S A N TA M O N I C A
REFLECTING THE CONCERNS OF THE COMMUNITY smmirror.com
August 16 – 22, 2019 Volume XXII, Issue 4
INSIDE
Senior Dies Hiking in SM Mountains
PAGE 9
Low-Income Seniors Program Expands Juvenile million for POD Great White $2 but concerns remain over implementation, Sharks in readjustments. SM Bay B S C Shark breachings caught on camera at Palisades surf spot. By Keldine Hull While shark attacks in California are rare, breaching particularly towards the end of summer isn’t. Several shark sightings have been reported in Santa Monica Bay so far this summer, including two caught on camera on July 5 and August 7 at the popular Sunset surf spot in Pacific Palisades. Breaching is a hunting method used by sharks to catch fast-moving prey. Sharks can swim 40 miles per hour and fly as much as 10 feet into the air. “It is very common to see young white sharks in Santa Monica Bay and throughout Southern California, especially in the late summer and early fall,” said Kristen Macintyre, communications manager at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). “Mako Sharks, which look quite similar to White Sharks from a distance, are also found in the area and are well known for their leaps out of the water.” On July 13 Owen Dirkse was surfing near Bay Street in Santa Monica. It was 1:00 p.m. and he had been on the water about 2
SHARK, see page 4
Photo: Surfline.
Surfline.com camera footage shows two sharks breaching near Sunset surf spot in Pacifc Palisades this
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As Santa Monica City Council approves $2 million to expand a program to keep low-income seniors housed, questions remain surrounding implementation and readjustments for recipients. Santa Monica City Council approved the Preserving Our Diversity (POD) Pilot 1 program in July 2017, a cash assistance program to help low-income seniors meet their basic needs. Pilot 1 began providing direct assistance in November 2017 and concluded in January 2019. According to Andy Agle, Director of Housing and Economic Development for Santa Monica's Housing Division, during the 14 months, 22 participants were enrolled. After Pilot 1, 17 participants remained enrolled and 5 participants exited the program. Three participants remain housed in the City and are now assisted through voucher programs, one participant moved to another city and one participant passed away. Council's action Tuesday expands Pilot 1 from a $300,000 one-time budget item to an expanded program with an annual assistance budget of $2 million to serve up to 400 partiicpants. "The Preserving Our Diversity Program maintains the dignity of our seniors who quietly struggle with rent, food, and housing insecurity," said Mayor Gleam Davis. "By adding hundreds of long-time senior residents to the program, we will make a dent in the affordability crisis that often requires seniors to choose between paying rent or medical bills and even raises the specter of homelessness." The only change to the POD program threshold eligibility requirement is an increase in the minimum eligible age from 62 to 65 to maximize program participation and funding, according to Agle. Under Pilot 2, recalculation of assistance will occur when a household reports that their income has increased or decreased by more than $200 per month, or if a household’s rent has increased
STREAMING WEEKLY TO ANY SCREEN NEAR YOU MONDAYS: Santa Monica Beat FRIDAYS: Fun Friday
Photo: Getty Images.
Santa Monica City Council is expanding a program to keep low-income seniors housed but questions remain surrounding implementation.
by more than $100. However, an annual reexamination of a household’s income and recalculation of assistance is not part of Pilot 2, with the City saying it is too labor-intensive and additional staffing would be needed to implement annual reexaminations and recalculations. Under Pilot 2, readjustments based on household income will take place after 5fiveyears. While the Council approved Pilot 2 unanimously, Councilmember Sue Himmelrich expressed concern that not annually reexamining a household's income could have negative consequences if a recipient's income decreases or if they are hit with a medical bill not covered by insurance. "I work in these issues all the time and there are small shifts that change people's lives and put them out on the streets and that is why I am concerned about that procedure," Himmelrich said. This concern was also echoed by Danielle Charney, who participated in Pilot 1. "The amounts being suggested to trig-
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ger an adjustment are so unreasonable, that the already depressed seniors living in poverty will see little in the way of joy or hope much less food by the third year," Charney said. In addition to concerns over lack of annual adjustments, the Santa Monica Housing Commission raised questions about the rollout of the program. "The Housing Commission believes that it is worth a one-time expenditure of $100,000 or less of HTF [Housing Trust Fund] monies to create an additional oneyear-only full-time position to assure timely implementation of the new POD ramp-up and the new City maintenance of the waiting lists for all affordable housing opportunities in accordance with City preference policies," said Michael E. Soloffe, Chair of the Housing Commission writing on behalf of the Commission in a letter to Council. "While it is possible that the desired results could be timely
SENIORS, see page 7
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