Santa Monica Mirror 12.9.22

INSIDE National Charity League Hosts Fashion Show

Davis, Brock to Each Serve Term as Santa Monica Mayor

Lana Negrete selected

mayor pro tempore

By Sam Catanzaro

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A newly-installed Santa Monica City Council has selected Gleam Davis and Phil Brock to each serve a one-year term as Mayor.

At Tuesday’s meeting, City Council selected Davis to serve a one-year term as Santa Monica’s mayor with Brock serving a one-year term for the second year of the twoyear mayoral term. Lana Negrete was selected as mayor pro tempore for two years.

Davis has served on the Council since 2009 when she was appointed to fill the seat left vacant by the passing of Herb Katz and was elected to an additional two-year term in 2010. She was re-elected in 2012, 2016, and 2020 and has served as Mayor in 2019.

“I’m elated to have the opportunity to serve Santa Monica once again as mayor. As the most tenured member of the Council, I hope to use my experience to lead us through the transformative process of rebuilding our organization and bringing the community together,” said Mayor Gleam Davis. “There’s a lot to do to advance our priorities around homelessness, a safe and clean community, and an equitable economic recovery. I’m ready to get to work with my colleagues who love

Santa Monica as much as I do.”

Brock, serving his first term as a Councilmember after being elected in 2020, will become Mayor for the 2023-2024 term.

“I love Santa Monica and I am honored to participate in leadership to this council in any way, shape or form that is requested of me. I will support Mayor Davis and Mayor Pro Tem Negrete with all my heart and I hope that all of you will as well,” Brock said at the meeting.

Negrete joined the Council in 2021 when she was selected to fill the seat left vacant by Kevin McKeown. She was elected to a fouryear term in this election.

Also at the meeting, City Clerk Denise Anderson-Warren swore in Councilmembers Caroline Torosis and Jesse Zwick, elected to four-year terms, and returning Councilmember Negrete, also elected to a four-year term.

The selection of the mayor featured multiple rounds of voting. The process began with Councilmember Christine Parra putting forth a motion to have Brock and Oscar de la Torre each serve a term. Parra, de la Torre and Brock were elected together in 2020 as part of the anti-establishment Change slate. Parra’s motion, however, never reached the floor as three substitute motions were put forward.

Torosis put forth the first substitute motion called for Davis and Parra each to serve a term each with the other serving as Mayor Pro Tem.

The motion was defeated with a 4-3 vote with Brock, Parra and de la Torre voting against it.

Torosis then motioned to have Davis and Parra each serve a term as Mayor and Brock serve two years as Mayor Pro Tem, but this also failed along the same voting lines.

In the third round of voting, Torosis proposed the eventual winning combination of Davis and Brock splitting the two terms and

Negrete serving as Mayor Pro Tem. Davis, Negrete, Torosis and Zwick voted for this motion, while Brock, de la Torre and Parra voted against it.

Prior to the selection of Davis as Mayor, Council honored Mayor Sue Himmelrich and Mayor Pro Tem Kristin McCowan at their final meeting serving on the Council. Neither member ran for re-election.

SMMUSD to Appoint Interim Superintendent Next Week

to head up the Bellflower Unified School District

By Sam Catanzaro

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) will appoint an interim superintendent next week following the resignation of Dr. Ben Drati.

Drati last month announced that he would be leaving the SMMUSD to head up the Bellflower Unified School District where he will begin in January 2023.

I realize this is unexpected. I want to let you know that I have thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated serving as the Superintendent of SMMUSD and will always cherish my time here,” Drati said in a press release. “Together, we have accomplished many goals and laid the groundwork for continued success. I

believe the district is poised to accomplish the mission of ensuring that all students are able to reach their full potential by providing an extraordinary educational experience for all while simultaneously closing the achievement gap.”

According to the SMMUSD, due to the sensitive nature of the interview process, the Board of Education did not have prior knowledge of Dr. Drati’s decision.

“While we are sad to see Dr. Drati move to Bellflower USD, it is not uncommon for superintendents to serve three to five years in a school district. Dr. Drati served SMMUSD for six years, and for that we are grateful,” said Maria Leon-Vazquez, President of the SMMUSD Board of Education and Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein, Vice-President, of the SMMUSD Board of Education in a press release. “We thank Dr. Drati for his leadership in moving SMMUSD forward during a most difficult time in world history and wish him well in his next endeavor. His departure will not diminish our dedication to our mission

to provide extraordinary achievement for all students while simultaneously closing the achievement gap.”

The Board of Education will seek to appoint an interim superintendent at the December 15 board meeting. It will also create a subcommittee of the board at the December 15 meeting that will identify a process to hire a permanent superintendent. This process will be public and the opportunities for community input will be identified. The board subcommittee will bring back recommendations, and they will be presented to the full board at a future public meeting and the process will be communicated widely. There is no timeline yet for when a new superintendent will be named, according to Leon-Vazquez and TahvildaranJesswein.

According to Leon-Vazquez and Tahvildaran-Jesswein, the board subcommittee will be working during winter break so that a superintendent search process update can be presented publicly at a January school board meeting.

“The direction of our school district is solid and many of the structural changes and advancements are the result of the hard work of Dr. Drati, his staff, and all SMMUSD employees. We have heard some concern that a new superintendent will disrupt or abandon some of the initiatives and successes in our district. It is important for the SMMUSD community to understand that the Board of Education will support and protect the incredible work that is happening daily at every one of our school sites,” Leon-Vazquez and Tahvildaran-Jesswein said.

Photo: City of Santa Monica Councilmembers Jesse Zwick, Christine Parra, and Phil Brock; Mayor Gleam Davis; Mayor Pro Tempore Lana Negrete; and Councilmembers Caroline Torosis and Oscar de la Torre.

District looks to replace Dr. Ben Drati who is leaving

AstraZeneca to acquire Santa Monica Biotech Company for $320 Million

Neogene bought by biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca

By Sam Catanzaro

AstraZeneca recently announced an agreement to acquire Santa Monica-based Neogene Therapeutics Inc. (Neogene), a global clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the discovery, development and manufacturing of nextgeneration T-cell receptor therapies (TCRTs) that offer a novel cell therapy approach for targeting cancer.

With a shared goal of bringing cell therapies to patients with solid tumours, Neogene’s expertise in TCR-T discovery, development and manufacturing will strengthen AstraZeneca’s ambition to transform outcomes for patients.

TCR-Ts are emerging as a promising therapeutic modality in cancer treatment. Most current cell therapy approaches in oncology focus on modifying the immune system’s T cells to recognise proteins expressed on the surface of cancer cells. In contrast, TCR-Ts can recognise intracellular targets, including cancerspecific mutations, thereby potentially unlocking targets previously inaccessible using cell therapies.

Susan Galbraith, Executive Vice President, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca, said: “This acquisition represents a unique opportunity to bring innovative science and leading experts in T-cell receptor

biology and cell therapy manufacturing together with our internal oncology cell therapy team, unlocking new ways to target cancer. Neogene’s leading TCR discovery capabilities and extensive manufacturing experience complement the cell therapy capability we have built over the last three years and allow us to accelerate the development of potentially curative cell therapies for the benefit of patients.”

Carsten Linnemann, PhD, Chief Executive Officer, Neogene, said: “We are excited to work together with AstraZeneca towards our shared mission of transforming the treatment options for patients with solid tumours using next-generation T-cell receptor therapies. Our expertise, clinical portfolio and platform technologies in this area combined with AstraZeneca’s leadership in oncology and global footprint mean we are well-positioned to translate pioneering science into novel treatments for hard-to-treat cancers.”

Neogene will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of AstraZeneca, with operations in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and California, US.

AstraZeneca will acquire all outstanding equity of Neogene for a total consideration of up to $320 million, on a cash and debt free basis. This will include an initial payment of $200 million on deal closing, and a further up to $120 million in both contingent milestones-based and noncontingent consideration.

The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2023, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory clearances. The transaction does not impact AstraZeneca’s financial guidance for 2022.

Construction for 100Unit NMS Lincoln Nearly Complete

Five-story project at 1550 Lincoln Boulevard almost done

By Dolores Quintana

NMS Lincoln is nearly finished after two years of construction, the new structure at 1550 Lincoln Boulevard as reported by Urbanize Los Angeles. This structure is built on what was formerly the site of a Denny’s and is one of WS Communities’ many new projects that the company is building in the downtown area of Santa Monica.

This is another five-story, mixed-usemultifamily building that will hold 100 apartments as well as 11,500 square feet of retail space on the first floor according to the plans. The site will also have parking for 232 vehicles. The plans call for one, two and three-bedroom apartments per the project’s website.

The structure was designed by KFA Architecture in the ever-popular podium style. The exterior is all white with what is termed a “porous” ground floor and courtyard on Colorado Avenue. The design has a pedestrian paseo that will lead guests and residents through

the site to Lincoln Boulevard. The building is scheduled to open sometime in the Winter of this year and will include amenities such as a pool, a gym and a rooftop spa.

Originally, this building was supposed to be completed in 2020 after the groundbreaking in 2018. However, the pandemic has delayed many such projects and NMS Lincoln was no exception. WS Communities is the company with the largest residential holdings in the downtown area of Santa Monica and its biggest landlord. During the Builder’s Remedy open submission period, which happened because the Santa Monica City Council’s Housing Element was rejected by the State of California, WS Communities pushed forward several new projects that are not compliant with Santa Monica’s building code but could not be rejected.

Samohi Students Make a Splash With Plankton Science Experiment

Benjamin Kay, Samohi’s life and environmental sciences instructor, takes class on a field trip to the Santa Monica pier

By Esmi Careaga, SMMUSD Communications Specialist

There’s a big world waiting to be discovered. By exploring what’s in their backyard Santa Monica High School students learned the importance of ocean conservation and how math and science can be used outside of the classroom.

Benjamin Kay, Samohi’s life and environmental sciences instructor, took his class on a field trip to the Santa Monica pier to discover and learn. As part of his hands-on approach to learning, students collected plankton samples and saw the diverse forms of planktonic organisms that live in the vast ocean.

Plankton are floating or drifting plants and animals generally microscopic that live near the surface of the ocean or other bodies of water.

To begin, students worked in groups and

used a plankton net made from wire and nylon stocking.

Students then lowered the funnel-shaped finemesh net into the water and after a few minutes it was time to bring the nets up and collect all the plankton. Students then made their way back to the classroom to take a closer look. They used microscopes and sketched what they saw.

Kay said experiences like this stay with students for life and teaches them the value and importance of conserving oceans.

“It’s something I remember as a high school student,” said Kay. “Sampling plankton with my marine biology teacher. Outdoor education and community learning help us retain those life memories.”

Watch students explore and learn here: https:// bit.ly/SamohiScience2022.

Local Artist Carries out Acorn Planting Project in the Santa Monica Mountains

Rebecca Youssef raising environmentalism awareness through art

By Keemia Zhang

Los Angeles artist Rebecca Youssef is carrying out a project to raise awareness of environmentalism through an acorn-planting project.

Beginning in September, Youssef has gone into the Santa Monica Mountains and foraged for acorns. “There’s a little process about storing them,” she says, “soaking them in water, bagging them in the refrigerator and slowing the germination process down.”Youssef then returns to their original sites and replants them near their mother oak trees, where she predicts they will grow successfully.

Born and raised in Hawaii, Youssef attended university in Arizona before enrolling in graduate studies in California. Describing her home as “technicolored”, she states that the California landscape of “deserts and pastels” inspired her work.

She began incorporating her advocacy into her art during the COVID-19 pandemic, at the onset of several social justice movements, and

now regards it as an important hallmark of her work. “The environmental stuff that I do,” she says, “really can inform the art and the impact toward its response.”

In an effort to raise awareness on a community level, Youssef plans to give out saplings as gifts to customers who attend the “Art at the Airport” program on December 10th, as part of the 18th Street Annual Winter party located near her studio at the Santa Monica Airport.

Youssef previously did an art show examining the results of a USC study tracking tree loss in Los Angeles County. “A lot of people don’t realize the importance of trees – in Los Angeles, our urban tree canopy is disappearing.” Youssef continues, citing the ongoing drought and annual temperature increases as a result of global warming. “One of the ways to really make an impact is to plant more trees.”

To learn more about Youssef’s art, visit https:// www.rebeccayoussef.com

Sweet Maple Opening First SoCal Location in Santa Monica

Santa Monica Restaurant Earns Michelin Star

San Francisco-based restaurant coming to 1705 Ocean Avenue

By Dolores Quintana

In early 2023, Santa Monica will get a new restaurant at 1705 Ocean Ave as reported by Toddrickallen.com. Several restaurants have tried to make a go in this space, but Sweet Maple, a restaurant out of the Bay Area, is going to give Santa Monica some new flavor soon.

According to the restaurant’s website, it is unpretentious and with a Bay Area laid-back style that will be, “Serving a classic American breakfast and brunch menu with a touch of Asian influence, our team of chefs add innovative twists to familiar favorites creating something for everyone.”

The restaurant’s bio adds, “Founded in 2010, Sweet Maple is now the go-to brunch destination for San Francisco locals and knowledgeable food tourists alike.” The San Francisco menu features Test Kitchen Specials like SM Omurice, Souffle Egg Skillets, and “Millionaire’s Bacon” platters.

18 new California restaurants added to the guide

By Dolores Quintana

The Michelin Restaurant Guide has released its list of restaurants that have been awarded the coveted Michelin stars for 2022 and three restaurants on the Westside have

earned the coveted stars for the first time. Only 18 new restaurants in the state were added to the list. Michelin refused to rate restaurants in Los Angeles for a decade, so to earn these stars means that these restaurants are of a particularly fine quality judged by Michelin’s standards that do not favor the city of Los Angeles.

Citrin in Santa Monica joins Josiah Citrin’s Melisse on the Michelin star list and here’s what the Michelin guide has to say about Citrin:

Cuisine: Californian

Chef Ken Takayama’s cuisine sends forth signature combinations of French technique with an abundance of California’s seasonal produce, focusing on updated takes on classically rooted flavors with modern, global touches.

Melissè – Citrin’s sister restaurant – also retained its two Michelin stars for the second consecutive year. Santa Monica restaurants Colapasta, Fathers Office and Tumbi were named Bib Gourmands for 2023 as well.

Hatchet Hall in Culver City has been awarded a star. Here’s what the Michelin guide has to say about Hatchet Hall:

Cuisine: American

This is open-flame cooking, rendered with a Southern twang and seasonal focus thanks to an abundance of local products. Rolls and biscuits should not be missed, while vegetablebased items, like collard greens with smoked turkey, speak of quality ingredients and delicious balance.

Manzke in Beverly Hills is the third restaurant on the list. Here’s what the Michelin guide has to say about Manzke:

Cuisine: Contemporary

Settle in for a ten-course tasting menu boasting a contemporary style that blends French techniques with Californian influences and Asian notes. Wolfe Ranch quail is plated over steel-cut oats and served with a round of boudin blanc with a sauce of black truffle jus and grated frozen torchon of foie gras.

Three other Westside neighborhoods were named Bib Gourmands: Chulita in Venice, Pizzana in Brentwood, Bee Taqueria

National Charity League Hosts Fashion Show for Charity at the Brentwood Country Club

December 4 event collects donations for the Mar Vista Family Center, Hollygrove, and the Ronald McDonald House

By Keemia Zhang

On Sunday, December 4th, the Westside

Chapter of the National Charity League (NCL) hosted their annual Tea and Fashion Show at the Brentwood Country Club.

The event featured a catwalk participated in by sophomore students from Lincoln, Jams and Santa Monica High School, with volunteers displaying clothing donations from various Palisades Village vendors. Freshmen members organized logistics, decoration, and setup for the event.

Following the show, a Toy Drive took place to collect donations for the Mar Vista Family

Center, Hollygrove, and the Ronald McDonald House. Charities are chosen on a basis of organizational need and member presentation.

“The fashion show is [the girls’] opportunity to get up and do something out of their comfort zone and learn skills, poise, presence, and to express their personal style,” says NCL Westside President Melissa Rawlins.

“I am most proud of the girls getting up there on the stage. As a mom, looking at the younger girls, knowing how nervous everybody is and how happy they [felt] once it’s done and they

all get to be proud of their accomplishment is really special.”

The Westside Chapter of the NCL, comprising local mothers and daughters from seventh to twelfth grade, was founded in 2010, and aims to help participants “come together in a commitment to community service, leadership development and cultural experiences.” The National Charity League is a “multi-generational philanthropic organization” that helps 6,000 charities nationwide annually.

MOW West will deliver more than 210,000 meals in 2022.

DELIVERING MORE THAN A MEAL: MOW West’s core, heritage program that delivers a LA County dietitian approved hot lunch and light dinner to homebound seniors. Our Wellness Check monitors the health and wellness of MOW West clients.

FOOD & SHELTER: As formerly homeless people are housed, MOW West delivers healthy meals and referrals to additional social services that help maintain stability, health & wellness and reintegrate into society.

“Art at the Airport” and 18th Street Arts Center Host Annual Winter Party

Free event set for December 10

By Keemia Zhang

The local organization “Art at the Airport” has collaborated with the Santa Monica’s 18th Street Arts Center to host a Winter Party on December 10, from 4-7 p.m.

Held at the Santa Monica Airport, the event will feature “handmade artisan goods” for sale by over twenty professional artists. The party will be accompanied by local musical and dance entertainment from pianist Paul Cornish and the Santa Monica Ballet Folklorico. Customers also have the option to participate in an ornament design workshop by Marcus Kuilando-Nazario.

Visitors will also be able to view the inside of the artist’s studios and gain an insight into their creative process. Also on display is visual artist Ranu Mukherjee’s Dear Future exhibition in the Propeller Gallery.

Art At the Airport is an ongoing six-

month program held by artists at the Barker Hangar, whose subjects typically revolve around social and environmental equity. Clients are given the opportunity to “purchase art wholesale”, according to one of the artists-in-residence, Rebecca Youssef, in an effort organized by the Market Exchange vendor collective.

The event has received funding from the government of Santa Monica in a postpandemic bid to economically bolster the arts for “artists and creators who are doing community-based events”, says Youseff, who wrote Art at the Airport’s grant.

Party admission and parking are free with reservations on EventBrite.

Thanksgiving

REFER VOLUNTEER DONATE

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS: Volunteers call clients weekly for friendly conversations that reduce isolation and loneliness. The Wellness Check monitors and reports health & wellness with a focus on mental health. Referrals are made to other needed social service agencies.

SUPPORTING VETERANS ON THE HOMEFRONT: Meals are delivered to veterans of all ages and their spouses at no cost, reducing the isolation of older veterans and helping younger veterans adjust to civilian life.

KEEPING PEOPLE & PETS TOGETHER: Providing pet food and and veterinarian care to clients who have pets living with them at home. Studies show pets make people happier and healthier.

85% of Meals on Wheels West clients report "the meals and volunteer visits help me to remain living in my home."

The Street Seen: Crescent Bay Park 2000 Ocean Avenue Between Bay & Bicknell

Terrace and Seaside Terrace subdivisions.

Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow

OPIN ION SMa.r.t.

Our guest columnist this week is Ocean Park local, Mark Gorman. Mark writes a semi-monthly local blog he calls “Street Seen”, focusing on current, and historic, activity and development that has helped shape this unique part of Santa Monica.

This week Mark explains the development of Crescent Bay Park, and, as a bonus we include an earlier Street Seen story that describes the public art sculptures located near the Crescent Bay Park.

Mark Gorman

Dec 2

Crescent Bay Park, established in 1911, is a 2 1/4 acre City of Santa Monica recreation park located south of the Santa Monica Pier, west of Ocean Avenue between Bay & Bicknell.

The park has also been referred to at various times as - Seaside Park, Sunset Park, Southside Park and Crystal Beach Park.

The two grassy areas are separated by a steep slope, creating a bi-level park:  (i) upper level with gazebo (band stand ?), benches and ocean view; and (ii) lower level with a pergola.

Most of the property for the park was donated to the City in 1910 by real estate developer Carl F. Schader1. Schader purchased the former Arcadia Hotel beach front property immediately south of the Santa Monica pier. Here he intended to “remake Santa Monica” with his Vicente

Schader, seeking to improve his development, donated the Crescent Bay Park property to the City with the conditions that it be forever a public park, and that the City construct a band stand, a public sun parlor (the pergola) and a concrete side walk.

Battery powered, electric tram service on Ocean Front Walk between Venice and Ocean Park began operation in 1916. By 1920, the trams ran between the Venice Pier (passing the Ocean Park Pier and the Crystal Pier) to the Santa Monica Pier.

Crescent Bay Park is part of the National Register of Historical Places listed Bay Beach Street Historic District- a public space which served as a primary seaside recreation and leisure site for African American Angelenos during the Jim Crow era.

Carl Francis Schrader (1870 - 1934).

Born in Little Rock, AR, Schader came to Los Angeles in 1887. He served as the civil engineer for a number of early improvements in Santa Monica. After a brief turn at real estate in 1891, he left to pursue an interest in desert mining.

In 1909, Schader returned to Santa Monica to develop real estate. He purchased beachfront property just south of the Santa Monica pier (bounded on the north by Seaside Terrace, Ocean Avenue to the east, Pico Boulevard to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west) on land that once contained the former grand Victorian style Arcadia Hotel.  Here he intended to “remake Santa Monica” with two subdivisions: Vicente Terrace and Seaside Terrace. His wife, Nellie M. Elliot Schrader (18701936), developed the Kensington Tract that was between the Vicente Terrace and

Seaside Terrace tracts.

With an eye to improving his beach front development, Schader also donated some of his other less desirable land - for an Elks Lodge, a Masonic Temple, and an Auditorium. He worked on getting Pico Blvd upgraded and widened from his development, past the new high school, to join up with Los Angeles’ Pico Streetproviding a direct route from downtown Los Angeles to his development.

Schader retired in 1912, leaving the business in the hands of his son Carl J. Schrader (1892 - 1916). However Carl Jr shot himself, and Carl Sr returned to the real estate business. Schrader became involved in real estate in Calapatria in Imperial County, California and in Arizona. He died, at the age of 63, in an odd car accident returning to Los Angeles from Phoenix in 1934.

And here, from Nov 18, Mark’s “The Street Seen” describes the history of:

The Homage to Jack Kerouac

On March 13, 1993, the city of Santa Monica unveiled Italian sculptor Mauro Staccioli (1937 - 2018)’s piece Untitled (Homage to Jack Kerouac). Two half-moon, rusted red color, structures nestle amongst the palms on this otherwise unassuming median¹.

Staccioli’s first solo show in the United States was in Massachussetts in 1984. This was followed with a show at the Museum of Contemporary Art of San Diego, as well as with the series of installations in 1987-1991

for the Derassi Foundation in Woodside, California. Then in the 1990s, new interventions and exhibitions, among them the one held at Shoshana Wayne Gallery in 1993.

The structures are not Corten steelbut stucco on wood. The installation was coordinated by the City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs with a donation from the artist and Shoshana Wayne Gallery, and additional funding from the City of Santa Monica Percent for Art Program.

The work is at once incongruous, generating tension from its tilted slices and scale, and yet quite at home in its humble materiality.  The two distinctly nautical structures are seemingly woven between the palm trees around them to symbolize, as with many of Staccioli’s sculptures, the juxtaposition between urban society and nature In 2008, the City Council allocated $100,000 in one-time funds to assist with major conservation of Santa Monica’s art collection. The funds were used to repair three works: Tony de Lap’s “Big Wave; the installation by Michael Davis in the Public Safety Facility; and this work by Mauro Staccioli. The Staccioli sculpture was repaired in 2011.

1. “On The Road” is Kerouac’s best known work.

We thank Mark Gorman for sharing his research and passion for Ocean Park, and its unique character, with us and our readers, and look forward to sharing more of his writing in the future.

Crescent Bay Park - Aerial Photo (2013)

Casa Del Mar and Crescent Bay Park - Aerial Photo (1926)

SANTA MONICA COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Dr. Louise Jaffe, Chair; Barry Snell, Vice Chair; Dr. Susan Aminoff; Dr. Nancy Greenstein; Dr. Margaret Quiñones-Perez; Rob Rader; Dr. Sion Roy; Catalina Fuentes Aguirre, Student Trustee; Kathryn E. Jeffery, Ph.D., Superintendent/President Santa Monica College | 1900 Pico Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90405 | smc.edu