S A N TA M O N I C A
REFLECTING THE CONCERNS OF THE COMMUNITY
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INSIDE
MAN SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR VIOLENT SANTA MONICA HOME INVASION PAGE 2
January 29 – February 4, 2021 Volume LXXIII, Issue 78
Tensions Flare at Santa Monica City Council Meeting Santa Monica City Council votes to exclude Oscar de la Torre from action surrounding Pico Neighborhood Association v. City of Santa Monica By Sam Catanzaro
Tensions flared and and pointed accusations were raised at this week’s Santa Monica City Council meeting among
lawmakers during a debate over whether Councilmember Oscar de a Torre can participate in action surrounding a voting rights case brought against the city by his wife. The Case The case, filed by plaintiffs Pico Neighborhood Association, Maria Loya and Advocates for Malibu Public Schools, alleges that Santa Monica’s at-large election system dilutes Latino voting power in violation of the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) and discriminates against Latino voters in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the California Constitution. In a 2019 ruling the Los Angeles Superior Court Judge ordered that all future elections for seats on the Santa Monica City Council be based on a seven-district map drawn by
Tensions Flare, see page 8
Photos: Sam Catanzaro
Oscar del la Torre speaking at a 2018 rally outside City Hall Tuesday protesting the City’s decision to appeal in a voting right’s case.
Bomb Threat Emailed to Santa Monica Middle School Incident prompts evacuation of around 20 adults at Lincoln Middle School Tuesday By Sam Catanzaro
A bomb threat was emailed to a Santa Monica middle school Tuesday, prompting the evacuation of around 20 teachers and staff on campus. According to Dr. Ben Drati, Superintendent of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD), a bomb threat was emailed by Lincoln Middle School personnel a little
before 1 p.m. and immediately reported to the police. There were around 20 teachers and staff on campus, located at 14th Street and California Avenue, who were evacuated to safety. There were no students on campus. Lincoln Middle School classes that were being conducted via Zoom by teachers carrying out distance learning from their classrooms were canceled for the day. The Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) and Santa Monica Fire Department (SMFD) responded to the incident and cleared the threat by 2:30 p.m. “The Santa Monica Police Department has thoroughly investigated the threat described below and given the “all clear,” SMMUSD wrote in a 3:43 p.m. email to families, staff and community members. According to SMPD Lieutenant Rudy Flores,
Photo: Sam Catanzaro
Lincoln Middle School.
officers conducted a walk-through of the entire campus and no devices nor suspicious items were located. Flores says a report was written and will
be forwarded to the Criminal Investigations Division for follow-up. This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
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