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01.11.16 Volume 15 Issue 46
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WHAT’S UP WESTSIDE ..................PAGE 2 INSIDE/OUTSIDE ..............................PAGE 3 MY WRITE ........................................PAGE 4 LETTER TO THE EDITOR ..............PAGE 5 YOUR COLUMN HERE ....................PAGE 6
Santa Monica Daily Press
smdp.com
How will El Niño impact the homeless count? Inclement weather could affect Santa Monica data BY JEFFREY I. GOODMAN Daily Press Staff Writer
With El Niño bringing a series of rainstorms through Santa Monica, local social service providers have seen more homeless people coming through their doors for shelter and warmth. “Especially in the morning, if they've been out in the rain at night, they want to come in and get dry,” OPCC executive direc-
tor John Maceri said. But exactly where those people will be on Jan. 27 is anybody's guess. That's the day of Santa Monica's annual homeless count, when hundreds of volunteers attempt to capture a snapshot of homelessness in the area. Count participants will tally people living in local shelters, but their decidedly bigger challenge is sweeping the city's underpasses, overhangs, alcoves and vehicles to get an idea of how many people are living on the streets.
Last year's count found that 402 of the city's 738 identified homeless people were living on the street. But Maceri, whose nonprofit organization operates several shelters while offering case management, counseling and a variety of other services, said inclement weather could impact the numbers this year. He noted the possible effect of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority's winter program, which launched in 1994 to provide temporary shelters during the colder
months of the year. The shelters are located across the county from November through March, but none of them are in Santa Monica. (The closest one is at 1300 Federal Ave., east of city limits.) As part of the winter program, a shuttle picks up homeless people near the intersection of Ocean Front Walk and Market Street in Venice and takes them to temporary shelters. SEE HOMELESS PAGE 8
Short flicks spotlight urban planning's impact Santa Monica to host New Urbanism Film Festival screening BY JEFFREY I. GOODMAN Daily Press Staff Writer
For Josh Paget, Santa Monica seemed like an ideal place for hosting screenings of short movies about urban planning.
The city recently launched Breeze, a bikeshare program that officials hope will reduce traffic congestion. The Expo Line extension, which is scheduled to open this spring, will allow residents to travel to Culver City and Downtown Los Angeles while welcoming visitors and tourists from around the region.
And ongoing construction has sparked contentious debates over the future of the beachside city. “Santa Monica is a hotbed for new urbanism projects,” Paget said, “especially with the Expo Line coming in and a lot of stuff going on in Downtown Santa Monica
with bike-friendly streets, the bikeshare program and new developments in the area.” Paget is the director of the New Urbanism Film Festival, which launched in 2013 as a way to gather global perspectives on the perSEE URBANISM PAGE 8
Courtesy photos
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SMPL!: The Santa Monica Public Library celebrated its 125th anniversary on Saturday, Jan. 9 with Mayor Tony Vazquez, City Manager Rick Cole and some fun activities.
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