MONDAY, JANUARY 17, 2011
Volume 10 Issue 56
Santa Monica Daily Press MLK REMEMBERED SEE PAGE 2
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THE WHAT A DREAM ISSUE
Al Venegas named deputy police chief BY NICK TABOREK Daily Press Staff Writer
PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY Santa Monica Police Chief Tim Jackman has named Al Venegas, a 23-year veteran of the department, to serve as the department’s second in command. Venegas, 47, has been the acting deputy chief for the past six months, following the departure of Phil Sanchez, who became Chief of Police in Pasadena. Venegas was appointed to the permanent position on Tuesday. “It’s huge — to rise to the rank of deputy chief, I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be there. I’m excited, I’m honored, I’m humbled probably more than anything,” he said. As the second ranking member of the department, Venegas will be in charge of day-to-day operations. He said upcoming challenges for the department include finding new ways to lower costs, improve efficiency and make better use of technology and crime data. Born in San Diego and raised in Culver City, Venegas joined the Marine Corps after high school and served for seven years, including a stint as a drill sergeant. He joined the SMPD as an officer directly out of the police academy and has been with the department ever since, rising through the ranks to become the captain in charge of the department’s administrative services division for the past three years. Venegas has a B.A. from Mount St. Mary’s College in English literature and expects to receive a master’s degree in Sociology and Criminology from UC Irvine in June. VENEGAS
nickt@smdp.com
Brandon Wise brandonw@smdp.com
MEMORIAL: Friends of Santa Monica High School student Matthew Mezza gather to pay their respects at his memorial in front of the Sheraton Delfina on Pico Boulevard Saturday afternoon. Mezza jumped to his death from the top of the hotel on Friday afternoon.
Samohi student jumps to his death BY NICK TABOREK Daily Press Staff Writer
SAMOHI Friends of Santa Monica High School freshman Matthew Mezza on Saturday were struggling to understand what drove the 14 year old, who played baseball at Samohi and was known as a bright student and a bit of a jokester, to jump to his death from an upper floor of the Sheraton Delfina hotel on Friday afternoon. The suicide was all the more difficult to comprehend for the events that preceded it. Mezza had attended baseball practice on Friday afternoon but abruptly fled, according to Tim Cuneo, the Superintendent of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School
District. “The student ran from practice across the street and entered the hotel and jumped from the hotel to his death. That’s all I know,” Cuneo said. Several witnesses said Mezza had yelled that he was going to jump off a building as he left practice, causing startled teammates to give chase. They lost sight of Mezza, only to see his body fall to the pavement next to Pico Boulevard. The Santa Monica Police Department said Mezza had jumped from the hotel’s ballroom on the 10th floor. Sgt. Jay Trisler, a department spokesman, declined further comment, citing an ongoing investigation. According to school district officials, the jump happened at about 5 p.m. Mezza was taken to a local hospital and pronounced
dead by 11 p.m. Friday. On Saturday morning, Cuneo said about 125 students and parents attended a counseling session put on by the school district at Samohi. A handful of Mezza’s friends set up a memorial on the sidewalk across Pico Boulevard from the high school, in the shadow of the Sheraton Delfina. Many of them had attended John Adams Middle School with Mezza and remembered him as someone who was fun to be around, always seemed to be smiling and loved the TV show “Family Guy.” “What I can tell you is that he was a really happy boy,” said Delores Flamenco, a parent whose two children knew Mezza. Samohi freshman Stevie Lamb said she SEE SUICIDE PAGE 9
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