S A N TA M O N I C A
REFLECTING THE CONCERNS OF THE COMMUNITY smmirror.com
July 30 – August 5, 2021 Volume XCIX, Issue 104
INSIDE TWO ARRESTED FOR MAIN STREET BIKE SHOP BURGLARY PAGE 4
Council Selects Berkeley Deputy City Manager to Helm Santa Monica David White to be Santa Monica’s next City Manager starting in October By Sam caTanzaro
Santa Monica City Council has selected David White, Berkeley’s Deputy City Manager, to run the City of Santa Monica’s government. “I am excited and humbled to serve the City of Santa Monica as its City Manager,” White said. “Santa Monica is a wonderful community and I am eager to engage and work closely with the City Council, staff, residents, and businesses implementing City Council’s top priorities — achieving a clean and safe Santa Monica, addressing homelessness, and
ensuring an equitable and inclusive economic recovery.” After a closed-door meeting Thursday, Santa Monica City Council announced their selection of David White to serve as Santa Monica’s next City Manager. White is currently the Deputy City Manager for the City of Berkeley. Before coming to Berkeley in 2019, he served as City Manager in Fairfield, California for five years. As City Manager, White will oversee a total City budget of $705.5 million and a workforce of 1,923. “David has a keen understanding of the central issues our like-minded cities face and has demonstrated that he has the experience and spirit of can-do inclusion we need to lead Santa Monica at this critical time,” said Mayor Sue Himmelrich. “We are thrilled to have found a candidate so aligned with our community’s values and impatiently await his arrival so we may begin our collective work.” White’s employment contract, including
an October 11 start date and salary, will be considered at the next City Council meeting on July 27. In a press release, officials touted White’s work “reimagining public safety, including a new model of civilian oversight of Berkeley’s Police Department. With an extensive background in finance both as an investment banker and as Fairfield’s finance director, White is well-suited to see Santa Monica through our economic recovery.” White, a native Los Angeleno, grew up in Studio City and graduated from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and anthropology. He holds a master’s degree in city planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. White will be Santa Monica’s first permanent City Manager since the resignation of Rick Cole in April 2020 amid sweeping budget cuts and his handling of the COVID-19 crisis. Former City Attorney Lane Dilg then
Photo: Official
David White.
took over as Interim City Manager until last month when she moved to D.C. Since then John Jalili, who served as City Manager from
1984-1999, has been in the position on an interim basis.
Homeless Man Charged with Hate Crime in Assault of Korean Woman in Santa Monica
Melvin Taylor faces charges in connection to July 23 incident By Sam caTanzaro
Hate crime charges have been filed against a homeless man for reportedly attempting to rob and assault an Asian woman. On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County
District Attorney’s Office filed charges against Melvin Taylor, a 65-year-old homeless male, originally from Compton, for his involvement in an attempted robbery and assault against an Asian woman. On July 23 around 2:15 p.m., Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) officers responded to investigate an in-progress assault and battery in the 1500 block of 2nd Street. According to the SMPD, officers arrived within minutes and immediately detained Taylor. The victim, described by officials as a
Korean woman, explained to officers that she was with her father-in-law and was attempting to pay at a parking meter when she was confronted by Taylor. “Taylor asked about her ethnicity and demanded money. When the victim refused to give him money, Taylor became verbally and visibly upset. When the victim attempted to get back into her car, Taylor kicked the car door causing the victim to be pinned between the door and frame of the vehicle. Taylor continued to strike her while yelling racial slurs. The victim was able to pepper spray Taylor, however it had little to no effect. Taylor took the victim’s phone and threw it on the ground before unsuccessfully attempting to take her purse,” the SMPD wrote in a press release. According to the SMPD, nearby witnesses intervened to assist the victim before officers arrived. On Tuesday morning, the Los Angeles County’s District Attorney’s Office charged Taylor with the following, attempted robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, assault likely to produce great bodily injury and hate crime allegation enhancement “A hate crime against one of us is truly
Photo: Santa Monica Police Department
Melvin Taylor’s booking photo.
a crime against all of us,” District Attorney Gascón said. “I am committed to stopping hate in our community.”