Big Blue Bus to zero emission / zero carbon
Ensuring all City decisions support social justice and equity
Paid for by Coalition of Santa Monica City Employees PAC. 1223 Wilshire Blvd., #1423, Santa Monica CA 90403-5400. Not authorized by a candidate or a committee controlled by a candidate.
Guiding our community through recovery from the COVID-19 Crisis and answering the outcry for racial justice
Building on last year’s 16% decrease in crime while reforming our police department to find cost savings and to assure racial justice.
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October 09 – October 15, 2020
Biologists Attempt to Foster Orphaned Local Mountain Lion Kittens Santa Monica Mountain biologists unsuccessful in fostering attempt
This summer, biologists with the National Park Service (NPS) at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) attempted to foster two orphaned mountain lion kittens and keep them in the wild. Fostering involves getting a wild mountain lion mother to “adopt” the orphaned animals and care for them as her own. They believe this marks the first time such an experiment has been tried with this species. While the foster attempt was not successful, scientists say it was a worthwhile undertaking to try and keep two wild animals in their natural habitat and to learn more about mountain lion behavior. Today, the kittens are thriving in their forever home – a wildlife sanctuary in Arizona. P-91 and P-92 at their foster den in the Santa Monica Mountains. “The story of this fostering attempt is remarkable,” said NPS Superintendent David Szymanski. “Biologists and managers from four organizations – a federal agency, a state agency, a city zoo and a private sanctuary – came together to try something new. With this effort, we tried to help two orphaned wild animals and further our understanding of this important species.” “Our shared goal for this project all along was to keep the kittens in the wild and, although the new mother did not accept them, we gained considerable knowledge from this experience,” said Christine Thompson, a regional biologist with the CDFW. “We were also able to successfully place the healthy kittens in a new home. Many thanks go to NPS, Los Angeles Zoo, and the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center for their dedicated efforts.” The kittens, female P-91 and male P-92 were discovered on July 7 in the Simi Hills, south of Simi Valley, while their mother, P-67, was away from the den. Biologists performed a general health check, determined the sex of each kitten, took various body measurements, obtained biological samples and placed uniquely numbered and colored ear tags in each of the kittens. However, just after the den visit, the mother’s GPS radio collar sent a “mortality” signal. The team located P-67, a two-and-a-
Poll, from page 1 poll sponsors’ effort to elect candidates that do not care about workers’ rights or working
half-year-old female mountain lion and found her deceased. Without a mother, the 3-weekold kittens could not survive, according to Jeff Sikich, a wildlife biologist with the park who leads the fieldwork on the mountain lion project. It is not legal to raise or rehabilitate and release mountain lions in California, so in general the only option would be captivity. However, Justin Dellinger, the statewide mountain lion researcher for CDFW, suggested the possibility of fostering the kittens with another mountain lion, P-65, who had recently given birth herself. Her den of three kittens (P-88, P-89 and P-90) had been discovered the day before in the Santa Monica Mountains. Fostering has been regularly successful in other large mammals such as black bears and wolves, as well as in zoo animals. “These five kittens were all approximately the same age, which meant we had this unique opportunity to attempt fostering and give these kittens a chance to live in the wild,” Sikich said. “I had tried this with black bears on a previous research project and it had worked, but situations can vary for different species and individuals. I wasn’t sure if it would prove successful with these mountain lions.” In collaboration with CDFW, the biologists hatched a plan to rescue them. They enlisted the Los Angeles Zoo for help, and biologists there agreed to house the kittens until the fostering attempt could be initiated. “We were careful not to interact with the kittens any more than necessary,” said Beth Schaefer, director of animal programs for the zoo. “These are not animals that we want to become acclimated to human interaction like zoo animals. At the time, we thought they were going back to the wild, so we didn’t want them to think that humans were a source of comfort.” On July 16 while P-65 was away from the den, Schaefer brought the orphaned kittens from the Los Angeles Zoo where they had spent the last eight days and met the other biologists in the field. Biologists were able to find two of P-65’s kittens and rubbed urine from one of them onto the orphaned kittens, P-91 and P-92, so that they would smell more like P-65’s own offspring. Over the next few days, biologists tracked P-65’s movements and noticed that she had moved her den, a normal event for mother lions. On July 20, Sikich and CDFW biologist Dustin Pearce visited P-65’s former den to determine if the new kittens had been left behind. As Sikich got closer, P-91 and P-92 came out and ran directly to him. P-65’s
families,” Davis said. When it came to who should be held accountable for homelessness and safety, 51 percent of respondents said the City
Mountain lion kitten.
Photo: Courtesy of Los Angeles Zoo
biological kittens were nowhere to be found. The fostering attempt had proved unsuccessful. The kittens temporarily went back to the Los Angeles Zoo, and then they were moved to the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center in Scottsdale, Arizona where they will spend the rest of their lives. The results from the necropsy for P-67, the kitten’s deceased mother, shows that she was found with no food in her stomach, she was relatively thin, and she also had evidence of intestinal disease, known as necrotizing enteritis. She was also exposed to five different anticoagulant rodenticide compounds and to bromethalin, not an anticoagulant but a highly potent rodenticide that provides a lethal dose to rodents in a single feeding. The presumptive cause of death was septicemia, possibly secondary to enteritis, according to the report. “A contributing factor may have been that she was young and stressed by having kittens,” Sikich said. “She was a good mother and she didn’t abandon them. She kept on coming back to the den and nursing them even in her likely poor state of health.” P-67 was originally tagged as a kitten herself in 2018, also in the Simi Hills, in a den belonging to adult female P-62. The father of P-91 and P-92 is suspected to be
P-78. Biologists tracked the two of them traveling together over a period of multiple days earlier this year. P-78 is currently living in the Santa Susana Mountains, although he has also spent a considerable amount of time east of Highway 5 in the San Gabriel Mountains, the first collared animal in the study to do so. The kittens are now about three months old and they are showing typical wild cat behaviors – stalking, wrestling, and climbing. Officials at the wildlife sanctuary report that the two cats have developed unique personalities. P-91, the female, is bolder, while P-92, the male, is laid-back. “They are inseparable and a great comfort to each other,” says Linda Searles, the sanctuary director. The kittens’ new “next-door neighbor” will be 15-year-old ‘Tocho’, SWCC’s most prominent mountain lion – and the last mountain lion raised from a kitten at the sanctuary. She said that if they all get along, they will eventually share his large enclosure. “It’s too bad they couldn’t live in the wild, but we’re happy that they can give our old guy companionship,” Searles said. She said that the lions will serve as ambassadors for the Santa Monica Mountains mountain lion population and their species.
Council, with 41 percent saying the city’s performance when it came to managing homelessness was “poor.” “The polling results show what we as
residents feel. The current City Council members have failed in effectively addressing public safety and homelessness,” de la Torre said.
October 09 – October 15, 2020
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Living With Love, Hope and Faith (Most of the Time…)
So we are more than seven months into the “twilight zone” year of 2020. Craziest and most disturbing year of my life. I think I’ve even seen Twilight Zone episodes about certain things that are happening now, in reality. One is the way Major League Baseball is trying to make us pretend that there are people in stands, with one-dimensional cardboard “fans,” sitting in seats, “watching the game.” Friggin creepy. Oh, and it comes with a cheering track. Chilling. The whole face mask thing has me feeling trapped. For one thing, I no longer wear lipstick. Lipstick was the thing that defined me. I would not go out without wearing at least a clear gloss. At parties, everyone knew the glass I was drinking out of because my lip color made a beautiful print on it! I begrudgingly accepted face masks as a fashion statement – for now. I have about 25 of them, all coordinated with my clothing. I’m making a few out of material left over from hemming a dress I just bought, so it will be completely coordinated. The one thing I hate the most is the way some of these masks are made. When people wear them, they look like the part of a jock strap sack that hold a man’s “jewels” together. I refuse to wear something that creates a bulge around my month. There are flatter masks that are much more well, flattering.
The one thing that was announced recently by California’s esteemed leadership was a real hoot: When eating at a restaurant, it was strongly recommended that we put our masks back on between bites. I think whoever is in charge of Masks Etiquette and Safety in our government seriously needs to take a few days off. No, I will not be doing that. On the flip side, this time in history has taught me many things, like staying in the present, remembering that this too, shall pass, and being grateful for all that I currently have. The absolute best thing that has happened in in my life is connecting with Naam Yoga expert Jane Mirchak. Ever day at 8:00a, around 6-10 people join Zoom from all over the globe, Wisconsin, Los Angeles, Westwood, Santa Monica, Portugal, Mexico and others. Jane leads us in a 30-minute breathing, meditating, stretching and strength-training class. We’ve been doing it for about 5 months now. It’s amazing. My lung capacity has vastly improved and I can now touch my toes again. The jiggle in my upper arms that manifested this year has stopped. I dislocated my should last August. It was one of the most painful experiences of my life. It takes more than a year to get it back to normal. Jane’s arm exercises have brought my right arm back to normal. The best part of this class is that it’s free! Donations are appreciated. This class has helped me to step off the edge, and live life with love, hope and faith. I could not get through this shit without it. If you’re interesting in joining us, please e-mail me at barbara.bishop@bbprinc.com. Hang in there everyone…
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October 09 – October 15, 2020
LA County Breweries, Wineries Given Green-Light to Reopen LA County Board of Supervisors approves reopening in 3-2 vote By Kerry Slater
LA County has given breweries and wineries the green light to reopen. On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion authored by Supervisor Janice Hahn and Supervisor Kathryn Barger which will allow breweries and wineries to begin outdoor service in next week, in accordance with current State health orders. “I think it is time that we allow our breweries and wineries to resume outdoor service consistent with the State orders,” Hahn said. “We have made progress slowing the spread of this virus and we did not see the spike in cases after Labor Day that I know many of us had been dreading. The action we are taking today puts us in line with the State’s health orders.” The State of California has allowed breweries and wineries to reopen for outdoor service if they partner with a third-party
permitted food vendor. However, the County of Los Angeles has not permitted breweries and wineries that do not have restaurant licenses to resume service. While several breweries and wineries do have restaurant licenses and small kitchens, many do not and have been struggling to survive. “Los Angeles is the ONLY county in California preventing breweries from partnering with food trucks and caterers. Some of our peers who are brewpubs with full kitchens and outdoor space have had the privilege of being classified in the same way as restaurants and remain open, but two-thirds of LA Brewers Guild members are shut down based on the County’s decision. But for the most part, the County’s decision deters patrons from going to breweries only in LA County as many of them are instead driving to breweries in Ventura and Orange County to enjoy craft beer,” said Santa Monica Brew Works back in August in a Facebook post. The reopening shall abide by strict safety guidelines, including outside operations, limited hours of operation, required reservations, appropriate social distancing. The motion passed with a vote of 3-2, with Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, who represents the
Westside, voting against the legislation. “I’m disappointed at the rushed vote that was taken at the end of today’s meeting to direct DPH to reopen wineries, breweries, and outdoor cardrooms,” Kuehl said. “The decision on wineries and breweries was made against the guidance of our Director of Public
Health. I voted no because I honestly don’t feel that it’s safe to open these places, there was no need to rush the action through this week and I would have preferred more public notice and discussion as well as further discussion with Dr. [Barbara] Ferrer.”
Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce Endorses City Council Incumbents Chamber cites “consistency and stability” in decision By Toi Creel
Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce has endorsed the total five incumbents for City Council, citing “consistency and stability.” The Chamber said that “consistency and stability” is a requirement during “an unstable economic time” as the reason behind the endorsements. The chamber made the decision last Friday, September 25. “Our city has never in our lifetimes faced such unpredictability and economic strife. Local businesses are the lifeblood of our city and their vitality supplies jobs and tax revenue the city needs and is the reason we all love living in Santa Monica,” said Becky Warren, chair of the Chamber Board of Directors. “We are endorsing the current city councilmembers because they have shown the willingness to discuss ways to
help Santa Monica businesses and we need
representatives who will also support policies
that will help our businesses and local economy in the future.”
Councilmembers Ana Jara, Gleam Davis,
Terry O’Day and Ted Winterer are all
running for four full-term seats while the only uncontested Councilmember Kristin McCowan is running for a two-year seat.
The incumbents face tough election
competition from a slate of candidates– Planning
Commissioner
Mario
Fonda-
Bonardi, Arts Commissioner Phil Brock,
School Board member Oscar de la Torre and Culver City’s head of emergency response
Christine Parra–who have significant political experience and are fundraising at a high clip.
The slate, Santa Monicans for Change,
has raised a combined total of over $55,000 shrinking the fundraising deficit that has traditionally advantage.
provided
incumbents
an
Santa Monica City Hall.
Photos: Getty
October 09 – October 15, 2020
FILM REVIEW: “THE OUTPOST”
BEHIND THE SCREEN By Kathryn Whitney Boole I like to watch films without any preconception about what I’m getting into. I call it a pure watch, like looking at a painting or photograph for the first time without any introduction, just admiring its effect on me. That’s how I watched The Outpost. This film bowled me over on more than one level. Cinematographer Lorenzo Senatore should be nominated for an Oscar for his beautifully balanced camera work depicting the emotional depths to which the tableau of war drives humans, and for the long, uninterrupted twisting, writhing shots of the camera depicting the chaos of battle. Director Rod Lurie’s background surely contributed to the realism of this story. He graduated from West Point in 1984 and spent 4 years as a combat arms officer in the US Army before becoming a well-known film critic. He created the series Commander in Chief and directed the critically acclaimed film, The Contender (2000). The Outpost is the true story of a combat unit ordered to set up deep in a valley surrounded by towering mountains in Afghanistan, surrounded by Taliban. The location echoes Custer’s Last Stand. How the soldiers adapt to their placement in this perilous, isolated location underlies the narrative. The screenplay is based on awardwinning journalist Jake Tapper’s 2012 book The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor. Tapper has the credentials to write about this group of heroes. His background includes a stint as Senior White House Correspondent and contributor to several news shows including his own. Tapper happened to see TV coverage of the Battle of Kamdesh, the culminating battle of this film, from a hospital room on the day his son was born. Writer Jon Krakauer described his book as “a mind-boggling, all-too-true story of heroism, hubris, failed strategy and
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Rated R 123 Minutes Limited Release VOD July 3rd, now available on Netflix, may be released later in theatres heartbreaking sacrifice.” The ensemble of actors who play the soldiers is extraordinary. They recreate the camaraderie that comes from isolation in a treacherous situation from which there is no escape. Acting becomes a difficult skill when you are mostly seen in a combat helmet. Your eyes and your body movements are paramount in expressing the emotions whirling in your character’s head. It’s also difficult to establish individual identity when there are a large number of pivotal characters. This cast was absolutely able to imprint each character on screen. I did not realize until the credits rolled that these great performances were from the likes of Orlando Bloom, Caleb Landry Jones, some extraordinary character actors, and several sons/ grandsons of stars – Scott Eastwood, Clint’s son, Milo Gibson, Mel’s son, James Jagger, Mick’s son, Scott Alda Coffey, Alan Alda’s grandson, and Will Attenborough, grandson of Richard Attenborough. Every actor in this film is brilliant, on an equal basis. Each soldier also looks remarkably like his real counterpart. You will come away from this movie with a sense of the horrors and mismanagement that can put soldiers’ lives on the line in war. The effect of positioning humans into an isolated terrifying existence surrounded by a handful of souls enduring the same situation, creates an alternate universe of sorts. Soldiers adapt by forming tight emotional bonds of loyalty to one another, and a readiness to fight to the death. Due to medical developments, our most recent wars have created generations of disabled veterans, with mental and physical scars – and those are the “lucky” ones who returned home. Maybe the Peace Movement of the 60’s and 70’s is something to seriously reconsider. Kathryn Whitney Boole has spent most of her life in the entertainment industry, which has been the backdrop for remarkable adventures with extraordinary people. She is a Talent Manager with Studio Talent Group in Santa Monica. kboole@gmail.com.
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