S A N TA M O N I C A
REFLECTING THE CONCERNS OF THE COMMUNITY smmirror.com
July 16 – July 22, 2021 Volume XCVII, Issue 102
INSIDE SANTA MONICA SETTLES CONSUMER PROTECTION LAWSUIT WITH MATCH.COM
PAGE 4
First Main Street Traffic Closures Set for Later This Month Santa Monica announces start of “Sharing an Open Main Street” July 24-25 By Sam Catanzaro
Weekend traffic closures on Santa Monica’s Main Street are set to begin later this month. This week the City of Santa Monica announced that weekend closures of a portion of Main Street will kick off July 24 – 25. In addition, closures will occur on the weekends of August 21 – 22, September 18 – 19, and October 16 – 17. The pilot program, known as “Sharing an Open Main Street”, will transform the two blocks between Hill and Kinney streets to a pedestrian plaza. “This is a pilot that builds on the creative ways we’ve adapted our sidewalks and public spaces during the pandemic,” said Santa Monica Mayor Sue Himmelrich. “Now that we can safely gather again, Main Street is a
perfect backdrop for a summer block party in support of the small, local businesses that kept us going throughout the last year. I hope to see many familiar faces out on Main Street!” The pilot program was initiated by the Main Street Business Improvement Association and Ocean Park Association and approved by Santa Monica City Council last month. “For years, merchants and residents have wanted to explore the possibility of making Main Street more pedestrian and cyclist friendly. This is our opportunity and we’re very excited to be a part of it,” said Hunter Hall, Executive Director of the Main Street Business Improvement Association. According to the City, vehicle traffic will be detoured from Main Street to Neilson Way. At the June 8 City Council meeting where the pilot program was approved, many nearby residents spoke out against the closures citing concerns surrounding traffic in residential areas. “I do not oppose outdoor or al fresco dining. What I oppose is closing any part of Main Street, whether a pilot or permanently, because it goes through a residential neighborhood. And no matter how many traffic diversion proposals we make and are presented with,
Photo: Sam Catanzaro
A portion of Main Street in Santa Monica that will be included in a street closure pilot program this summer.
they are not going to work. If you live in
beach weekend–people are driving all around the neighborhood, parking on our streets,
weekend–that means any sunny weekend, any
Main Street, see page 8
this neighborhood, you know that on a busy
17 Million Gallons of Raw Sewage Spills Into Santa Monica Bay
Sunday night spillage
By Sam Catanzaro
from Hyperion Water
Beach closures have been lifted following the discharge of 17 million gallons of raw sewage into Santa Monica Bay but at some beaches–including near Santa Monica Pier– the water currently contains high levels of bacteria, potentially due to the spill.
occurs 1-mile offshore Reclamation Plant
Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant in El Segundo.
According to Heal the Bay, the discharge started at 7 p.m. on Sunday night and stopped around 5 a.m. Monday morning. “We understand 17 million gallons of raw sewage were spilled through the 1-mile outfall,
Photo: City of LA Sanitation (Facebook)
which is directly offshore from the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant in El Segundo,” Heal the Bay wrote in a fact sheet following
Raw Sewage Spills, see page 7