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WHAT’S UP WESTSIDE ..................PAGE 2 LAUGHING MATTERS ....................PAGE 4 LA MARATHON TIPS ......................PAGE 5 POLICE & FIRE LOGS ......................PAGE 8 MYSTERY PHOTO ............................PAGE 9
FRIDAY
02.12.16 Volume 15 Issue 75
@smdailypress
Speed limits revised BY MATTHEW HALL Daily Press Editor
A quick decision by the City Council reduced speed limits throughout the City at their Feb. 9 meeting. Council took 15 minutes to approve a package of speed limit alterations based on state mandated rules. Most of the changes resulted in lower speeds but an increase in speeds along Marine was a concern for the council and residents. Speed limits are set locally but the speeds are determined by a state mandated formula and every
street in the state is categorized by Caltrans. State defined “local” roads have a default limit of 25 miles per hour (mph). Enforcement of that limit does not require posted signs or a specific survey. All other roads default to 55 mph, and while a municipality can lower those limits at will, doing so without a state approved speed survey prohibits the use of radar/lydar by police and effectively undermines any attempt to enforce the rules. Speed surveys are conducted on a rotating basis every five to seven years depending on road condi-
tions and changes. A survey determines the speed of flowing traffic and then sets the limit to the nearest five-mile increment (rounding up). Agencies can lower that limit by at most 5 mph. The most recently scheduled survey was in 2013, however some streets were accidently included in that report by mistake. In addition, residents of the Sunset Park neighborhood asked for revisions to speeds in their area after the conclusion of the 2013 survey citing particularly narrow streets. SEE SPEED PAGE 7
Giolito has sights on MLB debut
Santa Monica Daily Press
smdp.com
City cites corporate greed as motivation for new airport complaint BY MATTHEW HALL Daily Press Editor
The City of Santa Monica has responded to the latest airport complaint by claiming the new Part 16 hearing is an attempt by corporate interests to undermine residential control of the Santa Monica Airport. Mark Smith, Kim Davidson Aviation Inc., Bill’s Air Center Inc.,
Justice Aviation Inc., the National Business Aviation Association Inc. (NBAA) and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) filed a complaint with the Federal Aviation Administration on Feb. 5 alleging financial misconduct by the City. Their complaint has three central arguments: that the City has SEE AIRPORT PAGE 5
LA Marathon prompts road closures Road closures have been announced for the Los Angeles Marathon. There will be road closures along the length of the course, several freeway ramps will
be temporarily closed and there are additional city-specific closures related to race logistics. SEE ROADS PAGE 6
Santa Monica prospect heading to Nationals camp BY JEFFREY I. GOODMAN Daily Press Staff Writer
Standing near the fence on the east edge of Memorial Park, Lucas Giolito looks the part of a Major League Baseball player. His 6-foot-5 frame is imposing, even when it isn’t positioned atop a pitcher’s mound. His bold red Washington Nationals cap matches the color of his long-sleeve team warm-up shirt. His dark beard blankets much of his face. But long before Giolito was a top prospect on the arduous path to recovery from an elbow injury, he was just another local kid. “I’ve lived in Santa Monica since I was 5,” he said. “It’s where I come home every offseason.” This offseason, though, has had a different pulse than the others in Giolito’s budding baseball career. Having played in the minor leagues over parts of the last four years, the locally bred right-hander reports to Nationals spring training camp this month with realistic hopes of making his MLB debut before long. “It’s getting closer and closer,” he said. “It’s SEE GIOLITO PAGE 5
Photo by Jeff Goodman jeff@smdp.com
RISING: Lucas Giolito’s MLB debut seems near.
Courtesy photo
CLEARING A PATH: Some roads will close for the LA Marathon this Sunday.
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