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Santa Monica Daily Press TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015
Volume 14 Issue 96
SPRING SPORTS SEE PAGE 7
Council pushing for off-ramp realignment Sheriff asking BY DAVID MARK SIMPSON Daily Press Staff Writer
FOURTH ST City officials are exploring expediting a realignment of Interstate 10 that would change how vehicles are brought onto Fourth Street. The new exit would bring traffic
over the freeway and tie into the recently-built Olympic Drive. If completed, the exit and entrance to Interstate 10 would be adjacent, rather than separated by the freeway. City officials told council at their last meeting that the plan, referred to as the Olympic
crossover, freeway flyover, or freeway realignment, has been discussed briefly with Caltrans, the state agency in charge of the freeways, but is still in its early phases. The crossover is included in the draft of the Downtown Specific Plan, which, once approved, will provide a framework for land-use
Downtown. The plan would include the removal of the current Fourth Street off-ramp — eliminating the associated traffic light. Councilmember Terry O’Day asked city officials what it would SEE ROADS PAGE 8
for help with murder case BY DAILY PRESS STAFF
OCEAN PARK BLVD. The Los Angeles
County Sheriff ’s Department is seeking help from the public in relaSEE MURDER PAGE 6
SURVEY:
Farmers’ Market attendees like pony rides BY DAVID MARK SIMPSON Daily Press Staff Writer
MAIN STREET Farmers’ Market visitors expressed opposition to the impending ousting of pony rides at the Main Street market, according to survey results released by City Hall. While pony rides were not the subject of the survey, an open-ended question was flooded with more than 100 responses asking City Hall to keep the pony rides. Of the just over 200 comments (or affirmation of comments) that were left over a four and a half hour period on Feb. 15, 114 were about the pony rides and petting zoo. Only 8 percent of those comments supported the removal of the pony rides while 92 percent asked that they remain, according to the report from Farmers’ Market Coordinator Jodi Low. “For many years my kids rode the ponies,” said one commenter. “We all love them! Please keep the ponies! You have one or two ‘squeaky wheels’ making a decision for everyone. Please keep this passage for the youngest of the community.” Animal rights activists began protesting the pony rides and petting zoo early last year. They claimed, among other things, that the rides and zoo teach kids to mistreat animals. In their visits to the market, city officials did not find the animals living in unsafe conditions. But in September, City Council voted to seek a non-animal vendor to replace Tawni’s Ponies, owned by Tawni
Vikings press on as winter winds down BY JEFFREY I. GOODMAN Daily Press Staff Writer
SAMOHI The city’s winter playoff hopes rest on the shoulders of the Santa Monica girls soccer team, which enters the CIF Southern Section semifinals today (March 3) at 5 p.m. on the road against La Mirada. As the Vikings vie for a spot in the Division 4 title game for the first time in program history, the Daily Press examines how other area teams fared in the postseason. SAMOHI Matthew Hall
PRO-PONY RIDE: Farmers market customers are overwhelmingly in favor of keeping pony rides according to an informal survey released by market organizers.
Angel, after her agreement with City Hall expires later this year. Angel has been a vendor at the market for years. Last month, council voted to ban exotic animals from parks and most crowded public places after city officials cited concerns about mistreatment of the creatures and threats to public safety. The survey at the Sunday Main Street Farmers’ Market asked visitors to respond to multiple-choice questions about what they’d like to see more and less of at the
market. One board allowed market-goers to write in comments. Some comments were affirmed by check marks from other market-goers, which is how the pony rides received so much support. The comment, “Keep ponies and petting zoo,” got 35 affirmations while “Keep ponies,” got nine. “Please keep the ponies and petting zoo,” read one comment. “My daughter is SEE PONY PAGE 5
The Santa Monica boys basketball team finished its season in the Division 1AA first round with an 82-63 loss to Eastvale-Roosevelt on the road Feb. 20. The Vikings ended up with a 12-15 overall record and a 7-3 mark in Ocean League play. It was the last prep game for senior guard New Williams, who will continue his athletic career at Auburn. The Santa Monica girls water polo team capped a fantastic campaign by reaching the Division 6 semifinals. The Vikings easily dispatched Morro Bay with a 19-1 victory in the first round Feb. 19 at Drake Pool, then edged Lake SEE SPORTS PAGE 6
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