Santa Monica Mirror April 2, 2021

S A N TA M O N I C A

REFLECTING THE CONCERNS OF THE COMMUNITY

smmirror.com

April 2 – April 8, 2021 Volume LXXXII, Issue 87

INSIDE ALL SANTA MONICA SCHOOLS TO REOPEN IN APRIL PAGE 2

Santa Monica Parents Launch Recall Effort for Four School Board Members Laurie Lieberman, Maria Leon-Vasquez, Jon Kean and Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein targeted in recall petition

By Sam Catanzaro

Santa Monica and Malibu parents have submitted signatures to initiate the recall of four members of the School Board.

The recall, launched this week, targets Laurie Lieberman, Maria Leon-Vasquez, Jon Kean and Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein, citing “serious malfeasance”.

“Rather than focus on educating students, the board has focused on real estate purchases, construction projects, and fighting parents’ lawsuits while failing to give parents, teachers, and school staff a meaningful seat at the table,” recall organizers wrote in a press release.

Leon-Vasquez–wife of former Santa Monica City Councilmember and current member of the California Board of Equalization Tony Vazquez– is called out in the recall effort for “corruption”.

“She voted to award large SMMUSD contracts to the clients that paid her husband tens of thousands of dollars in consulting fees. Vazquez and her husband have received substantial financial gains for her votes on the school board –– a direct violation of California’s Political Reform Act,” the petitioners wrote, citing a series of Los Angeles Times articles.

Leon-Vazquez did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.

The recall also alleges corruption by current Board President Kean and Vice President, Lieberman, accusing them of regularly violating the Brown Act during meetings.

Petitioners allege Kean recently voted to have SMMUSD pay his expenses incurred for a political expense without prior approval.

As reported by the Santa Monica Lookout, “Education activists behind the petition allege Kean used $3,000 to fly and accommodate muralist Jane Golden in Santa Monica without the Board’s consent, then was reimbursed for the expense The District was determining the fate of Golden’s ‘Muir Woods’ mural at former Olympic High School site.”

Kean, when reached for comment, called the recall effort fraudulent.

“Do not be fooled by this fraudulent recall campaign. The people truly behind the effort have purposely kept their names off of the petition and deliberately put misinformed parents out front as proxies to hide their own nefarious motives,”

Kean said. “The lies and accusations included in the petition are 100% false and will be refuted in the near future with simple and straight forward facts, facts that the petitioners did not even bother to investigate before publicly smearing the reputations of four dedicated public servants.”

Petitioners also take aim at Lieberman, who is accused of diverting funds from the District to developers and her husband’s law firm.

According to the Lookout, Lieberman is married to Chris Harding, whose law firm is registered as a lobbyist with the City of Santa Monica representing 129 development projects.

“Lieberman has diverted millions from SMMUSD to enrich Santa Monica real estate developers –– an industry her husband’s current

law firm represents –– and to her husband’s former law firm where she has approved $7 million to Pillsbury Lawfirm,” recall organizers wrote.

“During her long tenure as a board member, she has diverted SMMUSD’s focus from educating students to real estate and construction pushing three major bonds that cost the taxpayers over $1 billion.”

Lieberman, like Kean, characterized the recall effort as based in false information.

“The recall petition is based on malicious lies about me, my family and others. Those who are behind it are deliberately spreading false information about our schools, our school district and three of my colleagues. Those who have

SMMUSD Recall, see page 9

Santa Monica Police Arrest Three Burglary Suspects Three suspects arrested after trespassing call last week

By Sam Catanzaro

Police recently arrested three suspects

believed to be responsible for a string of burglaries in Santa Monica.

According to the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD), on March 26 around 11:30 p.m., officers were dispatched to a trespassing call in the 500 block of Wilshire Blvd.

“As officers were investigating, they observed three subjects emerge from the building in question. Upon seeing the officers, the suspects immediately fled on foot, while

Left to right: Miguel Eduardo Barrientos, Rudy Leonel Barrios, Manzo Rangel.

trying to discard stolen property,” said SMPD Lieutenant Rudy Flores.

According to the SMPD, after a “short” foot pursuit, officers detained all three suspects without incident, in the 1200 block of 5th Street.

“The suspects were in possession of various burglary tools which included a hand saw, bolt cutters, channel lock pliers, screwdrivers, and master keys. Two of the

Photo: SMPD

suspects were also in possession of handheld two-way radios,” Flores said.

In a press release, the SMPD says officers believe these individuals were responsible for other burglaries in the area.

“Apparently these suspects match the description of suspects involved in a couple other burglaries that night. However it has

Police Arrest, see page 10

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April 2 – April 8, 2021

All Santa Monica Schools to Reopen in April All students to have option to return to classroom by end of April

By Sam Catanzaro

All Santa Monica public school students will have the option to return to the classroom in April.

On March 26, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) Superintendent Dr. Ben Drati announced elementary students will return full-time on April 19 and secondary students will return full-time on April 26.

According to Drati, secondary students will have a week of hybrid as a transition the week of April 19. Distance learning will be an option as well Drati noted.

For elementary, on the week of April 12 students will engage in a modified distance learning model with both synchronous and asynchronous work. For secondary, the week of April 12 students will engage in a modified distance learning model, followed by a week of hybrid for the week of April 19, as schools ramp up to reopen on April 26.

“We are confident that this is the best decision to ensure everything goes smoothly

upon return. We are committed to reopening our schools and remaining open,” Drati said.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health distancing guidance was recently reduced to three feet in classrooms, a factor Drati cited as influencing the decision to reopen.

“Six-foot distancing will still be required between teachers and students, and during times such as while eating and drinking when a mask is temporarily removed. Mask wearing and frequent handwashing / sanitizing will be required,” Drati said. “This opens up tremendous opportunities for fully reopening for those students who are ready for return.”

Elementary students not returning for inperson, will be assigned a new teacher and new class with other distance learning-only students in the same grade.

“This is the only way we can continue offering a high-quality distance learning Zoom experience with similar scheduling and a fully-focused return to on-campus learning,” Drati said.

Distance learning teacher assignments will be provided the week of April 12.

For secondary students continuing with distance learning only, students will keep their same teachers and participate with the class via Zoom, though there may be a few exceptions for teachers who are unable to return in person.

Vaccinations have been underway for SMMUSD staff for over a month and according to Drati, all staff members who want to get vaccinated have already received at least one dose.

Drati in his reopening announcement urged families not to let their guard down.

“It will be critical to keep sick children at home so as not to risk an entire class, or worse, an entire school having to shut down. Your

principal will inform you of the consequences for students who will not wear their mask properly, as this is a serious issue during this time,” Drati said. “In addition, we will be announcing a COVID testing protocol for our school sites, as well as other safety measures that we view as important elements in keeping all individuals safe while building confidence for families uncertain about sending their students back to in-person school.”

April 2 – April 8, 2021

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April 2 – April 8, 2021

OPINION

Time for the School District to Adopt 20th Century Capital Project Financial Reporting

SMa.r.t.

Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow

There has been significant confusion and debate surrounding the financial performance of the many SMMUSD facilities projects. The absence of clear and accessible financial performance reporting is the cause.

The issue is not just academic.

District Facilities Improvement Program Overview The district’s currently active facilities improvement program (FIP) was launched in 2009 with Measure BB bond funding and now includes four bond issues (BB, ES, SMS & M). This program has total funding estimated at $1.36 billion as of 02-23-2021 which includes $1.33 billion from the four bond issues (a), a $20 million SMC Grant for the JAMS auditorium and estimated $8 million from interest.

At completion, this funding would represent a cumulative facility investment of approximately $146,000 per currently enrolled student seat (b). Despite this level of expenditure and funding, the District anticipates additional expenditures beyond this current approved funding. (c) According to the District’s summary of anticipated total project final cost estimates published on February 18, 2021 (d), $967 million of this FIP funding has been committed across approximately 155 approved projects. As a point in time snapshot, it is not clear what the effective date is for the estimates provided. The report does not include either performance metrics or prior project totals.

These existing 155 projects represent about 71% of the total approved and available funding noted above. Comparing the project total cost estimates to the approved total funding noted above would indicate that an estimated $386 million in uncommitted funding remains available for future projects.

The 02-23-2021 bond funding report breaks out project spending to an unspecified date for hard and soft costs within each bond, but does not have estimated final costs and are prepared on a different project definition basis. They do not include either performance metrics or prior totals.

Why does this matter?

Sidestepping the issue of overall need for such an expansive program in a school district with declining enrollment (b), the key stakeholder issue is effectiveness of financial management on resource expenditures.

Without consistently reported, updated, understandable and quantified project

financial performance data, external stakeholders (and the Board) have no idea how well bond resource spending is being managed, or what to expect. Project overruns reduce the available funding for other projects, potentially accelerating the need for still more bond measures if offsetting savings on other projects cannot be found. Project overruns potentially indicate project management issues while underruns reduce the need for additional funding and are one indicator of good management.

Standard Capital Project Reporting Companies in the private sector spending a fraction of what is being spent by the District have regular standard financial reporting that encapsulates the total financial performance for each approved project and that also rolls up to overall program performance. In this case, that would be a roll up to the total bond level.

This synthesized quantitative approach is standard best practices throughout industry. In contrast, the current FIP program performance reporting available to external stakeholders is almost exclusively qualitative (e).

Appropriately structured capital project financial performance reporting would clearly answer the following questions on

a recurring basis: • What are the financial benchmarks for each approved project (e.g., original authorizing budget, updated estimated final cost, final certified cost – all fully inclusive of hard and soft costs)?

• How is the project’s financial progress tracking over time (i.e., what are the actual costs and what is the estimate to complete at each reporting period)?

• What are the financial performance metrics for each approved project, and why (e.g., variance of estimated final cost to budget; changes in estimated final cost, including scope changes)?

• What is the amount of each funding source being used for each project, if more than one source (e.g., bond) is being utilized?

Appropriately structured capital project financial performance reporting would include the following elements: • Original (Authorizing) Budget.

Whatever financial projections authorize a project to break ground is the original authorizing budget, both hard and soft costs. All subsequent project reporting needs to reference this original budget.

There is only ever one original authorizing budget for a project. The related project scope needs to be clearly described and

accompany the Original Budget in the reporting.

• Estimated Final Costs (EFC). At every update, the project’s EFC must reflect the most current estimated total final cost at completion, both hard and soft costs.

• Variance Analyses. The current EFC should be compared to the Original Budget and to the prior reported EFC, with significant variances to the prior EFC explained. Changes in scope are a change to the EFC, not a change to the Original Budget.

The EFC should detail the constituent components of Actual Spend To Date and the Estimate to Complete (ETC). A static ETC, for example, indicates a possible project underrun.

Existing Processes, Data and Publicly Available Reports Prior public Board discussions on the effectiveness of capital project bond spends have referenced the Bond Oversight Committee (BOC) (f), bond audits (g) and financial statement audits (h) as evidence of sufficient financial controls. The issue is that these controls monitor whether or not the bond funds were spent on bondapproved projects or, in the case of audits,

SMa.r.t., see page 5

April 2 – April 8, 2021

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SMa.r.t., From page 4 whether the financial statements can be relied upon. None of these activities provide information on how effectively the funds are being spent (e.g., overruns, underruns, etc.).

The SMMUSD website’s BOC page (f) notes that the BOC’s function is to review expenditure reports produced by the District to ensure that expenditures align with the purposes set forth in the bond measures and that no bond proceeds were used for operating expenses.

Financial statement audits (h) only certify the reliability of the accounting numbers to present fairly, in all material respects, the District’s financial position. They do not provide judgment on what the numbers are saying. For example, the audited financial results may indicate deficits, but as long as they are properly stated, the audit opinion is considered “clean.” Additionally, audited financial statements are issued once per year, six or more months in arrears.

The District’s Financial Oversight Committee (FOC) (i) can provide nonbinding recommendations on operating financial issues, compliance with Measure R, City of Malibu joint-use agreement with the District, and the District’s capital program. However, with only ad hoc and capital project financial reporting with potentially incomplete performance data, the FOC’s capital spend overview effectiveness is minimized.

None of these internal processes provide neither the Board nor external stakeholders with timely, relevant and actionable capital spending financial performance information.

The information required for this level of sustained, informative and actionable financial performance reporting exists in the District’s financial systems. Moreover, the effort involved can be minimized over time as processes mature. In addition, the number of projects active at any point in time is less than the total funded by the bonds. Of the 155 projects authorized under the currently active bonds, 89 are complete, 64 in process and 2 either pending or postponed.

In discussions with District staff, they noted that the Board has been provided with certain elements of this performance reporting on an infrequent ad hoc basis.

The non-systematic, and apparently very infrequent nature of this reporting, along with its inaccessibility to external stakeholders, significantly diminishes its value to both the Board and external stakeholders.

Clarity and Stakeholders The impact on the community of this level of funding, expenditure and major construction is significant. The need for best practices financial reporting is obvious.

Understanding project financial performance based on transparent, objective, standardized, and appropriately

detailed capital project reporting is essential to all stakeholders. The stakeholders’ (including the Board’s) value of properly structured capital project financial reporting is dependent on timeliness.

Project financial reports would be updated and published either monthly or quarterly (i.e., every 3 months).

In its absence, external stakeholders have no information on the FIP program’s financial performance, and they have no basis to believe the Board is in any better position. Without this reporting, the Board has no early warning process to identify and manage issues on a timely basis. It is difficult to build trust across all key stakeholders in such an environment.

Without trust, it will be very difficult to justify approval of additional bond funding requests.

By Marc L. Verville for SMa.r.t. (Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow) Thane Roberts, Architect, Robert H. Taylor AIA; Ron Goldman FAIA, Architect; Dan Jansenson, Architect, Building and Fire-Life Safety Commission; Samuel Tolkin Architect; Mario Fonda-Bonardi, AIA, Planning Commissioner; Marc L. Verville M.B.A., CPA (inactive); Michael Jolly, AIRCRE References: (a) SMMUSD Bond Issue Summary https://www.smmusd.org/Page/5689 (b) Enrollment as of 02-23-2021 per Second Interim Budget Presentation Pg. 25 h t t p s : / / w w w. s m m u s d . o r g / c m s / lib/CA50000164/Centricity/ Domain/300/BudgetInfo/ SecondInterimBudgetPresentation20-21. pdf (c) Additional Modernization Requirements h t t p s : / / w w w. s m m u s d . o r g / c m s / lib/CA50000164/Centricity/ Domain/3016/21stcenturyschools.pdf h t t p s : / / w w w. s m m u s d . o r g / c m s / lib/CA50000164/Centricity/ Domain/3016/21st-currentneeds.pdf (d) SMMUSD FIP Project Listing as of 02-18-2021 Home Page: https://www.smmusd.org/Page/6029 Project List: h t t p s : / / w w w. s m m u s d . o rg / c m s / l i b / CA50000164/Centricity/Domain/4380/ FIP-ProjectList.pdf (e) Facility Improvement Projects (FIP) https://www.smmusd.org/domain/4176 https://www.smmusd.org/Page/5631 https://www.smmusd.org/domain/4189 (f) Citizens Bond Oversight Committee http://fip.smmusd.org/ CitizensOversight/index.html (g) Bond Audits https://www.smmusd.org/Page/5573 (h) SMMUSD Audited Financial Statements h t t p s : / / w w w. s m m u s d . o rg / c m s / l i b / CA50000164/Centricity/Domain/300/ FinReports/AuditReport1920.pdf (i) SMMUSD Financial Oversight Committee https://www.smmusd.org/Page/3901

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Hyperthermia Cancer Institute: Giving All Cancer Patients Hope Call us as soon as you can after you are diagnosed with cancer

Located in the heart of Santa Monica, Hyperthermia Cancer Institute (HCI) is a gentle FDA-approved treatment designed to improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy to treat a wide range of tumors, regardless of their stage, giving all patients a unique source of hope.

Hyperthermia is a targeted, non-invasive cancer therapy that is FDA-approved to treat cancers in combination with radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy. The treatment uses ultrasound technology to carefully direct heat to the location of the tumor at depths in the body of up to 10 cm beyond the body’s natural layer of fat. During treatment, ultrasound energy slowly increases the temperature of the tumor up to approximately 109°F. “Somewhere between 106o-109o seems to be a magic window where a variety of changes take place in that tumor,” said Dr. Joseph J. Pinzone, Medical Director at HCI. “It is a little higher than a fever and a little cooler than the hottest California day. We heat the tumor for approximately 45 minutes at that temperature.

What that does is increase the blood flow to the tumor.”

According to Dr. Pinzone, patients who have recently been diagnosed with cancer have a big challenge.

“Their biggest challenge is to decide what the optimal therapeutic regimen is initially because that is going to set the trajectory of their entire clinical course,” Dr. Pinzone said.

“I would say that in my mind every patient with cancer, regardless of the stage, should give us a call and potentially be seen by me so that we can figure out whether and how we could improve their other therapies and improve their overall outcome.”

For patients that have disease at an early stage, where cure is a realistic possibility, coming into the clinic at a timely fashion is critical.

“We can help the chemotherapy work better, we can help the radiation therapy work better, but we can’t do that if they come into us after they have already received that therapy,” Dr. Pinzone said.

According to Dr. Pinzone, if people have a high likelihood of cure, doctors are often very excited to treat those patients, but he encourages patients to come in as soon as possible, ideally before they start on their journey. HCI will work with them and with their doctors to try and improve their chance of cure.

“If I were to say one thing to patients who have a real shot at cure, it would be they only have one shot. And it is to their benefit to optimize that initial treatment regimen in order to maximize the chance that they are

cured. If hyperthermia can be part of that, they should come and see me and determine that early, because again, they only have one shot of getting that disease cured. If that initial regimen does not work, they are in a completely different clinical situation,” Dr. Pinzone said.

HCI also offers hope for patients experiencing a recurrence of the cancer after an initial treatment. According to Dr. Pinzone, hyperthermia is also very effective in helping these people.

“In many ways, that is the sweet spot of hyperthermia,” Dr. Pinzone said. “We have demonstrated in a number of different tumor types that adding hyperthermia to chemotherapy and/or to radiation therapy can help two things. Most commonly, disease-free survival. That means that the length of time that a person is in remission. And in some cases, we actually improve overall survival of those patients who have recurrent disease.”

Stage 4 cancer patients also can benefit from hyperthermia. Stage 4 typically means the tumor has spread to a different organ, not just surrounding lymph nodes, as in breast cancer spreading to the liver. Not only does that person have multiple sites with tumors, but each of those sites are shedding tumor cells into the blood and they are at risk of having other parts of the body develop cancer.

And while typically in that situation there is a low likelihood of cure, Dr. Pinzone says hyperthermia can be utilized in a special way: targeting the most vulnerable organs, where failure of those organs will give the patient the biggest problem.

“If we are successful in those organs, success looks like either no tumor growth, tumor shrinkage, or in some cases, complete resolution of the tumor in that organ. Now granted they may have disease in other parts of the body, but why would that be important to them? It is important to them because we can, in that situation, potentially extend their life because we helped that critical organ. It is a different landscape now from when our technology was first FDA-approved. Now the pace of innovation in medicine is so fast that it is possible that next year they may have something that is unbelievably effective to treat the rest of the tumors in their body.

So, if we can preserve their quality of life and possibly increase their lifespan, even by a year, by helping to stop the growth or shrink the tumor in that critical organ, then they can do what we call ‘innovation jump’,” Dr. Pinzone said.

This approach improves the possibility that even patients with advanced disease have an increased chance of disease-free survival, and therefore an invaluable sense of hope.

“We can treat almost any part of the body and...improve the effectiveness of other therapies,” Dr. Pinzone said. “That really translates into increased hope that they can then have a better quality of life, live longer,

Photo: Courtesy Joseph J. Pinzone, M.D. at Hyperthermia Cancer Institute in Santa Monica.

and be around for that next innovation that just might be curative.”

As one of the preeminent centers for hyperthermia, Hyperthermia Cancer Institute treats a large number of patients. What patients don’t know, however, until they come in is that the staff at HCI offers an unmatched patient experience and that starts with their first phone call. People experience an environment that is extremely welcoming with clear recommendations, but zero pressure to do anything in particular and a strong support system. In addition, HCI has many patients from out-of-town and the staff often help these patients with travel and housing to both coordinate it and, in some cases, to help offset the cost through various foundations.

“Because we have close bonds with patients, we develop a tremendous amount of trust and

that allows us to be an unbiased sounding board, which translates not just to a more pleasant experience and not just to increased effectiveness because they are receiving hyperthermia treatments. It also allows us to help them to navigate,” Dr. Pinzone said.

“We are able to provide something that our patients tell us they value tremendously which is guidance, a respite often from their day–it’s a gentle therapy in a therapeutic environment– and just an amazing bond with the people who are going through their journey with them.”

To find out more about whether hyperthermia can help you, call Hyperthermia Cancer Institute at 888-580-5900 or visit their website at www.hcioncology.com.

April 2 – April 8, 2021

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April 2 – April 8, 2021

“Minari” The Challenges of New Beginnings For a Korean-American Family This heartfelt, compelling film has already garnered dozens of awards, including the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, an Independent Spirit Award, and the Black Film Critics Circle Award for Best Original Screenplay. Adding to that, are multiple Oscar nominations in several categories for Lee Isaac Chung, including Best Picture, Director, and Original Screenplay, which he wrote. Other members of the cast who are also up for awards include Steven Yeun for Actor in a Leading Role, the first Asian-American actor to be nominated in that category in Oscar history, and YuhJung Youn for Actress in a Supporting Role. When faced with all these accolades, one’s expectations are extremely high and sometimes those expectations are not met.

However, I’m happy to say that the film deserves every award it has won as well as the current nominations.

The movie, loosely based on Chung’s own life, is a tender story about a KoreanAmerican family that moves from California to rural Arkansas in 1980. The dad, Jacob Yi, is portrayed by Steven Yeun, whose internal characterization is both fascinating and compelling as the myriad feelings and challenges he faces are clearly visible on his body and soul. Jacob is determined to achieve the American Dream and purchased 50-acres of farmland. His wife Monica, well played by Yeri Han, is filled with dismay as she sees their new home, which is akin to Army barracks. She is also concerned about medical care for their son David, played by a really talented, adorable young Alan Kim, who makes his film debut. His character is pivotal to the unfolding action as well as providing comic relief. His sister Anne, nicely played by Noel Kate Cho, is a typical teenager with the angst that comes with trying to make new friends. Ever positive, Jacob knows exactly what he wants to do and that is to plant his fields with fruits and vegetables that he can eventually sell to the growing Korean population in Oklahoma City.

Despite lack of enthusiasm from his wife, his vision is clear and his determination unbridled. To support themselves until his dream comes to fruition, they both work in a factory separating the male chicks from the female chicks. Sorry to have to say this, but the male chicks are disposed of because they cannot reproduce, but I’ll spare you from the details of that method.

When not working at the factory, Jacob prepares his land for planting by searching for a water source and purchasing a tractor

Photo: Courtesy of A24

Top Row L-R: Jacob Yi, (Steven Yeun,) Grandma Soon-ja, (Yuh-Jung Youn), Monica, Mrs. Yi (Yeri Han), and the children David (Alan Kim), and Anne (Noel Kate Cho) in MINARI, written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung.

for plowing. His ultra-religious next door neighbor Paul, wonderfully played by Will Patton, becomes Jacob’s good friend and helper. This kind man is what you might describe as a Holy Roller so there’s lots of prayers of thanks to Jesus. At home, there are many arguments between Paul and Monica who wants to return to California with the kids, with or without her husband.

However, little by little she fixes up their home and Jacob proceeds with plowing the land. Grandma Soon-ja, humorously played by the talented Yuh-Jung Youn, arrives on the scene much to David and Anne’s dismay. The boy takes an instant dislike to her, which she handles in a very amusing way. He complains that she’s not a traditional grandmother because she curses, laughs a lot and snores. The young grandson hates her cooking and says, “She smells like Korean.” Wanting to torment Soon-ja, David brings her a mystery drink which she spits out quickly and laughing, calls him a bastard. Jacob sends him out to get a rod with which he will be spanked but given his rebellious nature, coupled with his sense of humor, he returns with a wilted weed. Dad forces his son to apologize, which he reluctantly does, but still insists that she is not a real grandmother. The fields are beginning to blossom and as

with any rural farm, water issues appear and solutions are sought, always with Paul praying for help from Jesus. Grandma and David explore the property and he spots a crawling snake that scares him and wants her to kill it. She consoles him saying, “Things that are hidden are dangerous – better to see the snake.” Grandma brought minari seeds* from Korea and plants them on a hill near the stream – an action that has unexpected future ramifications.

With their relationship improving, David confides to her that he doesn’t want to die and she tenderly sings him to sleep, saying, “I won’t let you die.” Unfortunately, this force-of-nature grandmother is faced with a health crisis of her own which is resolved with some residual side effects that eventually impact on Jacob’s vision in a most catastrophic way. Good neighbor Paul is invited for dinner, following which he sprinkles holy water throughout the house to purge out the demons and cure David of his health issue. In the meantime, the crops are becoming fruitful and Jacob makes a deal with a local distributor to sell his fruits and vegetables to Korean consumers. Jacob’s persistence appears to be paying off, but he is going to be faced with an almost insurmountable challenge.

This is the story of one man’s unrelenting

vision of achieving the American Dream and how the family comes together in the face of extreme, unexpected adversity, catapulting them into yet another set of new beginnings.

Director Chung assembled a top-notch technical team including: Director of Photography Lachlan Milne, who captured the changing textures of the narrative, Emile Mosseri’s music, underscoring the action, as well as Film Editing by Harry Yoon, Production Design by Yong Ok Lee, Art Direction by W. Haley Ho, Set Direction by Hanrui Wang, and Susanna Song, whose period costumes are spot on. I would be remiss if I didn’t mentioned Brad Pitt is one of the Executive Producers. *Minari is a Korean, peppery herb Distributor: A24 Release Date: Current Where: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV & other Streaming Services Language: English & Korean with subtitles Running Time: 115 Minutes Rating: PG-13

April 2 – April 8, 2021

WWW.SMMIRROR.COM

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Local Mountain Lion Killed After Likely Vehicle Collision

P-78 dies after getting hit by a car, rangers say

By Sam Catanzaro

A young mountain lion died recently after likely getting hit by a vehicle.

According to the National Park Service (NPS) On December 26, 2020, biologists received a mortality signal from mountain lion P-78’s radio collar, a male mountain lion living in the Santa Susana Mountains. The NPS noted that P-78 had a habit of crossing the I-5 Freeway. NPS biologists found the

SMMUSD Recall, from page 1 chosen to sign the Notice of Intent to Circulate Recall Petition have been lied to and have not done their homework. They are fronting for others who have personal agendas and interests that do not align with the interests of students in our well-respected and successful school district.

I am gratified by the overwhelming support that has bubbled up since rumors of the recall began to surface. I am confident that our community will not fall for baseless personal and political attacks that seek to undermine the will expressed by voters in the last two elections and to harm our school district,” Lieberman said.

The recall effort also targets Richard

young cat’s body along San Francisquito creek, a tributary of the Santa Clara River in Valencia. According to the NPS,he had a broken front left leg, and it appeared that he had been hit by a car.

His body was submitted to the California Animal Health and Food Safety (CAHFS) Lab in San Bernardino for a necropsy and testing. According to recent necropsy results, he also tested positive to exposure to five anticoagulant rodenticide compounds and bromethalin.

The NSP says that prior to his death, he appeared to have been doing well. Biologists had recaptured P-78 in November 2020 in the eastern Santa Susana Mountains at Towsley Canyon to replace his GPS collar

because the battery was due to fail soon.

He was initially captured in the central Santa Monica Mountains as a subadult in December 2019. He then traveled west and crossed the 101 Freeway at the Conejo Grade. He spent some time in Wildwood, then crossed Highway 23 followed by Highway 118 in the Rocky Peak area. He had been living in the eastern Santa Susana Mountains before his death.

“He regularly would cross beneath the I-5 along the Santa Clara River. At one point, he even went way up into the Angeles National Forest before coming back to the Santa Susana Mountains,” the NPS said.

P-78 is the 23rd mountain lion, and the 7th radio collared animal, to die from road

Tahvildaran-Jesswein, accusing him of voting on items that benefit other board members despite their known conflicts of interest, appeasing special interests and voting on matters pertaining to his employer despite his conflict of interest.

Tahvildaran-Jesswein, when reached for comment, also called the recall effort false.

“This petition against me is categorically false, mean-spirited, and harmful to our exemplary school district. The recall is baseless and does not serve our students or the voters of Santa Monica and Malibu. Again, the recall drive against my colleagues and me is based on lies and personal innuendo. It is meant to confuse the voters and undermine our democratic process,” TahvildaranJesswein said.

Petitioners argue that the actions of Lieberman, Leon-Vasquez, Kean and Tahvildaran-Jesswein hurt the long-term economic viability of SMMUSD, among other consequences. “these four board members have long-term consequences for SMMUSD students and the City more generally. They deprive our students of an excellent education, increase socio-economic inequality, fail to close the achievement gap, neglect to hold incompetent administrators accountable, undermine the District’s beloved teachers, and hurt the long-term economic viability of SMMUSD,” recall organizers wrote.

Both Kean and Tahvildaran-Jesswein in their comments disputed this, touting the District’s financial credit rating and bond programs.

mortality in the study area since 2002.

“As neighboring districts are laying off dozens of teachers while their reserves are dwindling, SMMUSD has balanced its budget and is retaining teachers. Our credit rating has been upgraded twice recently and our taxpayers have saved over $21m with a bond program that is on schedule and addressing decades of prior facilities neglect. This is the mark of a healthy school district with strong leadership at the school board level,” both Kean and TahvildaranJesswein wrote in the comments.

Organizers have 160 days after approval from the County Registrar to collect signatures from 15 percent of the registered voters in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, around 12,500 people.

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There’s a new, easier way to contact the City! Introducing

• • •

Now there are three ways to report a non-emergency request for service or get information.

Submit an online form or download the City’s new mobile app at

santamonica.gov/311

Email 311@santamonica.gov Call 311 in Santa Monica or (866) 311-SAMO from anywhere

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April 2 – April 8, 2021

Food Review: A Piece of Culinary Perfection

The Nash Sandwich from Al’s Hot Chicken in Culver City

By Kerry Slater

Is the best fried chicken sandwich in the world here on the Westside? While there is no concrete answer to this question, Al’s Hot Chicken, Nashville Style in Culver City makes a strong case.

Located at 10821 Venice Boulevard, Al’s Hot Chicken* does one thing and only: Nashvillestyle fried chicken. Plus a handful of sides– fries, mac and cheese, fried pickles, coleslaw, collard greens–banana pudding and waffles.

For lunch I got The Nash Sandwich seasoned “hot” aka “burning spicy”, according to the menu. Instead of fries, I opted for a healthier option: mac and cheese. Along with a Coke, the grand total came out to $11, a bargain and a half for the Westside.

I hardly had time to enjoy Al’s shaded patio before my order was ready and off the bat I knew this sandwich was going to be special. While judging a book by its cover is a risky endeavor, judging this sandwich by its appearance was warranted, as upon biting in I became aware I

was eating a piece of culinary perfection.

“Juicy, spicy, crispy yet not overly greasy or burning,” read my notes on the meal. Juicy because this is a hearty sandwich, made with a thick breast cooked to perfection. Spicy because it’s a hot chicken sandwich, but at the “hot” heat level it’s not overwhelming, yet still packs a punch. Crispy because the breast was deep fried in a vat of oil but done in a way will not leave you feeling like a greasy sponge. Add a secret sauce and a bit of coleslaw for texture, all in a perfectly constructed sandwich, and the final result is one of the top-10 things I have ever eaten. The mac and cheese, which was great as well, was just icing on the cake.

On the drive home I was thinking about the meal and could not come up with one complaint.

And after digesting, I was already craving Al’s Hot Chicken again, texting friends to set up a return trip. While I still have yet to return (it’s been over a week), I can say with confidence that this is the best fried chicken sandwich I have ever had.

Earlier this year, when reviewing the The OMG sandwich from Heroic Italian in Santa Monica, I wrote “When gauging a restaurant’s rating, I like to tend to reserve ratings of 8 and above for places that I would take a friend from out of town to. The Godmother from Bay Cities, which I would give at least a 9/10 to, is an item

The Nash Sandwich from Al’s Hot Chicken on Venice Boulevard in Culver City.

I make nearly every person visiting LA eat.” The Nash Sandwich is on par with the Godmother.

Not only will I be taking every visitor there, but I would take a Micheline guide food critic with confidence.

Photo: Kerry Slater

Taste: 9.5/10 Quality: 8.5/10 Value: 9.5/10 Overall: 9.2/10 *Al’s also has a location in Sherman Oaks.

Eclectic Corner Cafe Opens on Third Street Promenade

Cult cafe opens on at Broadway/Third Street Promenade

By Kerry Slater

A cafe offering everything from lattes and cocktails to croissants and burgers has opened on the Third Street Promenade.

Cult cafe is now up and running at 1460 Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica.

The restaurant, in the former space of Cafe Crepe just off Broadway, officially opened for businesses March 2.

Helmed by Chef Kim Vu, formerly of Khong Ten on Pico Boulevard in West LA, Cult’s menu can only be described as varied.

Cafe staples like pastries and egg sandwiches sit alongside main course options including gourmet burgers and roasted San Marzano tomato soup. For libations, Cult offers

Police Arrest, from page 1 not been confirmed,” the Flores wrote in a follow up email to the Mirror.

In addition, the SMPD noted all three

everything from coffee (including Irish coffee), Matcha lattes, cocktails, beer and wine.

On their website, Cult cafe says it takes inspiration from cult food items in the LA dining scene.

“Cult foods and beverages have the same devoted following and are only understood by those who love them. they are crave-worthy, and even fringe foodies will seek them out, waiting in line for hours, for just a taste. The Los Angeles dining scene is defined by waves of these food and beverage trends that have cult like followings,” writes the restaurant.

“We hope you come to love our versions of these iconic dishes and drinks against the gorgeous backdrop of Santa Monica beach. cult will aim to become the easy dining option the area has been craving with its experiential social spaces, third wave coffee program, and playful and easy drinking cocktails.”

suspects had prior theft-related arrests and convictions.

Suspect 1, Rudy Leonel Barrios, a 30-years-old from Los Angeles, was charged with burglary, possession of burglary tools, possession of methamphetamine, conspiracy

Photo: : Cult (Facebook)

and resisting arrest.

Suspect 2, Eduardo Manzo Rangel, a 23-years-old from Los Angeles, was charged with burglary, possession of burglary tools, conspiracy and resisting arrest.

Suspect 3, Miguel Eduardo Barrientos, a

32-year-old from Inglewood, was charged with burglary, possession of burglary tools, conspiracy, possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting arrest.

April 2 – April 8, 2021

WWW.SMMIRROR.COM

Rated R 107 Minutes Released February 19th on Hulu

FILM REVIEW: “NOMADLAND” Winner of Best Picture and Best Director at the Golden Globes last Sunday, Nomadland straddles that blurry line between fiction and reality. The movie is classic storytelling at its best and features only three professional actors who blend seamlessly into a cast of real people following their own lives.

Director Chloe Zhao was born and raised in Beijing, attended boarding school in London and received her BA and MFA in the US. She has always been fascinated with the American West – not Santa Monica or Los Angeles - but the wide-open spaces of the cowboys. Her first film, Songs My Brothers Taught Me, followed the relationship of a Lakota Sioux brother and sister, and was filmed on a South Dakota Indian reservation.

Her subjects were non-actors. One of those people, a cowboy named Brady Jandreau, became the story of her second film, The Rider, about a cowboy who is severely injured in a rodeo competition. The Rider was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards.

When Frances McDormand and Peter Spears saw The Rider, they knew they had found the director for a book-to-film adaptation they were planning, Nomadland: Surviving America in the 21st Century written by American journalist Jessica

Bruder in 2017. Bruder’s book follows a band of older Americans who adopted a transient lifestyle after the great recession of 2008, roaming around the US in vans, looking for odd jobs. Bruder spent years traveling with the nomads to write the story.

McDormand and Spears optioned the book in 2019. They saw its cinematic potential and took the leap of faith to persuade Zhao to not only direct but also write the screenplay.

McDormand and Spears were brave and perceptive to commit to a major production in this unproven style of film literature.

Except for McDormand and David Strathairn, most of the cast are real nomads.

The characters Linda May, Charlene Swankie and Bob Wells are real van dwellers featured in Bruder’s book. Zhao has done what few directors have been able to accomplish – she has pulled real awardwinning natural performances from nonactors. McDormand plays “Fern,” a widow who loses her job when the US Gypsum plant in Empire Kansas shuts down. That closure really happened in 2011 and Empire became a ghost town. Fern realizes that her husband and her job were the only things keeping her in Empire and leaves to go on the road in a van. Fern straddles the line between those with roots and those who wander.

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF Estate of Verna Rae Zanders CASE NO. 20STPB00206 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of: Estate of Verna Rae Zanders A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by Mack Zanders in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES. THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that Mack Zanders be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests the decedent’s WILL and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act with full authority . (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held on 01/15/2021 at 9:30 am in Dept. 11 located at 111 N. HILL ST. LOS ANGELES CA 90012 STANLEY MOSK COURTHOUSE. IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code.

Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Petitioner: Mack Zanders 3314 Hollypark Dr., #3, Inglewood Ca 90305

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The backgrounds are breathtaking. The movie was filmed over 4 months through 7 states. Anyone who has visited the Badlands of South Dakota or Custer State Park will know that feeling of otherworldliness that overtakes you upon entering these landscapes, and that moving experience is undoubtedly what draws director Zhao to SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA

COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME Case No. 21STCP00720 Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles 111 North Hill Street | Los Angeles, CA 90012 Petition of: Ernest Douglas Hunter, by and through Ernest Douglas Hunter for change of name.

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME To all interested persons: Earnest Douglas Hunter Petitioner: filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: a. Ernest Douglas Hunter to Hunter Mael Doradea The court orders that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING: Date: 05/10/2021 | Time: 11:00AM | Dept: 26 A copy of this ORDER to SHOW CAUSE shall be published at least once a week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: SANTA MONICA MIRROR | Dated: March, 11, 2021 Judge Lawrence Cho Published: 03/12/2021, 03/19/21, 03/26/2021, and 04/02/2021

return to these areas again and again. As a human you are a visitor in the home of the wildlife.

Zhao has developed a cinematic style that fits beautifully with our current environment where the defiinition between reality and story is often fluid. Our social media now in a way reflects the minstrels who traveled from town to town in the Middle Ages, regaling with songs based on true stories. This style fits our society, where everyone makes film clips of their own lives. Being from another culture, Zhao is able to see with fresh eyes the landscapes of our country and how these landscapes shape their inhabitants.

Nomadland has a serene, thoughtful quality and will draw you completely into the lives of the nomads.

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

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

FILE NUMBER: 2021046950 ORIGINAL FILING This statement was filed with the County Clerk of LOS ANGELES ON 02/23/2021. The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as 1. LIFEGOLD LIVING. The full name of registrant(s) is/are: LIFEGOLD LIVING, 2219 Main St. #474, Santa Monica Ca. 90405. This business is conducted by An Individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on 02/23/2021. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime). Signed Lifegold Coaching & Consulting. This Statement was filed with the County Clerk of LOS ANGELES County on Feb. 23, 2021. NOTICE: IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION 17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES AT THE END OF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE ON WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK, EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920, WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. THE FILING OF THIS STATEMENT DOES NOT OF ITSELF AUTHORIZE THE USE IN THIS STATE OF A FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME IN VIOLATION OF THE RIGHTS OF ANOTHER UNDER FEDERAL, STATE, OR COMMON LAW (SEE SECTION 14411 ET SEQ., BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE). SANTA MONICA MIRROR to publish 03/26/2021, 04/02/2021, 04/09/2021, and 04/16/2021

FILE NUMBER: 2021 020160 ORIGINAL FILING This statement was filed with the County Clerk of LOS ANGELES ON 01/26/2021. The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as 1. HAPPYLILBRAINS. The full name of registrant(s) is/are: HAPPYLILBRAINS, 2118 Wilshire Blvd.

Ste. 1135, Santa Monica, Ca. 90403. This business is conducted by An Individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on 01/26/2021. I declare that all information in this statement is true and correct. (A registrant who declares as true information which he or she knows to be false is guilty of a crime). Signed Jessica Ehrman. This Statement was filed with the County Clerk of LOS ANGELES County on Jan. 26, 2021. NOTICE: IN ACCORDANCE WITH SUBDIVISION (a) OF SECTION 17920, A FICTITIOUS NAME STATEMENT GENERALLY EXPIRES AT THE END OF FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE ON WHICH IT WAS FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK, EXCEPT, AS PROVIDED IN SUBDIVISION (b) OF SECTION 17920, WHERE IT EXPIRES 40 DAYS AFTER ANY CHANGE IN THE FACTS SET FORTH IN THE STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 17913 OTHER THAN A CHANGE IN THE RESIDENCE ADDRESS OF A REGISTERED OWNER. A NEW FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT MUST BE FILED BEFORE THE EXPIRATION. THE FILING OF THIS STATEMENT DOES NOT OF ITSELF AUTHORIZE THE USE IN THIS STATE OF A FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME IN VIOLATION OF THE RIGHTS OF ANOTHER UNDER FEDERAL, STATE, OR COMMON LAW (SEE SECTION 14411 ET SEQ., BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE). SANTA MONICA MIRROR to publish 03/12/21, 03/19/21, 03/26/21, 04/02/21

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April 2 – April 8, 2021

S ANT A MONI CA COL L EG E

You’re invited to our virtual open house events this April! smc.edu/openhouse

Get information on • How to Apply • Financial Aid, Scholarships, and SMC Promise • Student Experience • Areas of Interest • Virtual Campus Tours • Career Changers • International Student • Parent Workshops (English & Spanish)

SANTA MONICA COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT BOARD OF TRUSTEES Rob Rader, Chair; Dr. Louise Jaffe, Vice Chair; Dr. Susan Aminoff; Dr. Nancy Greenstein; Dr. Margaret Quiñones-Perez; Dr. Sion Roy; Barry A. Snell; Joshua Elizondo, Student Trustee; Kathryn E. Jeffery, Ph.D., Superintendent/President Santa Monica College | 1900 Pico Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90405 | smc.edu