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MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2014
Volume 13 Issue 103
Santa Monica Daily Press
BIG DAY FOR A DOG AND HIS BOY SEE PAGE 3
We have you covered
THE WELCOME BACK, DAVE ISSUE
City Council takes a look at e-cigs BY KEVIN HERRERA Editor-in-Chief
CITY HALL Concerned that kids will pick up the unhealthy habit of smoking cigarettes, Councilman Bob Holbrook wants to restrict the use of the electronic version.
Holbrook will ask his colleagues on the dais Tuesday to take a closer look at bans on “vaping” in cities like Los Angeles and New York to see if there is enough research on the health impacts of electronic cigarettes to add them to Santa Monica’s comprehensive smoking restrictions, which prohibit smok-
ing tobacco at local beaches, parks, the Third Street Promenade, restaurant patios and even inside apartments. Holbrook’s main concern is that decades of anti-smoking efforts will go up in smoke (or vapor) if teens continue to see “vaping” in public places like restaurants or sporting
Good results from Olympic schedule alteration
events. He believes teens will be enticed to use e-cigs because they can be loaded with liquid cartridges that contain nicotine as well as flavoring like cotton candy and bubble gum. Since there’s no smoke released, SEE E-CIGS PAGE 10
Some state cities are seeking water independence
BY DAVID MARK SIMPSON ALICIA CHANG
Daily Press Staff Writer
AP Science Writer
OLYMPIC HIGH A schedule change that allows students to come in later has been a success at Santa Monica’s continuation high school, said Olympic High School Principal Janie Gates. Gates has decided to stick to the schedule, at least for the rest of the year, thanks to vast attendance improvements in 25 of the school’s classes. None of the classes showed a decline in attendance and more than half of the students preferred the change. The idea to start classes almost an hour later was the brainchild of classroom teacher, Anthony Fuller, who is researching the biological clocks of adolescents at UCLA’s Principal Leadership Institute. “We had been discussing for years the best ways to improve attendance because we have some of the best truants in the district here,” Fuller said. Olympic High School is designed to help kids who are struggling to graduate within the mainstream school system. Fuller read studies from research teams all across the world, including Taiwan, India, Europe, and the United States, and found that all teens have at least one thing in common: they stay up late.
PICTURE PERFECT
Morgan Genser editor@smdp.com Stella Lavoisne, 8, paints a picture during the Santa Monica Airport ArtWalk on Saturday.
SEE OLYMPIC PAGE 10
SANTA MONICA, Calif. Drops of rain fell on Josephine Miller’s 1920s bungalow — a watery relief in the midst of a punishing drought. Instead of flowing into storm drains and washing out to sea, an oversized tank harvested the precious resource to keep her thirsty citrus trees and vegetables from shriveling up on dry days. Across Santa Monica, backyard rain barrels and cisterns are becoming fashionable. Since 2010, the beach city has doled out 385 rebates to homeowners who direct rainwater back into their gardens as part of a broader effort to become water independent that also includes cleaning up contaminated groundwater and recycling water. “This is kind of a no-brainer, low-hanging fruit solution for anyone,” said Miller, who three years ago installed a 205-gallon water storage container, which resembles an upright accordion. California is gripped by historic parched conditions that have desiccated farmland, dried up reservoirs and forced rural communities to ration water. A welcome dousing late last month did little to break the arid spell. Even before this latest drought emergency, some agencies that historically draw SEE WATER PAGE 9
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