Santa Monica Mirror: Jun 14 - June 20, 2024

Santa Monica Chamber Announces Prestigious Toast of Santa Monica Event

Event to Showcase Business Excellence and Community Spirit

The Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce is gearing up for its highly anticipated Toast of Santa Monica: June Board Installation event, slated for June 20th, 2024, from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the historic Fairmont Miramar.

This annual gathering is not just a welcoming ceremony for the Chamber’s newest board members but also a significant tribute to the remarkable achievements of Santa Monica’s business community. It is a testament to the city’s vibrant culture and thriving commerce.

Guests can look forward to a unique experience, starting with a cocktail hour beneath the iconic fig tree, serenaded by the captivating jazz music of the SAMOHI band. The evening will then transition to a lavish dining experience in the grand ballroom of the historic Fairmont Miramar, with a delicious dinner featuring beef, salmon, or a vegan option. A Malibu winery will bring special wines for the evening.

The evening’s highlight will feature awards to four esteemed business

leaders: the Nat Trives Award, the Chair Award, the Business Leader Award, and the Community Leader Award. Then comments from Senator Ben Allen, a keynote address by renowned business leader Rick Caruso, and a heartfelt toast by Santa Monica Vice Mayor Lana Negrete. The invocation will be given by Monsignor Torgerson.

Rick Caruso will speak about the future of business and the economy and engage in a future-focused conversation to uplift the city of Santa Monica.

The event also offers a valuable networking opportunity, with an afterparty at the delightful Bungalow, a chance to participate in the Best of Santa Monica raffle giveaway, and to witness the presentation of gifts to the Boys and Girls Clubs.

“We are thrilled to host The Toast of Santa Monica: June Board Installation event,” remarked Judy Kruger, CEO of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce.

“This occasion not only celebrates the growth of our Chamber board but also recognizes the invaluable contributions of Santa Monica’s business leaders. It’s a testament to our vibrant community and an acknowledgment of the impact that collaboration and innovation have on our city. We look forward to an evening of networking, inspiration, and celebration of shared success.”

For more information and ticket reservations, visit smchamber.com.

Three Taken Into Custody After Assault Incident Closes Portion of Main Street

A Male Victim Was Transported to a Local Hospital for Treatment

By Zach Armstrong

Three suspects were taken into custody after an assault took place on Main Street in Santa Monica in the early hours of Tuesday.

On June 11, just after midnight, SMPD officers responded to a 911 call of an assault in the 2700 block of Main Street. After authorities arrived, the male victim was transported to a

local hospital for treatment. Further details about the victim’s injuries or his condition “is not known”, according to an SMPD spokesperson.

Locals were alerted of the incident via an SMAlert which was sent at 12:35 a.m., urging people to avoid the area of Main Street between Hill and Ashland as it was closed due to police activity. Normal activities resumed in that area about five hours later.

More information will be released as the investigation progresses, according to the spokesperson.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact Detective Tavera at Hector.tavera@ santamonica.gov or the Watch Commander at 310-458-8427.

New Small Business Marketplace “Pico Roots” Opens in Santa Monica

Pico Roots Aims to Be a Hub for Homegrown, Small and Micro Businesses Which Support Local Creators

The Community Corp. of Santa Monica hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Pico Roots, the city’s first small business marketplace, according to a news release. Partially funded by the City of Santa Monica, Pico Roots aims to support local entrepreneurs and celebrate diversity and community.

According to its website, Pico Roots aims to be a hub for homegrown, small and micro businesses which support local creators. The marketplace accepts business applications on a year-round rolling basis. Qualified companies include anchor businesses (brands seeking a fixed 10×10 space on a term

of 6 months or more) or incubator businesses (brands that can feature their items in the market’s “mixed retail sections”).

“Last year, Brunson Terrace brought much-needed affordable housing to our city, and now this same property has Pico Roots Marketplace to support and lift up small businesses in our city’s most underserved community,” Mayor Phil Brock, who attended the ribbon cutting, said. “This city-funded project makes great strides in three of our five key strategic priorities: Addressing Homelessness, Economic Growth & Cultural Vitality, and Justice, Equity & Diversity. It’s a win-win-win.”

The marketplace features vendors such as Adey Gojo Coffee and Catering, Tiny Bee Cards, Lucky Bug Clothing, Youthful Savings Marketplace, Sunny Moore Collection, Queens and Kings Hair Love It, and Soleil Satnam.

Pico Roots is located at 1819 Pico Boulevard. For more information, visit www.picoroots.com.

THE MUSIC MINUTE Las Vegas Man Convicted in 2016 Santa Monica Home Invasion Case

With the Help of DNA Evidence, the Case’s Investigation Was Able to Link the Home Invasion With a String of Others

By Zach Armstrong

Following a multi-year investigation on a 2016 home invasion and shooting that left one victim hospitalized, the suspect has been convicted on 16 felony charges while he awaits his sentencing.

In the morning hours of Aug. 28, 2016, SMPD officers responded to a “shots fired” call at a Santa Monica residence in the 600 block of Adelaide Drive. Once they arrived, the property’s owner was found shot in the torso; the result of a failed robbery attempt. The victim survived after being treated at

UCLA hospital.

With the help of DNA evidence, the case’s investigation was able to link the home invasion with a string of others in Beverly Hills and Downey; all of which occurred within the same two-week span.

The suspect, Vacho Shahen, 39, of Las Vegas, was arrested in Philadelphia in 2018. After a recent three-week trial, a jury convicted Shahen on 16 of 17 felony charges. Sentencing is set for June 24 in L.A. County Superior Court.

“While this case has been resolved, SMPD reminds residents to take proactive steps in enhancing their home security. To support this effort, SMPD offers free home security assessments to all residents.” SMPD said in a statement. “These assessments help identify potential vulnerabilities and provide recommendations to better secure your home. To schedule an assessment, please contact our Community Affairs Unit at 310-458-8474.”

For more information on the investigation, contact Sgt. Chad Goodwin at 310-458-8931 or Lt. Erika Aklufi at 310-458-8493.

Former HR Chief of Santa Monica Accuses City of Racial Discrimination

She Was Selected in 2018 as the First African American to Hold That

Position Within City Leadership, According to the Lawsuit

By Zach Armstrong

The former head of Human Relations for the City of Santa Monica is accusing the City of discrimination and wrongful termination, further alleging that those actions caused damage to her mental well-being.

Lori Gentles, who served as Santa Monica’s Chief People Officer – Human Resources for five years until being fired a few months back, brought the lawsuit forward in February in the Superior Court of California, County of L.A. The former City C-Suite worker is seeking compensation for financial losses and other alleged damage.

Gentles was selected in 2018 as the first African American to hold that position within City leadership, according to the lawsuit. Prior to her role for Santa Monica, Gentles served as Human Resources Director for the County of Santa Barbara, HR Director for Contra Costa County, Deputy Personnel Director for the City of Phoenix and HR Administrator for the City of Mesa, in addition to several HR roles at California universities.

According to the lawsuit, Gentles made complaints during her tenure about “institutionalized racism” with the City, specifically towards her and other employees who resigned due to “disparate treatment received based on their race.” It also alleges that the former HR chief attempted to implement changes which would’ve eliminated discrimination, but was retaliated against for doing so, while also being “held to a different standard” than her White counterparts within City leadership.

In response to inquiry, a City spokesperson did not immediately provide a response or statement to the lawsuit.

One instance detailed in the lawsuit occurred in April 2021, when Gentles received a complaint of a White City worker allegedly saying “we could just lynch him” in reference to a Black man. When Gentles reported the matter, she was allegedly laughed at by the man who was subsequently appointed to run the case’s investigation.

Other alleged examples described in the lawsuit include Gentles receiving an “unfair” performance review after concluding a police report wasn’t false, which upset City leadership who wished for a false report to limit their liability; issuing complaints that the City overlooked diverse job candidates and lacked performance evaluations (which she believed disproportionately impacted workers of color); and being asked by colleagues how she would feel if they used the term “wigga.”

These alleged actions caused substantial stress and anxiety for Gentles. Upon seeking professional treatment and requesting medical leave, City Manager David White and City Attorney Meishya Yang unlawfully requested copies of Gentles’ medical records and sought information on how to terminate her, the lawsuit alleges.

In October of last year, according to the lawsuit, Gentles was placed on paid administrative leave in retaliation for issuing complaints and taking medical leave. She was fired from her position in February of this year.

Due to the aforementioned actions, the former HR chief alleges that emotional distress, mental anguish, humiliation and “manifestation of physical symptoms” will continue to plague her.

The next court date is a case management conference scheduled for Aug. 20 where a trial date should be assigned, according to a spokesperson with the law firm representing Gentles.

New Digital Art Festival to Launch This Month in Santa Monica

The New Series Will Take Place Across 24 Events at 17 Different Venues

The DNA Festival Santa Monica, a new series celebrating digital art’s impact on global culture, will take place for the first time this year across

24 events at 17 venues. The festival is a collaboration among Santa Monica College, Bergamot Station Arts Center, 18th Street Arts Center, the City of Santa Monica’s Cultural Affairs Division, the Santa Monica Arts Commission, LA ACM SIGGRAPH, and the EZTV Online Museum.

Events of the inaugural DNA Festival include the The ‘Future Perfect’ show at Robert Berman Gallery throughout September; a group show consisting

of six artists showcasing varying components of the unification of art and science. From Sept. 7 through Oct. 5, the “King’s Road - Mona Kuhn” art installation at Gallery XII will take place as part of Bergamot Station Art Center’s 30 Year Anniversary Celebration.

Concurrent with The Getty’s PST Art: ‘Art & Science Collide’ events, this year will be the largest culmination of digital arts showcased in the Western Americas, according to its website. The festival kicks off in late June and will run through November.

The Santa Monica College Pete &

Metropolis Employee Services seeks Manager, Machine Learning Application Engineering in Santa Monica, CA to lead machine learning team on embedded sys algorithm implementation, testing & optimization. Travel approx. 5% of the time to unanticipated client sites for meetings & training & attend conferences in US & internationally.

Salary: $220,626 - $225,626/yr. Send resume: recruiting@metropolis.io. Must ref job code AN.

Susan Barrett Art Gallery will inaugurate the DNA Festival Santa Monica with the exhibition “DNA: 4th of 4,” a digital art retrospective presented by seminal media arts group EZTV and the local chapter of SIGGRAPH, LA ACM SIGGRAPH.

The “DNA: 4th of 4” exhibition, featuring works by over two dozen digital artists, will run from June 22 through July 21. The opening reception is scheduled for Saturday, June 22, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the SMC Performing Arts Center, 1310 11th Street, Santa Monica.

“DNA: 4th of 4” highlights the evolution of digital art from the early 1980s to the present, featuring artists whose works have appeared at prestigious institutions like the Centre Pompidou, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the J. Paul Getty Museum. The exhibition also includes works by mainstream artists such as Oscar® winner Kevin Mack and Emmy® winners Rebecca Allen and Kate Johnson.

For more information, visit https:// www.dnafestivalsm.com/.

The Up Zoning Scam (Part 1)

SMa.r.t.

Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow

Over the last few years, the State of California has mandated a massive upzoning of cities to create capacity for a mirage of 2.5 million new housing units over the next eight years (2021 to 2029). That number was selected without any real validity of how much new housing was actually needed. It only had to be sufficiently large to force cities to upzone. To help you understand how fake 2.5 million new proposed housing units are just for California, which is about 12% of the US, Freddie Mac just issued a new report claiming that the whole country today needs only 1.5 million new units.

Virtually all cities had enough capacity in their previous zoning for any real anticipated growth. But to force upzoning, an artificially high growth had to be invented and rolled out as gospel. We are now starting to see how that build-out is occurring. In addition to upzoning, the State also required cities to actually ISSUE PERMITS for the construction of those fake 2.5 million units in the same eight-year period. For Santa Monica, we were given, and the pre-2021 City Council foolishly accepted, the illusionary goal of 8895 new units, of which 6168 supposedly had to be affordable (available at a low price for people earning fractions of the median income).

The Big Scam

But why would the State create a fake target and sell it to drive public codes and policy? The reason is the big three industries (finance, real estate and construction) want free rein to develop anything, anytime, anywhere to maximize profits. It’s that simple. State legislators (Toni Atkins, Scott Wiener, etc.) who depend on those industries’ contributions (along with the high-tech industries) are willing to demolish local planning codes and controls to satisfy their insatiable donors. Of course, the locals would never accept such a visible power grab, so elaborate camouflage had to be developed to hide the neutering of local citizens, City Councils, County Boards, etc. And the power grab had to be executed slowly so as not to rouse a citizen’s rebellion. So since 2016, a continuous avalanche of almost 100 new interactive State laws were rolled out (and are still rolling out), each one seemingly innocuous,

but resulting in a complete destruction of local neighborhood control and thereby the probable destruction of the quality of life of every city at the receiving end of this scam. Of course, the business groups sponsoring and actually writing this legislation have not been and are not being identified and held to account.

All this new construction was sold as lowering the cost of housing, ending homelessness (you can already see how well that’s working), fighting racism, ending traffic gridlock, employing lots of people, and I’m sure apple pie was somewhere in there, too. Of course, the two biggest intractable myths used to sell the scam is that: first cities must always grow in population. This is not always true, and in a world of limited resources, stability with continual internal transformation will be best for many cities. And the second myth is that the “law” of supply and demand always governs: if we increase housing supply, it will always be cheaper? This is never true in a segmented housing market. If we build more Ferraris, your Volkswagens will not be cheaper. And virtually all units built in Santa Monica, for a variety of reasons, are effectively Ferraris. Such narrative myths are essential to greasing the power grab down the throats of the desperate citizenry.

Willful ignorance

The scam also required the conscious ignoring of the fact that we have don’t have the water for such a huge population increase, we don’t have sufficient infrastructure (power, transit, sewers, schools, etc.) that to build such a huge number of affordable units would require massive (unavailable) subsidies and that the concentration of all this urban housing would result in skyscrapers that would be forever millstones around our necks. None of those skyscrapers will be, nor are required to be, net zero buildings (unlike our current new singlefamily homes) thus locking out forever our statewide goal to be fossil fuel-free by 2045. To hide the true costs of such a scam necessitated new State laws prohibiting Environmental Impact Reports for any of these massive buildings, which would expose their real impacts and thus cause the natives to revolt. Finally, the scam naturally involved demonizing, via trolls and astroturf organizations, anyone resisting the power grab by labeling them racists, NIMBYs, elitists, etc

Just a few Headwinds

Of course, this completely made-up 2.5M target ran into just a few real headwinds. First, the population of the State has now essentially flatlined at just below 40 million people. Whether through people leaving, high cost of living and taxes, declining birth rates, raising rents or property values, crime, Covid deaths, declining household formation, decreasing immigration, increasing homelessness, etc., etc. (chose your favorite disincentive), the State population is simply not going to grow by 5 million people (at a typical 2 persons/unit) by 2029! Before the State’s fantasy 8895 Santa Monican units (with their nominal 18% population increase) were imposed, Santa Monica’s natural 8-year growth rate was predicted to be about 1100 units (about a 2% increase.) In reality, Santa Monica’s actual population, like the State’s, has also flatlined, fluctuating between 91,000 and 93,000 since the last census.

Perhaps you say that the population isn’t or can’t grow because there’s not enough housing? But again, reality rears its ugly head, and our City has about a 10% residential vacancy rate (commercial vacancy rates are much higher). You would think such a high vacancy rate would put significant downward pressure on rents (increasing affordability) in a City where 3/4s of the people are renters? Rents are, in fact, fluctuating marginally but not enough to make a difference and certainly not enough to create an 18% population boom. The problem is not the number of units but that too many of them are too expensive for the average renter. Naturally, the 100 new States’ laws were never about mandating affordability: they were created just to increase profits and helping rent-strapped residents is never a source of profits.

The third headwind is the cost of money. Those imaginary new 8895 units are going to cost between $4.5 and $9 billion, which no developer has lying around the house. So they would have to be built with borrowed money, which, unfortunately, is currently very expensive. The City, of course, is broke fighting pedophilia/harassment cases, so will be of no funding help except to give away its precious public land for free to housing developers.

The fourth headwind is construction costs. These new units are always very expensive to build. Even with all the State-mandated giveaways (often built on City land, shrunken unit sizes, no parking required, effectively no zoning code requirements on open space, heights, and setbacks, etc.), they will still

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE NUMBER: 2024 106145 ORIGINAL FILING This statement was filed with the County Clerk of LOS ANGELES ON 03/16/24. The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as 1. Elder-Well Adult Day Program. The full name of registrant(s) is/are: The Art of Aging 2434 Pier Ave. Santa Monica, Ca. 90405. This business is conducted by A Corporation. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A. 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 Mary Anne Roberto. This Statement was filed with the County Clerk of LOS ANGELES County on March 16, 2024. 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 05/25/2024, 05/231/2024, 06/07/2024, and 06/14/2024

be very expensive to build and subjected to massive inflationary price pressures. The cost of construction is essentially the same for market rate and for affordable units. But, the market rate units’ rents will have to cover the substandard rents from the typically 10% affordable units. In the race to “pencil out” these projects and with all the up zoning combined with the State incentivizing giveaways, the preferred developer solution in Santa Monica has now become skyscrapers of various heights (8 to 24 floors). Skyscrapers, in turn, are more expensive per square foot to build than equivalent low-rise projects, so they rely even more on increased rent levels, creating an even pricier, gentrified City.

Finally, the last headwind and probably a most significant determinant for a variety of reasons is the cost of land. When the whole City was upzoned to meet the unrealistic State demands, current landowners made an incredible windfall. Essentially, all their land became twice or three times as valuable without them lifting a finger since now you could build twice or three times as much on that same piece of land. Every land owner who intended to sell is now madly increasing their sales cost to profit from the added value of their land, making the eventual units built there even more pricey. However, landowners who do not intend to sell their increasingly valuable properties can just sit tight (keeping their property taxes at the low previous zoning value), or they may elect to become developers and not pay the added land value taxes until many years down the road when the new building is actually completed. Upzoning always increases land costs, and this makes all projects less affordable.

So Santa Monica developers and the City are facing serious obstacles to meeting the dubious 8895 unit target in this 8-year time frame. Next week’s article will describe what is happening and likely to happen in the pursuit of this mirage.

By Mario Fonda-Bonardi

AIA

S.M.a.r.t Santa Monica Architects for a Responsible Tomorrow

Thane Roberts, Architect, Mario FondaBonardi AIA, Robert H. Taylor AIA, Architect, Dan Jansenson, Architect & Building and Fire-Life Safety Commission, Samuel Tolkin Architect & Planning Commissioner, Michael Jolly, AIR-CRE Marie Standing. Jack Hillbrand AIA

For previous articles, see www. santamonicaarch.wordpress.com/writing