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WHAT’S UP WESTSIDE ..................PAGE 2 LAUGHING MATTERS ....................PAGE 4 LETTER TO THE EDITOR ..............PAGE 5 CRIME WATCH ..................................PAGE 8 MYSTERY PHOTO ............................PAGE 9
FRIDAY
01.08.16 Volume 15 Issue 44
@smdailypress
Santa Monica Daily Press
smdp.com
Plaintiffs sanctioned in PCB lawsuit Court’s ruling follows ‘unauthorized’ caulk testing at Malibu schools BY JEFFREY I. GOODMAN Daily Press Staff Writer
Sanctions have been imposed on Malibu activists in their lawsuit over the Santa Monica-Malibu school district’s handling of chemical testing and cleanup at Malibu schools. The penalties, handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Percy Anderson in a Dec. 21 hearing, added to the ongoing legal battle between the plaintiffs and the district that stems from the discovery of polychlorinated biphenyls on Malibu campuses about two years ago. The sanctions follow unauthorized independent chemical sampling of caulk by Jennifer deNicola, the leader of America Unites for Kids, according to the court document. The plaintiffs, America Unites and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, will not be allowed to use chemical samples they obtained as evidence in the lawsuit, according to the court. The plaintiffs’“pattern of unauthorized, illegal, and wrongful testing is an outrageous abuse of the judicial
What’s next for Samohi wellness center? Officials searching for funding sources after missing out on $100K grant
Photos by Morgan Genser
process,” reads the court’s analysis. America Unites has also been ordered to pay the district for repairs related to physical damage caused by deNicola’s unauthorized testing. The plaintiffs and the district must file a joint report by Jan. 11 with proposals for the compensation amount. The court also ordered the plaintiffs to pay for SMMUSD legal fees related to the district’s motion for sanctions. The district has until Jan. 11 to outline those fees, although the plaintiffs can challenge the figures by Jan. 19. The case was not dismissed altogether, but the plaintiffs and their supporters were ordered not to conduct any additional testing at Malibu schools without court approval. Led by deNicola, Malibu activists have repeatedly criticized the school district for spending millions of dollars on consultants and legal fees. “Why have we spent $7 million ... to avoid spending $100,000 to properly test and identify the extent of SEE PCB PAGE 7
BBB fare changes go into effect Jan. 10 BY JENNIFER MAAS Daily Press Staff Writer
FLYING HIGH
BY JEFFREY I. GOODMAN
Jonah Mathews (above) and the Samohi boys basketball team defeated Palisades 68-58 at home Wednesday night.
After failing to secure $100,000 through a regional grant program, leaders hoping to improve wellness in Santa Monica are looking for other ways to fund a holistic health center at Santa Monica High School. Although Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District officials, City of Santa Monica staffers and other members of the Cradle to Career consortium were disappointed that they didn’t win an LA2050 grant for a so-called Thrive Center at Samohi, they remain committed to providing students with mental health counseling and other support services. “We’re actively pursuing other funding,” said Natasha Kingscote, an administrator in the city’s Community and Cultural Services Department. “We’re looking at a variety of places where we might be able to get funding. ... The $100,000 would’ve been great, but we still would’ve needed to pursue a lot of
The much talked about Big Blue Bus fare adjustments will go into effect on Sunday, Jan. 10. Among the changes BBB is making are: the adjustment of the base fare cash price from $1 to $1.25, offer a new 7day pass for $14, and reduce the prices of many passes, like the drop of a Youth 30-day pass from $40 to $28, and the reduction of a regular 30-day pass from $60 to $50. Senior, disabled and medicare cash fares, including the $0.50 reduced base cash fare, and all other reduced rate pass prices will remain the same. For the full list of fare details, visit BigBlueBus.com/fares. Manager of planning and community engagement, Suja Lowenthal, said that BBB has done its best to make the public aware of the implementation of the new fare structure, which was approved in October by City Council. “Our fares have been at this same rate since 2010 and we wanna be sure that our customers had as
SEE THRIVE PAGE 6
SEE FARES PAGE 7
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