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WHAT’S UP WESTSIDE ..................PAGE 2 SANTA MONICA READS ................PAGE 3 SERVICE STATION ..........................PAGE 4 EDUCATOR SPOTLIGHT ................PAGE 5 MYSTERY PHOTO ............................PAGE 9
WEEKEND EDITION
02.27.16 - 02.28.16 Volume 15 Issue 88
@smdailypress
Local students step into Spotlight Samohi seniors among semifinalists in Music Center arts program
Santa Monica Daily Press
Third attempt at lobbying restrictions comes to council BY MATTHEW HALL Daily Press Editor
First it was too hot, then too cold, but staff is hoping their third attempt to regulate local lobbyists will be just right. Council will hear the latest version of a lobbying ordinance at a special meeting scheduled for March 1. As proposed, the new law attempts to balance previous comments that the rules were at first too complicated, then too simple. The first attempt at a lobbying rule came to council in July of 2015. Those rules were synthesized from more than a dozen other cities and contained registration requirements, disclosure rules and prohibitions on deceptive behavior. Council rejected the proposal and asked for a simpler rule, possi-
‘Remembrance and regret’
RHENZY FELIZ
BEN ROSS
BY JEFFREY I. GOODMAN
ed actors, dancers, singers and musicians, the semifinalists will attend workshops in the coming weeks before returning to the stage for more auditions with the goal of earning a finalist spot and performing at Walt Disney Concert Hall in June. “With Spotlight, young people have the opportunity to see what it is like to take risks and learn how to prepare for the important transitions in life,” program director Jeri Gaile said in a news release. “While students compete in this program, they are mostly competing with themselves as they build self-esteem and learn how to persevere to achieve their goals.” The program’s list of past finalists includes premier professionals like Misty Copeland, the first African-American woman to be named principal dancer for American Ballet Theatre. But organizers believe Spotlight is beneficial all students in the competition because they receive constructive feedback from judges and
Daily Press Staff Writer
“Ev’ry so often a man has a day he can truly call his,” goes a lyric from “Extraordinary,” a song from the musical “Pippin” that Ben Ross performed during a recent audition. And perhaps his day is coming. The Santa Monica High School senior was recently named a semifinalist in the Spotlight program, a competitive arts training and scholarship initiative organized by The Music Center. Ross and fellow Samohi senior Rhenzy Feliz are among the 111 remaining contestants in seven combined categories in the 28th annual edition of Spotlight, which aims to support Southern California teenagers in their pursuit of careers in a variety of performing arts endeavors. Crossroads School students Julia del Barrio, Anna Yeh, Alec Schulman and Luca Mendoza were also chosen as semifinalists. Selected from a pool of more than 1,100 talent-
SEE MUSIC PAGE 6
smdp.com
A decade later, community mourns death of Eddie Lopez BY JEFFREY I. GOODMAN
bly based on nearby municipalities such as West Hollywood. Staff returned in October of 2015 with a streamlined set of rules modeled after nearby cities. However, residents and local watchdog organizations criticized the second draft for being too weak. Council rejected the rules and provided direction to expand certain provisions. Councilwoman Sue Himmelrich described the previous version as not ready for prime time but said the third version looks much better. “I believe this is more along the lines of what I wanted to see, that it captures more rather than less,” she said. As currently proposed the rules SEE LOBBY PAGE 6
Samohi grad venturing to Antarctica BY JEFFREY I. GOODMAN Daily Press Staff Writer
Eddie Lopez was a popular student, a promising outfielder in Santa Monica High School’s baseball program and a loving son and grandson. He never got the chance to be more. Ten years ago this month, Lopez was shot and killed while walking with friends near Virginia Avenue Park. He was 15 years old. It’s been a difficult decade filled with mourning and healing for those who knew Lopez, and community members want to make
Stephanie Parent’s passion for the sustainability of the planet blossomed during her time as a student at Santa Monica High School, where PARENT she earned extra credit by doing community service. It deepened at Santa Monica College, where she pursued environmental studies. And it continues today. Parent will soon embark on an
SEE MEMORIAL PAGE 7
SEE COLD PAGE 7
Daily Press Staff Writer