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WEEKEND EDITION
01.02.16 - 01.03.16 Volume 15 Issue 39
@smdailypress
Annual Homeless Count needs volunteers BY MATTHEW HALL Daily Press Editor
Volunteers are needed to help conduct the annual Homeless Count in Santa Monica on Jan. 27. The Point-in-Time Homeless Count and Survey is a national undertaking mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for all communities that receive federal funds for homelessness programs. The results have a direct impact on the amount of federal funds allocated to homeless programs nationally and how those funds are distributed. The Los Angeles County count is the largest in the nation and Santa Monica will join other Westside agencies in conducting its count on the evening of
Wednesday, Jan 27. Organizers said they need at least 250 people to help conduct the survey. Volunteers walk the streets to provide data on who is homeless and where they are located. Volunteers under the age of 18 must volunteer with an adult and everyone must complete the registration forms online at http://www.santamonicahomelesscount.com. There are a variety of tasks required during the count, but the most basic is to walk several miles of the city counting the number of homeless individuals. Volunteers receive a brief training the night of the count and officials said the process has proven very rewarding for everyone involved.
WHAT’S UP WESTSIDE ..................PAGE 2 FIRESIDE AT THE MILES ................PAGE 3 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ............PAGE 4 MYSTERY PHOTO ............................PAGE 9 COMICS ............................................PAGE 10
Santa Monica Daily Press
smdp.com
Local shoppers keep money centered in Santa Monica
SEE COUNT PAGE 7 Courtesy Photo
Interest growing in new New year brings gender shift to service SMC bachelor’s degree club leadership Applications for interaction Women take presidencies of local Kiwanis, Lions and Rotary groups BY JEFFREY I. GOODMAN
design program due Jan. 15 BY JEFFREY I. GOODMAN Daily Press Staff Writer
Since she was 3 years old, Jessica Handy has been convinced that she could one day become president. And her mission has materialized, although not in the exact manner she was hoping for as a toddler. Handy was recently inducted as the new head executive of the Kiwanis Club of Santa Monica, which she doesn’t feel is a particularly noteworthy development on its own. It’s not the White House, after all. But the 2016 presidents of the local Kiwanis, Lions and Rotary
With the inaugural application phase open for less than two more weeks, officials at Santa Monica College are busy putting the finishing touches on the school’s firstever bachelor’s degree. The local community college is accepting applications until Jan. 15 for the interaction design program that will launch in the fall, a pathway aiming to prepare students for tech-centric jobs that have become increasingly popular in recent years. College officials who have spent months developing the so-called IxD degree are now anxiously watching as portfolios and other
SEE WOMEN PAGE 5
SEE DESIGN PAGE 8
Daily Press Staff Writer
SHOP LOCAL: Bob’s Market was one of the participants in this year’s Buy Local, Give Local promotion. Buy Local organized the event as part of their 2015 activities that also included the Wellbeing Festival.
BY MATTHEW HALL Daily Press Editor
Buy Local Santa Monica is celebrating 2015 as another successful year for the economic development program with $45 million generated for the local community. The Santa Monica Buy Local program is a partnership between local businesses and the City that encourages shoppers to spend money within city limits, particularly at mom and pop stores. Any business located in Santa Monica is eligible to join the program but organizers say their priority is to support locally owned, independent businesses. Members receive marketing and promotional support, discounted advertising rates, exhibitor opportunities and event discounts. Jennifer Taylor, Buy Local Santa Monica Committee Chair and an Economic Development Administrator with the City of Santa Monica said the program benefits the SEE SHOP PAGE 4
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