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Santa Monica Daily Press MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015
SMMUSD coach-hiring policy unclear CANDIDATES TO REPLACE CLARK MAY COME FROM OUTSIDE SAMOHI, DISTRICT
BY JEFFREY I. GOODMAN Daily Press Staff Writer
SAMOHI Following the departure of
Travis Clark as Santa Monica High School’s head football coach, the local school district will accept applications for the position from outside the campus or district, rekindling debate over the district’s hiring practices for sports coaches. The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District will soon post the open position and begin its selection process, a controversial topic in the community following the dismissal of Samohi baseball coach Kurt Schwengel last year. Clark recently resigned after six years at the helm to become the football coach at Lawndale. He works in television and film production and was not a full-time employee of the school district. “We want the best coach possible,” district spokeswoman Gail Pinsker said of the vacancy created by Clark. “We’re not only looking at somebody filling that position from within. We’re looking for the best candidate.” The nature of the search for Clark’s replacement stands in contrast to district officials’ stated position on coaches after the dismissal of Schwengel, who was asked not to return after two successful seasons with the Samohi baseball team. SMMUSD superintendent Sandra Lyon said at the time that the district sought to replace Schwengel with someone who already held a position on campus. “In looking ahead, the school has determined that, at this time, it is in the best interest of the program to have a coach who is also a
Volume 14 Issue 101
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO SEE PAGE 6
All chains could come off in Chain Reaction testing
$295K spent on Ed Board race
BY DAVID MARK SIMPSON
accept the contribution and cover the additional costs, whatever they end up being. That was a year ago, and the Chain Gain has since grown restless. They want City Hall to get on with the repairs so that the chain link fence around the sculpture can come down. They also want City Hall to avoid removing the sculpture’s mushroom cap top, noting that it would be an overly invasive procedure. “The preferred method of evaluation includes the safe removal of all chains and selective portions of the fiberglass shell to allow access to structural connections that have not been observed,” city planners said in a memo to the Landmarks Commission. This evaluation, city planners
SMMUSD HDQRTRS Ed Board candi-
SEE CHAIN PAGE 9
SEE MONEY PAGE 9
Daily Press Staff Writer
MAIN STREET “Chain Reaction” may briefly be renamed “Reaction” if the Landmarks Commission approves recommendations from a consultant. The aging sculpture, located on Main Street, needs testing, city officials say, in order to avoid a possible public safety hazard and City Hall’s consultant recommends removing all chains and parts of the fiberglass shell. Because it’s a designated landmark, any changes made on the structure need approval from the Landmarks Commission, which will consider the proposed testing Monday night. The sculpture was gifted to City Hall by the Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist Paul Conrad in
the early 1990s. It depicts a 26foot-tall mushroom cloud made of chains. In 2011, city officials expressed concern that rust build-up and other wear-and-tear could compromise the integrity of the structure. Some estimated repair costs at $400,000 but a 2012 study from a City Hall-hired consultant noted that “Chain Reaction” was “not an imminent hazard.” It was not conclusive about the status of an interior support structure, city planners said. City Council had initially asked supporters — who call themselves “The Chain Gain” — to fundraise the entire cost of repairs, which the Chain Gain complained was hard to do without a set target amount. Ultimately, they raised more than $100,000. Council voted to
BY DAVID MARK SIMPSON Daily Press Staff Writer
dates spent more on the 2014 election than they did in the previous two elections combined. The seven Santa MonicaMalibu Board of Education candidates spent a combined $257,705, according to campaign disclosure statements, with another $37,554 coming from outside groups. Craig Foster, a Malibu resident who ultimately won election, spent $91,712 — more than any candidate has spent in the years that campaign finance statements are readily available. Former Boardmember Nimish Patel, who did not seek reelection last year, was the board’s previous big spender. He dropped $74,582 and pulled off a surprise victory in 2010.
POLICE READERS
Courtesy photo
Deputy Chief Al Venegas and Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks read to first graders at Carlthorp School in Santa Monica last week as part of the culmination of African American History Month.
SEE COACH PAGE 7
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